Realizing all the benefits of streamlined manufacturing, processing, and shipping in today’s valve industry.
By Bob Donnelly- Vice President of Business Development – Flo-Tite Valves & Controls
When I started El-O-Matic in the 1990s, the process of acquiring the components needed to automate a valve was inefficient, costly, and time-consuming. It required getting quotes from multiple suppliers for each individual component, paying for assembly, testing of the automated valve package, and covering additional shipping costs.
What also complicated the process was the “phone tag” required to follow up and coordinate the delivery of each component from different suppliers. This often extended the delivery time to several weeks, even months – if not longer – in some cases.
I decided to begin acquiring companies that made the components. This allowed us to become more efficient, more competitive, and build brand equity of El-O-Matic.
I acquired a component manufacturer every year for 10 years. By having all the inventory, we were able to reduce delivery times and shipping costs. This resulted in a competitive advantage for El-O-Matic over other pneumatic actuator manufacturers at the time. The concept positioned the brand to be acquired by a major Fortune 100 Corporation in the valve industry.
One Stop Shopping in the Valve Industry Today
Over the years, more valve and valve automation suppliers have adopted this concept. The ordering and delivery process has been streamlined with configurators to an “Amazon-like” efficiency.
End user engineers today using configurators can purchase whatever valve requirements they have without any human intervention. They can receive all the specifications and illustrations for the configuration as a routine part of the online transaction.
Additionally, order history is captured and stored. If similar configurations are needed, they can be easily reordered by the stroke of a key. Previous orders can also be easily placed and modified with the same level of efficiency.
Process Control Software
In most industries, end users adapt process control systems to incorporate more sophisticated software integrated with purchasing systems, interfacing with a valve supplier’s specifications. This allows for automated purchasing, further reducing the time and costs of human intervention.
Sophisticated Diagnostics
Another major development is sophisticated diagnostics throughout the process control industry. This has contributed to more efficient analysis of various components needed for automated process control applications.
These diagnostic predictive analytics are being applied and integrated with purchase control systems. This is practiced so the components of automated valve packages (and the entire valve automation configuration in some cases) can be automatically reordered in advance of routine maintenance for the utmost efficiency.
“Consider the benefits. What could be easier than doing an online search, finding the specific component you need, and then having it shipped to your business in one or two days?”
These purchase orders have become an integral part of the “one stop shop concept” for valve suppliers with integrated MRO systems.
The New Easy in the Valve Industry
Success today often depends on a supplier’s ability to easily do business with their customers.
Consider the benefits. What could be easier than doing an online search, finding the specific component you need, and then having it shipped to your business in one or two days?
Some suppliers in the valve industry can even ship a standard automated valve package within two or three days of receiving an automatically generated order from a customer’s advanced purchasing system, which is integrated with the end user’s “just-intime” process control system.
With these reduced manufacturing, processing, and shipping times, this clearly demonstrates how far the “one stop shop” concept has evolved in the valve industry.