# Michigan factory doubles shifts as AI data centres drive air vent demand

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/family-owned-factory-stunned-to-realize-why-decades-old-niche-part-has-suddenly-started-flying-off-the-shelves-by-the-thousands/
- Published: 2026-11-15T06:09:27+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-15T06:19:12+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16281515/Family-owned-factory-stunned-realize-decades-old-niche-suddenly-started-flying-shelves-thousands.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: World

## Key points

- AI data centre growth has driven a surge in orders for a decades-old air vent.
- Bulk orders have risen from about a dozen to a thousand or more.
- Armstrong added a second shift but has limited information about buyers and destinations.

## Summary

Armstrong International, a family-owned Michigan factory, has seen demand surge for a niche air vent it has made for decades. The unexpected orders appear to be linked to the rapid growth of AI data centres, where specialised liquid cooling systems use vents to release excess air.

The product had usually sold in batches of about a dozen, but orders began reaching a thousand or more earlier this year. Sales director Andrew Wittek traced the purchases to data centre projects, though buyers and destinations remain difficult to identify. The surge has led the Three Rivers factory to add a second shift, while the limited information makes production planning, design work and customer development harder.

---
Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.