Duane Houkom, Inc. opened its doors in 1982 and is recognized as a world-class leader in Petro-chemical and explosive demolition services. With over 87 combined years experience in the petrochemical and explosives industry Duane Houkom, Inc. (DHI) has the knowledge and commitment to provide real solutions for you and your company.
When Mr. Houkom first suggested that he could remove fussed materials from vessels inside active gas plants, well to put it bluntly, every plant manager told him he was crazy and slammed the “door” in his face. Petro-Chemical companies are adamant about keeping anything that can produce a spark or flame out of their plants or under very tight controls. Trying to convince these people that using explosives could make their projects go easier and quicker, fell on deaf ears. However this did not stop him from knocking on these “doors” up and down the Gulf Coast. Finally one plant had so much trouble removing coke buildup inside a vessel, that they gave him his first chance to prove his claims. The buildup that had shut down the plants production for weeks, was broken into small easily removed pieces and complete is just a few days. The process worked so well that his business grew steadily and the DHI name was passed from plant to plant along the Gulf Coast. Since that time DHI has grown into the premier solution for petro-chemical plants across all of North America and Canada. As the plant work has grown so has the explosive demolition services, such as bridges, buildings, stacks, mass concrete, boilers, etc. With the same eye for detail and safety, this segment of the company has steadily grown to make up close to half of all annual sales.