2024 Dealer Design Awards: Components & Accessories

Inaba Denko America may have revolutionized HVACR installations with its SuperLock pipe hanger, which the company calls the fastest solution for jobs that involve ceiling-supported pipes or linesets.

SuperLock, which was designed in Japan and is also built there, was the Gold winner in the Components and Accessories category in this year’s Dealer Design Awards.

“The goal of our products, not just of the SuperLock but our products in general, is to make the life of the technician easier,” said Karina Aharonian, marketing and product manager at Inaba Denko America. “We like efficiency.”

The SuperLock consists of a cradle, for a pipe or refrigerant line, that fits securely on an all-thread rod; the height can be adjusted by a lever. Optional protective pads spread the pipe’s weight and guard the pipe and any insulation from possible wear and tear.

The SuperLock is available in different sizes. The company introduced the product in February. Two SuperLocks can be installed back to back for a double-pipe installation, if needed.

“The one-touch design allows for easy installation with just a twist,” Aharonian said.

Ralph de Anda, a sheet metal foreman at Allied Mechanical Air Systems in Ontario, California, said he was on a recent commercial retrofit project in which about two dozen SuperLocks were used. The SuperLocks, he said, replaced the trapeze-style pipe supports, each of which require two all-thread bolts, that his company had been using, and helped speed up the job.

“I thought it saved time and was pretty easy to use,” de Anda said. “I would absolutely use it again.”

“A lot less hardware needed to be used,” he added. “I was surprised that a brand-new, fresh product was very quick and easy to use.”

“The pipe-support solutions … in the market require the technician to use extra materials like bolts and a strut channel,” Aharonian said. “Inaba Denko’s SuperLock system changes this scenario with the use of one single hook.”

Aharonian said Inaba Denko put three years into the research and design of the SuperLock, incorporating information gleaned from surveys, contractor feedback, and analysis by engineers.

“We saw that there was a need for that product,” she said. The company plans to now promote it among contractors and engineers, Aharonian said.

Another pipework hanging and support system, the FlexiStak from Gripple Inc., won Silver honors in the Components and Accessories category.

The FlexiStak is a hanger and track system that makes for easy height adjustment and can accommodate insulated pipes of varying diameters, up to 3 inches, making it ideal for a wide range of applications, the company said.

The FlexiStak features a glass-filled nylon support that can hold up to 75 pounds, a wire gate to secure pipe in the hanger, a carbon steel push latch to allow for adjustment on the track, and track lengths that can accommodate drops of between 8 and 58 inches.

“FlexiStak is the ultimate solution for effortless VRF (variable refrigerant flow) suspension,” said Harvey Hancock, product manager at Grippe. “The hanger and track system gives you easy height adjustment at your fingertips, and our push-button mechanism simplifies the process, saving you time and effort on every installation.”

The FlexiStack design allows for modular installations, Hancock said, with the use of multiple hangers on a single track.

“FlexiStak is designed to revolutionize the installation of VRF line sets — minimizing the time which is needed to complete an installation whilst improving the installation’s overall robustness,” Hancock said.

FlexiStack was brought to market in November of last year. Research and design began in late 2021, Hancock said, and Gripple conducted site visits to understand customers’ needs and the problems posed by the current solutions. The company also gathered input through surveys and focus groups, he said.

Hancock said Gripple plans to improve FlexiStak by, for example, scaling it up to accommodate larger pipe sizes, developing attachments that will allow it to be used in more environments, including earthquake-prone areas, and developing it for other applications, such as electrical work.

“Gripple will always listen to the market’s feedback, and any future improvements will be driven by the market’s feedback,” he said.

Xspect ISOfoam APF board, lightweight insulation board, was named the Bronze winner in Components and Accessories.

Tapered Xspect ISOfoam APF board, made by Johns Manville, was introduced late last summer after a year in development.

The concept, according to Johns Manville associate product manager Nicole Miller, came from contractor members on an advisory council who said that current products were insufficient. The company “brainstormed solutions with the contractors and showed several iterations of product ideas to confirm that all needs were satisfied,” Miller said.

Xspect ISOfoam is for rooftop ductwork, exterior tanks, and more. The closed-cell polyisocyanurate foam core is bonded to a foil facer on both sides, Miller said, and the boards can be ordered with a slight taper that directs water away from a duct system.

Tapered boards come in a 4- by 8-foot size and in different thicknesses, which are chosen based on specific climate conditions and insulation-value needs, Miller said. 

“Contractors can purchase all their materials for an exterior rooftop duct system — both tapered and flat — from a mechanical distributor, instead of piecing together their own solution using roofing products or scraps of board insulation,” Miller said.

Miller said Johns Manville is exploring ways to enhance Xspect ISOfoam APF board as well as “even more durable solution that provides a higher level of confidence for the building owner as to the safety of their occupants.”