CPV Manufacturing Announces Partnership with Diekson

Kennett Square, PA, USA (12 November 2018) – Admiral Valve, LLC d/b/a CPV Manufacturing is pleased to announce the appointment of Diekson Valve and Diekson Industrial Co., Ltd. as its authorized representative in the country of Taiwan (R.O.C.). Diekson will represent the entire CPV product line for the compressed gas industry, the petrochemical industry, and the oil and gas industry.

David London, President of CPV, states, “Diekson is well-positioned to grow our presence in the Taiwanese market. They are an established solutions-provider to the petrochemical market and the CPV product line will fit nicely with their existing offerings of pipe, valves and fittings.”

About Diekson Valve and Diekson Industrial Co., Ltd.
Established in 1983, Diekson Industrial Co., Ltd. Is a professional trading company in Taiwan and China with a primary focus on petroleum refining, petrochemical processing, power generation, environmental protection and safety products. For more information, go to www.diekson-valve.com.

About CPV Manufacturing
For more than a century, CPV has crafted products that are recognized around the globe for their unmatched strength and dependability. CPV builds valves and fittings that last for thousands of life cycles. Based in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, the company has a complete facility for developing, manufacturing and testing its products. Dedicated workers and global partnerships allow CPV to be a leader in all of its markets. For more information, visit www.cpvmfg.com or call 484-731-4000.

CPV Manufacturing Partners with Exion Asia and Encord

Kennett Square, PA, USA (13 November 2018) – Admiral Valve, LLC d/b/a CPV Manufacturing is pleased to announce the appointment of Exion Asia Pte Ltd (a registered company in Singapore) and Encord Sdn Bhd (a registered company in Malaysia) as its authorized representatives in the countries of Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Indonesia. The companies will represent the entire CPV product line for the compressed gas industry, the petrochemical industry, and the oil and gas industry.

David London, President of CPV, states, “Exion Asia and Encord are both part of the PON Asia group of companies, which is an organization that we are very familiar with. We have every confidence that this partnership is the right move for our companies and for our customers.”

About Exion Asia Pte Ltd and Encord Sdn Bhd
Exion Asia Pte Ltd is a flow control solutions provider actively serving the petrochemical market, power plants, general industries, and oil & gas refineries. Together with its subsidiaries, business partners and associate companies, Exion Asia is a market leader in the sale and repair of valves, instruments and rotating equipment. For more information, go to www.exionasia.com or www.pon.nl.

CPV Manufacturing Partners with Prochem Pipeline Products

Kennett Square, PA, USA (08 November 2018) – Admiral Valve, LLC d/b/a CPV Manufacturing is pleased to announce the appointment of Prochem Pipeline Products Pty Ltd. as its authorized representative in the countries of Australia and New Zealand. Prochem will represent the entire CPV product line for the compressed gas industry, the petrochemical industry, the oil and gas industry, and both the commercial & Department of Defence shipbuilding industries.
David London, President of CPV, states, “Prochem is a PON Company and a sister organization to our Master Distributor in the United States, W&O Supply. We expect that Prochem will exhibit the same market leadership in Australia and New Zealand that we have seen with W&O in the USA. That savvy and market presence will allow us to better service the needs of our customers there.”

About Prochem Pipeline Products Pty Ltd
For more than sixty years, Prochem has been working closely with industry to supply superior stainless steel piping products, specialist valve solutions and mechanical instrumentation components. As a stocking distributor for fittings, flanges, pipe, tube and valves, the company offers its customers the ‘The Prochem Advantage’ to set it apart from its competitors. Prochem also offers custom manufacturing of specialty components and fittings. For more information, go to www.prochem.com.au.

CPV Manufacturing Partners with JRE Private Limited

Kennett Square, PA, USA (15 October 2018) – Admiral Valve, LLC d/b/a CPV Manufacturing is pleased to announce the appointment of JRE Private Limited as its authorized representative in the country of India. JRE will represent the entire CPV product line for the compressed gas industry, the petrochemical industry, the oil and gas industry and the commercial shipbuilding industry.

David London, President of CPV, states, “JRE Private Limited is a 3rd generation, family-owned business that is well-respected within the industrial manufacturing base of India. India has one of the fastest-growing global economies and the pipe, valve and fitting market is expected to have double-digit growth over the next 5 years. We are excited to have such a strong partner in the Indian marketplace that will allow us to better service the needs of our customers there.”

