Evets Oil & Gas Opens $4M Hubbard Fabrication Plant
HUBBARD, Ohio -- Shortly before Evets Oil & Gas Co. received a permit to occupy its new, 22,000-square-foot plant in Hubbard, a client walked through the building and was impressed with its design, layout and workflow capabilities.
At that moment, he booked the plant's first project, and Evets’ newest operation was in business an hour before the final operating permit was secured.
"Now, we didn't start work until then," laughs Chris Jaskiewicz, president of VEC Inc., parent of Evets. "He walked through, saw the building, and we were able to get the project. So, that's a good sign."
Three weeks ago, the company finished a $4 million expansion of its operation on Erie Street, which is dedicated to pipe fabrication for the oil and gas industry, says Dave Basalyga, director of logistics. "What we wanted to achieve here was to be environmentally friendly. We wanted to be efficient and have a great workflow. We wanted the guys to be in the safest environment possible."
Construction on the new plant started in September; the older building is still used for assorted steel fabrication work.
The new building devotes 11,000 square feet of space to fabrication and another 11,000 for its paint shop, Basalyga says. Energy-efficient LED lights are installed throughout the plant along with radiant floor heating -- upgrades that the logistics director says saves the company between $7,000 and $9,000 a year in energy costs.
A grand opening ceremony is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon.
The new plant incorporates ergonomic features that assist workflow processes, especially when it comes to handling heavy pipe, Basalyga reports. Large-diameter pipe, for example, is carried by trolleys along tracks that run alongside welding stations in the center of the fabrication shop.
Smaller-diameter pipe is usually welded on stands while the larger pipe is welded on the trolley system, he says. Each welding station is equipped with jibs able to extend welding tools outward onto the shop floor, making it easier for workers to fabricate components.
On April 8, workers were busy preparing small-diameter pipe slated for underground use at a compressor station.
"It's a very low impact on the welder, on the worker, on the helper," Basalyga observes. "The machine does all the work."
Instead of the standard practice of installing gas cylinders at each welding station, a pipe system pumps welding gas directly into the work bays, he says. "Safety, efficiency and cleanliness. You don't see any lines or cylinders. All of your gas is coming through the hard line. We try to build in as many conveniences as we can."
The new shop was modeled after another Evets operation in Tuscola, Ill., Basalyga says. "It brings continuity to fabrication. What we can do in Ohio, we can do in Illinois," he says.
Oil and gas exploration in the Utica shale in eastern Ohio, and the Marcellus shale in Pennsylvania and West Virginia, has helped spur demand for pipe fabricators in the region, and Evets is no exception, Jaskiewicz says.
Evets' expansion has led to at least 12 new employees, says Jaskiewicz. As for additional work, "There's a lot more coming. We're just waiting on material,” he states. “These guys are working seven days a week, 12 hours a day."
Local 396 of the Plumbers & Pipefitters union has done an excellent job of training new welders to come on board, Jaskiewicz says, noting that the workforce at Evets is highly skilled.
The new building also allows room for future expansion, Basalyga says.
"Sustainability is one of our No. 1 missions and goals," he says. "We today as leaders built this company for the next couple generations, so when Chris and I are getting ready to retire, our kids will be at the company doing their job if that's what they choose to do."
The overall objective is to place the company in a competitive position to it can grow, Basalyga notes. "We never want to limit our opportunities. We have undeveloped land that's on the property, so we always have options."
Copyright 2014 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
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