It turns out that industrial
valve demand is also coming from the liquefied natural gas (LNG) segment. With drilling in the U.S. at historical highs the last
few years, new production calls for
gas processing facilities and pipe lines requiring large numbers of industrial
valves, says Adams.
One of the biggest issues facing the industrial valve market is
sourcing. Many of today’s valves are being produced by third parties and then
private labeled, which makes material hard to trace from its origin. Adams
advises, “PVF distributors need to be cautious about valve products being
manufactured in a global market. In a strong market, manufacturers come from
all over the world offering products.” VMA’s Sandler says, “This is true to an
extent, but most domestic producers are able to have their products traced.”