TPi May 2018

business & market news

Weir Valves receives government award for university collaboration

heavily used by the oil and gas industry around the world. “We found that we can have the same performance with a smaller valve following the research findings, meaning economies of scale and reduced manufacturing costs,” said Professor Mishra. The “astonishing improvement in sizing calculations” – as the company describes it – has contributed to a 640 per cent increase in sales for valves in multi-phase applications. This was the second successful KTP formed by Professor Mishra and Weir. The first focused on the company’s need to embed complex flow knowledge into its design, operation and sales teams. It was able to enhance valve performance and fully comply with the latest international standards. A third KTP is now under way. It began in January and is being backed to the value of £211,000 over three years, with half of the investment coming from the company and half from Innovate UK. The University of Huddersfield is contributing its research expertise. The goal is to develop smart valves, embedded with sensors that can estimate the remaining useful life of the product, leading to cost and operational savings for manufacturers and end users. Weir Valves & Controls UK www.global.weir University of Huddersfield – UK www.hud.ac.uk

studies illustrating knowledge transfer partnerships at their best. The latest University of Huddersfield- Weir Valves KTP began in October 2014 and concluded in October 2017. Its official remit was “to design, develop and launch a new range of products for multi-phase, multi-component flow applications”. Professor Mishra supervised the research and postgraduate student Antonio Carlos Oliveira, who was embeddedwithinWeir Valves as theKTP associate at the firm’s manufacturing and design centre of origin in Elland. The latest fluid dynamics knowledge was used to help the company improve the design accuracy of valves that are

The latest research collaboration between a University of Huddersfield professor and an engineering firm has been hailed by a UK government body. Professor Rakesh Mishra, an expert in fluid dynamics, has formed a sequence of knowledge transfer partnerships (KTPs) with Weir Valves & Controls UK, part of the UK-based multinational Weir Group. KTPs are part-funded by the government-backed body Innovate UK, and each project is assessed by an independent grading panel. The recently completed collaboration between Weir Valves and Professor Mishra has been given the highest grade of ‘outstanding’, and joins a shortlist that is used to prepare case

Professor Rakesh Mishra (right) with Weir’s Matthew Charlton and Joanne Hirst

Val-Matic ISO 9001:2015 certification Val-Matic has been approved for ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System standard. for the water and waste, commercial building construction, irrigation and industrial markets.

suburbs of Elmhurst and Addison, Illinois, USA. The two facilities have a combined total area of 178,000 ft 2 and employ approximately 125 people. Val-Matic Valve & Manufacturing Corp – USA valves@valmatic.com www.valmatic.com

Founded in 1966, Val-Matic manufac- tures valves for municipal, commercial building and industrial applications. Its corporate offices and manufacturing facilities are located in the Chicago

Val-Matic has been ISO registered since 2006. Its quality management system scope, as on its ISO 9001:2015 certificate, is: design, manufacture, and service of valves and related products

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TUBE PRODUCTS INTERNATIONAL May 2018

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