Maintenance & Repair
Emergency Repair in Pipelines
- Details
- Published on Tuesday, 23 December 2014 10:18
- Written by Jason Chisholm and Joe Pirkl
Decades of innovation and ingenuity in the pipeline valve manufacturing industry have resulted in dozens of designs incorporating multiple body parts, top and bottom entry designs and sophisticated seat sealant systems. These simple valve designs make emergency sealing and repair safer and easier for technicians.
Standards, Safety, Training Top Topics at Meeting
- Details
- Published on Tuesday, 16 September 2014 11:43
- Written by Kate Kunkel
Twenty-five years ago, the member companies of the Valve Manufacturers Association of America (VMA) saw a need to promote both safety and quality in valve and actuator repair. As a result, the service operations of VMA members banded together to create the Valve Repair Council (VRC). As part of its mandate to educate manufacturers, rebuilders and customers on the importance of proper service and to provide a forum for an exchange of information, the VRC sponsors events such as this year’s meeting and exhibition in Houston, which was June 5-6.
Rebuilders Beware: EPA Clean Air Requirements Will Affect You
- Details
- Published on Thursday, 13 March 2014 13:52
- Written by Greg Johnson
When watching complicated events unfold, it’s human nature to sit smugly back and think: I’m glad I don’t have to deal with that. For many of us in the repair community, this was the reaction when the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) passed fugitive emissions regulations and valve manufacturers were forced to respond. Until now, we could nonchalantly stay uninvolved in the fracas.
Long Term Cost of Ownership: Seeing Beyond the Initial Price Tag
- Details
- Published on Sunday, 29 December 2013 16:24
- Written by Arun Dhingra
The concepts used in long-term cost of ownership (LTCO) go back as far as the 1700s. However, the label was first used in 1929 when the American Railway Engineering Association introduced a manual for efficiently maintaining or building a railway. That manual noted that “in the event there is a subclass of power, then the total cost of ownership should be multiplied by the ratio of the cost of repairs to the total.”
Valve Service Shops are Not Created Equal
- Details
- Published on Friday, 22 November 2013 15:48
- Written by Gary Ostrowski
Not long ago, a common practice for companies in the chemical, power and refining industries was to have personnel on staff to handle many valve maintenance and service activities. Today, as skilled professionals of the baby boomer generation retire and companies face increasing pressure to contain costs, a growing number of firms are turning to outside vendors to help them manage the health of their valves.
