Charles and Chris Huff
Pipeline Product’s background story of how we got started in the general manual machining and Hot Tapping industry. Before we even had a thought of creating Pipeline Products, father Charles Huff has been designing and manufacturing Hot Tapping and Line Stopping equipment since 1963. Charles got his start working for a company called Team IND, where he was the 4th employee they had hired when the company first began and he help start up the company. Soon the corporate politics at Team IND took its toll on Charles and he decided to go out on his own. At that time Charles founded a company called Global Tapping which he had started himself back in 1980. This is where he started manufacturing many specialty tools and machines some of which are his designs that are still in service and utilized in the Hot Tapping industry today! Some of the equipment he designed and manufactured with his company Global Tapping is the Global #5 Tapping machine with a 72″ diameter capacity. These personal designs he created allowed him to build up Global Tapping and then sold the company back in 1987 to get involved in another venture based on providing machine shop services for the Ski Resort Industry.
At this time Charles Huff then made a geographical move from Houston, TX to Durango, CO to set up his new machine shop venture called Mountain Machine Services. Charles then utilized his petro-chem and pipeline machine shop skills to help the ski resorts of Colorado while working on his new venture providing machine shop services to the Ski Resort Industry. While Charles was working on projects for the Ski Resort venture, he was still receiving requests from his customers that he used to service under Global Tapping asking for Hot Tapping equipment and pipeline work. With his son (Chris Huff) freshly graduating from high school, Chris decided to move back to Houston, TX. Since this area is the hub for the pipeline and petro-chem industry in the world, Chris’ father pulled some strings at Team IND to get him a job and into the machine shop trade. This is where Chris cut his teeth learning the manual general machine shop trade and manufacturing products for the Hot Tapping Industry during his tenure with TEAM IND. It was not long after learning the trade that father and son decided to start a joint venture to provide services and products for the Hot Tapping industry. This is when they decided to create Pipeline Products! Charles and Chris Huff started Pipeline Products with reconditioning cutters and pilots in mind, it wasn’t too long after that they decided to expand their services to not only recondition but manufacturing cutters along with much more of the tooling used during the Hot Tapping process operations. In just, a very short time they earned the reputation of being the “EMERGENCY ROOM” for the majority of the customers that they service due to the majority of the work they perform being on a “RUSH or ASAP “ basis. Their customers know that they can rely on them to get the parts out when other shops can’t. Pipeline Products gives all of our customers RED CARPET treatment, not too many companies give out the owner’s cell phone number to call him at any time of the day or night! Not only that but we have an amazing team of employees that are skilled and dedicated to the trade, as well as take pride in their work and the quality of the craftsmanship they perform! So if your company is looking to make a change in the machine shop that you currently utilize for reconditioning of parts or manufacturing of Hot Tapping products, or you are just looking for any general machine shop needs for any special projects that may arise, look no further! With over 50 years of experience, you can rest assured Pipeline Products will deliver! Reach out today to inquire about the products and services that we offer!
