Thompson Fabricating · Est. 1953 · Tarrant, Alabama
Crossover stairs, ships ladders, handrail, grating and pipe supports. Engineered, stamped and fabricated in-house in Birmingham, AL.
SHOP PRODUCTS
Shop standard access, safety, railing, ladder, and fall-protection products from Thompson Fabricating.
TUF Rail
TUF Rail™ component systems, rail kits, portable guardrail, stop gates
Grating, Frames, & Treads
Aluminum Grating, Grating Frames, Grating Supports and Treads
TUF Ladder Systems
APEX Retractable Posts, Fixed Ladders, Security Doors
Misc. Metals Fabrication
TUF Hatch™ , Cover plates, Walkways, & Platforms, Weirs, Troughs and Bar-screens
French Creek Safety & Fall Protection Systems
French Creek fall arrest systems, Apex Retractable Posts, Portable Guardrails, Harnesses, Rigid Rail Systems, Self Closing Gates, Ladder Security Doors
Stair Systems
Crossover Stairs with alternating treads, and Various Degree Ships Ladders
JOVE Pipe Supports
JOVE® Pipe Supports for Non-Metallic, Metallic Piping Systems
Catalog vendors make you design around their standard heights. We build to your actual crossing – any rise, any span, any alloy – and stamp the calculations in-house for all 50 states. No third-party PE fees, no redesign around a kit.
“Yeah, we can do that.”
Design & fabrication
Years of U.S. Manufacturing
The Thompson JOVE® Division brings FEA, pipe stress analysis, and specialty pipe support fabrication under the same engineering standard.
Industries Served
Thompson Fabricating and TF-JOVE® systems are specified across water, process, power and mission-critical facilities nationwide.
Handrail, stop gates, weirs, hatches and pipe supports built for wet, corrosive treatment plant service.
Stairs, platforms, handrail and lined pipe supports matched to aggressive process chemistry.
Pipe racks, supports and access steel sized for thermal movement, cooling water and scrubber piping.
Aluminum grating, handrail and access platforms around scrubbers and FRP ductwork, plus the duct supports and support steel.
Crossover stairs, platforms, handrail and grating for compressor stations, tank farms and process skids, plus pipe supports and racks.
Adjustable platforms, handrail, grating and pipe supports for chillers, generators and rooftop mechanical yards.
Why Thompson Fabricating
Our value is built on the ability to coordinate multiple infrastructure systems under one manufacturer.
Expanded Engineering Scope
Access products, structural steel, water control and TF-JOVE® pipe supports from one partner.
In-House Engineering Control
In-house engineers and PE-stamped calculations in all 50 states, with no third-party delays and fewer revision cycles
One Load Path, One Supplier
Pipe supports, support steel, platforms and handrail are designed together, so nothing clashes in the field.
Compliance Assurance
Products manufactured to OSHA, ANSI, IBC, and ADA standards with submittal-ready reports.
Fabricated in the USA
All fabrication performed in Tarrant, Alabama, with domestic and AIS-compliant materials available.
70+ Years of Manufacturing Stability
How We Work
From scope review to shipment, every project runs through the same in-house process, with clear documentation at each stage.
Albemarle Chemical Plant
2,296 JOVE® Pipe Supports — 1.5 in. to 12 in.
Chemical Plant Expansion — International Export
24 Crates — Loaded in a 40-Foot Container
La Negra Chemical Plant — Antofagasta, Chile
The La Negra Chemical Plant, 27 km southeast of Antofagasta, Chile, has produced lithium carbonate since 1984 and lithium chloride since 1998. Its expansion required 2,296 JOVE® pipe supports from 1.5 to 12 inches, plus export documentation, packaging, containerization, shipment preparation and clear identification of product for the construction laydown area.
With 49,010 lb of crated supports going into a single 40-foot container, load organization and weight balance were critical to safe, successful delivery.
The Solution
JOVE® manufactured the supports, organized them by size, packaged them in 24 marked crates (46 in. W × 52 in. L × 46 in. H), and completed a weight/balance evaluation before loading. Crates were loaded by support size and marked on the outside, so crews could find what they needed in the laydown area. JOVE®’s export experience also includes shipments to Australia, Canada, Egypt, Turkey and Tanzania.
Documentation and shipment preparation coordinated for export to the Port of Antofagasta, Chile.
Twenty-four marked crates were organized and balanced for loading into a 40-foot shipping container.
JOVE® fabrication and export logistics supported the La Negra Chemical Plant expansion in Chile.
Gulf Coast Authority
Pipe Supports, Guides, Anchors & Thrust Anchors
Existing 30-Inch FRP Pipeline — Facility Modernization
Finite Element Analysis — 50,000 lb Axial Thrust Loads
Bayport Industrial Wastewater Treatment Facility — Pasadena, Texas
The Problem
Gulf Coast Authority retained an engineering firm to investigate excessive movement in an installed 30-inch fiberglass pipeline. Lead engineer Morgan Stagg, PE, NCEES concluded that the existing support system was completely inadequate to properly control movement and could allow a potentially catastrophic failure.
The modernization effort required a load-rated support solution capable of addressing the pipeline’s movement and axial thrust demands.
JOVE® was selected to supply the load-rated supports, guides, anchors, and special thrust anchors for the modernization.
Los Alamos
In Los Alamos, New Mexico, an above-ground pipeline was required to divert storm water while protecting an archaeologically significant canyon and its historic site.
Pipe Supports, Guides, Anchors & JOVE® Tilt/Rotator Assemblies
Above-Ground Stormwater Diversion — Protected Canyon
1,000 Feet — 14-Inch HDPE
Los Alamos, New Mexico
The Problem
Storm water runoff from mountaintop development threatened a protected canyon containing ancient cave dwellings. The solution required an above-ground pipeline to carry storm water from a mountaintop headbox to a collection basin 1,000 feet below at the canyon entrance.
New Mexico temperature extremes caused substantial expansion and contraction in the HDPE pipeline, making traditional pipe support systems unworkable.
The Solution
JOVE® designed and supplied the supports, guides, and anchors, including a proprietary Tilt/Rotator Assembly that allowed for constant pipeline growth and contraction. Existing rock formations became anchor locations, supplemented by trolley and cable suspension systems where the terrain required them.
Proprietary assembly designed to accommodate the HDPE pipeline’s constant thermal growth and contraction.
Supports and anchors were mounted directly into exposed solid rock to work with the protected site conditions.
JOVE® combined Tilt/Rotator assemblies, rock anchoring, trolley supports, and cable suspension for the 1,000-foot HDPE route.
About Thompson Fabricating
Founded in 1953, Thompson Fabricating operates all engineering and fabrication from one facility in Alabama under Ligon Industries ownership.
Since 1999, Thompson has operated under the ownership of Ligon Industries, strengthening manufacturing resources while preserving its engineering-first culture.
