Why This Conversation Matters
At this year’s AHR Expo in Orlando, we jumped on the ACHR Newsmakers Podcast with our longtime partner Florian Braun from Ziehl-Abegg. Alongside our CEO Matt Kent, the two shared stories, swapped lessons, and got honest about where commercial HVAC is going next. If you’re a facility manager (or just someone who’s tired of babysitting outdated air handlers), this one’s for you.
Retrofit Isn’t a Shortcut. It’s the Smart Path Forward.
Let’s be real: most commercial buildings weren’t built with today’s tech in mind. But you can’t knock the whole thing down and start fresh every time the equipment gets out of date. That’s where retrofit comes in.
Florian said it best: retrofitting isn’t just about saving money—it’s how we hit energy goals, reduce emissions, and keep buildings running without interruption. Ziehl-Abegg brings the ECM plug fans. Q-PAC designs those fans into a full airstream solution for commercial HVAC, actually made to bring resiliency to the field just like the teams working in the field.
Calculate the installation and energy savings when retrofitting with Q-PAC
The Multimotor Plenum Fan: A New Way to Think About Airflow
After a decade of testing everything from massive single fans to finicky arrays, we finally found a better way. We call it the multimotor plenum fan.
Think of it like a dream team of multiple motorized impellers working together to operate as one. No belts. No bearings. No downtime. Just 100% resilient– that means reliable airflow that keeps working even if one motor calls it quits. It’s the best parts of old-school durability with the smarts of modern design.
Explore the multimotor plenum fan
Labor Shortages Are Real. So We Built for That.
Matt made a point that hit home: "I haven’t met anyone in this space who’s not struggling to find good labor." It’s tough out there. We hear it from contractors and facilities teams all the time.
That’s why we’ve focused on making our systems radically simple. Easy to size with just a handful of measurements, easier to install with fully assembled or kitted options. And if you need help on-site? We’ve got folks geared to travel anywhere who can show up fast and keep your project moving.
Use our fan selection tool
The Stories That Stick with Us
This isn’t theory. It’s boots-on-the-ground experience.
Matt told a story about a hospital in Myrtle Beach that lost a critical 60HP fan serving 10 operating rooms. When it went down, they lost $2 million per day. Ouch. Q-PAC built the replacement system in under 3 hours, and the mechanical contractors installed it overnight. The building was back online in 24 hours.
Florian shared how Ziehl-Abegg delivered fans to China for their pop-up hospitals during the early days of COVID. Six days from order to install—even with supply chains in chaos. That’s what it means to show up when it counts.
Where It’s All Headed
We’re not just making fans. We’re making commercial HVAC systems that talk to your building. BACnet IP integration? It’s on the roadmap. Smarter diagnostics and one of the biggest wind tunnels in North America? In the works.
Florian put it simply: “We need to listen to what the market really needs.” And that’s what we’re doing—building for the way your team actually works.
