Custom Process Skid Fabrication and Machining
Modular skids built, wired, tested, and started up by one supplier
TRIVACO builds custom process skids at our Hebron, Kentucky shop for chemical plants, municipal water systems, food and beverage producers, power generation, and industrial manufacturers. We handle the mechanical design, source the valves and instrumentation, weld and machine the frame and piping, wire the control panel, pressure test the assembly, then send our own technicians to the site for installation and startup.
What is a process skid?
A process skid is a self-contained assembly of pumps, valves, piping, instruments, and controls mounted on a single structural frame and delivered to the site as one unit. The equipment arrives already piped, wired, and tested, so field crews set the frame, connect utilities, and commission the system. Skids reduce site labor, shorten shutdown windows, and move quality control into a shop where the work can be inspected.
Skids are also called modular skids, packaged systems, or skid-mounted equipment. TRIVACO builds all of the above under one scope.
Skid packages TRIVACO fabricates
Every skid we build starts from your process conditions. These are the configurations we quote most often.
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Pump skids
Simplex, duplex, or multi-pump packages with suction and discharge piping, isolation valves, pressure and flow instrumentation, and local control. Built for transfer, booster, circulation, and sump duty. -
Chemical feed and metering skids
Metering pumps, calibration columns, back-pressure and relief valves, day tanks, and containment. Common in municipal water treatment, cooling water treatment, and pH adjustment. -
Valve and control manifold skids
Pressure reduction, flow control, and blending stations built around the control valves and instrumentation TRIVACO already distributes.
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Filtration and separation skids
Cartridge, bag, and media filter packages with differential pressure monitoring and changeover valving. -
Sampling and analyzer skids
Conditioning systems that deliver a representative sample to analytical instruments at the right temperature, pressure, and flow. -
Heat transfer skids
Heat exchanger packages with circulation pumps, temperature control, and expansion. -
Custom process skids
Bring us the P&ID. We build to it.
What is a process skid?
TRIVACO fabricates skids in a 20,000-square-foot indoor shop with 10 tons of overhead crane capacity. Finished skids leave the building through a roll-up door 12 feet wide and 13 feet 9 inches tall. Packages larger than that door get built outdoors. Your process sets the skid dimensions, not the other way around.
- Indoor shop space: 20,000 sq ft
- Overhead crane capacity: 10 tons
- Roll-up door clearance: 12 ft wide x 13 ft 9 in tall
- Outdoor builds: available for packages larger than the door
Skid fabrication for process industries
Modular skids do different work in every plant. Here is what a TRIVACO skid typically does in each sector we serve, with a link to the full industry page.
Chemical process and refineries
Chemical injection, transfer and unloading, sampling conditioning, and additive dosing packages built in carbon steel, stainless, and alloy for aggressive service.
Municipal water and wastewater
Sodium hypochlorite, fluoride, polymer, and coagulant feed skids, plus booster pump packages and chemical containment. We build to the specifications engineering firms write for treatment plants.
Food and beverage
Sanitary transfer, CIP supply, batching and blending, and steam conditioning packages built with sanitary fittings and finishes suited to washdown.
Pharmaceutical
Purified water distribution, clean steam, and dosing packages with the material traceability and turnover documentation validation groups require.
Power generation
Chemical dosing, sampling, lube oil, and fuel gas conditioning packages for fossil and hydro stations.
Oil and gas transmission
Metering, filtration, odorant injection, and pressure reduction packages for pipeline and station work.
Pulp and paper
Chemical dosing, shower water, and pump packages built for continuous duty in a wet, corrosive mill.
Steel and aluminum
Lube and hydraulic packages, cooling water skids, and gas train assemblies for mill and furnace service.
Data centers
Chemical treatment and glycol makeup packages for cooling loops, plus pump skids for water-cooled systems.
Semiconductors
High-purity chemical delivery, DI water distribution, and exhaust treatment packages built to the cleanliness standards fab construction requires.
Coal preparation
Flocculant and reagent dosing, slurry pump, and process water packages.
Tank farms
Transfer and loading packages, metering, and vapor control assemblies.
What TRIVACO handles on a skid project
Send one purchase order. TRIVACO engineers the skid, buys the components, welds it, wires the panel, tests it, and puts technicians on your floor to start it up. If something needs adjusting during commissioning, the team fixing it is the team who built it.
Mechanical design and engineering
Our engineering group takes your P&ID and process conditions and produces the general arrangement, piping layout, frame design, and bill of materials. If your engineering firm already has drawings, we can build to those.
Component supply from lines we already carry
The valves, actuators, instruments, pumps, and specialty pipe on the skid come from the manufacturers TRIVACO represents. Lead times, spare parts, and warranty stay under one roof.
Fabrication, welding, and machining
Frames, piping, and custom components are cut, welded, and machined in our Hebron shop. Machining tolerances run to .0002 inch, so brackets, adapters, shafts, and mounting hardware get made in-house rather than farmed out.
UL 508A control panels
TRIVACO Process Automation builds the panel at our Florence, Kentucky shop under UL 508A, including PLC and HMI programming.
Corrosion protection and coatings
Frames and piping are prepped and coated for the environment the skid will live in, including outdoor and washdown service.
FRP components where steel will not last
For aggressive chemical service, we fabricate fiberglass piping, tanks, and structures in-house through TRIVACO Fiberglass Systems.
Skid testing in the TRIVACO shop
TRIVACO tests each assembled skid in the shop. Your representative is welcome to witness the testing.
