Throughout the decades, Webco has solidified its presence in the industry by cultivating a strong and innovative presence. Through trustworthy partnerships, top-of-the-line manufacturing capabilities, and its ongoing commitment to improve products and services, the company carved its own niche in the tubing industry.
Stainless Steel World Americas had the pleasure of speaking to Webco’s Dave Boyer, President and COO; Yong-Joo Kim, Vice-President – Process and Production Innovation; and Kyle Ingram, Vice-President – Webco TechCenter™ about the company’s enduring industry partnerships and ‘forever’ culture, managing emerging trends, and the unveiling of their TechCenter™.
By Shopia Ketheeswararajah & Kristen Charles-Vardon
Where It All Began
It all began in 1969 when Bill Weber laid the foundation for what would become a ‘forever company’ with Southwest Tube in Sand Spring, Oklahoma. That beginning would see him and wife Marty as its first employees followed by others who would come to embrace the couples’ expectation to expect the best and then be the best. The company began by manufacturing carbon steel tubing for the heat exchanger industry and then in the mid 1970s expanded into stainless tubing. By 1980, the company had grown its capabilities and provided multiple products for both the carbon and stainless markets. Southwest Tube became Webco Industries in the 1980s to reflect its more diversified offerings and locations.
Webco’s growth can be attributed to reinvestment in the business; a foundational tenet of embracing and investing in current technology to foster future growth. The company has 2.2 million square feet of manufacturing, value added, research and development, and office space under roof across 13 facilities today. Webco employs more than 1,400 people to meet its ever-growing commitment to its customers around the globe. Its persistent success is illustrated through its markets and its continuing efforts to serve its customers through ongoing innovation. Currently, Webco’s Kellyville Specialty Tube Plant is expanding to make room for a new tube mill, which will reinforce the company’s oil and gas portfolio and product lines.
Boyer places companies in one of two categories: today companies and forever companies. “Today companies stop once they achieve success. Webco does not see success as an end; we see it as a beginning.”
Webco’s product offerings include OEM applications requiring rich technical knowledge, process controls, and experienced operators. The company serves multiple industries, including the energy industry and the chemical processing market. Also included in their portfolio is the HVAC market and the automotive and industrial component markets.
Fortifying Partnerships and Company Culture
“We have searched the world for the best technology; we have spent time and treasure to deploy it. But at the end of the day, it is our people that make the real difference.” This is a quote from the company’s late founder Bill Weber and has been the foundation for its success and longevity since the beginning. This belief, coupled with a forever company philosophy and the establishment of trust among its customers, suppliers, and teammates, are the vital components etched within the guiding principles of Webco’s values.
Webco’s innovative culture has paved the company’s path as the preferred supplier. Partnering with their suppliers, customers, and industry groups to create new solutions is at the core of Webco. “Sometimes, the return on investment is that long-term partnership. And when you are a forever company, long-term partnerships matter,” said Boyer. “We do not own our brand. The world owns our brand. We have to earn it,” he added.
“Webco’s culture is about being 100% engaged every day. If we can commit to that, we will be a forever company. We operate a quick cycle. We implement our process. We design, build, deploy, and operate. And each time we operate, we make it better,” Ingram said. Webco’s vision is to be the best. It achieves this using several elements which set them apart. First, it is the people, then the culture; lastly, it is the continuing focus on being the trusted and technical leader in the industry.
The company measures its innovation on whether they have become a preferred supplier and met the market’s needs, rather than the innovation itself. “Webco cannot exist without its people, community, and future generations,” offered Kim. “Our customers are our long-term partners. We are constantly investing in people, new manufacturing and inspection technology, and the development of automatic process management systems,” he added.
Flexibility and Adaptability Through Emerging Technologies
Webco is tuned into the evolving markets. They monitor the demand for new products, changes in technology and regulations, and new materials that can withstand highly corrosive environments. “We are engaged with the market demand, and we are developing new grade and manufacturing capabilities to support the corresponding product performance data. We chose to establish our new TechCenter™ facility to strengthen our research and development (R&D) activities,” said Kim.
Webco has advanced its tube mill technology by automating detection methods that ensure removal of defective material. This technology employs non-destructive testing (NDT) technologies to enhance product compliance and to provide the highest quality materials to its customers.
The engineering team is a vital component of Webco’s formula for success. If there is something the company envisions but does not currently exist, Webco will create it. Innovation is at the heart of Webco’s ever-growing capabilities. The company generates a baseline of what its customers require and from there, product and inspection test plans are developed. Webco is in a relentless pursuit for testing equipment it can utilize to create new testing techniques. Projects in the new TechCenter™ will include the exploration of additional NDT technology.
Each facility is equipped with the ability to design and build Webco’S equipment. “We design; we build to deploy; we operate; and we make it better,” said Ingram. In addition, Webco carries an impressive inventory, allowing the company to weather the ups and downs of the supply chain.
“Customers want better, faster, smarter, economical,” Boyer said. In its efforts to be the best, the company has perfected laser welding technology, recognizing the process propels economics. Webco’s capabilities exceed type 304 and type 316, from duplex and super duplex to super ferritic steel and alloys. The company prides itself on being one of the most experienced specialty tube producers in the industry.
