Answer extracted from the Empowering Industry Podcast - A Production of Empowering Pumps & Equipment podcast — listen to the full episode below.
Why was Lubbock, Texas selected as the location for TACO's custom skid manufacturing facility?
Lubbock became the natural choice for TACO's custom skid facility because the company already had existing fabrication operations there with welding expertise and experienced staff. The location also provided access to qualified welders, proximity to material suppliers, available expansion space, and strong support from local leadership.
From vertical turbine products to integrated skid solutions
TACO's Lubbock facility didn't start as a custom skid manufacturing center. Instead, as Rick Trammell explains in the episode, the company had been operating fabrication operations there for vertical turbine products, already building a foundation of welding capability and skilled personnel in the region. This existing infrastructure became the logical springboard for expansion into custom skids.
As customer demand for integrated skid packages grew, TACO recognized an opportunity. Rather than building a new facility from scratch in an unfamiliar location, the company leveraged what was already in place—the people, the equipment, and the operational know-how. This approach reduced startup risk and accelerated the transition into a new product line.
Strategic advantages built into the location
Beyond existing expertise, Lubbock offered multiple practical advantages for scaled manufacturing. The geographic position provided convenient access to the suppliers of materials needed for custom skid assembly, reducing lead times and logistics complexity. The facility itself had room for expansion, critical for a growing operation handling larger, more complex integrated packages.
Equally important was the community itself. A point detailed in this podcast is that the town and city of Lubbock have been very helpful in promoting and supporting the expansion, signaling stable, business-friendly local governance. For a manufacturing operation with long-term growth plans, this kind of partnership matters.
"Give them the best solution for the project, even if it's not a solution that I represent. I'll say, you know what, who makes the perfect thing for you is X, Y, or Z. Go get that product because that's what you need."
Rick Trammell — Senior Vice President for Engineer Building Solutions at TACO. With nearly 15 years at TACO and an extensive career in HVAC and engineering, Trammell leads the company's custom engineered and designed skid packages, directing the Lubbock facility's evolution from vertical turbine fabrication to comprehensive integrated solutions for data center construction and beyond.
To understand the full scope of how TACO approaches customer relationships and the philosophy behind building integrated solutions, listen to the full conversation, where Trammell shares deeper insights into the engineering decisions and market dynamics driving the skid packaging revolution in data center construction.
Key takeaways
- Lubbock's existing vertical turbine fabrication operations provided a ready workforce of experienced welders and fabrication staff.
- The facility location offered proximity to material suppliers, reducing logistics and supply chain friction.
- Available building space enabled the facility to expand capacity without requiring a full relocation or new construction.
- Local municipal and city support created a stable, business-friendly environment for long-term growth and expansion.
See also
What advice would Rick Trammell give to someone entering the rapidly evolving data center industry?
Rick Trammell recommends doing a lot of research, reading articles, and following relevant websites to stay informed and up to speed in this fast-moving sector.
How does integrated skid design with coordinated components improve efficiency compared to picking individual pieces from different suppliers?
When equipment is coordinated as a package designed to work together rather than picked from different suppliers, efficiency is maximized because all components are optimized to function as a unified system.
What energy efficiency innovations are data centers driving in HVAC and cooling equipment design?
Data centers are focused on the cutting edge of cooling design and are constantly pushing innovations to extract every bit of efficiency possible, driving ripple effects across the entire HVAC and cooling equipment industry.