Richard Industrial Group - A Company On The Move ☆

by Denny Robertson, P.E.

Richard Industrial Group (RIG) is a private corporation comprised of a number of entities, which include the engineering division, Richard Design Services, Inc. (RDS), Richard Construction Inc. (RCI) and Richard Automation and Electrical (RAE).  Let’s take a look at their primary group, the engineering division, RDS.  It is one of less than a handful of sizable engineering firms currently headquartered in the southeast Texas region.  Compared to their rivals, RDS is thriving and growing at an incredible pace.  The engineering division is comprised of about 500 engineers and designers.  Headcount of the entire organization, RIG, is currently at about 2,000 personnel.

Founders

RIG heritage started with Arthur R. Richard, probably the most respected pioneer-consulting engineer in southeast Texas.  He started Matrix Engineering with partners in the early 1970s.  Following in their father’s successful footsteps, Arthur’s sons, Brent and Art Richard, formed their own highly successful engineering company seven years ago - RDS.

Current Projects (partial)

RDS and RCI both have significant projects ongoing with Valero, Total, Motiva and others.  RDS performed the OSBL and Sour Water Stripper engineering and RCI is constructing the new Hydrocracker complex at Valero in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana.  RDS and RCI recently completed Flare Gas Recovery Units for Valero in Ardmore, OK and St. Charles, LA.  RDS performed the process design and construction on both of those projects.  Included was an alky flare gas scrubber for St. Charles.  RDS also performed the OSBL engineering for the Valero, Port Arthur, TX Hydrocracker project.  With successful completion of the design phase the project is currently under construction.  Additionally, RDS recently performed Phase III and IV engineering for the revamp of a crude unit and tank farm blending to handle Canadian Crude for Valero in Port Arthur.

Engineering for the Future

With a vision for the future RDS has also moved into renewable fuels.  They performed the Phase II, III and IV engineering for a 10,000 BPD Green DieselTM Unit located in St. Charles, LA for Diamond Green Diesel, LLC.  RDS has also partnered with Turner Construction in building the unit, which is scheduled to start production by the end of 2012.  Diamond Green Diesel, LLC is a partnership between Valero Energy Corporation and Darling International, Inc. (DAR) of Arlington, TX.  They are the largest processor of animal byproduct, waste vegetable oils and greases in the United States.  This plant will take in 10,000 BPD of beef tallow or vegetable oils by rail car or truck and convert it almost entirely to premium diesel fuel with a small amount of propane and light naphtha as byproducts.

RDS possesses an unusual blend of chemical plant and refinery process engineering expertise that make it the ideal supplier of various renewable energy ventures.  Of all the renewable energy ventures that have been conceived of in recent years, diesel production from animal and vegetable oils has the most potential for long-term viability.  The Diamond Green Diesel project is the largest animal/vegetable oil to diesel plant ever conceived and the worlds largest ever built.  It is truly state-of-the-art.  The heart of the unit is licensed technology from Honeywell UOP (Des Plaines, IL) called EcofiningTM.  In fact, the product name, Green DieselTM is a trademarked UOP name.  RDS was instrumental in marrying the pretreatment unit designed by Desmet Ballestra (Marietta, GA) with the EcofiningTM unit and integrating the entire complex OSBL facilities, control room, engineering offices, admin offices, MCCs, warehouse, tank farm, wastewater treating, cooling tower, steam system, oil rail unloading, powder rail and truck unloading, diesel storage, barge and ship loading, pipeline blending, etc.  RIG is a talented multidiscipline engineering, procurement and construction corporation.

Conclusion

After 35 years in this business and 21 of them in contract engineering, I look at RDS viability and ask myself how does this happen?  I see three solid elements:

1.            Excellence comes from the top down and the bottom up.  The management of RDS strives to be the best and they create an atmosphere that everyone enthusiastically participates in a spirit of excellence.

2.         The product quality of the Piping Department whether in design, engineering or construction, is again, the best.  I am continually impressed with how quickly and accurately the pipers design a large unit using 3D CAD.  Civil/structural, instrument/electrical and the process and mechanical engineers, are also excellent…but more about that in a future posting.

3.            Organic growth.  This team of managers, engineers and designers has progressed over the years by ensuring quality performance, being on schedule and not losing money.

RIG has grown by excelling at each job they are awarded and by performing the next job even better than the last.  They are loyal to their customers but, more importantly for RDS, their customers return that loyalty.

Comments are welcome. 

Editor's note: Denny Robertson started his career at Dow Chemical in Freeport, TX and then made Halar® plastic for three years working for Ausimont (now Solvay) in Orange, Texas.  After 12 years of working on the manufacturing side of the business, Denny began his contract engineering career working for Petrocon in Beaumont, which evolved into ENGlobal Corporation. Over a span of 18 years, he formed the first Process Engineering department there and by the time he left ENGlobal he had developed a vibrant group of over twenty process engineers.  He has been at RDS now for three years and is currently serving as Process Engineering Manager.