From the Editor: Time Keeps on Ticking into the Future

Welcome to the Summer issue of Valve. If you’re a late baby boomer or fellow GenXer that headline will likely cause you to hum the popular Steve Miller Band tune, “Fly Like an Eagle.” And if your year is going like mine, it has been a whirlwind so far, and I don’t see it slowing down any time soon – thus the reference to time flying by.

So far this year we’ve seen some major changes or potential changes that will impact our industry and our customers. Court decisions like the overruling of the Chevron Doctrine by the U.S. Supreme Court, and pending regulatory updates have come from agencies like the EPA on PFAS in water that was covered in our Spring 2024 issue, could impact us all.

With the effects of climate change, the timeline to more decarbonization is getting shorter every day. Companies struggle to keep up with all the rules and regulations and professional membership-based associations like the Valve Manufacturers Association (VMA) are doing their best to keep members apprised and updated with events, like the inaugural Hydrogen Valve Summit and the Valve Forum held earlier this year in Houston, and the upcoming PFAS Workshop being held in November in Alexandria, Virginia.

Moving toward a “hydrogen economy” is being touted as one way to lessen our dependence on fossil fuels that produce greenhouse gas emissions. For our cover feature, we revisited some of the information shared at the Hydrogen Valve Summit from Modern Hydrogen, EPRI and Emerson in the story on page XX. Hannah Mason also shares some of her expertise on all things sustainability with a deep dive into what exactly a life cycle assessment is, and explains some of the resources available to help suppliers measure their carbon footprint to share with their customers.

This issue’s Valve Basics focuses on a product we don’t talk a lot about but is critical to several end markets – plastic valves. Equilibar’s Alan Black covers how the use of polymer in valves offers advantages for many applications. Other features include a case study on the sizing approach for valves in a difficult, abrasive mining environment, as well as some ideas on how you can and probably should be using AI in your work, and a look at industry news and new products available now.

When you read this, I plan to be living on a steady stream of croissants as I cheer on Team USA in Paris at this year’s Summer Olympics. The water infrastructure for the city has been in the news as a huge new basin was built for storm overflow to prevent potential untreated sewage from releasing into the Seine River. Swimming events for the triathalon as well as a marathon swim are scheduled to take place in the Seine, but time will tell if the infrastructure updates were enough to make it clean enough for the athletes.

In September I’ll be heading to the International Manufacturing Technology Show (IMTS) in Chicago in early September. The largest trade show of its kind covering manufacturing the U.S., it’s a great place to learn about new machine tools, cutting tools and workholding equipment and much more.  I’m excited to visit booths focused on automation and digitalization in manufacturing, helping companies become even more competitive on the global stage as they can improve their efficiency and throughput while allowing their employees to focus on the tougher problem solving that only they can do. If you’re in manufacturing, I highly recommend you attend and walk the show or attend workshops on everything from additive manufacturing to parts cleaning and industrial lasers. Send me a note if you’re attending, I’d love to meet up!

Enjoy the rest of the summer, and stay cool and hydrated!