DIVISION 01 · MECHANICAL ENGINEERING · DESIGN NATIONWIDE
Custom Processing Equipment Design and Build
An engineering-driven fabrication firm building custom equipment and automated systems for processing facilities.
We partner with processors, engineers, and OEMs to develop machinery that improves throughput, consistency, and operational efficiency. Design only, design and build, or design, build, and commission.
Design models
Equipment is modelled before it is cut. These are working design models from projects that were subsequently fabricated and installed.
DESIGN MODEL — SKID-MOUNTED ENCLOSUREM3E-CAD · FIG 01 DESIGN MODEL — PROCESS LINE LAYOUTM3E-CAD · FIG 02 DESIGN MODEL — TANK FARM AND PIPINGM3E-CAD · FIG 03
The machine you need is not in anyone's catalog
Your process has a step that four people do by hand. It is the slowest station on the line, it is where the rejects come from, and it is the one your best operator is tired of doing. You have priced automation, and every quote came back for a machine that does 80% of what you need plus 40% you will never use.
Or the opposite: you own the machine, it worked fine at 2019 volumes, and now the line runs 30% faster and the machine is the bottleneck.
The full detail
Agitate: So you split the difference. You hire a design engineer, who produces a beautiful package. Then you send that package to a fab shop, which builds exactly what is drawn, including the detail that cannot be welded from the inside and the guard that cannot be removed without pulling the drive. Now you are paying for rework, and each party is explaining why it is the other one's problem.
That gap between drawing and shop floor is where custom equipment budgets go.
Solution:
Engineers and fabricators under one roof. No disconnect between design and fabrication.
Our engineers detail parts our welders have to build, in the same building, that week. Constructability review is not a meeting. It is somebody walking twenty feet and saying that will not work, try this.
What we design and build
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Custom processing equipment | Purpose-built machines for a specific process step |
| Automated material handling systems | Transfer, accumulation, sortation, robotic integration |
| Equipment retrofits and performance upgrades | Speed, capacity, changeover time, guarding, controls |
| Skid-mounted process systems | Shop-built, factory-tested, shipped as a unit |
| Sanitary equipment for washdown environments | Food-grade surfaces, drainage, corrosion-resistant materials |
| Structural frames and machine bases | Vibration, alignment, anchoring, service access |
| Custom access systems integrated into machinery | Platforms, ladders, and guarding designed with the machine |
| Prototype development and production-ready equipment | Proof of concept through repeatable build |
Built for the food processing environment
We understand the demands of food production and design accordingly.
- Sanitary design considerations
- Washdown-compatible equipment
- Corrosion-resistant materials
- Smooth surfaces and minimal debris traps
- Compliance with food-grade design expectations
From concept to production
Collaborative concept development with your team. Before geometry, we agree on what the machine has to do, at what rate, with what inputs, and what happens when the input is out of spec.
Layout, clearance, service access, and interference checking against the actual installation space.
Details a shop can build from, not a rendering. Stamped when required.
Where the process is uncertain, we build the questionable subassembly first and run it.
Built in Rancho Cordova, tested before it ships.
Optional, within 600 miles. See equipment installation.
Concept development and problem definition
Collaborative concept development with your team. Before geometry, we agree on what the machine has to do, at what rate, with what inputs, and what happens when the input is out of spec.
3D modeling and design refinement
Layout, clearance, service access, and interference checking against the actual installation space.
Fabrication-ready drawings
Details a shop can build from, not a rendering. Stamped when required.
Prototype builds and iteration
Where the process is uncertain, we build the questionable subassembly first and run it.
Production fabrication
Built in Rancho Cordova, tested before it ships.
Installation and commissioning
Optional, within 600 miles. See equipment installation.
