The Brand Story
MTI: The Miami Sheet Metal Shop That Learned to Build for Hurricane Country
Stand on almost any commercial rooftop in Miami-Dade or Broward County and look at what holds the air conditioning in place. Beneath the condenser there is usually an aluminum stand, a set of brackets and a tie-down kit, all of it engineered to stay put when a hurricane pushes wind across the roof at speeds most of the country never sees. Since 1987, Miami Tech, Inc., known in the trade as MTI, has been building those unglamorous parts in Miami, along with the collars, boxes, pans and fittings that every South Florida installation needs.
Chapter 1 · 1987
A Miami manufacturer for Miami problems
Miami Tech began manufacturing in 1987 and still works out of northwest Miami, a short drive from the supply houses and jobsites it serves. From the start its business was the metal that sits between the equipment and the building: collars, register boxes, boots, elbows, fittings and the many small parts a sheet metal crew reaches for on every job. Industry directories list the company with roughly 50 to 99 employees, a regional manufacturer rather than a national giant, and one that has spent more than three decades close to the contractors who install its products.
Its parts reach those contractors through the supply houses South Florida technicians already know. Miami Tech's own distributor list includes regional and national names such as Gemaire, Baker Distributing, Carrier Enterprise, Trane Supply, Ferguson HVAC, Winsupply, Refricenter and Tropic Supply, which is why an MTI box or collar turns up on so many local jobs.
Chapter 2 · The metal line
Everything between the duct and the register
MTI's metal catalog reads like a checklist for a residential or light commercial changeout. There are duct collars and register boots, insulated register boxes, round elbows, metal pipe and fittings, in-line, bull-nose, adjustable and mobile home wyes, filter racks, air handler bases and wall brackets, galvanized drain pans, side wall caps, wall stack parts and roofing products such as roof vents and roof jacks. A fiberglass products group covers duct board components, and a refrigerant line cover system protects and finishes the copper line set where it runs along an outside wall.
None of these parts are glamorous. All of them are the difference between an installation that leaks air, sweats or rattles and one that quietly does its job for years.
Chapter 3 · Fire and life safety
Parts that close when it matters
Alongside the metal line, Miami Tech builds a fire products group: static and dynamic system fire dampers, ceiling dampers, ceiling radiation damper boxes, access doors and their optional accessories. These are the components that let ductwork pass through fire-rated walls and ceilings without compromising the rating, and the company publishes installation instructions for its fire damper and ceiling radiation damper models so installers and inspectors can work from the same page.
Chapter 4 · Built for the wind
Aluminum stands and hurricane engineering
South Florida's building codes are among the strictest in the country when it comes to wind. Miami-Dade and Broward Counties form the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone, where rooftop equipment and the structures that hold it must carry specific product approvals. MTI answered with a family of aluminum condenser stands made from 6061-T6 aluminum.
The AS14 stand uses a patented webbed-post leg design, protected by U.S. Patent 9,052,120, and carries a Miami-Dade Notice of Acceptance and Florida state approval with engineering data written to the 2023 Florida Building Code, 8th Edition. The ASMU carries its own Miami-Dade NOA and Florida approval and is rated for use inside and outside the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone. The AST, with Florida product approval and third-party quality assurance, covers most applications elsewhere in the state. Cross-mounting angles widen the footprint for higher pressure ratings, rubber boots isolate the aluminum from lightweight concrete poured over base plates to limit oxidation, and an optional bracket gives the electrical disconnect a place to hang. Working with the firm Engineering Express, MTI also built an online calculator so installers can check a stand against the job's wind requirements before they ever climb the ladder.
Chapter 5 · Brand-specific tie-downs
A kit for every condenser on the roof
A stand only works if the condenser is fastened to it, and every manufacturer's cabinet is a little different. MTI's answer is a library of condensing unit tie-down kits engineered for specific brands, including Rheem and Ruud, Lennox and Allied, Trane and American Standard, Carrier and Bryant, Goodman, Johnson Controls and York, Fujitsu, Nordyne and others, plus its own universal Florida kits. Each comes with installation and engineering documents, so the paperwork an inspector asks for is already in hand.
The Lineup
What MTI builds today
Miami Tech builds metal installation products, fire and life safety products, aluminum condenser stands and tie-down kits for the HVAC trade. HVAC365 carries a broad slice of the metal and accessory line:
- Duct collars and fittings: long-tab duct collars, in-line and bull-nose duct wyes, R-6 insulated register boxes, galvanized roof vents and knock-down fiberglass duct board reducer boxes and triangles.
- Air distribution: the boxes, collars and transitions that connect trunk lines to registers.
- Condensate management: 24-gauge galvanized drain pans with rails for air handlers and furnaces.
- Equipment mounting: brand-specific condensing unit tie-down kits, such as the Lennox rail and roof mount kit, and stand bracket kits for Rheem and Ruud condensers.
- Line set covers: 4-inch line set cover runs and 7-by-7-inch line jacks that finish refrigerant lines along exterior walls.
At a Glance
MTI at a glance
- Full name
- Miami Tech, Inc.
- Manufacturing since
- 1987
- Headquarters
- Miami, Florida
- Size
- About 50 to 99 employees
- Product groups
- Metal products, fire products, condenser stands, tie-down kits
- Stand material
- 6061-T6 aluminum
- Approvals
- Miami-Dade NOA and Florida product approvals on select stands
- Patent
- U.S. Patent 9,052,120 (AS14 stand)
Questions
Frequently asked questions about MTI
What does MTI stand for?
MTI is the trade shorthand for Miami Tech, Inc., an HVAC accessory manufacturer based in Miami, Florida.
When was Miami Tech founded?
Miami Tech has been manufacturing HVAC products since 1987.
What does MTI make?
MTI makes sheet metal installation products such as duct collars, register boxes, wyes, drain pans and roof vents, along with fire dampers, access doors, aluminum condenser stands, line set covers and condensing unit tie-down kits.
Are MTI condenser stands approved for hurricane zones?
Select MTI aluminum stands carry Miami-Dade Notices of Acceptance and Florida product approvals, and the ASMU and AS14 are rated for use inside and outside the High-Velocity Hurricane Zone of Miami-Dade and Broward Counties.
Which brands do MTI tie-down kits fit?
MTI offers tie-down kits engineered for condensing units from Rheem and Ruud, Lennox and Allied, Trane, Carrier and Bryant, Goodman, Johnson Controls and York, Fujitsu, Nordyne and others.
