VMA Drives Industry Awareness, Membership Opportunities

It was a busy spring for the VMA, with no plans for that to change going forward. VMA’s Board of Directors, committees and professional staff are working to deliver resources and education to help members address pressing topics, provide venues to share information and find business partners and to represent the importance of the industry to external stakeholders.

As reported in VMA’s monthly pulse survey, VMA members continue to experience strong orders and business opportunities with a robust 40% of respondents who indicated their shipping volume is up over 10% compared to last year. However, they continued to be challenged with supply chain and workforce issues.

Earlier in the spring, VMA members visited Capitol Hill with the goal of raising awareness of the industrial valve industry. Visits were made to offices where many members are located — including those in Texas, Pennsylvania and Ohio. The visit was followed up with VMA joining 133 other prominent associations in signing a multi-trade letter in support of the supply chain subtitle in the American COMPETES Act.

Of course, our voice on Capitol Hill is only as strong as our members who join and support the VMA. We recently welcomed several new member companies ready to take advantage of VMA benefits and demonstrate their company’s commitment to the industry.

VMA continues to provide top-notch education and insights on the issues affecting our industry. Since the start of the year, webinars were conducted on topics such as valve materials, trade and tariffs changes. In April, a successful Valve Forum Conference & Exhibits took place in San Antonio, Texas, and three events are on the horizon. While the Valve Forum and Valve Basics events, and some webinars are open to anyone, companies interested in the Market Outlook Workshop and VMA/VRC Annual Meeting can join VMA and view additional membership benefits at vma.org/membership.

VMA Members Promote the Valve Industry to Capitol Hill and Reiterated Supply Chain Concerns

For the first time in over 15 years, VMA members visited Capitol Hill with the goal to raise awareness of the industrial valve industry and how the industry impacts the economy and lives of Americans.

VMA members met with the staff from offices in Ohio, Texas, Pennsylvania and Minnesota to explain the importance of discussing issues that are paramount to our industry, including supply chain challenges, taxes, workforce development and infrastructure investment.

VMA’s work in this area continues with a tool kit for VMA members to use while hosting elected and other government officials at their facilities.

Additionally, VMA recently joined 133 other prominent associations in signing a multi-trade letter to Congress in support of the subtitle in the America COMPETES Act pertaining to supply chain issues. The letter was submitted to House and Senate leadership, House Energy & Commerce Committee and the Senate Commerce Committee in May.

VMA/VRC Annual Meeting Offers Foresight and Industry Recognition

VMA and VRC members are invited to Santa Barbara, California, for the 2022 VMA/VRC Annual Meeting from September 7-9, 2022. The association’s premier event, the Annual Meeting, is open to VMA/VRC members only and delivers unparalleled networking, discussion and analysis of the most important external and internal issues being faced, and how they affect the valve industry. A sample of topics on this year’s program included:

China’s Impact on Business, Manufacturing, the Economy, the Supply Chain... on Everything?
Energy Transition — The Rest of the Story
U.S., Canadian and Global Economic Outlook
Government Policy and External Influences on the Valve Industry
Leadership Through the Great Resignation and the Great Regret

Leaders are also recognized for their contributions to the VMA and the valve industry with various awards at the Gala Dinner, which closes out the event on Friday evening. The Annual Business Meetings of VMA and VRC will also take place, and a spouse/guest program is also offered.

Learn more and register at vma.org/annualmeeting.

Market Outlook Workshop to Provide Forecasts from End-Use Market Experts

VMA and the Hydraulic Institute (HI) are teaming up again to bring the 2022 Virtual Market Outlook Workshop to their members. The event will be held virtually August 3-4, 2022.

Attendees will gain valuable insights from end-user market experts and business intelligence that valve and pump industry leaders need to incorporate into planning. The latest insights and analysis on the issues affecting the water/wastewater, power generation, pulp and paper, commercial construction, oil and gas and chemical industries will be provided, as well as perspectives on the overall global and domestic economies, and the hydropower and mining industries.

“The Market Outlook Workshop continues to be one of the VMA events that is most looked forward to by our members,” Heather Rhoderick, VMA president, says. “The compilation of so many experts from different market segments is unique and valuable, regardless of whether your company sells into those markets or not.”

This event is open to VMA, VRC and HI members only. Register at vma.org/marketoutlook

Valve Forum — A Return to Form

The VMA Valve Forum Conference & Exhibits took place in San Antonio, Texas, this past April, with attendance matching pre-pandemic levels. Participants learned the latest on topics that are impacting the present and future of the valve industry, and networked with exhibitors in a small exhibit area. Survey results indicated that 96% would consider recommendation the event to others.

