BY KATE KUNKEL

The Valve Manufacturers Association (VMA) recently released its latest annual market forecast for valve shipments. In it, plenty of good news because, for the third year in a row, shipments for the U.S. and Canadian industrial valve industry are forecast to grow, rising to about $4 billion in 2012.

Encana’s Haynesville site, ©Encana, used with permission

With the continuing growth in unconventional gas exploration and production comes oftimes unwarranted attacks on the industry’s environmental record and business practices.

BY KATE KUNKEL, SENIOR EDITOR, VALVE MAGAZINE

In his State of the Union address on Jan. 18, President Obama presented several programs and initiatives to Congress and to the American people, many of which could have a noticeable impact on manufacturing—which, of course, includes valve, actuator and control manufacturing.