Sponsored by Delta Machine & Ironworks
As the LNG industry has grown, so has the number of suppliers who serve that market. No one knows that better, perhaps, than Delta Machine & Ironworks. The Baton Rouge-based fabricator is rapidly becoming the “go to” supplier of one of the most indisputably vital support products on LNG jobsites.
Over the last few years, Delta has manufactured thousands of cryogenic pipe shoes for LNG service, in large part because of its absolute on-time delivery and unrivaled commitment to quality. This essential pipe support consists of an upper stainless-steel shoe that welds or clamps to the pipe, and it bolts to a carbon steel base, separated by a composite fiberglass laminate material. The G10 insulating material can withstand extreme cold temperatures of near-absolute zero and provides a critical barrier between a pipe and its steel support structure.
“We’ve increased our market share significantly by just keeping our word,” says Heidi Holmes, engineering and technology director at Delta. “We never tell people we can do something that we can’t do, and if we say we can do it, then no matter what happens, we get it done.”
Quality and integrity are central to everything Delta does. “It runs in our blood. We simply insist that things be done the right way,” Holmes says. “That’s just how we were raised. We are always looking to make everything as perfect as we can, with the least amount of work for our partners. That’s a big deal to us.”
The company’s resiliency, transparency and ability to adapt have helped it grow from a small “mom and pop” operation into a multimillion-dollar business with locations in Baton 
Rouge, Prairieville, Denham Springs and Zachary. If there’s an urgent need for materials, Delta will do whatever it takes – add people, equipment and hot shots, or work longer days and weekends – to get the job done. “We view every job as an opportunity to earn and keep business,” she adds. “All the marketing in the world doesn’t compare to helping a friend out when they’re in a jam.”
But despite the need for speed, it’s never occurred to the Delta team to take shortcuts. “If we supplied everything fast and easy, but didn’t make it fit perfectly, that wouldn’t take us very far,” Holmes says. “Our clients hold us to a higher standard. We know that and we’re fine with it. We don’t want anything out there with Delta’s name and logo on it that is substandard or not built per client specs.”
Delta maintains a large stock of inventory. That enables them to quickly fabricate materials when needed and shorten response times. When called on or when their competitors 
fumble the ball, Delta can fabricate the product to specifications and deliver it to the jobsite within hours or days, and easily within a week or two on larger orders. What’s more, Delta has your back, and decades of experience working across all support standards in all industries – if something doesn’t look right or could be better, they’re going to tell you.
They run their own delivery trucks around Baton Rouge, across the river and surrounding parishes and have good relationships with a team of local “hotshot” truck drivers that they trust. Additionally, everything they supply comes with all the necessary documentation, and has been inspected prior to shipping at no additional cost to their partners.
That’s all backed up by an impressive track record – not one cryo shoe has been rejected to date, and they have received only positive feedback. “We’re not going to build the wrong thing; we’re going to ask whatever questions are necessary to make sure that what gets built is built correctly,” Holmes says. “Our clients trust us and depend on us, and we feel our record speaks for itself.”