About JRE Private Limited
Established in 1981, JRE initially focused on becoming the leading manufacturer of flexible hose assemblies in India and providing services to every industry where flexible connections were required. Since then, JRE has expanded its scope to include various specialized equipment for the Petrochemical and Power industries. Today, JRE represents a dozen manufacturers and supplies products into the Downstream, Midstream, Upstream, Chemical, Steel, Defence, Food and Pharmaceutical industries. For more information, go to www.jreltd.com.

About CPV Manufacturing
For more than a century, CPV has crafted products that are recognized around the globe for their unmatched strength and dependability. They build valves and fittings that last for thousands of life cycles. Based in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, CPV has a complete facility for developing, manufacturing and testing its products. Dedicated workers and global partnerships allow CPV to be a leader in all of its markets. For more information, visit www.cpvmfg.com or call 484-731-4000.

On Counterfeit Valves and Fittings

Counterfeit Valves: They Fake It Till They Break It

On Counterfeit Valves and Fittings From iPhones to watches to shoes and apparel, it seems that for every legitimate product on the market, there are twice as many cheaply made counterfeits. And believe it or not, industrial valve manufacturers have not remained immune to this problem. The market is saturated with counterfeit valves and fittings, but it can be difficult to know how many are out there. Many simply go undetected, only recognized for what they are once they fail. And even when counterfeit valves or fittings do fail, under-reporting of these incidents seems to be somewhat prevalent. While most end users whose valves have failed were probably unaware the products they used were counterfeits, others may forego reporting for risk of damaging their reputation or being seen as negligent.

There Are Counterfeits, and Then There Are…Counterfeits

We should note that when we discuss counterfeit valves, there are two categories they generally fall under. Manufactured fakes are what a consumer typically thinks of as a counterfeit. These are analogous to those Louis Vuitton handbags going for 1/10^th their market value.

The other type of counterfeit valve is one that has been refurbished by a dubious supplier looking to make an easy buck. If a manufacturer or legitimate supplier was in the midst of overhauling or renovating its plant, for instance, it might have sold off older valves as scrap. Regardless of the motives, problems can arise when those valves are then processed to make them once again operational. Too frequently, forged manufacturer tags are affixed to the rebuilt valves in an effort mislead end users. Unless a valve has been refurbished, retested and recertified by an OEM, it’s probably worth considering this type of counterfeit just as dangerous—and in some cases more dangerous—than a manufactured counterfeit.

Counterfeit valves and fittings can be so challenging to spot that they’ve been discovered in chemical processing plants and even nuclear power plants. That’s a scary thought, and, thankfully, those counterfeits were found before they had a chance to fail. Others have been less lucky, though, like a paper mill that decided to cut costs by purchasing remanufactured valves from a third-party supplier. The supplier neglected to verify the valves’ wall thicknesses—something that should really be done by an OEM, who knows where to measure for critical dimensions—resulting in a catastrophic failure after the side of the valve blew out.

Shut off the Flow of Counterfeits

So, how can you avoid purchasing counterfeit valves and fittings? Know your suppliers well, or purchase directly from the established OEMs. When dealing with suppliers, consider integrating into your contract language that holds them responsible for counterfeits that enter their supply chain and make into your application. For instance, your supplier might receive a large order from another client, forcing them to seek out a new source they may be less familiar with.

Beyond that, it’s worth becoming familiar with how to spot counterfeits. Depending on the effort that has been made to hide the counterfeit’s true nature, this can be challenging. For the simpler counterfeits, follow a few of the suggestions below from the Department of Energy’s Health, Safety and Security Office of Corporate Safety Analysis. Below is a sampling taken from their “Suspect/Counterfeit Items Awareness Training” manual.

Used component appearance, including signs of weld repairs, outer surface scratches, wrench marks on valve packing glands, nuts and bolts, different types of hand wheels on valves from the same manufacturer and certain parts looking newer than others
Suspicious or inadequate packaging, including the use of foreign newspapers as packing material
Components with no markings, or those missing important designations like pressure class ratings
Components with too many markings (e.g. an excess of certification logos like “UL,” “FM,” “CGA” and “AGA” all appearing on one valve body is not normal; one or two logos plus “ANSI” or “ASME” is)
Evidence of tampering, including ground off logo marks, ground off casting marks with stamped marks in their vicinity and overlapping stamps
Old or worn nameplates, or nameplates that look newer than the components themselves

In Conclusion

As you can probably tell, the time that goes into detecting counterfeits probably negates any cost savings a supplier or end user might have otherwise been glad to find. Yes, counterfeit products are inexpensive. The irony is, their long-term—and even their short-term—cost is far greater than the price of a highly engineered, expertly crafted valve made to last.

