Taco Lubbock secures ASME and National Board Certifications

For industrial manufacturers, certification is more than a compliance milestone. It is a measure of whether engineering expertise, production processes, quality control and traceability can meet some of the industry’s most demanding standards. Taco has announced that its Lubbock, Texas facility has successfully completed the joint review required for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) “U” Stamp and National Board “R” Stamp, with zero findings. This marks an important step in Taco Lubbock’s transformation into a full-service engineered manufacturing facility, allowing the company to maintain greater control over production from design through fabrication.

What the certifications mean for manufacturing

The ASME “U” Stamp authorizes Taco Lubbock to construct and certify pressure vessels in accordance with ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code Section VIII, demonstrating compliance across qualified personnel, engineering, inspection and quality-control processes. The National Board “R” Stamp extends those capabilities to the repair and alteration of boilers, pressure vessels and other pressure-retaining equipment.

Together, the certifications broaden the facility’s ability to serve customers requiring highly controlled pressure-equipment manufacturing while strengthening its position as an integrated manufacturing operation.

Technology, people and quality behind the milestone

Reaching this point required four months of preparation and investment. Taco Lubbock introduced advanced welding technology, including Submerged Arc Welding (SAW), an automated high-deposition process particularly suited to large tanks and heavy fabricated components. ASME-compliant welding procedures and Procedure Qualification Records were established, while hydrostatic testing was supported by code-compliant instrumentation. The facility also strengthened documentation and product traceability across the manufacturing process, from material receipt through final fabrication, while ensuring welders operate in accordance with ASME Section IX.

Israel Márquez, Senior Quality Technician, emphasized the scale of the effort: “A tremendous amount of time, effort, and teamwork has gone into building our quality management system and preparing for this certification. Earning ASME certification showcases that commitment and positions us to take on new projects with confidence.”

Building manufacturing capability through standards

For Justin Pena, Vice President of Taco Lubbock, the achievement ultimately comes down to people and manufacturing discipline:

“Obtaining certification requires personnel who care about doing things correctly the first time. Our detail-oriented experts are the reason we were able to accomplish this so quickly.”

That philosophy captures why the milestone matters. In pressure-vessel manufacturing, advanced equipment alone is not enough. Quality systems, qualified personnel, repeatable processes and complete traceability must work together.

With its new ASME and National Board certifications, Taco Lubbock has strengthened that foundation, and opened the door to a broader range of engineered pressure-vessel projects while retaining control from design through final fabrication.