Industrial Millwright & Fabrication Servicesacross Chicagoland
Quick overview
SSI serves industrial plants across Chicagoland from our shop in Portage, Indiana, about 42 miles from downtown Chicago. Our crews cover the city, the south suburbs, Joliet and Kankakee with millwright work, on-site welding, fabrication, installs and rebuilds, and our line at (219) 386-1506 is answered 24/7.
Chicagoland at a glance
- Services offered in Chicagoland
- 8
- Prequalified contractor
- ISN & Avetta
Calls we get
What we're called for in Chicagoland
Shutdown needs more hands
A south suburban plant has a short shutdown and more work than its own crew can cover. Our millwrights take a block of the list, from drive changes to alignment, and work to your schedule.
Millwright ServicesNew line, tight install window
A packaging or food plant buys a new line and has a short window to get it in. We rig, set, level, anchor and align the equipment, then stay for the first run.
Equipment InstallationObsolete part, no OEM lead time
A worn shaft or bushing has no replacement available. Our Portage machine shop measures the old part, makes a new one, and our crew installs it.
Machine Shop ServicesRetrofit instead of replace
A plant is quoted a full system replacement for a worn machine. We assess what can be rebuilt or modified, fabricate the new pieces in our shop, and retrofit it on site.
Equipment Retrofitting
From the Portage shop
Where we work in Chicagoland
The route
From Portage, I-80/94 is the spine. The Skyway and Bishop Ford reach the city's south and southeast sides, I-80 runs west across the south suburbs to Joliet, and I-57 heads south to Kankakee, all without crossing downtown.
The local industrial base
Chicagoland's industry is spread across the whole south half of the metro. The Calumet River district still runs metal processing and fabrication, the south suburbs hold food, packaging and chemical plants, and Will County is a rail, distribution, refining and power hub. Farther south, Kankakee mixes grain and food processing with manufacturing.
Breakdown in Chicagoland? (219) 386-1506 is answered 24/7.
East-side access
I-80/94 and I-90 reach the south side and suburbs.
On-site welding
Welding rigs ride with every millwright crew.
24/7 line
Breakdowns get a straight answer on timing.
Prequalified
ISNetworld member and Avetta prequalified.
What we do here
Services in Chicagoland
Millwright Services
Rigging, setting, alignment, installs and outage work.
On-Site & Specialty Welding
Mobile welding rigs at your plant, 24/7 for emergencies.
24/7 Emergency Repair
Line down? Call (219) 386-1506, day or night.
Custom Metal Fabrication
Structural, pipe and replacement parts. Shop and field.
Equipment Installation
Rigged, set, leveled, aligned and run in.
Equipment Retrofitting
Upgrade the equipment you have instead of replacing it.
Machine Shop Services
Custom machining, replacement parts and worn-part repair.
Preventive Maintenance
Inspections, alignment and outage plans that cut breakdowns.
Industries across Chicagoland
Nearby service areas
Have a job in Chicagoland?
Send the equipment, the plant address and what you're seeing. A crew lead calls back with timing and next steps.
Which parts of the Chicago metro does SSI cover?
SSI covers the south half of the metro: the city’s south and southeast sides, the south suburbs, Will County around Joliet and the Kankakee area. Those areas sit along the interstates that run west and south out of Portage. Plants farther north or west can still call, and we’ll say plainly whether we’re the right fit.
| Area | Miles from Portage | Approx. minutes |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago (downtown) | 42 | 55 |
| Joliet | 58 | 65 |
| Kankakee | 68 | 75 |
All figures are approximate driving times in normal traffic. Rush hour and expressway work add real time.
Why hire a Region contractor for an Illinois plant?
Coming from east of the city keeps our crews out of most cross-town traffic. Our people also spend their working lives in heavy industry. The same crews who rebuild gearboxes for Northwest Indiana steel mills bring that discipline to a south-suburban food plant or a Will County distribution building.
Safety travels with them. Every job starts with a job hazard analysis, under lockout/tagout, confined space and hot work programs. See our safety approach.
What Chicagoland work does SSI do most?
We do shutdown labor, installs, repairs and retrofits: hands-on equipment jobs where one crew carries the work from the first walk-down to restart. Our millwrights, welders and machine shop work as one team, so you aren’t coordinating three contractors at the gate. The usual mix:
- Shutdown labor. Millwright crews who take a block of your outage list.
- Installs. Equipment installation with rigging, setting and alignment.
- Welding. On-site welding for structural and equipment repairs, plus sanitary work for food lines.
- Parts. Our machine shop for parts the OEM can’t supply in time.
- Retrofits. Equipment retrofitting when rebuilding beats replacing. Our Gary steel mill retrofit shows how we run one.
What should an Illinois plant have ready when it calls?
Have the plant address, the equipment involved and a short description of what went wrong. The more we know up front, the more likely the first crew shows up with the right tools, parts and rigging, and the fewer trips it takes to get your line running. Useful details:
- address, gate and contractor check-in rules;
- equipment make, model and nameplate data;
- what failed, and any noise, heat or vibration before it;
- photos or video.
For a breakdown, see emergency repair. Indiana plants are on our Northwest Indiana page. When downtime isn’t an option, call (219) 386-1506 or request a quote.
Local questions
Chicagoland FAQs
Does an Indiana contractor really work in Illinois plants?
Yes. The state line is about 26 miles from our Portage shop, and Chicago's south side and south suburbs are closer to us than to many contractors in the north and west suburbs. We plan Illinois work around outages, installs and rebuilds, and we take emergency calls there on the same 24/7 line.
Which parts of Chicagoland do you cover?
We focus on the city of Chicago, especially the south and southeast sides, the south suburbs, the Joliet area in Will County and the Kankakee area. Those are the parts of the metro closest to our shop by interstate. If your plant is farther north or west, call and we will tell you plainly whether we are the right fit.
Can you bring parts made in Indiana to an Illinois job?
Yes. Our machine shop in Portage builds and repairs parts, and our crews bring them to your site for installation. On many rebuilds we pull the component, repair it in the shop and return it, so you work with one contractor from tear-down to restart.
Do your Chicagoland crews weld on site?
Yes. Our millwright crews carry welding gear, and our AWS certified welders handle structural, pipe and equipment repairs in place. That lets one crew fix a cracked base, reset the machine and align it in the same visit. Stainless sanitary work for food plants is done by welders who do that work regularly.
Request service in Chicagoland
Tell us what's running rough. We'll tell you how fast we can be there.