What are the biggest challenges facing valve manufacturing ?

In a sense, the rising and falling tides of the global economy may be the least of the obstacles facing the valves industry, as business managers are well practiced in responding to these exigencies.

Ironically, the greatest challenges within the industry are a direct result of the opportunities previously discussed.

For example, of the 62 refineries to be built in non-OECD countries over the next decade, many will produce the average of 370 000 barrels/day or more of finished and intermediate products, nearly twice the output of typical existing refineries.

 These larger plants are requiring much larger scale equipment. Heretofore, “large” 300 mm (12 in) to 400 mm (16 in) valves are now being routinely specified as 600 mm (24 in) to 900 mm (36 in). Not only are the valves larger, but the pressure and temperature requirement is increasing, thus requiring higher, more exotic alloys. This is putting an immense strain on valve manufacturers’ supply chains, as well as severely stretching their engineering, manufacturing and application testing capabilities.