Located along the scenic Ohio River, Ashland Fabricating and Welding has become a national distributor. It wasn’t always this way; we have built this company through hard work, dedication and a willingness to better each generation of our family.

It all began in 1941 when Vinson Layman attended the Ashland Vocational School as a welding student. He worked for Ashland Culvert Works as a welder and maintenance man from 1942 to 1948. He then worked construction as a pipe fitter and welder. He started Ashland Fabricating and Welding in 1953. He built his shop behind his house on Carroll Street in Ashland, Kentucky. Initially he continued his construction career and used his free time to build things for his new customers. He focused on fabricating ornamental iron railings, fire escapes and equipment repairs. Some of that original ironwork can still be seen in homes and buildings in Ashland.

When business began to pick up enough for him to sustain his wife and five children, he moved his business to a rental unit at 35th and Winchester Avenue in Ashland, Kentucky. In 1961 he had increased his clientele to the point that he was able to purchase two lots, where Ashland Fabricating and Welding is located today. He constructed this new shop at 3321 Greenup Avenue and continued his ornamental ironwork, but with the added space, he was able to take on larger jobs such as skids for fuel tanks, sign poles for service stations and corrugated pipefittings for Armco metal products.

The sixties brought him some additional hands. His sons began working in their free time and when school was out. He showed them the value of hard work and doing things yourself. He also instilled in them the importance of quality and customer service.

Upon completion of their schooling in the seventies, three of his sons joined Ashland Fabricating and remain here today.

The first member of the third generation joined Ashland Fabricating in 1998 and has found his niche in specialty fabrication.

The second member of the third generation joined in 2008. She is learning various aspects of the company and concentrates on procurement and quality.

Until 2013 you could still find Vinson roaming the halls of Ashland Fabricating occasionally, going with his boys to check on jobsites and talking fondly of his work. His ideas and values are the cornerstone of our success and he is missed daily.

We have remained at the same location, have expanded buildings, increased equipment and grown our client base. While we no longer offer ornamental iron, we do focus on heavy industrial work and fabrication of materials handling equipment and various other customer projects. Through this growth and time we are able to offer the market over 100 years of experience.

We pride ourselves on quality products and customer relations. Through this philosophy we have grown into a stable and reliable contractor for such companies as CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern, Ashland Inc., Progress Rail, AK Steel, Kentucky Electric Steel, Mansbach Metals, Contech Construction Products, Fruit Growers Express and Bombardier Capital Rail. We value each of our customers, but we are always looking for new opportunities and challenges.

We have enjoyed 60 years of business and are already planning for the next 60. We hope to have the opportunity to help you with your next project and to share our quality workmanship with your company.