In the precision-driven world of industrial fabrication, what truly sets PCL’s Nisku-based facility apart isn’t just its cutting-edge capabilities — it's the people, their ownership mindset derived from an employee-owned company, and the deep expertise that fuels its stellar reputation.

Jamie Feuffel, area manager for the facility, points to two core strengths that underpin its success: experience-driven material management and industry-leading welding.

Far from routine oversight, material management at PCL’s facility reflects a proactive strategic approach rooted in decades of experience with both PCL-supplied and client-supplied materials, accountability and deep market intelligence. This insight-driven approach enables the team to properly advise clients on long-lead items, market trends, and global supply chain disruptions such as canal blockages or port strikes.

“We’ve seen volatility before and we know how to navigate it,” says Feuffel, pointing to the team’s deep knowledge base. “Our team holds more than a century of combined industry experience across both shop and field, allowing them to anticipate challenges and outcomes of critical project decisions.”

By building strong relationships with procurement teams and leveraging a data-backed understanding of past project outcomes, the fabrication team uses storytelling to to help clients make better decisions early in the project lifecycle. 

“Drawing on side-by-side comparisons of similar builds, we’ve experienced how different material management strategies have shaped outcomes,” says Construction Manager Kimberly Heit. “One secures critical material early, ensuring smooth execution and cost stability; the ‘procure-as-you-go’ approach triggers delays, inflates costs, and often creates stress for both our team and our clients.”

By anchoring these comparisons in tangible timelines, costs, and real project outcomes, the team clearly demonstrates the long-term benefits of proactive choices, like investing in higher-grade base materials upfront. These stories go beyond raw data, resonating with clients on both practical and financial levels, reinforcing the value of informed early-stage material decisions.

There is also a strong emphasis on understanding how local and global market forces impact delivery timelines. Through years of collective experience, the fabrication team has developed deep knowledge of what triggers longer lead times, enabling them to guide clients towards the right decisions early in the project.

“Along with expert management, we take full ownership in ensuring materials meet each client’s specifications and industry code. We track exactly where each material is melted, drawn, packaged and imported,” says Heit. “This meticulous attention builds strong supplier relationships and gives clients complete material confidence.”

Quality is non-negotiable in welding operations. Every weld produced at the fabrication facility undergoes a 100% visual inspection by certified examiners, along with full documentation to ensure compliance with industry standards.

The facility is led by world-class professionals, including welding specialist Iulian Radu. With decades of experience and a doctorate in welding, Radu combines vast technical knowledge with a research-driven approach to problem-solving — often developing entirely new, custom procedures to meet unique project demands. His work produces flawless welds that blend scientific precision and practical ingenuity, reflecting the facility’s culture of innovation and commitment to exceeding standards.

“Standards and regulations are just the minimum,” says Radu. “If you’re only meeting them, you’re doing the bare minimum, nothing more.”

The team’s pride and craftsmanship are reflected in a weld repair rate that consistently falls well below the industry average. Clients benefit from techniques and procedures designed to extend asset life and improve overall safety and reliability. The team also works across provinces, registering procedures and sharing knowledge to maintain excellence wherever the work goes.

The facility’s size offers significant advantages, including the ability to pre-assemble spools and modules in a controlled indoor environment. Its 145,000 square feet of production space across three bays handles multiple jobs at once, producing up to 15,000 diameter-inches per week. This approach reduces exposure to weather delays, improves safety and lowers field installation costs by minimizing the need for scaffolding, crane use and field rework. Especially in harsh winters, this indoor-first approach at ground level offers significant execution and financial benefits.

“We’re always looking for opportunities to reduce client costs,” says Heit. “These opportunities are built into early contractor engagement, where the facility actively seeks ways to shift work indoors.”

As a 100% employee-owned company, PCL fosters an ownership mentality that drives accountability and long-term thinking. Employees deliver work they are proud to put their names on. Many team members, including leadership, began their careers on the shop floor, spending many years honing their craft before moving into management roles. This hands-on background ensures decisions at every level are grounded in real-world experience.

This boots-on-the-floor culture is deeply ingrained at the fabrication facility, with more than 20% of tradespeople having worked there for more than 10 years, and 15% for over 15 years. The facility also serves as a training ground for many individuals, offering exposure to the foundational skills of trades.

With a high apprentice ratio, the facility actively invests in training future builders. The team partners with high schools, work programs, and apprenticeship initiatives, working alongside technical training institutions to create clear pathways into the trades. 

At the fabrication facility, new technologies are adopted with clear purpose and intention. New tools are implemented to support, not replace, highly trained tradespeople. “We’re going to need more people to deal with all this technology,” Radu often jokes.

While open to emerging solutions, the team takes a deliberate, market-aware approach, introducing new systems only when there is a clear, measurable benefit.

“You can’t ask AI to go and build an industrial plant,” says Heit, “It’s always going to be a hands-on activity, and we’re making sure we train the next generation that takes over to not rely on machines, but to think of them as another tool in their arsenal.”

Collaboration remains at the heart of innovation, with departments coming together to brainstorm, share solutions and support one another. Heit recalls one such instance where a lofty idea spun out into a tangible solution.

“We saw a significant cost-saving opportunity by completing welds on large elbows using rotational pipe positioners, something usually reserved for smaller pipe sizes,” she says. “In collaboration with the engineering department, a large-scale elbow clamp capable of handling 48-inch elbows was designed, and we made the idea a reality.”

By blending technical excellence and a high-performance team culture, this world-class facility proves that industrial fabrication can be smarter, safer and more collaborative. From early material expertise to cutting-edge welding innovation, their work delivers long-term impact for both clients and the industry.

With more than 25 years of experience behind him, Jamie Feuffel has seen the fabrication facility through all manner of expansions, contortions, and reinventions. There isn’t a tool, technology, or trial that will lead its team astray from the foundation that’s made them successful.

“We’re not just welding pipe,” Feuffel says. “At the heart of it, we’re building reputations, challenging one another and, ultimately, lifting our people to new heights.”