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Industry Profile: Stuart Prestridge

A personal profile of Stuart Prestridge from Setpoint Solutions, and long-serving member of the Valve Magazine editorial advisory board.
#actuators #pressure-relief

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Stuart and his partner Kim recently in Kauai, HI.
Source: Stuart Prestridge

What inspired you to pursue a career in the world of valves and actuators? My career started in industrial construction, working for electrical, instrumentation and controls contractors. In the instrumentation and controls segment of the business, I became familiar with the “valve business,” primarily control and isolation valves. After 15 years, I started a new chapter in the instrumentation department of a refinery in Norco, LA. I was doing maintenance and continuing operations so my knowledge and understanding of valves was greatly expanded. I quickly moved to construction management/turnaround planning for projects within the refinery and planned outages. I worked closely with multiple valve sales and service organizations, which brings us to today. After 6 years in the world of “the end user,” I started a new chapter with Setpoint Integrated Solutions, Inc. where I just reached 15 years in valve and instrumentation sales and service. Looking back on my path, the knowledge I’ve gained has been truly rewarding and one I am proud to have taken. 

Why did you decide to get involved with VMA? I was introduced to the (now former) managing editor for Valve in 2018 to better understand the role of the Editorial Advisory Board and to see if there was an opportunity for me to support the team in helping ensure the technical accuracy & market validity of the articles to be published. This opportunity was immediately interesting and has since proven to be very rewarding in both the knowledge gained as well as the ability to support the effort to continue to improve the published content.

What interesting things are you working on? We are working on a project to “build out” a product demonstration trailer that will be used by the sales team. The trailer will include power and compressed air, along with a simple control system to provide full product automation and functional demonstration capabilities. The trailer will enable us to have products from all the primary manufacturers we sell and service and maximize time spent with customers not only demonstrating the primary product of interest, but to expose them to the rest of the offering in mobile unit. It’s not a new concept, but it will be new for Setpoint and will serve to increase customer awareness of the offerings for products and services.

How do you stay abreast with changes in the valve/actuator industry? There is a range of sources that are not likely different from others in the industry. Trade magazines and journals, conferences and industry trade shows including networking with peers in the market which is invaluable for staying on top of what is changing. Other resources include online content, webinars and continuous learning through industry associations as well as valve and actuation manufacturers. And working for a company that works with many manufacturers introduces me to a lot of what’s new.

What are the biggest challenges for manufacturers and the industry today? An ongoing challenge is dependable supply chain – managing the demands for a consistently high-quality product that can be delivered quickly and doing so in an increasingly cost competitive environment.

Hiring and retaining top-level manufacturing personnel is another huge challenge, as well as staying at the forefront of technological advancements with increasing regulations on issues like the potential PFAS ban which is found in many valve seals and packings. Keeping our distributors and end users aware of product changes and improvements that may require engineering acceptance on their end can also be a challenge! Get them to understand why an “improvement” to a valve is needed, and how it will not negatively impact (and potentially improve) their unique operation is critical.

What emerging trends or technologies are you particularly excited about? The evolution of digital technologies in valve automation over the past 20 years is amazing. Somehow, the capabilities seem to stay ahead of the market requirements, or the recognition by the end user that the equipment can help them improve efficiency and reliability. The most exciting aspect of this is the development of technologies for valves that traditionally were “dumb” and being purely mechanical pieces of equipment had not capability of “communicating” the owner any status of activity or “health.”  Pressure relieving valves for protection are some of the most interesting for this because we depend on them to protect equipment from catastrophic overpressure failures that protects property and, most importantly, personnel.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to explore a career in our industry or one of our end markets? Network as much as possible via conferences, trade shows, etc. The valve manufacturing, sales and service market seems vast initially, but you will find there is a community of people that will spend a large portion, if not an entire career, in the space.  Because of this you can quickly expand your knowledge of the market as well as the number of resources you have available to grow and advance.

Is there a piece of advice you were given that has stuck with you? It is something that I know the first time I heard it, the person who said it was repeating it as well, but it can’t be understated as it is often the self-imposed hurdle we will struggle to get over: Focus on progress and not on perfection! It is advice that we have to keep reminding ourselves of but it will ensure that whatever you are striving for you can continue down the path and not lose momentum.

What do you do outside of work for fun?
Although infrequent, I try to make vacations something that allows me to spend time outdoors. I enjoy the sport of shooting firearms, but don’t hunt any longer, only shooting to retain the skill.

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