Blue SteelCo, Inc. designs and manufactures welded steel safety equipment in Waxahachie, Texas. The company has been in business since 1997, and the same founder who started it still runs it. Fire extinguisher storage racks, blue flag protection, pit handrails, work platforms, and custom shop equipment ship from our facility to railroad shops, industrial plants, and government facilities across the United States and Canada.
How Blue SteelCo Started
Andrew Adamson founded Blue SteelCo in 1997 as a metal distributor: short trips, small orders, thin margins. Qualifying for the SBA 8(a) set-aside program made the company a Department of Defense supplier. It was not the boom a young company hopes for, but it opened doors. Blue SteelCo supplied metals regularly to multiple DoD locations, sometimes manufacturing the parts as well, alongside work for aerospace companies, utility and power companies, and local commercial businesses.
Over the years the business shifted from mostly distribution to mostly manufacturing, with a heavier industrial and commercial focus. The DoD work was deliberately pared down when competitors were willing to do the paperwork for less than it was worth.
Built Through the Hard Years
In 2008 the company had just completed a large infrastructure subcontract at Fort Irwin, the Army base in California, when the financial collapse hit. In Andrew’s words, “the phones were literally not ringing.” The business survived by changing what it did, and it has had to transform itself three or four times over its history: through downturns, through 2008, through COVID.
That history is in the products. Equipment that has to earn its keep for decades gets designed by people who have had to do the same.
Who We Serve
Blue SteelCo equipment is in service at more than 80 enterprise facilities. Rail customers include Union Pacific, Amtrak, Norfolk Southern, Kansas City Southern, Watco, and Tacoma Rail. Blue SteelCo is eRailSafe verified, the vendor credential required for access to Union Pacific, BNSF, Norfolk Southern, CSX, and other Class I railroad facilities.
How We Build
- Welded steel, made in the USA, from steel sourced at US mills
- Powder-coated finishes built for shop and yard conditions
- Designed for a 20+ year service life
- Made to spec: custom dimensions, mounting, and configurations on request
Our product families: fire extinguisher storage racks, blue flag protection, locomotive handrails, tool caddies, 5S tool storage, and custom fabricated shop equipment.
Talk to Us
Questions about a product, a spec, or a custom build go straight to the team that does the work. Call 800-377-2109, email [email protected], or use the contact page. Checkout and online ordering are at bluesteelco.com.