Bürkert UK expands stock of standard process valves

The company now holds in stock a wide variety of the more common valve designs and standard sizes of ball valves, butterfly valves and quarter-turn valves. This increase in the product line represents a considerable investment in stock-holding, with over 1million worth of stock now held in the UK to complement industry-recognised angle seat, globe and control valve packages.

Neil Saunders, Brkert UK General Manager, explains the move: "Quite simply we are adding convenience for our customers by offering more of what our systems customers and distribution partners want on a same-day/next-day availability basis.

"Brkert offers over 100,000 catalogue items, from commodity solenoid valves to high-precision food and pharmaceutical grade products; however, while lots of the clever, problem-solving items we are famous for are made to order, there are also standard valves required for almost any project. They do not have exotic specifications and tend to be sourced when they are needed. If customers can have a Brkert model, available straight away, then the quality and the brand reputation that goes with that is an added bonus for them."

Compatibility and quality

Cost pressures are everywhere, so conformity of fit and compatibility can make a big difference in ensuring a process automation project is commercially successful. Hence all of Brkert's new products complement the existing range of more specialist valves and are designed to work in harmony with the company's numerous pneumatic and electric actuators and control heads. Every product is quality audited and built to the highest standards with full traceability of materials and certifications provided on request.

This improved product offering enables Brkert to deliver a more comprehensive solution, especially for larger-scale projects where consolidation of supply is a significant factor. Now Brkert can provide a cost-effective package that is supported by expert design and specialist application knowledge, as well as on-demand supply of more general-purpose process valves for water, steam and air.

This reduces costs for project teams and greatly simplifies the purchasing process by involving far fewer vendors and cutting the number of purchase orders that need to be raised. Other savings can also be made thanks to Brkert's knowledge and expertise being applied to a much greater part of the installation.

Case study: saving 80,000 for biotech business

The principle is neatly illustrated by a recent project for a biotech company that previously had only used Brkert to supply its specialist products. The original quote was for several ball valves with actuators, integral pilot valves and feedback switches for use in Zone 1 (potentially explosive atmospheres), all from stock.

Having submitted the quote, the electrical department from the same customer subsequently contacted Brkert looking for a number of ATEX pneumatic control panels. Further discussions about where the panels would be used revealed that they were for the same project as the ball valves.

Due to the nature of the working environment, the electricians did not want to run two armoured cables to the valve, one for the pilot valve on the side of the actuator and another for the switch box. The aim was to use the additional control panels to reduce the amount of cabling going to the valves.

The Brkert engineers explained that the ball valves that had been already quoted for included an integral switch box with the pilot valve inside it, so only one multi-core cable would be required. As a result, the additional control panels would not be required, which saved the customer approximately 80,000.

One-stop-shop for process control components

By increasing the range of products available, Brkert UK is better placed as a project partner, offering high-quality products, vast design expertise and customised logistics for improved project efficiency.

With larger-scale projects involving hundreds of valves, potentially from numerous suppliers, maintaining an effective logistics process can be difficult. As an integral supply partner to a project, Brkert can implement a customised logistics process that packages together all the components for a specific area of the installation. Deliveries are timed with the build process and tagged to ensure they are delivered to exactly the right location, thereby saving time and money on the installation.

As a one-stop-shop for process control components, Brkert helps customers with the design, procurement and installation of new and replacement equipment, as well as supporting its distribution partners with better access to a wider range of product. Now, with a substantial UK stock-holding, it can provide immediate delivery on a wide range of common products as well as sourcing more complex, application-specific components within a short timeframe.

Follow the link for more information about complete valve packages from Brkert.