Pennsylvania’s Rust Belt, supporting the steel and heavy industrial sectors with shop print updates, drawings, and inspection work. Over the following decades, Orbital expanded its services throughout heavy industrial markets before making a strategic pivot in the early 2000s toward electric and natural gas utilities. The shift proved prescient.Today, the veteran-owned company employs over 650 engineering and support staff across the country, serving industrial clients as well as both investor-owned utilities and cooperative clients with transmission, substation, distribution engineering, and natural gas services. “In 2023, Orbital executed a major reorganization, abandoning its location-based structure in favor of industry-focused vertical divisions,” says Frantz. “Previously,general managers oversaw all engineering disciplines within their geographic regions. The new model separates operations by market sector, allowing specialized teams to focus exclusively on their industries,” he adds. The restructuring positioned Orbital to better serve clients across its diverse portfolio while maintaining the agility that has defined its near 6 decade trajectory. A COMPREHENSIVE UTILITY SERVICES PORTFOLIO Orbital’s utility services division operates across a sprawling geographic footprint, with employees stationed across the United States and internationally supporting diverse client needs. The company provides full-spectrum engineering and design for transmission, substation, and distribution systems, alongside natural gas transmission and distribution services. Beyond design work, Orbital delivers project management and construction oversight, ensuring that engineering solutions translate effectively into operational infrastructure. A recent 69 KV transmission line extension project in Indiana illustrates the complexity of modern utility work.“The scope encompassed designing 15 miles of transmission infrastructure with 400 new steel direct embed poles, supporting new conductor and static wire installations,” Frantz explains.“We were working with limited roadside right of way, so typically that’s only a couple of feet off the edge of the curb or the roadway. The project required acquiring easements for the utility while incorporating distribution line assets below the transmission lines within the same design package.” Geographic Information Systems (“GIS”) played a central role in overcoming site constraints. “Orbital’s GIS team conducted extensive overlays to identify easement and right-of-way issues, tree trimming limitations, and optimal pole placement 139 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 12, ISSUE 12 ORBITAL ENGINEERING, INC.
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