DFI is very proud to be the only piling contractor in North America that operates its own steel piling pipe mill (you bet, we manufacture our own driven piles and helical piles).
It was intentionally designed to rapidly respond to customers’ changing project supply needs (think design adjustments, add-ons, and compressed timelines). In the past twenty years (to-date) we’ve manufactured over 1,260,000 piles; that’s an impressive 740,000 tons of steel.
The New Cut Off Saw…
Serendipitously, our new flying orbital cold cut off saw was incorporated into our steel piling production line in June, just in time for our pipe mill’s 20th anniversary this October. It took two years to design, and another year to build and install; all of which was completed in-house.
It is fully automated and boasts four tungsten carbide tipped blades that work simultaneously, first by plunging in and then by indexing around to create a very clean burr-free square cut. Just like our old saw, this one can be programmed to make customer-specified pipe lengths.
A Little Pipe Mill History…
DFI is truly your one stop steel piling source because of our owner’s ingenuity and willingness to take risks. In the late nineties, Dave Freeland (our owner) would jump in his pick-up truck and head out on the road (all over North America) in search of used pipe for sale. As demand for pipe increased, this became harder to do.
He quickly saw a need for brand new piling material that could be made to spec and that was traceable. Why not make it? he thought.
After scouting out pipe mills for sale, he could not find one that he liked. DFI was already manufacturing its own purpose-built piling installation equipment. Why not build it? he thought.
With those questions in mind, Dave quickly answered them and… our pipe mill was born.
Our Steel Piling Pipe Mill’s Capabilities
- 1,345 horsepower
- 4 ½” (114.3 mm) to 16” (406.4 mm) OD (outside diameter)
- Up to 0.500” (12.7 mm) wall thickness
- Uninterrupted custom lengths up to 85’-3 5/8” (26 m)
- 53-acre storage yard
- Rail access
- In-house pile design engineering team
More On The Mill…
Not only do we continually maintain industry-leading inventory levels of hot rolled coil and standard-length pipe, we can also supply large orders cut to exact customer-specified lengths (no mid-welds required) and provide custom-branded stencilling. Ultimately customers can maximize their dollars by avoiding additional expenses that cutting and welding bring in order to develop custom lengths.
Through established relationships with steel makers in North America and overseas, DFI consistently provides large quantities of piling material at competitive prices, offering a strong alternative to any overseas options.
Looking Into A Crystal Ball…
Continuing to improve quality and productivity is ongoing at DFI. We’re already working on designing a new steel coil cart system for feeding the mill.
“Dave Freeland, the owner, is still very involved. He visits the pipe mill every week. He’s a visionary, in his mind nothing is every finished – it can always be better.” – Chris Whitford, Facility Operations Manager