Performance Contractors recently expanded their production capabilities by adding a modular fabrication facility in Morgan City, LA. The new site will be used to assemble large process modules and will position Performance as a major domestic module builder in the U.S, offering clients an option that doesn’t need to be procured from overseas. The Morgan City yard was once booming with activity in the late 1970s and 80s but has been dormant for the past 10 years. Performance is proud that this expansion will not only better serve our clients but help to re-energize the community with direct and indirect opportunities.
Features of the Morgan City property made it a natural choice for such an undertaking. The 72-acre site offers 4,000 ft. of waterfront bulkhead with barge access. The new yard is conveniently accessed by both land and water; the Avoca Coast Island Cutoff waterway on the property connects to the nearby Intercoastal Waterway without impediments such as locks or levees. For road access, US Hwy 90 is a mere quarter-mile to the north.
The modules being manufactured here are not just the largest modules Performance has ever assembled; they will be amongst the largest industrial process modules ever built in the United States. Sections to be transported by highway measure 120’L x 26’W x 16’H with tonnage limits based on axles. For sections transported by barge, there are no size or weight restrictions. As Project Manager Chris Abendroth says, “If there’s a boat big enough, we can put a module on it.”
The question: why go bigger? The answer: client demand. New construction market realities have accelerated the need for modular fabrication and in larger scopes. Project sites are often located in remote areas that lack the resources or infrastructure to support thousands of employees coming to a site every day for months or years. In a tight labor market, keeping massive projects appropriately staffed is challenging. Modular fabrication helps reduce these problems by building large portions off-site, reducing the on-site workload for the installation team, and keeping projects on schedule.
As of now, the team in Morgan City is scheduled to fabricate ten modules with peak manpower of 1,000 people. Performance’s Port Allen yard will remain dedicated to building pipe rack modules that can be accommodated by their adjacent waterway and highways.
Performance Contractor’s Modular Fabrication division continues to offer industry-leading innovation that stays true to our long-standing reputation for unmatched quality and safety. The new Morgan City module yard is the latest chapter in our tradition of helping clients expedite projects from cradle to grave - and now with larger pieces than previously possible.
At Performance, we don’t just build better; we build bigger.
