Industrial environments are among the most high-stakes spheres in the world – for this reason, they demand complete precision, which is often achieved only with custom valve solutions. For many facilities on the Texas Gulf Coast, “good enough” is one of the most dangerous phrases, especially when it comes to the valves carrying out critical applications within your production. Because of this, working with Williams Valve to find tailored custom valve solutions is non-negotiable. Oftentimes, standard-fit industrial valves are unable to carry out the immense level of accuracy required while under extremely intense conditions, including:
- Extreme pressure
- Corrosive media
- Unrelenting thermal cycling
When standard valves fail, even by seemingly insignificant margins, it can lead to exorbitant expenses, lost production, wasted materials, and emergency labor costs. The worst thing an industrial facility in America can do is bet their valuable resources on standard valves that aren’t tailored to their exact specifications and needs. By choosing to invest in custom valves from Williams Valve, you can save your facility money and improve your facility’s productivity tenfold. Use this blog to learn more about how custom valves can save you money.
How Custom Valves Demystify The Illusion of Standard Savings
The primary driver behind the popularity of standard-fit industrial valves is the procurement department of most companies. They love the low initial cost and appreciate the impact it doesn’t have on your overall balance sheet. But the truth is that when it comes to long-term savings, custom valves are the much more economical option for the vast majority of industrial facilities. This goes much further than just initial invoices – understanding the value of custom solutions requires diving into the lifetime cost of ownership of an industrial valve and the industrial demands that come with it. Usually, this figure is dictated by three “hidden” factors that standard valves typically cannot withstand:
- Unscheduled downtime
- Excessive maintenance cycles
- Inefficiency and energy loss
By understanding the role these issues play in the lifetime cost of ownership of a valve, you can see why custom valves from Williams Valve are essential for improving productivity and outcomes.
Unscheduled Downtime
The unfortunate truth of the matter is that standard valves rarely fail when it is convenient for your operation. Almost always, it happens during peak production and requires a full-scale emergency stop throughout the entire facility. Realizing the impact that these shutdowns have on your company’s balance sheet can be devastating. It can include lost revenue from halted production, wasted batches of partially-processed materials, and soaring labor rates from emergency valve repair teams. In industrial facilities, it is estimated that revenue is lost by nearly $7 million every day of lost production, making custom valves an essential and non-negotiable resource.
Excessive Maintenance Cycles
Standard valves typically go hand-in-hand with relying on reactive maintenance, as opposed to proactive, dependable maintenance fees that are associated with custom valves. This is because standard valves typically aren’t completely and perfectly suitable for the application, which can lead to faster breakdown due to poor fittings or material incompatibility. Because of this, you will have to rely on unpredictable reactive maintenance when systems fail. On the other hand, using custom valves means more predictability and scheduled maintenance that doesn’t break your budget with emergency price increases.
Inefficiency and Energy Loss
What many people don’t realize is that the role valves play in many industrial applications is actually highly complex. When the valves you use don’t fit perfectly, it can lead to increased energy use – which in turn can lead to oscillating or shaking that can damage the valve. In many cases, it can also contribute to premature leaking. Engineers perfectly design the trim to the geometries you need when you invest in custom valves. Along with this, they can maintain perfect emergency shut-off valve capabilities while minimizing energy waste. Many industrial facilities don’t realize how much energy they waste on improperly fitting valves, so by choosing a custom, flawlessly fitted valve, you can save significant money in proper energy usage.
Challenges That Demand Custom Solutions
Standard valves are fitting for perfect, predictable use – but critical, high-intensity environments like industrial facilities rarely fit that mold. Because of this, custom valves are essential for the extremes that industrial facilities must face, including:
- Media that chews through metal
- High temperatures can warp seals
- Regulations that mandate a zero-leak policy
The primary way that custom valves surpass standard valves is the way they are able to withstand the extreme pressure and temperature of industrial applications. Custom valves can solve this problem by being composed of advanced metallurgy, as well as spring-loading designs to help withstand the unique environment.
Additionally, another prevalent problem they must account for is highly corrosive media. Many times, these applications use highly toxic, acidic fluid, demanding a valve that can withstand constant contact with corrosive liquids. Custom solutions combat this by using alloys made from Hastelloy, Titanium, or Zirconium. This is based on precise chemical compatibility, which can greatly extend the life of your industrial valve.
Lastly, any piece of industrial equipment must be able to exist within existing infrastructure, tight spaces, and specialized locations. This requires sizes of industrial valves that aren’t available in standard, basic catalogs. We engineer custom valves to offer completely unique, face-to-face dimensions, tailored end connections, and compact actuation packages that fit perfectly into your existing pipe system.
Custom Valve Engineering: Prioritizing Problem Prevention
Transforming a standard valve into a custom valve requires a high-touch engineering solution. At Williams Valve, this process always starts with precise, expert collaboration to understand your exact operational challenges and goals. This helps us see the complete picture of both your requirements for the valve and your expectations. By designing the valve with your specific application in mind, we strive to eliminate failure before it happens, saving you time, energy, and money.
Our workshop uses advanced modeling tools not just to craft custom valves, but to create highly precise, reliable, and durable units that can perform for years to come. We do this by using computational fluid dynamics to model the flow, pressure drops, and potential cavitation that the valve might face. Additionally, we conduct a detailed thermal analysis to plan for peak operating conditions—not just ideal conditions.
At Williams Valve, we supply custom valves across the country, from Texas’s oil and gas sector to West Coast processing plants. Our team of experts in our Upstate New York warehouse carefully crafts all of our custom valves, ensuring that each valve is designed with precision.
Why Custom Valves Are the Cornerstone of Asset Value
Choosing custom valves isn’t just a one-time decision; it signals a fundamental shift in how you approach quality and reliability in your industrial facility. This shows that you are choosing precision and high-touch engineering over temporary, false savings, most of which lead to greater expenses in the future from poor maintenance, supply lags, and emergency repair costs. Custom valves are essential and oftentimes pay for themselves down the line through significant savings. Don’t wait for a valve failure to dictate your expenses; choose custom valves and enjoy reliable, proactive maintenance and increased productivity. Contact Williams Valve today for a custom valve estimate.