Taking the Plant Work Pulse with Steven Gables, President of C&B Piping

Dennis Wilson, SIGMA’s Technical Sales Coordinator, catches up with Steven Gables for his take on the state of play in the Plant Work sector. According to Gables, “The need for upgrading or replacing current plant work is tremendous, and far outstrips the current expertise and resources.” Read our blog for the full interview:

“Roll Tide!!!” As die-hard Alabama fans Stephen and I just had to begin our conversation with that familiar phrase. We used to tailgate across from each other back in the 2000’s, but didn’t really start working together until I joined SIGMA. Stephen has a storied career starting as a treatment plant Estimator with U.S. Pipe 34 years ago. Today, he serves as President of C&B Piping, and I had the good fortune to catch up with him to hear his thoughts on the Plant Work sector in 2024. The company specializes in providing heavy civil piping systems with a specialty in Ductile Iron & Steel fabricated piping with custom coatings and linings. C&B has a strong presence in the North American Plant Work sector - particularly in the Southeast and Western United States. We thought Stephen would be the perfect ‘expert’ to interview and get a pulse on this sector. 

Q1: How do you view the Plant Work sector today? Stephen: Plant Work represents around 10% of the overall water and sewer industry, so it’s a small but significant sector. It typically lags 18-36 months behind the rest of the industry in comparison to line work. So when we had a downturn in the waterworks market in 2008, we didn’t see Plant Work dip until 2011-12. We’ve seen some good years in Plant Work recently, and we have confidence in the Treatment Plant side of the business. The need for the upgrading or replacement of Plant Work is tremendous. And the need far outstrips the current expertise and resources. I’m optimistic that the infrastructure money promised by the current administration will trickle down. I think the outlook is healthy, but flat, over the next 18 months.  

Q2: What is getting you excited about the sector at the moment: Do you see any interesting trends? Stephen: One of the new trends we are seeing in the Southeast and on the East Coast is the continued move to a design-build model. This has been the favored model out West, but we’re beginning to see more design-build contracts in the South. Supply Chain problems in the recent past have encouraged some owners to move to a design-build approach. By this, I mean that contractors and engineers are introducing manufacturers earlier into the bidding process.  In the past, the manufacturers were kept at arm's length, yet today we are invited into the budgeting and design process in the early design project phases. This early access speeds up the procurement process, because we can quote accurate lead times, and it allows us to engineer the project in a way that delivers value for all stakeholders. It also assists to mitigate cost escalations of material providing less sticker shock for the client. It’s very beneficial for all parties.  We also see solid modeling software and bolt on collaboration packages improving for electronic communication across supply chain partners, contractors, clients. All of this tech should improve quality and reduce costs in the long-term.  

Q3: What did you think of WEFTEC this year? There was a positive energy around the show wasn’t there? Stephen: WEFTEC is a fantastic opportunity to listen to the perspectives of industry leaders on all aspects of the Water and Sewer industry. We were excited to get perspectives on new CNC and robotic equipment making its way into iron fabrication. Pipe fab machining equipment hasn’t really changed much over the last 80 years, but we are now starting to see the introduction of computer-assisted fabrication. This is going to bring greater efficiencies, streamlined processes, and higher quality products.  

Q4: What’s the future for coatings and linings? Have you been influenced by the new NSF600 standard? Stephen: We’ve always traditionally used cement mortar linings for ductile iron pipe. But when dealing with wastewater or saltwater, we use ceramic epoxy. Protecto 401 has been the predominant lining for the last 40 years and remains the flagship solution due to its long track record of success and certified applicator network. Alongside these linings, we’d favor porcelain glass for solids and sludge and sewer process lines that inject hot water or need to be steam cleaned. On the exterior of the pipes, things have changed with the update to the NSF600 drinking water standard in January 2023. The updated standard pertains to the regulation of chemicals and materials used in the paints which will be in contact with potable water, more specifically the solvents used in paints. Xylene for example has been reduced 100-fold. There are many specifications still in existence that have not been updated and are calling out paints that are no longer approved to be used if the NSF 600/61 standard is required to be met.  C&B Piping has upgraded our paint facilities, process, and our employees training and certifications in response to the NSF600 change.   For buried piping, we are seeing some uniquely corrosive situations that may require a very specialized coatings solution, for example where you have an extreme salty environment, water intrusion and extrusion on a consistent basis, or stray electrical current present in the ground. 

Q5: What one thing would people be surprised to learn about you? Stephen: I’m a big believer in growing. If you are not growing, your are dying. This is true physically, spiritually, and mentally. I look to podcasts, conferences, spending time with mentors, and reading books. I love to give business & leadership books to all the people I mentor, and spend time discussing what we learn. It’s a struggle for me to read. My mind drifts off focus, and I get sleepy real fast, but I force myself to do it!  Working out your mind/heart must be a habit in a similar fashion to lifting weights to build muscle. If you don’t use it, you lose it. Our motto here at C&B Piping is “Iron Sharpens Iron.” Books sharpen people’s minds in so many ways. Books I am currently reading are John Maxwell’s 16 Laws of Communication, Jon Gordon’s Positive Leadership, Simon Sinek’s The Infinite Game, and Kevin DeYoung’ Impossible Christianity.