Three decades of stainless steel and valves

THREE DECADES

of stainless steel and valves

An importer and supplier of industrial stainless steel and valve solutions, EMVAfrica is a privately owned company that has recently been rebranded and restructured. Having recently celebrated its 30th birthday, EMVAfrica has extensive experience in its area of expertise.

Multi Alloys, a leading stockholder and supplier of special alloys in South Africa, has merged with EMVAfrica to become a focused division. EMVAfrica has been a small shareholder in Multi Alloys and the two businesses have worked in close association since 1997. The merged businesses give EMVAfrica a widened and enhanced range of products. EMVAfrica has also expanded its footprint and set up additional offices in Cape Town.

Its three divisions – Energy Metals (commodity stainless steels like grades 304 and 316), Multi Alloys (specialised stainless steel alloys for desalination, pollution control) and Energy Valves – all supply products to the water industry. Stainless steel for the water sector

The water sector uses stainless steel due to its durability, corrosion resistance and ability to withstand high pressures. Stainless steel is also a good health and hygiene option. Stainless steel pipes are also used at reverse osmosis filtering stations where they also withstand high pressures.

“Many of our products are used in decentralised plants that treat industrial effluent for pollution control, as well as for the treatment of acid mine drainage. This can be a very corrosive environment where our products are ideally suited.

We help our clients choose the best materials of construction (types of alloys), as well as piping and valve products,” adds

Anesh Prithilall, business unit manager: Valves, EMVAfrica. While the material may be an obvious choice, less-expensive materials are often used. “In South Africa, there is a focus on the current cost of a product, without taking into account its life-cycle costs. Stainless steel is an optimal material in water system applications and, while it comes at a price, it is an investment in the country’s infrastructure. If the overall system is designed properly, the thickness of the steel can be reduced to withstand pressure. Drakenstein Municipality is a wonderful example of the savings that can be achieved when using stainless steel for bulk water reticulation,” explains Prithilall.

He states that stainless steel is not one material; there are hundreds of grades of stainless steel. “This can create confusion for purchasing managers, as different steel grades have different prices and features and are used for different applications.”

Energy valves

Most valves stocked by EMVAfrica comprise different stainless steel grades. “Duplex stainless steel valves are most commonly used in purification plants due to their longevity, chemical resistance and ability to withstand high pressures,” says Prithilall.

The company has a wide range and extensive stockholding of valves for corrosive and challenging industrial applications

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Surpassing 100 years of product excellence.

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Anesh Prithilall, business unit manager: Valves, EMVAfrica

TYPES OF VALVES IN THE WATER INDUSTRY

• Gate valves (typically epoxy coated) that can turn the flow of water on and off • Butterfly valves (typically cast-iron, stainlesssteel internals, epoxy coated) used to isolate or regulate the flow of water • Ball valves that can withstand high pressure, temperature and velocity flows, making them useful in piping systems, filtering stations and sampling points

(in various steel grades), as well as an experienced team with the technical knowledge to help customers specify the best-suited valves.

The majority of valves imported by EMVAfrica comply with US standards, with a few valves complying with British standards. “We have added actuators to many of the valves supplied to the water industry that can be operating automatically as well as complementary products like piping and flanges,” maintains Prithilall.

As an ISO 9001 certified, Level 4 BBBEE Contributor, with plans to grow its footprint in Africa over time, EMVAfrica is well positioned for future growth from its branches in Gauteng and the Western Cape.