Valve World Americas Journal June 2026 | Page 42

• INDUSTRY UPDATES •
IMI Opens New Manufacturing Facility in Southern California
IMI has moved its Southern California operations from Rancho Santa Margarita to a new facility in Lake Forest, bringing together office space and full-scale manufacturing for more than 200 employees across engineering, manufacturing, project management, quality assurance, and R & D.
It will design, manufacture, and service a range of severe service control and isolation valves for customers operating in the oil & gas, power generation, and nuclear sectors.
According to IMI, sustainability efforts for the facility have been at the forefront. For instance, it will house a rooftop and parking lot solar array designed to offset approximately 80 % to 90 % of the facility ' s electrical consumption. Additionally, heating and appliances are fully electric, with natural gas use limited to welding processes.
The building is also“ greenfield construction” built to modern standards. It encompasses high-performance insulation and is designed with LEED certification principles.
Operational improvements have also been built into the facility. For instance, electrical discharge machining( EDM) and painting have been outsourced, which has eliminated hazardous chemicals and removed the facility ' s largest source of VOC emissions. The use of a laser overlay welder will reduce welding gas usage.
According to IMI, sustainability efforts for the facility have been at the forefront with many innovative construction designs.
Nine EV charging stations are currently in place, with the infrastructure to expand to 27. Additionally, stormwater is managed through an underground retention system and seven modular wetlands that treat runoff before discharge, protecting the surrounding natural environment.
Trillium Raises $ 13 million for Bio-Based Acrylonitrile Plant
Following a successful multi-year pilot program validating its glycerol-to-acrylonitrile technology, Trillium Renewable Chemicals has raised a $ 13 million Series B financing round.
Trillium selected INEOS Nitriles’ Green Lake facility to host the world’ s first demonstration plant for the manufacture of 100 % bio-based acrylonitrile. Construction of the project is complete, marking the first industrial-scale deployment of Trillium’ s technology. Commissioning is scheduled for the second quarter of 2026, with product shipments to follow later this year.
While the capital raised funds for the design and construction of Falcon, the funds will also support operation, continued pilot-scale innovation, and advanced stage engineering design.
The financing was led by HS Hyosung Advanced Materials with participation from Capricorn Partners. It builds on the company’ s previous $ 10.6 million Series A financing round and non-dilutive $ 2.5 million award from the U. S. Department of Energy.
According to Trillium, the project validated the chemistry, scale, and manufacturability, and the funding allows the company to demonstrate“ that bio-based acrylonitrile will meet industrial performance standards at meaningful production volumes.”
42 Valve World Americas | June 2026 | www. valve-world-americas. com