YVI Valve: We Make Our Valves™ to Last

YVI’s legacy as a leading manufacturer of premium cast valves began in 1978 when Mr. Li Sr. started working in a valve factory specializing in high-temperature, high-pressure valves for the power industry. Over the next 20 years, Mr. Li Sr. learned the craft of making cast valves and rose to positions of production prominence until finally becoming Factory Manager. In 1998, the Li family purchased the company and began their journey of manufacturing valves. Renowned for his manufacturing expertise, Mr. Li and his team began to manufacture commodity cast steel gate, globe, and check valves. Over the next decade, the Li family manufactured castings or complete valves for many well-known international valve manufacturers.

By Harvey Li – President, Joe Bracale – VP-BD USA, Hubert Murphy – VP-BD Canada, and Jason Legendre – Director – Product Quality and Compliance – YVI Valve

The Legacy of YVI Valve

In 2009, Harvey Li, a second-generation family member, joined the company. Driven by a vision to grow the family business globally, Harvey recognized the critical need to build an integrated manufacturing model with a focus on quality, counterintuitive in today’s market. The first step in this process was to acquire a state-of-the art foundry from a respected longstanding company in the Binhai area. By adding the foundry to the previously established factories, Harvey built an international sales team, securing major end user approvals, and set up distribution partnerships worldwide.

After 10 years of working in family-owned facilities, Harvey recognized the distinct differences and demands of domestic and international markets and the rigorous standards of global end users. To capitalize on the differences in market strategies, Harvey relocated to the United States and established YVI Valve in the Greater Houston Area, setting up its global headquarters.

Today, YVI is renowned for manufacturing high-quality valves known for their reliability and predictability. The company culture has evolved with its growth, anchored in values of integrity, customer focus and engagement, quality, responsibility, and inclusion. Committed to its original mindset of maintaining control over its products from raw material receipt to finished goods, YVI proudly upholds its slogan: “We Make Our Valves.”

“A dedication to manufacturing quality products was instilled in me as a child while I watched my parents manufacture valves during the early years,” stated Harvey. “As one of the original valve manufacturers in China, I am very proud of our legacy and our family’s commitment to quality. YVI is an integrated manufacturer and is committed to producing products this way. It stands true with YVI today, only our craftsmen handle our valves.”

YVI Philosophy of Valve Manufacturing

The YVI manufacturing philosophy is a key aspect of company values. YVI’s dedication to in-house manufacturing is the foundation for building lasting relationships with their customers. The customer approval process is streamlined since YVI has simplified their path to market. YVI valves are designed by their own engineers, the castings are poured at their own foundries, and the valves are all manufactured at the YVI factory. YVI customers appreciate the ease of witnessing and auditing the entire manufacturing process within its own facilities. The same cannot be said for other brands that outsource the design and manufacturing operations to a third-party supplier.

When a customer purchases a cast valve, merely referencing API product standards like API 600, API 623, and API 594, may not guarantee the desired level of quality. These product standards provide a baseline for the design and rely on shell pressure tests and visual inspections to provide a standard level of quality. However, they do not address internal casting defects such as porosity, shrinkage, and hot tears, all of which can lead to operational issues. YVI maintains strict control over casting design and production, consistently delivering high-integrity castings. In contrast, others who outsource castings lack control over critical factors affecting casting quality, making it challenging for end users to assess valve reliability.

Customers can use tools like API RP 591 to evaluate valve manufacturers for inclusion on their Approved Manufacturers Lists (AML). This independent evaluation includes comprehensive testing beyond API standards, such as dye-penetrant and magnetic particle inspections, radiography, and microstructure evaluations. YVI’s RP 591 results underscore its commitment to superior quality through its integrated manufacturing approach, evaluating its valves beyond standard API quality.

“In summary, while comparing valve brands for total cost of ownership and reliability is complex, YVI’s dedication to in-house manufacturing ensures consistent, high-quality valves that meet rigorous industry standards and exceed basic API requirements,” stated Jason Legendre, Director of Product Quality and Compliance.

Every Valve: Our Factory, Our Foundry

YVI operates advanced integrated manufacturing centers spanning a total of 1.9 million square feet, dedicated to producing high-quality cast gate, globe, and check valves. These valves meet the rigorous standards and specifications required by leading oil & gas, petrochemical, and chemical industries. The two cutting-edge foundries feature a combined capacity of 130,000 metric tons, equating to approximately 300,000 castings. They utilize sand casting, lost wax, and shell mold techniques to manufacture the valves, which adhere to API standards ranging from Class 150 to Class 2500, in sizes from NPS 2 to NPS 60. Valves are available in both bolted and pressure seal bonnet configurations.

The facilities are equipped with advanced furnaces and modern/digital heat treatment systems. YVI uses its in-house radiography equipment to validate the quality of its castings which enables them to work with a range of materials, including carbon steel, low-temperature carbon steel, austenitic stainless steel, and low-alloy chrome. YVI is also known for its shorter lead times compared to industry standards, efficiently managing both large stock orders and smaller buyout qualities.

