Fabrication Shop
The Andersons Fabrication Shop, located at 415 Illinois Ave., Gate 2 in Maumee, Ohio, is a full-service fabrication, cleaning, and painting operation and has been producing high-quality material handling systems, railcar components, and custom fabrications for more than 50 years.
Our staff, including a team of AWS D1.1-certified welders as well as an AWS-certified inspector, is knowledgeable and dependable and offers a variety of services:
- Mild steel, aluminum, and stainless-steel fabrication
- Other metal products such as stairs, handrails, ladders, and catwalks
- Material handling equipment such as conveyors, jib cranes, bridge cranes, and lift tables
- Forklift attachments, booms, and extensions
- Safety equipment, safety cages, and safety gates
- Railcar parts
- Ornamental iron, handrails, and gates
- Non-destructive testing
- Filtration systems
Our shop can handle fabrication jobs both big and small, including custom fabrication and specially designed equipment.
We offer on-site fabrication and installation work - from minor welding and repair to complex installation needs. Our mobile crews come fully equipped to visit your facility and offer recommendations or build to your specifications for:
- Structural steel, joists, and decks
- Stairs, handrails, catwalks, and ladders
- Gates and industrial doors
- Industrial ductwork
We build custom railcar components, including gates, hatch covers, interior swing-away bulkheads for boxcars, and one of the largest railcar gravity discharge gates in the industry. Our railcar components are safe, practical, and cost-effective solutions and include the following:
Butterfly Gate: The BVG-110 aluminum butterfly gate is used in purified terephthalic acid (PTA) service, where compressed air or nitrogen is introduced into the railcar through the blue fluidizer pads to “fluff” the material that has compacted during shipping in order to expedite unloading.
Gravity Discharge Gate: The 28″ x 48″ steel gravity discharge gate has one of the largest gate openings in the industry today. We also provide other gate sizes and types.
Swing-Away Bulkheads: The load restraining device (LRD) swing-away bulkhead offers shippers a safe, easy-to-operate, and cost-effective solution for rail transportation problems. The swing-away door design reduces the threat of injury associated with traditional restraint systems. This bulkhead can be operated by one person, providing significant savings on manpower expenses, and is lighter than other divider options for boxcars, allowing for more freight carry. Nearly maintenance free, the system, which is approved by the Association of American Railroads (AAR), adapts to all load configurations, reducing damage while in route.
Other items available:
- Locomotive blue flags
- Cut down dolly carts
- Aluminum hatch keys
- Hockey sticks
- Forklift booms
- A-frames with or without hoists/trolleys
- Jack stands
- Side sill support stands
- Gate shafts, retainers, and spacers
- Brake levers
- Yoke racks
- Brake beam racks
- Coupler racks
- Wheel transfer units
- Coaming
- Chain hooks
- Aluminum hatch covers
We recondition stainless steel, aluminum, cast aluminum, cast iron, and wrought iron. Our process includes:
- Blasting away dirt and rust
- Repairing damages such as cracks, fractures, and dents
- Applying a primer coat for proper protection
- Painting items with a high-grade paint color of choice
The Andersons Fabrication Shop uses the DB500® Dustless Blaster, a safe and eco-friendly machine that uses recycled bottle glass for mobile blasting projects such as:
- Automotive: Removes paint, rust, and putty; safe for the body, frame, rims, and other parts
- Marine: Gentle enough to remove paint from the hull and strong enough to remove heavy marine growth on the outdrive and prop
- Industrial: Removes existing residue and rust from trusses and walkways and strong enough to remove 10 mil epoxy as well as dried-up mortar and concrete from a cement mixer
- Graffiti: Safely removes paint and graffiti from concrete and brick walls
- Wood Restoration: Removes paint, polyurethane, lacquer, stain, and other wood coatings and can strip decks and handrails
- Outdoors: Removes grease from parking lots
DB500 is a registered trademark of MMLJ, Inc.