Who builds loading racks?
The better question is:
“Who can successfully deliver and support the entire loading facility?”
Beyond the Loading Rack
How Owners Can Evaluate Loading Facility Suppliers and Reduce Project Risk
Executive Summary
For decades, owners have procured truck and rail loading facilities by first selecting a loading rack supplier. While this approach may have worked when facilities were relatively simple, modern loading and unloading systems have evolved into highly integrated process systems requiring expertise in controls, metering, instrumentation, automation, safety systems, pumping, compression, and custody transfer.
As a result, owners should reconsider how suppliers are evaluated.
The most successful loading projects are rarely determined by who supplied the stairs, platforms, gangways, and fall protection systems. Instead, project success is determined by the supplier’s ability to engineer, integrate, and support the complete loading process.
This paper outlines a practical framework for evaluating suppliers based on total project capability rather than access equipment alone.
View Whitepaper below or Download Whitepaper.
The Problem
When an owner issues an RFQ for a loading rack, they are often procuring far more than a loading rack.
Typical projects may include:
- Truck loading facilities
- Rail loading facilities
- Rail unloading facilities
- LPG transload terminals
- Chemical transfer facilities
- Custody transfer stations
- Additive injection systems
- Vapor recovery systems
In many cases, the access structure itself represents only a small portion of the overall project scope and risk.
Yet supplier selection frequently centers on the loading rack rather than the loading facility.
This can result in:
- Multiple suppliers
- Multiple engineering interfaces
- Increased schedule risk
- Startup challenges
- Additional owner coordination
- Higher total installed cost
The Real Question
The traditional question is: “Who builds loading racks?”
The better question is: “Who can successfully deliver and support the entire loading facility?”
That distinction can have a significant impact on project outcomes.
The Supplier Capability Pyramid
Level 1 – Access Equipment Supplier
Typical capabilities:
- Platforms
- Stairs
- Gangways
- Fall protection
- Safety cages
- Structural access systems
Primary expertise: Access equipment and personnel protection.
Level 2 – Loading Rack Integrator
Typical capabilities:
- Loading rack
- Gangways
- Loading arms
- Basic accessories
Primary expertise: Access equipment plus loading rack components.
Level 3 – Loading Systems Provider
Typical capabilities:
- Loading rack
- Metering systems
- Controls
- Instrumentation
- Safety systems
- ESD systems
- Ground verification
- Overfill protection
Primary expertise: Integrated loading operations.
Level 4 – Complete Terminal Solutions Provider
Typical capabilities:
- Loading racks
- Metering
- Controls
- Automation
- Pumping systems
- Compression systems
- Additive injection
- Vapor recovery
- Custody transfer
- Packaged process equipment
- Startup support
Primary expertise:
Complete loading and unloading facilities
Supplier Selection Test – Five Questions Every Owner Should Ask
1. Can the supplier engineer the process?
Can they provide:
- Process flow diagrams (PFDs)
- Piping and instrumentation diagrams (P&IDs)
- Control narratives
- Cause-and-effect matrices
- Instrument indexes
Or are they primarily focused on the access structure?
2. Can they provide the controls package?
Ask whether the supplier can engineer and supply:
- PLC systems
- HMIs
- Batch control
- Toptech systems
- AccuLoad systems
- Ground verification
- Overfill protection
- ESD systems
3. Can they support custody transfer?
Many facilities require:
- Coriolis metering
- PD metering
- LACT systems
- Proving systems
- Measurement integration
Can the supplier support these systems internally?
4. Can they support startup?
Startup often reveals who truly owns the project. Owners should ask: who is responsible if the system does not function properly during commissioning? The fewer suppliers involved, the fewer interfaces the owner must manage.
5. How much of the project can they actually supply?
A useful evaluation metric is: “What percentage of the total project scope can this supplier engineer, supply, integrate, and support?” The answer often reveals more than any brochure.
Evaluating Total Project Risk
The greatest risks in loading facilities typically involve:
- Process design
- Controls integration
- Measurement accuracy
- Safety system functionality
- Startup and commissioning
These risks generally have little to do with the stairs, platform, or gangway. Owners should therefore evaluate suppliers according to their ability to manage the portions of the project that create the greatest technical and operational risk.
Conclusion
Loading facilities have evolved far beyond steel structures and access platforms. Today’s projects require expertise in process engineering, automation, controls, measurement, safety systems, and facility integration.
Owners who evaluate suppliers solely on loading rack capabilities may overlook important factors that influence project cost, schedule, startup, and long-term performance.
The most successful projects are typically delivered by suppliers capable of engineering, integrating, and supporting the largest portion of the overall facility.
The question should no longer be:
“Who builds loading racks?”
The question should be:
“Who can deliver the safest, most reliable, and most complete loading facility solution?”
Contact
S&S Technical, Inc.
Engineering • Fabrication • Integration
Website: www.skidsolutions.com
Email: info@skidsolutions.com
Tel: +1 (678) 867-7024