In addition to manufacturing capabilities, YVI operates a cutting-edge Performance Testing Laboratory. This facility conducts a comprehensive range of tests such as cryogenic, pressure (both low and high, including air under water), fire, fugitive emissions, magnetic particle, and dye penetrant to name a few. These tests are essential for ensuring both internal quality and compliance with external specifications. Third-party companies can observe and verify YVI’s adherence to international standards, such as API 624, or confirm compliance with customer-specific requirements on an order-by-order basis. Furthermore, YVI’s Performance Testing Laboratory features a dedicated clean room for the meticulous cleaning and packaging of products. This clean room ensures that products are free from dust, dirt, grease, or oil before being delivered to customers. This level of cleanliness is particularly critical for services involving chlorine, phosgene, oxygen, and other applications where contaminants could lead to severe adverse reactions.

YVI takes pride in its fully integrated production capabilities, supported by its ISO 9001-certified quality management system. They thoroughly oversee every stage of the manufacturing process, from the initial receipt of raw materials through to the finished product, including its high-quality packaging. “There are numerous critical-to-quality steps throughout our manufacturing process that we would not trust to anyone but ourselves,” said Joe Bracale, Vice President of U.S. Business Development. “While many companies choose to outsource parts of their manufacturing – or even the entire process – we believe that managing everything ourselves ensures the highest quality and most reliable products.”

Technology, Innovation and Engagement

Below is a list of some of the innovation YVI brings to the industry today:

• YVI*D A Digital Identification System
  • All YVI Valves (manufactured from January 2024) incorporate a QR code identification tag. This tag contains a vast array of data specific to the valve. By using their phone, customers can click the QR code and access the mobile identification application finding a picture of the valve, a full description of the product, full materials of construction, heat numbers for cast components, and a serial number which allows the customer to search the database (through YVI’s Customer Portal application) for more information.
• Interactive Customer Portal
  • The YVI Customer Portal is located on the recently redesigned website and allows for customers to register for access. Once credentialed, customers can search the database for documents such as Material Test Reports, Pressure Test Reports, Installation and Maintenance Manuals, and General Arrangement Drawings. In the future, more documentation will be added to give the customer ready access to critical pieces of information for common needs.

• • Besides the Customer Portal on the website, YVI makes the same information available through a mobile application. This application can be accessed by clicking on the YVI QR tag on any YVI valve. The mobile landing page provides valuable information such as:
    • Picture of the valve
    • Materials of construction
    • Heat numbers for body and bonnet
    • Serial number used for accessing pertinent YVI documents
• Yoke Adapter
  • YVI created this innovative product to help distributors with the issue of stocking dual inventories of handwheel-operated and gear-operated valves. This adapter allows valves to be stocked with fully integral mounting flanges but is able to utilize a handwheel operator. For companies that offer actuation or automation in their scope of services, this eliminates the need for valves to be sent out for modification before mounting a gear or actuator. It also provides in-field conversion without removal and modification.

Product Launch

YVI is excited to announce the launch of trunnion and floating ball valves in the North American market, beginning with Canada. After years of development and extensive experience in valve production, YVI is ready to bring these innovative solutions to this region. By working with key distributor and end user partners, they will tailor their products to meet specific market needs and customer preferences. Just as with the gate, globe, and check valves, the high-integrity castings are crafted in their own foundries, and valves are manufactured, tested, and packaged by their skilled team. This commitment to quality is the formula for success.

Industry Challenges and Support

“The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the departure of seasoned industry experts, leaving those remaining to work diligently to maintain established standards,” said Hubert Murphy, Vice President of Canada Business Development. Today, customers have limited exposure to manufacturing facilities compared to previous times due to restricted budgets and available time and are now tasked with managing their company’s AML mostly from a distance.

“YVI embraces working alongside the industry in growing valve manufacturing knowledge and ensuring customers at all levels understand what it takes to be a premier manufacturer,” added Murphy. YVI actively engages with industry standards and specifications organizations to stay abreast of the latest trends and innovations. This involvement allows YVI to better understand the needs of the specifying customer and to provide innovative solutions to current and future challenges. Advancements in the valve industry are led by standards organizations such as API, ISO, MSS, and IOGP JIP33. Revisions to the existing valve standards and publication of new specifications, such as JIP33 S-562 and S-611, are consistently striving to improve the standard requirements. YVI’s commitment to quality allows it to be an industry leader on these changes before they become the industry norm.

By also supporting industry networking and think-tank groups, YVI stays better connected with industry peers and professionals who contribute and collaborate within the industry daily. Some of these organizations provide opportunities for YVI to participate in worthwhile industry sponsorships and scholarships aimed at attracting and retaining professionals to the pipes, valves, and fittings (PVF) industry.