Delivery, installation, startup, and calibration
Roughly 20 TRIVACO field technicians work across all disciplines and locations, with 24/7 dispatch. All technicians hold OSHA certification and train regularly. They set the skid, connect it, calibrate the positioners and instrumentation, and run it up.
In-house machining capabilities
Skid work generates one-off parts: mounting adapters, shaft extensions, custom flanges, keyed couplings. We make them here rather than sending them out, which keeps the schedule under our control. The same shop takes standalone machining work.
3-axis CNC machining center
Travel of 40″ by 20″ by 20″ with tolerances held to .0002″. A 20-tool automatic changer and 20 HP milling head run at table speeds up to 1,000 IPM.
Second CNC machining center
Same capability in a smaller envelope. We keep it open for quick-turn parts.
Offline programming
We write programs away from the machine and store them on board, which cuts setup time on repeat parts.
Turning
Three lathes handling work up to 40″ in diameter.
Manual milling and finishing
Vertical and horizontal mills, plus a keyseater and broach for internal keyways. A surface grinder finishes parts to flatness and squareness. Digital readouts run on every machine and every axis.
Cutting
Automatic saw, cutoff saw, and bandsaw.
Welding
Oxyacetylene gas, SMAW stick in both AC and DC, GMAW MIG, GTAW TIG, and FCAW flux-core. A welding positioner rotates each joint into the best position for the bead. The shop welds carbon steel, stainless steel, and alloy steel to AWS D1.1, AWS D1.6, ASME B31.1, and ASME B31.3.
Codes and standards TRIVACO builds to
- AWS D1.1: Structural welding of carbon steel
- AWS D1.6: Structural welding of stainless steel
- SME B31.1: Power piping
- SME B31.3: Process piping
- UL 508A: Industrial control panels, built by TRIVACO Process Automation
TRIVACO also holds National Board V and UV certification for safety valve repair.
Skid materials and welding processes
- Frames: Carbon steel, stainless steel, HDPE, and fiberglass
- Piping: Carbon steel, alloy steel, PVC, CPVC, PVDF, and fiberglass
- Electrical: Cable tray, flexible metal conduit, and rigid conduit in PVC, aluminum, galvanized steel, stainless steel, or epoxy-coated
- Welding processes: GMAW (MIG), FCAW (flux-core), GTAW (TIG), and SMAW (stick)
How a TRIVACO skid project runs
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Scoping call.
We review your P&ID, process conditions, site constraints, and schedule. -
Proposal.
You get a scope of supply, general arrangement concept, bill of materials, price, and lead time. -
Design and approval.
On design-build projects, our engineering group issues drawings for your review. On build-to-spec projects, we work from your drawings. Fabrication starts once you sign off. -
Procurement.
Valves, instruments, pumps, and pipe come from the lines TRIVACO represents, so we control expediting. -
Fabrication and assembly.
Frames and piping are fabricated in Hebron, with slots, holes, and radiused parts produced in our in-house machine shop. The control panel is built in Florence. Each device gets a vibro-peened stainless tag or an engraved phenolic tag.
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Inspection and coatings.
Our in-house Certified Welding Inspector (CWI) inspects welds on all non-lifting components. Third-party NDE can be added when your project requires it. NACE-certified blasting and coatings are also offered, with reporting. -
Testing.
The full shop test sequence runs in Hebron, from tie point checks through P&ID validation:
a. Dimensional check of tie points
b. Hydrostatic testing of piping
c. Leak testing of the assembled skid
d. Electrical checkout of each device for continuity, function, ranges, and units
e. Powered checkout of 480V devices
f. P&ID validation -
Delivery.
The skid ships as one assembly with the turnover package. - Startup. TRIVACO field technicians install and commission the skid on site, including calibration of positioners and instrumentation.
What we need to quote your skid
Send these and we can price the job accurately on the first pass.
- P&ID, sketch, or a description of what the skid needs to do
- Process conditions: media, flow rate, pressure, temperature
- Preferred materials of construction
- Maximum footprint and any door, rigging, or shipping restrictions
- Electrical area classification
- Available utilities at the installation point
- Control scope: local panel only, PLC, or a tie into your existing DCS
- Code requirements and any client specifications you build to
- Insulation, heat trace, and coating requirements
- Testing, inspection, and documentation requirements
- Required delivery date
No P&ID yet? Call us anyway. Our engineering group develops the process design with you.
Skid fabrication questions
What size skid can TRIVACO build?
Skids built in our 20,000-square-foot Hebron shop can measure up to 12 feet wide and 13 feet 9 inches tall, the clearance of our roll-up door. The shop runs 10 tons of overhead crane capacity. Packages larger than the door get built outdoors.
What materials does TRIVACO fabricate in?
Skid frames come in carbon steel, stainless steel, HDPE, and fiberglass. Piping comes in carbon steel, alloy steel, PVC, CPVC, PVDF, and fiberglass. Welded work follows AWS D1.1, AWS D1.6, ASME B31.1, and ASME B31.3. We fabricate fiberglass piping and structures in-house for corrosive service.
Does TRIVACO test skids in the shop?
Yes. Each assembled skid goes through a dimensional tie point check, hydrostatic testing of piping, leak testing, electrical checkout of every device, powered checkout of 480V devices, and P&ID validation in our Hebron shop.
What documentation ships with a TRIVACO skid?
Each skid ships with a quality package matched to project scope. It can include MTR traceability, weld maps, NDE reports, coatings reports, hydrostatic and leak test reports, a FAT checklist, as-built drawings, and a Certificate of Conformance.
Start your skid project with TRIVACO
Send us a P&ID or describe what the skid needs to do. Our engineering group will scope it, price it, and give you a schedule.