Want to be sure you’re getting the real deal? Buy direct from the OEM, or require your supplier or contractor to do the same. Do CPV valves cost more than counterfeits? Of course. We engineer them to exacting standards. They’re made to last. Because ultimately, we’d rather explain the price of our valves to our customers once than apologize for their quality forever.

IQ-CHem Contest to Aid Innovative Petrochemical Start-Ups

The petrochemical industry is constantly growing and discovering new ways to produce and use chemicals to benefit the industry and the world. Now, SIBUR is helping to advance the industry even further with the IQ-CHem contest.

About the IQ-CHem Contest

The IQ-CHem contest will discover and promote innovations in petrochemical production and application. It gives petrochemical start-ups a chance to showcase their projects and how they can improve and develop the petrochemical industry for the future.

IQ-CHem will work to find and promote projects that help create technologies for gas processing and transportation. It’ll also support ideas that can advance the production and use of plastics, elastomers, and custom chemicals. On top of that, IQ-CHem will focus on finding projects for modern equipment and technological solutions to enhance the operative efficiency of chemical and technical processes.

The IQ-CHem contest is open to all petrochemical start-ups. Projects and ideas submitted will be evaluated by a jury of more than 30 international experts from the biggest companies in the petrochemical industry. These experts will determine the best start-up projects and award monetary prizes to three 3rd place winners, two 2nd place winners, and one 1st place winner. The total prize funds for the IQ-CHem contest is $55,000.

Interested petrochemical start-ups can apply to participate until March 1, 2017. Winners will be announced on June 6, 2017, at Startup Village 2017, a start-up conference held in Moscow, Russia.

Additional Petrochemical Opportunities

SIBUR has also partnered with many of the top companies in the industry to help find and promote the best petrochemical start-up projections. A few of these partners include LG Chem, Honeywell UOP, 3M, and Dow.

IQ-CHem Contest As a global stage for communications, the best start-ups will have a chance to receive opportunities to work with these and other global chemical leaders. These opportunities can help participants find investors and ultimately turn the best ideas and projects into a full industrial production.

How IQ-CHem Benefits the Petrochemical Industry

IQ-CHem does more than help petrochemical start-ups find funding for their best ideas. The contest also works to promote the creation of better and more efficient ways to produce and use chemicals in the petrochemical industry.

As explained by Jim Rekoske, Vice President and CTO of Honeywell UOP, this event will shine a light on the importance of how innovative ideas can help develop new technologies and new ways to use chemicals in the future.

“Society has relied on crude oil to provide fuels for more than a century,” he said. “But now countless other chemical products can be made from hydrocarbons, demanding exceptional scientific innovation and technological development.”

Dr. Joost Waeterloos of the scouting and exploration network, Ventures & Business Development for Dow in Europe, Middle East, Africa, and India, also said that IQ-CHem would help start-ups create projects that’ll benefit both the petrochemical industry and the overall quality of life for the rest of the world.

“Participation in IQ-CHem will enable talented participants to unlock their potential and build courageous collaborations, creating unique projects essential to petrochemical industry and, as a result, to humanity as a whole,” he said.

Overall, the IQ-CHem contest is slated to pave the way for start-ups to create projects that’ll ultimately make the petrochemical industry and the world better in the future.

For more industry news and upcoming events, read CPV Manufacturing’s blog.

How to Use Condition-Based Maintenance to Reduce Costs

Following a manufacturer-recommended maintenance schedule is a rule of thumb for businesses in all industries. However, maintenance schedules aren’t as beneficial as you think. Since most schedules are based on educated guesses and analyses, they’re not always accurate. Because of this, you could end up wasting time and money on unnecessary repairs and replacements.

So how can you provide the services your systems need without wasting time or money? Enter condition-based maintenance.

What’s Condition-Based Maintenance?

Condition-based maintenance (CBM) uses data collected from a system to calculate exactly when it needs maintenance. It essentially helps companies provide services on an as-needed basis based on the condition of the system rather than a specific time frame. Companies use CBM to reduce overall repair expenses, prevent unnecessary downtime, and extend the longevity of parts and systems in their plants.

Types of Condition-Based Maintenance Technologies

With CBM, companies implement different types of technologies to collect data that’s ultimately used to determine when a system will need to be serviced. A few CBM technologies you can add to your plant include the following:

Vibration Analysis: Sensors that detect increasing and excessive vibrations in compressors, pumps, and other rotating equipment.
Ultrasonic: Technologies that can spot issues such as boat hull corrosion and deep subsurface defects. They can also be used to find liquid, gas, and vacuum leaks.
Operational Performance: Sensors placed in different parts of the system to monitor performance aspects like pressure, temperature, and flowrate.
Infrared: Infrared cameras that can sense elevated temperatures in energized parts and systems.
Oil Analysis: Technologies that analyze the particle size and condition of oil flowing through a system.