Engagement models and coverage
| You need | We deliver | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Drawings only | Design package, stamped where required | Nationwide |
| A finished machine | Design, build, and ship | Nationwide |
| A machine that is running | Design, build, install, and commission | 600 miles from Sacramento |
| Fixes to a machine you own | Retrofit and performance upgrade | 600 miles for field work, nationwide for shop work |
Our engineering approach
- Collaborative concept development with your team
- Practical, fabrication-driven design
- Focus on reliability, maintainability, and simplicity
- Early identification of constraints and operational challenges
- Designs that translate cleanly from shop to real-world use
The last one is the whole job. A design that cannot be built at a sane price, maintained by your night-shift mechanic, or cleaned to your sanitation standard is not a design. It is a drawing.
Divisions
Related services
Structural Steel Fabrication and Erection
Structural and miscellaneous steel fabrication in Rancho Cordova. Platforms, mezzanines, supports, and access systems. Engineers on staff who stamp.
Industrial Equipment Installation and Integration
Industrial equipment installation inside live plants. Structural supports, rigging, utility tie-ins, and commissioning support. 600 miles from Sacramento.
Industries
Industries this work runs in
Food and Beverage Processing Equipment Installation
Food and beverage processing equipment installation inside live plants. Sanitary supports, utility tie-ins, washdown design. 600 miles from Sacramento.
Seed Processing and Conditioning Equipment
Seed processing and conditioning equipment: dryers, priming rooms, cleaners, conveyance. Designed, fabricated, and installed by one accountable team.
Portfolio
Related project work
Seed Dryer Design, Fabrication, and Installation
Seed dryer design, fabrication, and installation for agricultural processing. Custom equipment built by engineers and fabricators under one roof.
Custom Barrel Handler for Winery Operations
Purpose-built barrel handling equipment designed and fabricated for winery operations. Custom equipment from engineers and fabricators under one roof.
Coverage
- 600 mi
- Field services, installation, fabrication delivery, and rigging from Sacramento
- 300 mi
- Full EPC delivery and preventative-maintenance programs
- Nationwide
- Engineering, design, and fabrication for shipment
Common questions
Do you do design-only work, or do you have to build it?
Both. Design-only is available nationwide, and so is design-build-ship. We will hand off a stamped, fabrication-ready package to your shop if that is what the project needs. We will tell you honestly that we think the result is better when the same company does both, because we catch our own constructability problems before they become your change orders.
How much does a custom machine cost?
There is no useful range for that question, and any number quoted before scope definition is a guess. What we can tell you is what drives it: throughput rate, the number of unique motions, sanitary requirements, whether it must be washdown-rated, controls scope, and whether it has to fit through an existing door. Our published pricing covers standard fabricated products, not custom machinery. Custom equipment is quoted after a concept conversation.
Can you work with our controls integrator?
Yes, and that is the normal arrangement. We coordinate PLC-based control systems, integrate sensors, design pneumatic and actuator-driven systems, and prepare the equipment for integration into plant-wide control systems, including safety interlocks and emergency stops. Your integrator writes the code. We make sure the machine is wired, tagged, and mechanically ready for them.
Will the equipment hold up to caustic washdown?
That depends on choices made at design time, which is why we ask about your sanitation SOP early. Sanitary design, washdown-compatible construction, corrosion-resistant material selection, smooth surfaces, and minimal debris traps are standard design considerations for food work. Tell us your cleaning chemistry, temperature, and pressure and we will select materials and finishes accordingly.
Can you upgrade a machine we already own instead of building new?
Often, yes, and it is usually the better economics. Equipment retrofits and performance upgrades are a defined service. Common ones: increasing throughput, cutting changeover time, adding guarding and interlocks to bring an older machine up to current expectations, and replacing a manual station with an actuated one.
Do you build prototypes?
Yes. Prototype development through production-ready equipment. When a process is uncertain, building the questionable subassembly first and running material through it is much cheaper than discovering the problem in a finished machine.
Describe the process step that is costing you the most
Not the machine you think you want. The step. Rate, inputs, what goes wrong, and who is standing there doing it by hand.