When Pelletron Corporation needed to fabricate a mobile dedusting system for a plastics manufacturer in Saudi Arabia, the build could not just be good. It had to be assembled, fully tested, and confirmed functional at the fabrication shop in Lancaster before a single piece went into an ocean container, because a problem discovered in Dhahran is a different problem than a problem discovered in Lancaster. And when Samsung asked Pelletron to build a DeDuster® that had never been designed before, finished to showroom quality in stainless steel, destined for a cell phone casing production line in South Korea, Pelletron brought the design to GSM before the drawings were final. Both decisions turned out to be the right ones.
Project Snapshot
GSM Industrial fabricated two complete DeDuster® systems for Pelletron Corporation, a Lancaster, PA manufacturer of industrial dedusting equipment for the plas
| Client | Pelletron Corporation, Lancaster, PA (pelletroncorp.com) |
| Relationship | Long-term OEM contract fabrication partnership |
| Industry | Plastics processing equipment manufacturing |
| Project 1 | Tasnee Mobile DeDuster® System, Saudi Arabia |
| Project 2 | Samsung DeDuster® System, South Korea |
| Fabrication Location | GSM Industrial, 3249 Hempland Rd, Lancaster, PA 17601 |
| Services Performed | Fabrication, welding (AWS D1.6 stainless), pre-assembly, functional testing, polishing, international shipping preparation |
| Materials | Structural steel (Tasnee unit); stainless steel, polished finish (Samsung unit) |
Tasnee is one of the largest petrochemical manufacturers in Saudi Arabia. Pelletron designed a mobile DeDuster® for Tasnee’s plastics operation, a self-contained dedusting unit that mounts on rails, a mobile stand, or a bagging machine, giving the facility flexibility to position dust removal where production requires without permanent installation. The fabrication scope was clear: cyclone separator, inline filter, specialized ductwork and piping, safety handrails and ladders. What made this project different from a standard domestic fabrication job was everything that came after the build.
Shipping industrial equipment to Saudi Arabia in ocean containers introduces a category of risk that a truck delivery to a domestic plant does not. Skid preparation is subject to international phytosanitary requirements. Stamp-treated wood is mandatory to prevent the spread of invasive species. Blocking and bracing has to hold through weeks of sea transit and port handling. And if a fit or performance problem surfaces after the equipment reaches the customer’s facility, the cost and delay of correcting it from 7,000 miles away is a different order of magnitude than correcting it in the shop. The only way to eliminate that risk is to eliminate the uncertainty before the equipment leaves Lancaster.
GSM fabricated the major components of the system and then did something that goes beyond standard contract fabrication: assembled the entire unit on a concrete pad at the Lancaster shop and ran the operational tests before any of it was scheduled for disassembly. During that process, the team identified improvements to the assembly sequence and provided recommendations to Pelletron that were incorporated into the final build. The unit performed to specification. Then they took it apart, prepared every component for ocean freight with stamp-treated wood skids and proper container packing, and shipped it to Saudi Arabia. Tasnee’s team completed final installation on the other end without issue.
Samsung approached Pelletron with a requirement that had no precedent in Pelletron’s product line. The application was the cleaning of plastic pellets used in the manufacture of cell phone casings and device protection covers. Samsung’s quality standard for that application was exacting: full stainless steel construction, and a cosmetic finish on the completed unit that the project team described as showroom quality. The DeDuster® had to function precisely and look like a finished product, not a fabricated piece of industrial equipment.
Designing and fabricating a first-of-its-kind product carries risk that a repeat build does not. There is no previous unit to reference if a dimension is ambiguous or a material choice proves problematic in fabrication. The cost of discovering a design problem after fabrication begins is substantially higher than the cost of catching it before. Pelletron understood this. They brought GSM into the project before the drawings were finalized.
After visiting Pelletron’s facility and reviewing the equipment and design intent in depth, GSM’s team identified a material specification issue: the gauge originally planned for the stainless steel components was light enough to introduce warping risk during fabrication and in service, which would undermine the surface quality Samsung required. GSM recommended a heavier gauge. Pelletron adopted the recommendation. GSM supplied all the stainless steel material and carried the build through precision forming, welding to AWS D1.6 stainless standards, full assembly, and cosmetic polishing.
Polishing stainless steel to a consistent, high-quality surface requires that every step in the fabrication sequence is controlled. Weld heat and grinding create surface conditions that have to be managed before polishing begins. The team sequenced the work to prevent those conditions from compounding. The completed unit met Samsung’s cosmetic and functional requirements without rework.
The Tasnee mobile unit was pre-assembled, tested, disassembled, packed into ocean containers, and delivered to Saudi Arabia. Zero rework after delivery. The Samsung DeDuster®, the first of its design, was fabricated, polished to the specified cosmetic standard, and delivered to South Korea. Zero rework after delivery. Pelletron’s relationship with GSM predates both projects and has continued past them.