The information gathered from each of these CBM technologies can help you determine when services and repairs are required for each system in your plant. This will allow you to provide the maintenance only when needed to reduce costs.

But installing these technologies and simply monitoring the condition of your machinery won’t be enough. According to Valve World Magazine, testing parts for performance and functionality is also key to keeping your systems running as smoothly as possible for years to come.

Benefits of Condition-Based Maintenance

As stated, CBM helps to reduce overall repair and servicing costs for many industrial companies. However, there are many more benefits to CBM than just decreased expenses.

For example, technologies can collect data while a system is running. This helps to minimize disruptions during normal operations, resulting in enhanced efficiency and productivity in the workplace. CBM also can help to minimize unscheduled downtime and reduce the time spent on repairs and maintenance.

Most importantly, CBM can improve workplace safety. It will make sure that systems are properly maintained, which helps to prevent catastrophic failures and damages that can cause injuries for workers on the production floor.

For more information about how you can reduce operation costs for your manufacturing business, read our post on how to design a cost-effective warehouse.

2016 Managing Aging Plants Conference & Expo

The Materials Technology Institute (MTI) and KCI Publishing will host the Managing Aging Plants Conference & Expo on November 9 and 10 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, TX. During this two-day event, industry leaders and experts will come together to provide tips for operating your plant and handling issues.

About the Managing Aging Plants Conference & Expo

2016 Managing Aging Plants Conference & Expo The Managing Aging Plants Conference & Expo strives to provide those in the industry with the resources needed to run their plant more efficiently. This is the first Managing Aging Plants Conference & Expo for North America, and it will focus on the most important issues that can occur when running a plant that is close to or has reached its original design life expectancies. The event is also held in Germany and Japan.

The two-day event will feature presentations and workshops led by prominent industry experts. This includes John Adler, Executive Director of the MTI, who will discuss the best practices in creating a framework for managing aging infrastructures. Tyron Kimble, Senior Integrity Engineer for Sonomatic, will talk about the best practices for inspecting and analyzing data for managing an aging plant.

Other presentations slated for the Managing Aging Plants Conference & Expo include:

Management of Complex Facilities Using Robots
Cost-Effective Polymeric Heavy Corrosion Systems in Aging Plants
5 Steps to Successful Repairs
Valve Maintenance Practices for Aging Plants to Ensure Leak Free Operations & Modern Sealing Technology for Flanged Joints in Aging Plants

In the expo portion of the event, manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors worldwide will showcase their products and services that can make running an aging plant easier and more efficient.

Conference Theme and Overall Focus

2016 Managing Aging Plants Conference & Expo Overall, the Managing Aging Plants Conference & Expo will focus on four areas that workers need to understand to overcome the challenges faced when running an older plant:

Maintenance

The conference will highlight the importance of maintenance and what workers need to do to ensure long-lasting efficiency, reliability, and safety. This includes tips for inspections and repairs for software systems and mechanical components like valves and fittings.

Safety

Perhaps the most prominent concern with aging plants is safety. At the event, experts will discuss how to ensure safety in the workplace and how to create a maintain a safety culture within your company.

Materials

Certain materials react differently to external factors and can cause problems in aging plants. The conference will focus on how to overcome these problems and help you to understand how each material affects production. Plus it will also touch on how to choose the right materials for your plant.

Future Solutions

The Managing Aging Plants Conference & Expo will address the ever-changing industry and the newest technologies. There will be workshops and presentations discussing Industry 4.0, intelligent software, and smart data analysis as well as how these technologies promote efficiency and cost-effective solutions for your plant.

To learn more about the Managing Aging Plants Conference & Expo, check out the event’s official brochure.

And if you’re looking for reliable parts to help you make operating your aging plant safer and easier, contact CPV Manufacturing for more information about our selection of durable valves and fittings.

What is Supply Chain? How to Develop a Strategy for Your Small Business

What exactly is supply chain? As a small business owner, you know that implementing a supply chain is one of the most beneficial things you can for your small business. With an effective supply chain, operational costs can be reduced and your company could experience increased efficiency, output, and revenue.

supply-chain-management However, a supply chain is only successful when it’s developed and implemented properly. So to ensure that your business’ supply chain is designed to yield the best results, here’s how to develop an effective supply chain strategy for your small business.

