6 minute read
Fort Vale intros new valve ideas
LEAD THE WAY
VALVES • FORT VALE’S APPROACH TO PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT ILLUSTRATES A LONGSTANDING COMMITMENT TO LEADING THE INDUSTRY IN TERMS OF QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE
HCB RECENTLY CAUGHT up with Fort Vale’s sales director, Graham Blanchard, at the ITCO members meeting in Amsterdam. As vice-chair of ITCO’s Manufacturing Division, Graham had enjoyed a tiring but fruitful day, but managed to find the time to sit down with us and discuss Fort Vale and its plans for the future.
Graham has spent most of his professional life with Fort Vale. After leaving school at 16, he was taken on as an apprentice and subsequently qualified as a mechanical engineer. A spell in the Purchasing Department gave him the impetus to widen his horizons and he progressed to design engineer, then project engineer, before becoming works manager. At the end of 2018 he was promoted again to sales director.
It’s a career progression that typifies Fort Vale and its approach and attitude towards staff. As Graham himself puts it: “Our apprentice programme is also guiding the next generation, giving them the tools they need to become leaders themselves. We know this development of our people brings continuity of what we call the ‘Fort Vale approach’, ensuring support and service to our customers for years to come.
“Fort Vale Engineering Ltd is the world leader in the design and manufacture of manways, safety valves and loading and discharge systems for the transport, transfer and storage of bulk liquids and liquefied gases,” Graham adds. “We own self-sufficient manufacturing facilities, giving us total control over all manufacturing processes from foundry to testing - from initial research and development to the final product. This means that Fort Vale can supply quality equipment, both standard and bespoke, to meet each individual client’s requirements.”
As we near the end of an eventful 2019, HCB asked Graham for his thoughts on the future of Fort Vale and what products the market can look forward to in the near future: HCB: As a pioneer and leader in the field, can Fort Vale lead the market in terms of product development? GB: Very much so, in fact we do! We have a purpose-built R&D facility with state-of-the-art CNC machinery, measuring equipment, flow testing and explosion rigs - our R&D facilities are second to none. We invest $750,000 annually in R&D because it’s a vital part of our make-up as a company, and has been right since the early days when Fort Vale was founded.
We also have a fantastic pool of resources we can call on at any time - chartered and Incorporated engineers for example - all available in-house. We think it’s vitally important that we can verify the technical integrity of our range of products - that’s why we built our own third party-approved test laboratory, where we conduct cycle and endurance tests, air and liquid flow tests, flame and explosion tests and so on. HCB: Or does Fort Vale have to listen to what the market is requesting? GB: Well, both in fact – Fort Vale is continually developing its own products while listening to customer ideas and market requirements. We believe in constant innovation. We always listen to what our customers want and
anticipate future trends, so our products are always evolving to benefi t them, rather than looking at what our competitors are doing and playing catch-up. We like to lead from the front! We also have extensive experience and a fl air for design - engineering functional, ergonomic and aesthetically pleasing products. It’s very important to us. HCB: In which case, what are Fort Vale’s customers looking for at present? GB: As a general issue, we fi nd that they are looking at reducing maintenance and repair costs, ensuring the longevity of products, as well as the performance and reliability of valves. These are all areas we consider ourselves to be strong in. Once we bring a product to market, we are careful to listen to any feedback and make improvements if necessary - continual refi nement is the only way to maintain our position as market leader. One example that comes to mind is our Superseat Footvalve. There is an industrywide issue with pitting and crevice corrosion - especially in the chemical and food duty markets. Previously, the best solution was to use high nickel steels such as Hastelloy in an effort to solve the issue, but it was very expensive. That’s why we now use Inconel as part of our manufacturing process. It’s used extensively in Formula One racing, has a much higher pitting index than 316 stainless steel, and greater resistance is available to a wider range of chemical applications, ensuring long life and trouble-free use. It gives us superior quality to all other options on the market, but at a lower cost, and it’s now standard on all our footvalves. We’re very proud of it. HCB: How is Fort Vale looking at the emergence of FRP equipment? Or is that just a Russian thing? GB: Interesting question. We actually supply a full range of PFA-lined equipment to this market, including relief valves, ball valves, butterfl y valves and discharge valves. We’ve also developed a full range of PFA-moulded equipment, as opposed to Halar-sprayed, making Fort Vale’s PFA-coated valves a more durable product, manufactured from a consistent lining process, which in turn improves the longevity of the products being used with corrosive cargos. Does that answer it? HCB: What in particular has Fort Vale done recently in terms of new product launches? What do they offer?’ GB Ah, well I’m glad you’ve asked me that, because it just so happens that we have one or two new products that we think are very exciting indeed. What I can tell you is that we are launching a new cryogenic range at the Intermodal show in Hamburg in November. Basically, we’ve developed a range of valves for use in cryogenic tank applications, suitable for tank containers, road tankers, offshore and static vessels. The range will have a low weight and part count, which contributes to lower maintenance and repair costs and higher fl ow rates. The range includes: Globe valves - DN15 to DN50 range - the developments in comparison to our competition are: increased fl ow rates, reduced weight, reduced parts count, ergonomic handle design and reduced number of turns required to operate the valve. Check valves - DN15 to DN40 range - again, these provide increased fl ow rates and reduced weight. DN20 cryogenic diverter valve - this has been manufactured to required industry standards using the approved quality control standards at our state-of-the-art factory, using the latest technology in manufacturing and inspection equipment. Pressure relief valves - 2.9 Bar to 50 Bar set pressure range - the main developments here are: increased fl ow rates, reduced weight and a reduced parts count.
All of this equipment has been designed in accordance to BS EN 1626:2008 and all valve parts and assemblies meet the cleanliness requirements of BS EN 12300:1999.
When you consider that we also have the Superseat Footvalve, and a new 4-inch hydraulic rail valve for use on the new BASF class tank container (B-TC), there’s quite a lot for us to shout about over the coming months! HCB: It certainly seems as if you’re going to be quite busy. Thanks for taking the time to talk to us. GB: It’s been a pleasure. www.fortvale.com
BLANCHARD (OPPOSITE) HIGHLIGHTS FORT VALE’S
INITIATIVE IN DEVELOPING NEW PRODUCTS, SUCH AS THE SUPERSEAT FOOTVALE (BELOW) TO IMPROVE SAFETY
AND HELP ITS CUSTOMERS REDUCE THEIR COSTS