Michael King of Pelletron Corporation described the Samsung project in terms that do not require elaboration: the DeDuster® is Pelletron’s core product, the Samsung build required a design that had never been done before, GSM was a critical part of the project’s success, and the work was sophisticated enough that it required proof GSM was capable of it. They proved it.
“The DeDuster® is a very special product for Pelletron, and the Samsung project, which required a first-of-its-kind DeDuster® design, was a big deal. GSM Industrial was a critical part of the project’s success; they provided a lot of input on how the piece could be made better. It was very sophisticated work, and GSM showed they were more than capable of helping us get the job done.”
Michael King, Pelletron Corporation
“Pelletron knows what they need and they let us get into the design early enough to actually help. On the Samsung job we looked at the material spec and told them the gauge was going to cause problems. They listened. That kind of relationship is rare and it makes the work better.”
Dave Towers, GSM Industrial
Most contract fabricators build what is on the drawing and ship it. That is the baseline. What separates a fabrication partner from a fabrication vendor is the willingness, and the technical standing, to say something is wrong before it gets built. On the Samsung project, GSM caught a material specification issue at the design stage. On the Tasnee project, GSM identified assembly improvements during pre-shipment testing that made the final product better. Neither contribution was in the original scope. Both were offered because the relationship is structured around outcomes, not just deliverables.
GSM Industrial has provided contract metal fabrication for OEM equipment manufacturers from its Lancaster, PA shop since 1983. The facility handles stainless steel fabrication, precision forming, welding to AWS D1.6, and cosmetic finishing including polishing. For OEM partners whose equipment ships internationally, GSM’s experience with ocean freight preparation, including phytosanitary-compliant skid materials, container blocking, and pre-shipment testing protocols, is not a specialty service. It is something the shop has done before.
Pelletron has continued to work with GSM because the equipment works after delivery. That is the only measure that matters.
A Pelletron DeDuster® is a patented industrial dedusting system that removes dust, fines, and streamers from plastic pellets before they enter the production process. Contaminated pellets cause surface defects, discoloration, and quality failures in finished plastic products including packaging, automotive components, and consumer electronics parts. The DeDuster® uses controlled airflow and mechanical separation to clean pellets continuously as they move through the line.
OEM contract fabrication is the manufacturing of components or complete assemblies to an equipment maker’s design specifications, where the fabricator’s name does not appear on the finished product. GSM Industrial supports OEM manufacturers with fabrication, welding, assembly, testing, and shipping preparation from Lancaster, PA. On complex builds, GSM is involved at the design stage, providing input on material selection and geometry before drawings are finalized. That early involvement is where the most significant project risk is reduced.
Yes. For the Tasnee mobile DeDuster® project, GSM pre-assembled the complete system at its Lancaster facility, ran functional tests to confirm performance, and incorporated assembly improvements before disassembly and ocean container packing. Pre-shipment assembly and testing at the fabrication shop eliminates the risk of discovering fit or performance problems after equipment has been shipped internationally, where correction costs and delays are substantially higher.
Ocean freight requires skid materials that meet international phytosanitary standards, specifically stamp-treated wood to prevent the spread of invasive species across borders. Equipment must be blocked and braced within containers to withstand weeks of sea transit and port handling. GSM managed all ocean freight preparation for the Tasnee mobile DeDuster® shipped to Saudi Arabia, including skid construction, component packing, and container loading.
GSM Industrial fabricates stainless steel equipment to AWS D1.6 structural welding standards and produces finished surfaces from standard mill finish through polished cosmetic finishes. For the Samsung DeDuster®, GSM supplied all stainless steel material, performed precision forming and welding, and polished the completed unit to the showroom-quality cosmetic standard required for electronics manufacturing. Achieving consistent cosmetic finish on stainless steel requires controlling each fabrication step in sequence so surface conditions do not compound before polishing begins.
The Pelletron projects drew on GSM Industrial’s stainless steel fabrication capabilities, contract metal fabrication program, and OEM installation experience. For equipment manufacturers evaluating a fabrication partner for complex or internationally shipped builds, contact GSM Industrial at 717-207-8985 to discuss your project.
GSM Industrial provides OEM contract metal fabrication, stainless steel fabrication, and related industrial fabrication and field services across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, and Ohio. Based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania since 1983, GSM holds ASME U and R Stamp certification, AISC certification, and AWS certification including AWS D1.6 for stainless steel welding. GSM Industrial has fabricated and shipped equipment to international destinations including Saudi Arabia and South Korea. For contract fabrication projects in the Mid-Atlantic region, contact GSM Industrial at 717-207-8985 or visit gsmindustrial.com.
