Sanitary Welding, Millwright & Rebuild Servicesin Kankakee, Illinois
Quick overview
SSI serves Kankakee-area plants from our Portage, Indiana shop, about 68 miles and 75 minutes away. We do baghouse and dust collection work, sanitary and on-site welding, conveyor and drive rebuilds, fabrication, preventive maintenance and 24/7 breakdown repair for the area's food, grain and chemical operations.
Kankakee at a glance
- Approx. drive from Portage
- ~75 min
- Approx. road miles
- 68 mi
- Prequalified contractor
- ISN & Avetta
Calls we get
What we're called for in Kankakee
Grain-dust collector losing suction
A grain or feed processor sees pickup points fall off and differential pressure climb. We inspect bags, cages, airlocks and duct leaks, then fix the mechanical cause so the collector pulls again.
Baghouse & Dust CollectionBucket elevator gearbox getting loud
Before harvest, an elevator head drive starts running hot and noisy. We pull the reducer, rebuild it in our Portage shop, and reinstall it with laser alignment before the trucks start lining up.
Equipment RebuildsWorn-out chute at the rail pit
A rail-served plant finds a transfer chute or unloading pit hopper worn through. We measure it, build the replacement with wear liners in our shop, and set it during a planned stop.
Custom Metal FabricationGetting ahead of the busy season
A food or ingredient plant wants fewer surprises between shutdowns. We set up a PM route for drives, conveyors and collectors, with findings written up so your team can plan the fixes.
Preventive Maintenance
From the Portage shop
How we get to Kankakee
The route
Crews go west from Portage on I-80/94, then south on I-57 through the south suburbs and down to Kankakee.
The local industrial base
Kankakee sits in the middle of Illinois farm country, and its plants show it: grain handling, feed and ingredient processing, food manufacturing and chemical and packaging operations, many served by rail. The equipment is bucket elevators, drag and screw conveyors, stainless process lines and a lot of dust collectors.
Breakdown in Kankakee? (219) 386-1506 is answered 24/7.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
About 75 minutes
Roughly 68 miles from our Portage shop.
Dust control
Baghouse and collector inspection and repair.
Sanitary work
Stainless TIG welding for food lines.
24/7 line
(219) 386-1506 for breakdowns.
What we do here
Services in Kankakee
Baghouse & Dust Collection
Bag changeouts, pulse-jet repair, ductwork and leak checks.
Sanitary Welding & Fabrication
Stainless tube and pipe with clean, purged welds.
On-Site & Specialty Welding
Mobile welding rigs at your plant, 24/7 for emergencies.
Equipment Rebuilds
Gearboxes, pumps, fans and presses rebuilt to spec.
Conveyor Systems
Conveyor installs, repairs, drives, pulleys and tracking.
Custom Metal Fabrication
Structural, pipe and replacement parts. Shop and field.
Preventive Maintenance
Inspections, alignment and outage plans that cut breakdowns.
24/7 Emergency Repair
Line down? Call (219) 386-1506, day or night.
Industries near Kankakee
Nearby service areas
Have a job in Kankakee?
Send the equipment, the plant address and what you're seeing. A crew lead calls back with timing and next steps.
What wears out fastest in a Kankakee plant?
Dust, washdown and abrasive bulk material wear things out fastest. Grain and ingredient dust loads filters and fans. Sanitation is hard on bearings, drives and welds. Corn, meal and pellets grind through conveyor flights, chutes and liners. Rail unloading takes a hit every time a car comes in. Most of our Kankakee calls trace back to one of those four.
| What’s wearing | Where you see it | Our service |
|---|---|---|
| Dust | Collectors, fans, ducting | Baghouse and dust collection |
| Washdown | Stainless lines, frames, drives | Sanitary welding and fabrication |
| Abrasion | Flights, chutes, hoppers | Fabrication and conveyor systems |
| Load and heat | Elevator and conveyor drives | Equipment rebuilds |
Is a dust collector a safety problem or a permit problem?
It’s both. Many grain and food dusts are combustible, so a collector that leaks or loses airflow is a fire risk as well as a compliance problem. Our crews work under hot work permits, lockout/tagout and confined space programs. Every job starts with a job hazard analysis.
Our baghouse maintenance checklist lists what to check and how often. See our safety page for how we work.
How does SSI make a 75-minute drive pay off?
We plan the trip so the crew spends its time working, not waiting on parts. Before an outage, someone walks the job, measures and builds a parts list. Chutes, guards and spools are built in Portage ahead of time, so install day is mostly fitting and welding.
A typical planned visit looks like this:
- walk-down and measurements, weeks ahead;
- shop fabrication and any gearbox rebuilds;
- install day with parts staged and on-site welding for the final fit-up;
- startup check and a written list of anything to watch.
A preventive maintenance route ties those visits together.
What if a Kankakee line goes down mid-harvest?
Call (219) 386-1506, any hour. We tell you honestly how long a crew will take to arrive. Many plants keep a spare drive we rebuilt earlier, so your own team can swap it while we take the failed unit back to the shop. See emergency repair.
Plants to the north are on our Joliet page. Food plants can also see our food and beverage page.
Local questions
Kankakee FAQs
How far is SSI from Kankakee?
Our Portage shop is roughly 68 miles from Kankakee, about 75 minutes in normal traffic by I-80/94 and I-57. Most Kankakee work is planned, such as outages, rebuilds and PM visits. For a breakdown, call (219) 386-1506 and we will tell you honestly when a crew can arrive rather than quote a guaranteed time.
Do you service dust collectors at grain and feed plants?
Yes. We inspect and repair baghouses and dust collectors, replace bags and cages, fix airlocks, ducting and fans, and help keep systems running inside their permitted limits. Grain and feed dust is combustible, so we work under your hot work and housekeeping rules and start every job with a job hazard analysis.
Can SSI weld stainless on site at a Kankakee food plant?
Yes. Our welders do sanitary TIG welding on stainless tube and fittings, in the shop or in your plant. We pre-fabricate spools in Portage where we can, then make the final welds on site during a sanitation or shutdown window. Carbon steel repairs on frames, platforms and hoppers are handled the same trip.
Do you work on bucket elevators and drag conveyors?
Yes. We repair and rebuild conveyors common in grain and bulk handling, including drag, screw and belt conveyors, plus the head drives that run bucket elevators. Gearboxes and drive parts can be rebuilt in our machine shop and reinstalled with laser alignment, which helps the new bearings last.
Request service in Kankakee
Tell us what's running rough. We'll tell you how fast we can be there.