Sessions related to current events such as supply chain issues, crisis communications and workforce topics such as the future of the workplace and finding and retaining employees resonated with attendees. In addition, the opportunities that growing trends like environment, social and governance (ESG) and hydrogen offer the industry piqued everyone’s curiosity as some of the highest attended sessions. A deep dive session on valve systems in the tank farms was also well received and generated a robust Q&A session. Open discussion forums around technical topics also provided participants with unique insights from peers.

Attendees also got a continued look into the changing the future of manufacturing, including sessions on automation, robotics and energy transition. One attendee summed up the program well: “I especially liked the wide range of topics that the speakers covered, and I thought this year’s speakers were particularly applicable to trends in the valve industry. Very interesting topics and the speakers did a nice job providing practical guidance on each topic.”

Exhibitors and sponsored companies included amtec North America Inc., AUMA, Bodycote SP3, DFT Inc., EGC Inc., EFCO and Zwick.

The 2023 Valve Forum Conference & Exhibits will take place in San Antonio, Texas on April 17-19, 2023. A larger exhibit hall, the addition of experiences only available in person like company tours will be offered next year, as well as some activities to facilitate forming business relationships for those new to the industry and seasoned professionals.

For more information, visit vma.org/valveforum.

Hands-On and Virtual Training Offered to Industry

The Valve Basics program is your gateway into the world of valves and actuators. Split into two programs, virtual Valve Basics provides an overview of valves, valve actuators and valve automation and how they are used in various applications. For 2022, we are now offering a virtual and an in-person option.

Virtual Valve Basics

When you register for the full Valve Basics program, you will get 24/7 access to:

Valves 101 — covering the major valve types, including linear, check, quarter-turn and pressure-relief, plus actuation basics.
Valves 201 — offered for those who want to take the next step in learning more about critical flow control products, including actuators, controls, automation and more.
Live Town Halls — meet virtually with Valve Basics instructors, get answers to any burning questions you may have and learn the latest developments and new trends on specific topics.

Valve Basics In-Person

The Valve Basics In-Person program is similar in content to the virtual version, but with the benefit of the hands-on experience of the “Petting Zoo.” The Petting Zoo is a showcase of the many valves and actuators that are discussed during the Valves 101 and 201 programs. It’s an opportunity to get a better understanding of how these products work and provides a better all-around real-world learning experience. The program will occur at the Houston Area Safety Council training center in Pasadena, Texas, from November 9-11, 2022.

Learn more and register at vma.org/valvebasics

VMA Welcomes New Member Companies

The VMA is proud to welcome new members to its ranks, including Ecoat U.S., JACQUET Mid-Atlantic, WedgeRock Inc. and three of IMI Critical Engineering’s U.S. brands, IMI CCI, IMI Fluid Kinetics and IMI Z&J. In addition to members-only education and event opportunities, VMA members receive monthly pulse reports on industry business and hot topics, discounts on advertising, access to resources and tools to help education new employees and more.

Find out more about membership benefits and join at vma.org/page/membership.

Ecoat U.S.

Ecoat U.S. says it has been a leader in the e-coating industry since the early 1990s. The company has helped to shape e-coating, developing innovative, patented solutions for the oil and gas and HVAC industries and beyond. The company currently supplies its patented ZPEX coating product to valve OEMs.

For more information, visit ecoat.us/oilgas.html

IMI Critical Engineering U.S. Brands

Three of IMI Critical Engineering’s U.S. joined VMA along with IMI PBM, which remains a member. The brands include:

IMI CCI
IMI Fluid Kinetics
IMI Z&J

IMI Critical Engineering offers customized, highly engineered flow control solutions at the heart of complex energy and production processes, helping industries operate safely, cleanly and efficiently. The company designs, manufactures and installs critical flow control systems, backed by complete plant lifecycle service support that ensures efficient maintenance and plant optimization.

IMI Critical’s portfolio also includes the following global brands:

IMI Bopp & Reuther
IMI Newman Hattersley
IMI Orton
IMI Remosa

For more information on IMI Critical Engineering, please visit imi-critical.com/.

JACQUET Mid-Atlantic

JACQUET is an established market leader in the distribution of stainless steels and nickel alloys. JACQUET specializes in the storage, processing, and distribution of high-value metals in the form of Plate and Bar products.

Located in Limerick, Pennsylvania, JACQUET is the U.S. headquarters and the largest of the U.S. facilities with over 110,000 SF storing commodity and specialty grades of stainless steel and nickel alloy in plate and round bar.

For more information on JACQUET Mid-Atlantic, visit usa.myjacquet.com/our-locations/jacquet-mid-atlantic/the-company

WedgeRock

Based in Limerick, Maine, WedgeRock provides high-efficiency geared actuation solutions for the most demanding torque and thrust applications, covering all valve markets, from subsea to aerospace and everything between.

For more information about WedgeRock, please visit wedgerock.com