“Tubing is a complex business. Tubes can look the same, but they come in many variations. Understanding the value equation in relation to the customer’s needs is our formula for a successful partnership,” Boyer explained.
Diligent quality management is part of cementing trust within the industry and includes these areas of focus:
1) Webco manufacturing divisions are certified to ISO 9001 and IATF 16949 quality management systems (QMS).
2) The company ensures it is meeting industry specifications like ASTM, ASME, API. Many of Webco’s customers have their own customer specifications which Webco meets.
3) Webco integrates internal specifications and testing systems. The company’s process and inspection test plans are highly detailed, well documented, and team members are properly trained.
4) The company’s stainless plants are certified to ISO 9001 and ISO 14,001. Audits rank the company above the standard in following the processes for product compliance and quality. “When we have an audit, we are classified as mature” Ingram said.
In its continuing pursuit of technology, Webco conducts a Tech Forum twice yearly where engineers gather to learn and share new technologies. Webco consistently engages with its partners and collaborates with its suppliers to test new corrosion-resistant alloys in its pursuit to create tomorrow’s technology, today.
“We cannot be a technology-driven company without investigating emerging technologies. Adopting new technologies and materials takes time. Webco has researchers who are not afraid of these kinds of challenges,” Kim said.
The company seeks to grow through creations and improvements and not through company acquisitions. Webco recently purchased the SEA-CURE® brand, a super ferritic stainless steel tubing product that is well-respected in the utility and process industry. “Product, process, and testing innovation are at the core of what we do,” Boyer said.
Webco Today
- 97% of the company’s leadership team was promoted from within.
- More than 30% of the company’s trusted teammates company-wide have a decade or longer of service with Webco.
- Over 2.2 million square feet of facility space
- 13 locations which includes manufacturing, value add, and training facilities
- 1,400 trusted teammates
The Unveiling of Innovation
As a technology-driven company, Webco supports R&D activities and partners with its suppliers, customers, and industry organizations to conduct joint research. To further this initiative, Webco invested in its new TechCenter™ which opened in June 2024. Situated within the F.W. Weber Leadership Campus, the TechCenter™ comprises multiple labs, including corrosion, metallurgical, mechanical testing, heat treating, and welding and fatigue testing labs. “The TechCenter™ is an effort, a mission, and a strategy,” Boyer said about this recent investment into future technology.
When deciding where to build the TechCenter™, company leaders had to consider who should have access. They knew the senior leadership team needed access because the center would be central to their strategy. Sales and marketing also required access due to their connection to Webco’s customers. Raw material team members as well needed access because of its connection to Webco’s supplier partners. Leaders quickly recognized they needed to house all these factions in the same location. This led to the decision of embarking on a mission to create a 50-acre plus campus to accommodate the executive team, sales, marketing, raw materials and the IT team along with the TechCenter™.
The TechCenter™ is far from a standard technology center. It features unique technology, namely the scanning electron microscope (SEM). Deliberate choices were made to customize the center to Webco’s goals and objectives of being the trusted and technical leader as well as a forever company. The SEM is just one example of a deliberate choice. Webco is not the only company to have access to an SEM, but the SEM offers intricate technology that is integral to Webco’s purposes. The TechCenter™ also contains customized testing equipment that is specific to the markets Webco serves. “Everything we undertake will be Webco-innovated,” Boyer stated.
Monitoring Webco’s Energy Efficiency
Webco’s service offerings include collaborating with partners that share similar values to Webco’s when it pertains to energy efficiency. In addition, the company pays close attention to its processing energy, byproducts, and waste management in its daily operations. “In the last two years we have lowered our electric consumption per foot of tube produced by over 5%,” said Ingram.
Laser welding has also made a significant impact in efficiency. Compared to conventional methods such as tig welding, laser welding requires one-tenth of the power consumption. “It is not just more economical, it is smart regardless of where you fall in the argument on sustainability,” Boyer said.
In addition to these efficiency improvements, The F. William Weber Leadership Campus and the Kellyville Specialty Tube Plant both employ geothermal energy, which has led to significant reductions in the company’s overall energy consumption. Webco University plays an important role as well. It is the main support for instructing new employees in the areas of sustainability practices as well as growing their skills, tubing knowledge, and technical progress.
Webco’s Future and Goals
Webco will always aspire to be the best. Their forever purpose of supplying their markets with Webco’s products, innovation, and service is not just an objective, it’s their culture. The team believes growth happens when customers buy into Webco’s earnest mission. Finding new ways to do the next right thing is written into Webco’s genetic code. “We are not influenced by volume. We are influenced by the quality and service of the products we deliver,” said Kim.
The addition of the TechCenter™ is a big contribution to the stainless steel industry. With it, Webco will not only continue enhancing its products for technical markets, but will now provide new knowledge, continuous improvement breakthroughs, and research and development to support ever-evolving technology demands.
“Our future can be found in what we have already done,” said Boyer. Webco will continue to lead the industry in technology and embody the forever technical brand. “Over 55 years in the business and we are just getting started. We are on a journey that had a beginning but has no end.”
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the profiled company and may not reflect the position of Stainless Steel World Americas.
