Project Spotlight

TVA Kingston Duct & Structural Stiffening

When the Tennessee Valley Authority needed bidders for a massive $11,800,000 fabrication/ducting project, it was Valley Mechanical who won the contract. Knowing the logistics and shipping challenges this project entailed, we engineered and fabricated the structural support steel for the tie-in to the existing duct and fabricated the scrubber duct in large pieces in our Chattanooga facility, located directly on the Tennessee River. With our barge access right at the shop, shipping the project's large pieces was a relative breeze.

Of course our workmanship was exceptional. Valley Mechanical's StruCAD advantage meant the auto-detailing of common connections reduced the detailing time by 66%, enabling us to create a 3D model of the tie-in to the existing duct. This kind of precision modeling allowed our engineers to locate precisely where the support steel should be installed. Seventy-five percent of the duct pieces were within +/- .125" tolerance when +/- .375" was required, and less than 0.5% of all linear feet of welding required rework. There were zero pieces out of tolerance. The 5,000,000 lbs. of duct and structural steel was completed in 2009 and on time.

Since this job was completed, Valley has added a second beam line, and can now process beams up to 36" wide.

Hill Foods Duct & Platforms

Hills Foods, a leading maker of high-end pet foods, chose Valley Mechanical to fabricate and install the ductwork, access platforms, stairs and handrails when it constructed its Emporia, KS manufacturing plant. This $2mil project involved 800,000 lbs. of steel, and was shipped from our facility directly to the jobsite in our company-owned trucks.

Red River Environmental

As Red River Environmental in Coushatta, LA began construction on its coal silos, it became clear that an outside vendor would be the best option for the support steel needed. Valley Mechanical was trusted with the $1.3mil contract.  Utilizing our new beam line to deliver shorter fabrication time and significant cost savings, we fabricated 750,000 lbs. of steel, and installed the support steel for 10 silos.

PPL Brunner Island

Valley Mechanical is proud to have been chosen as one of the construction partners on this giant Pennsylvania Power and Light electrical power plant.  Using our extensive stock material supply (over $1 million), our teams were able to step up and fabricate many sections of access platforms, stairs, ladders and handrails across the duration of the project, while maintaining a necessary quick turnaround time. To illustrate the size of this project, the 1,490-megawatt capacity facility generates enough power each year to light up about 1 million typical homes.