Facility in Focus: NWP Tracy Plant

Facility in Focus Series:
An Inside Look at Northwest Pipe’s Manufacturing Plants

With 13 facilities in the U.S. and Mexico, Northwest Pipe Company (NWP) plants are strategically located to support water infrastructure projects in communities across North America. Each facility offers a range of manufacturing capabilities and specialized services that provide engineered solutions for water transmission, wastewater, stormwater, and process system applications. Although geography and product specialty vary from plant to plant, our commitment to quality, service, and safety remains unwavering across locations. In our Facility in Focus series, we take a closer look at each of our plants, showcasing the unique manufacturing capabilities, technology, and skilled workforce that power the production of our innovative and durable water infrastructure products.

The Tracy Plant

Northwest Pipe Company | Engineered Steel Pipe & RCP

Located in California’s Central Valley an hour east of Oakland, Tracy is conveniently centered within a triangle of major interstates. It’s an ideal spot for one of Northwest Pipe Company’s facilities, with easy highway access for shipping products to clients across the Western U.S. and Canada. The Tracy Plant is unique among NWP facilities in that it specializes in manufacturing both spiralweld and straight seam steel water transmission pipe, as well as large-diameter reinforced concrete pipe. Since joining Northwest Pipe Company in 2018 as part of the Ameron acquisition, Tracy continues to excel as a vital part of our organization’s manufacturing network.

Engineered Steel Water Transmission Pipe

The Tracy plant is equipped with two spiralweld mills that offer a wide range of engineered steel pipe production capabilities. The Helical Mill produces steel pipe in diameters from 20 to 88 inches in lengths up to 50 feet, and in wall thicknesses up to 0.5 inches depending on pipe diameter. The PRD (Pacific Roller Dye) Mill is currently undergoing upgrades that, once complete, will make it a state-of-the-art, semi-automated spiral mill with improved welding speeds and capacity. Scheduled to be operational in Q4 of 2023, the PRD will be capable of producing pipe in diameters up to 144 inches, in lengths up to 60 feet, and wall thicknesses up to 0.75 inches. Additionally, the Tracy plant operates two roll mills that manufacture straight seam cans in diameters 16 to 144 inches with wall thicknesses of up to 1 inch.

Quality control of our engineered steel water transmission pipe products is ensured through non-destructive testing methods, carried out per project specifications. The Tracy plant offers hydrostatic and radioscopic testing options.

For projects requiring special fittings, the Tracy fabrication team lends their skilled craftsmanship. The team is made up of certified welders who ensure every detail of the project is executed according to specifications. All welds are quality-assured for a reliably leak-free finished product.

The Tracy plant offers cement mortar lining to protect steel pipe interiors. Exterior protection is available with cement mortar or tape coating options.

Verticast Concrete Pipe

In addition to engineered steel water transmission pipe, our Tracy plant produces vertically cast reinforced concrete pipe (RCP) and concrete jacking pipe. This type of RCP is made using a unique vertical vibration casting process that creates a highly dense and durable pipe with a smooth interior surface. Verticast concrete pipe is ideal for stormwater and wastewater management, irrigation, infrastructure projects, trenchless installations, and other applications where durability and reliability are essential. Tracy’s Verticast department is capable of producing concrete pipe in sizes 48 to 144 inches with wall thicknesses up to 18 inches. They can pour up to seven forms at a time depending on dimension combinations. The forms can accommodate pipe lengths ranging from 4 to 24 feet.

The Verticast team recently wrapped production on 6,390 linear feet of 120-inch RCP for a nearby canal replacement project. Each piece of pipe utilizes two reinforced steel cages, an inner and outer cage, and has an 11-inch-thick concrete wall. The pieces are 15 feet in length and weigh 75,000 pounds each. The Tracy Plant manufactured 426 pieces in total to support this major water infrastructure project.

Committed to Quality

At Northwest Pipe Company, we pride ourselves on our rigorous quality control standards and our commitment to innovation and sustainability. Each department and individual team member at our Tracy plant contributes to maintaining our high standards. From mill operations and Verticast to safety and quality assurance, as well as fabrication and logistics, everyone plays a role in ensuring each product that leaves the plant meets or surpasses client expectations. With our Tracy plant and our other manufacturing facilities, we are able to provide industry-leading water infrastructure solutions to communities across North America.

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• Join Our Team! View career opportunities at the Tracy Plant
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