Why the uptick? According to the FMI Consulting and DBIA report, 83% of respondents say this approach helps solve supply chain issues. Additionally, 61% note that design build facilitates early procurement, long lead times that support collaboration with custom fabricators and dynamic scheduling. Over three-quarters of survey respondents also believe that design-build expedites greater use of prefabrication solutions.

“Fabrication is a downstream requirement of our innovative construction solutions,” explains Christopher Cox, P.E., Founder and President of Engineered Rigging. “We discovered that we can serve our clients better by self-performing much of the solution. The combination of a creative group of engineers co-located with an experienced fabrication team allows us to efficiently turn concepts into reality.”

Engineered Rigging is ideally positioned to support design-build projects with a team of in-house engineers and a 40,000 square foot state-of-the-art fabrication facility in Russellville, AR. We have the capabilities to fabricate all types of custom heavy lifting gear ranging from small to very large, including:

• Specialty Below the Hook (BTH-1) rigging devices
• Innovative solutions like our 500-ton Power Slide
• Bespoke synchronous mechanical lift systems and climbing cylinders
• Customized components for standard equipment

Client-Driven Design
Customized fabrications are often brought to the table during client design review discussions. Our heavy lifting experts work diligently to understand the project’s distinctive challenges. Whenever possible, we strive to solve for them with OEM solutions from our rental fleet which includes heavy lifting and specialized transport equipment by Crosby, Enerpac, Fassi, GKS, Goldhofer, GreenPin, Hilman, Holmatro, Hydraslide, HTS, Palfinger, PM, Powerteam, Simplex and Versabar, as well as our proprietary equipment. However, there are times when off-the-shelf equipment doesn’t exist in the size or shape required. In this case, an OEM technology can be adapted for a particular application, much like that of AMG for Mercedes or Shelby for Ford. By combining our engineering know-how with purpose-built parts, we can upgrade standard equipment to fit a project’s unique needs. At other times, a custom fabrication is required.

When that happens, our engineers use 3-D CAD techniques to design the equipment. This approach often helps clients visualize the solution long before any plate is cut, or welding performed. This step minimizes the opportunity for unfortunate surprises during fit up and testing.

Quality Control & Testing
Almost all custom fabrications require testing, whether it be a weld test or load test. Often the test setup warrants its own custom fabrication to make use of the heavy lifting gear necessary to generate test forces, as well as steel beams and other weldments to properly direct those forces. Most gear, especially that built to ASME standard B.30.1 or BTH-1, has very specific testing requirements that must be performed prior to painting. However, to get to paint, you have to get past our fabrication shop manager, Brad Jones, whose keen eye for quality control makes him one of the best in the business.

Plethora of Proven Projects
Recently, Engineered Rigging fabricated oversized custom header beams for multiple clients for use with their hydraulic gantries, as well as other action accessories for heavy lifting equipment like custom lift anchors, pulling frames and strand handling equipment for hydraulic strand jacks.

To cite a few examples, we fabricated custom attachments called dog bones to use with our 200-ton strand jacks to demolish a 90-year-old bridge in New Jersey. To install a coal ash conveyor system at an Iowa power plant, we custom-fabricated a dozen 23-foot-long support beams each with a 19-ton capacity. For a global shipping company, we fabricated a 30-ton assembly that included 200 feet of self-erecting steel track, in 10-foot by 10-foot sections, each weighing 3,000 pounds to facilitate the installation of a package handling system.

Engineered Rigging’s proprietary products such as the Power Slide hydraulic skidding system rated for 500-ton capacity remain popular in the market. Mix in a healthy dose of BTH-1 products such as custom panel bars for specialty rigging and you have a wide variety of fabrications made in our shop.

Fabrications also support our extensive rental fleet of heavy lifting equipment. Besides meeting customer application demands, Engineered Rigging is constantly improving our methods to transport our solutions around the globe by fabricating custom frames and skids.

Creativity and a can-do attitude drive Engineered Rigging’s team to solve even the most complex construction challenges. To discuss your project needs, please contact one of our heavy lifting experts.