In the past, we were using humidifiers from another company, but they were quite old. The mist was pretty coarse, and it often turned into droplets that ended up wetting the floor. With so many looms lined up in the factory, having a wet floor was a real safety concern — people could slip and bump into a machine.

At the same time, the humidity in the factory wasn’t anywhere near the 60–70% RH we need for weaving towels. When the humidity drops, static electricity builds up and lint starts to form more easily. Fluff sticks to the yarn and eventually turns into these little lumps we call “futsuke”.
When futsuke appears, we have to stop the loom and take it out. But when you reach your hands between the looms to remove it, the yarn tends to loosen, and sometimes it even snaps — so it caused a lot of trouble and production stops.

We really wanted to solve the problems caused by wet floors and low humidity and improve our production efficiency. While we were looking for a better solution, our company president was introduced to IKEUCHI through a trading company, and that’s how we learned about the AirAKI Dry Fog humidification system.
Its fog is extremely fine — 10 microns or less — so there’s no dripping at all. It doesn’t wet the floor or the equipment, and because the fine droplets mix into the air so easily, they raise the humidity directly. It was exactly what we were looking for, so we decided to go ahead and install it right away.

✔ Fewer static and “futsuke” issues—smoother production

Since we installed AirAKI, we’ve seen far less static electricity, and we hardly ever get futsuke anymore. That means the looms don’t have to stop as often.
We keep hygrometers in the factory and manage humidity while checking them, because the ideal humidity is different for each type of towel. For example, our “Cotton Nouveau” products need around 75% RH. On the other hand, our “Air” line has to be woven at 60% RH — because the yarn is so delicate that it becomes difficult to weave if the humidity is any higher. Being able to adjust the humidity freely is a huge help for us.

And since the fog is so fine that it doesn’t wet the floor, the working environment has become much safer for our staff. With the static issues and floor wetting gone, the overall operation rate of the factory has definitely improved.

▲ AirAKI Dry Fog Humidification System in Operation

✔ Cleaner air—less lint, less dust, and better comfort for the workers

We collect lint and cotton fluff with dust-collection equipment, but anything that doesn’t get captured can get stirred up again by people moving around or by the cooling fans on the looms. After installing AirAKI, we’ve been able to keep the humidity at a good level, which helps prevent lint and fluff from forming in the first place and also keeps whatever remains from getting kicked back up into the air. Because of that, we’ve noticed that our staff don’t complain about sore or dry throats like they used to.

📌Key Results—What IKEUCHI ORGANIC achieved with AirAKI

Static-related problems and yarn lumps (futsuke) dramatically reduced — Static electricity buildup nearly disappeared and “futsuke” occurrences became rare, significantly reducing loom stoppages.
Stable, product-specific humidity control — Ability to precisely control humidity per product: 75% RH for “Cotton Nouveau”, 60% RH for “Air” line, enabling consistent weaving quality for different yarn types.
Safer and cleaner working environment — Ultra-fine Dry Fog prevented floor wetting and reduced airborne lint/fluff, improving worker comfort and reducing health complaints.
Improved production efficiency and yield rate — With humidity problems and static/fluff issues solved, overall factory operation rate increased, contributing to higher productivity and better quality towels.

Industrial Humidification System Using Dry Fog—AirAKI