A long-awaited expansion to Taco’s Fall River, Massachusetts, plant is underway. The $20+ million project greatly enhances and expands the manufacturer’s ability to build larger tanks, heat exchangers and a wide range of other products – while also enabling them to add capacity and reduce lead times.

Taco Comfort Solutions, based in Cranston, RI, began making plans for the plant expansion more than a decade ago. Groundbreaking began in early September ’23 and the project is expected to take about 18 months to complete.

“The expansion of Taco's Fall River facility is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the Taco team and our commitment to our customers,” said Cheryl Merchant, President and CEO, Taco Family of Companies. “The need for ASME certified fabricated products has grown tremendously as well as many facets of our market. When our customers asked us to increase our capacity to fulfill their demand, we said YES!  Our ability to innovate and grow with our customers and partners has been, and will continue to be, a key reason Taco has remained strong and innovative for 104 years,” noted Cheryl.

The Fall River plant’s previous footprint was 60,000 square feet. With the expansion, Taco is adding 52,000 square feet.

“After overcoming COVID and supply line setbacks, countless questions about details of the project, and through economic ups and downs, we determined that the time is right for this project,” said Anthony DeMoura, vice president – Taco Fabricated Products Division & PIFA Foundry Operations. “The project is finally underway.”

For more than 100 years, Taco has been committed to designing and manufacturing innovative and dependable HVAC, plumbing and industrial solutions. Taco’s Fall River plant manufactures ASME Section VIII pressure vessels used in commercial and industrial heating and cooling systems.

“At Taco Fall River we design, fabricate and test both custom and standard plate heat exchangers, shell and tube heat exchangers, expansion tanks, air and dirt separators, hydraulic balancers and other specialized pressure vessels,” DeMoura added.

According to DeMoura, the plant was previously capable of constructing vessels up to capacities of 12,000 gallons (about 10’ w x 20’ h). Taco’s plant expansion will enable the fabrication of vessels up to 40,000 gallons, more than tripling current tank sizes. “We’ll have lifting capacity within the plant capable of lifting 60 tons. In many respects, we’re building the new facility around a massive crane system.”

World class custom engineering

Taco has grown to become a premier custom fabrication provider among global manufacturers. Their veteran team of engineers, welders, assemblers and customer support personnel carry an extensive wealth of industry knowledge, design logic and technical experience.

Customized variations of all standard designs are available. Some examples of custom projects include:

• Flash tanks
• Thermal energy storage tanks
• De-aerator tanks
• Clean steam generation
• Fully custom ASME Section VIII rated pressure vessels 

According to DeMoura, the expanded plant will offer these capabilities as well:

• Plate rolling (up to 1 ¼” thick)
• Steel cutting (up to 5” thick)
• Stainless steel cutting (up to 2 ½” thick)
• Robotic welding of tank heads up to 60” in diameter
• Fabrication of vessels up to 12’ in diameter  
• Unmatched welding precision and quality with over 50 ASME certified pressure vessel welders

Engineering capabilities

The engineering capabilities of Taco’s ASME design team extend even further, fulfilling custom requests to meet unique requirements. All phases of fabrication are handled by Taco. Their skill and expertise stem from a culture of pride and close attention to detail, resulting in industry-leading quality and customer satisfaction.

With ASME certified welders, certified testers and a National Board Authorized Inspector in-house, Taco offers the team and equipment needed to provide fast, flexible lead times and the ability to accommodate quick turnaround and emergency requests.

“This is exciting. Our exceptional welders, fabricators, machinists, and assemblers build some impressive products already. When this project is completed, we will be able to build even bigger and more complicated products for the global marketplace, and we are doing it right here in Fall River, MA, with some of the best tradespeople in the industry,” DeMoura said.