What is a Supply Chain?

A supply chain outlines all the steps, processes, and people involved in manufacturing a product and delivering it to the customer. It also includes every business that comes in contact with the product,0 including the supply company and delivery companies that handle the shipments coming to and from the warehouse.

How to Develop a Supply Chain Strategy

Again, a supply chain will only help your business if it’s designed properly. The steps below will help you develop the supply chain strategy that’s best for your business.

1. Understand Business Goals and Strategy

An effective supply chain strategy must align with your small business’ goals and overall business plan. Look at your company’s competencies, competitive advantages, and overall focus. Understanding these aspects will help you develop a supply chain strategy that works best with your company’s capabilities and strengths. It’ll also help you understand what you need to do to ensure that your business operates efficiently.

2. Evaluate Business Assets

Once you develop an outline of your company supply chain strategy, evaluate your business’ assets to understand if they can adequately support it. Examine your machinery and systems. If they’re outdated, they may create high operational overhead and deliver an inconsistent performance. This means they won’t be able to support your strategy if you’re looking to be a low-cost provider.

A formal supply chain assessment from a non-biased organization can examine your assets. The assessment will help you understand your business’ operational strengths and weaknesses.

3. Review Supply Chain Assessment

supply-chain Next, review the assessment to see what you can do to implement your supply chain strategy into your business. Consider all recommendations outlined as well as the risks that could occur when the strategy is implemented.

Most importantly, use the review to determine if you have the resources needed to apply the strategy to your company. If you don’t, consider making capital investments or adjusting your strategy to better meet your business’ capabilities.

4. Develop Your Implementation Plan

Develop your implementation plan when everything has been reviewed and adjusted as needed. The plan should detail everything about the entire supply chain process for your business. This includes employee roles, tasks, and responsibilities. It should also online the timeline of the process as well as performance metrics.

In addition, you should create a team dedicated to rolling out and evaluating the strategy as well as a team responsible for handling any issues.

5. Monitor Performance

After your supply chain strategy has been implemented, monitor your company’s performance regularly. Check to make sure that the supply chain strategy is helping you better meet your business and customer expectations.

You also want to consider industry changes and see how they affect your supply chain strategy. This will help you make any necessary changes and explore new opportunities to improve your strategy.

Read more small business tips to drive your company to success!

How to Deal with Employee Theft

Employee theft in manufacturing companies happens more often than you think. Whether your workers take a small part or an expensive piece of machinery, these instances of theft will ultimately hurt your business. Fortunately, there are easy ways to help prevent it.

Read on to learn more about how to deal with and prevent employee theft in your company.

Dealing with Employee Theft

How to Deal with Employee Theft Dealing with employee theft is never easy. Depending on your company’s policies, you’ll need to go through several steps to effectively handle an employee theft situation.

When an employee steals, you first need to create an incident report that includes the date and time of when the theft occurred as well as what was stolen and who took it.

From there, you’ll want to discuss disciplinary actions with the employee. Based on your company policies, you can put them on a probationary period or have them pay for the stolen item. However, if you want to ensure that the employee doesn’t steal again, the best option would be termination.

How to Prevent Employee Theft

Once a worker steals from your company, you need to take the necessary precautions to ensure that it never happens again. Terminating an employee who has stolen from the company eliminates the chances of him or her doing so again.

To help minimize employee theft for your entire company, consider the tips below:

Perform Background and Reference Checks on Potential Employees

How to Deal with Employee Theft Reducing employee theft for your manufacturing company starts with making sure that you hire the right people. When hiring potential workers, performance background and reference checks help to eliminate those with records of workplace theft.

Implement Inventory Monitoring and Tracking Systems

Logistic solutions like tracking systems and inventory monitoring will help to reduce the risk of employee theft. These technologies can provide real-time information on your business’ inventory levels. They can alert you when there’s an item missing and even help you track its location.

Ensure Security and Surveillance in High-Risk Areas

Security cameras and other surveillance systems in high-risk areas like the supply room and loading docks are a great way to spot and prevent instances of employment theft. You can also perform unanticipated walkthroughs and inspections of areas around your warehouse as well to look for any signs of missing equipment.

Trust the Right People

Finally, make sure that you trust the right people with keys, passcodes, money, and other items that could lead to employee theft. Only trust workers who are dependable and have an honest record with the company. These employees will ensure that your company is protected and secure.

Every manufacturing company is susceptible to employee theft, but the guide above can help you deal with it and prevent such incidents in the future.

Read CPV Manufacturing’s blog to more workplace tips.