Equilibrium Catalyst boosts bulk logistics capabilities
Equilibrium Catalyst Inc. (ECI) is accelerating its market position.
The Houston-based dry bulk supply chain services company, which specializes in the transportation, storage, and packaging of FCC catalysts used in petroleum refining, recently celebrated the grand opening of a new shipping warehouse that expands its import/export capabilities.
The new facility features an additional 31,000 sq. ft. of storage space, 14 dock doors, and two bulk baggers for streamlined operations.
“With more space and updated infrastructure, we’re enhancing both our logistical capabilities and our capacity to serve the FCC catalyst industry at a higher level and meet the needs of our trusted customers,” the company said in a LinkedIn post. “This expansion reinforces our commitment to continued growth, operational excellence, and long-term partnerships across the supply chain.”
CEO Van Eversull co-founded ECI in 1992 in New Orleans. The company opened its headquarters in Houston in 2010 and now maintains major locations in Iowa, Louisiana, just east of Lake Charles (the home of sister company Lacassine Operating Company), and Wanatah, Indiana (outside Chicago); and smaller facilities in Fairfield, California; Mt. Vernon, Washington; and Bridgepoint, New Jersey—with about 250 pieces of equipment, including vertical dry bulk storage silos and horizontal pneumatic storage trailers commonly referred to as pigs.
The 15-acre site situated on Pine Vista Lane in Northwest Houston boasts 10 trucks for internal movements, 45 silos and 50 pigs with a total storage capacity of 450,000 cu. ft. for catalyst and other dry bulk materials; and 150,000 sq. ft. of covered storage. The end-to-end location also features a rail spur with 2,700 ft. of track—enough for about 25 pneumatic rail cars—and direct access to BNSF Railway, along with a dry bulk tank cleaning facility; and offers transloading, blending, screening, classification, and quality assurance.
“We’ve evolved into a logistics powerhouse,” Chance Dodds, ECI project director, summarized for Bulk Transporter. “We buy and sell, we manage inventory with real-time tracking, and we schedule loads on site, and even off site. That’s more difficult, but our motto is, ‘We never say no.’
“If someone needs something done—we figure it out.”
An exciting development
The Aug. 6 grand opening of ECI’s game-changing shipping warehouse attracted 45 representatives from vendors, customers, and partners, and 65 employees, including Eversull and Kevin Dodds, ECI COO, who combined to cut the ceremonial ribbon on “a new chapter of growth.”
“Basically, we were tapped out as it was,” Chance said. “We were starting to have to send a lot of work to our other sites.
“This warehouse is going to make a big difference.”
The new facility, which includes 3,000 sq. ft. of office space, sits on 2 acres of land ECI added to its original 13-acre tract three years ago. Bagged catalysts filled the expansive import/export warehouse when Bulk Transporter visited but it features enough space for all sorts of bulk-shipping preparations. “It’s not only for bulk bags,” said Jeff Hude, ECI vice president of sustainability and business development. “We can manage any kind of packaged commodity, whether it goes into barrels or containers, or onto pallets or slip sheets.”
Most importantly, the new warehouse features 14 dock doors—ECI’s original facility included only one—boosting turnaround times for ECI’s host of carrier partners running in and out of Port Houston.
“This will allow us to cut down on demurrage time for truck carriers,” Chance explained.
“They won’t have to come and drop containers on site and leave because we will be able to live load.
“That keeps costs down over the life of any project.”
About the Author
Jason McDaniel
Jason McDaniel, based in the Houston TX area, has more than 20 years of experience as an award-winning journalist. He spent 15 writing and editing for daily newspapers, including the Houston Chronicle, and began covering the commercial vehicle industry in 2018. He was named editor of Bulk Transporter and Refrigerated Transporter magazines in July 2020.