Cover Story
The company ’ s able to test valves up to 22.500 Psi . Combet Valves ’ employees are trained in safe and efficient valve handling .
interface . This large ball / seat cross section is what sets the compact floating ball valve design apart from soft-seated API 6D trunnion ball valves . This design makes it possible to use this valve in unprocessed upstream fluid applications . The compact style floating ball and seat interface is larger than any other seat design , which makes this valve more tolerant of abrasive flow media . This valve is widely used in applications where other ball valves are usually not considered , such as upstream manifolds and fracking service . Even if particles are pushed into the seat , it won ’ t affect the sealing .
Training the future of the company .
Short delivery times
One of the company ’ s main selling points is its short delivery times . “ What sets us apart is that we ’ re always available ,” Benjie says . “ Other designs call for castings , which create long delivery times . Our standard is about four to six weeks , compared to delivery times of up to 24 weeks for conventional valves .” Matthieu then explains that clients looking to buy conventional valves usually go through a foundry , and the casting will take eight to ten weeks to be delivered . The casting will then have to be machined , the valve assembled , and finally it will be tested . “ With our design , we work with stock from locally available suppliers , so we can start machining the parts very quickly .” He also explains the modular design of their compact valves . “ Our standard compact valves have welded ends and we include flanges with them . This way , the client saves money because there is no need for companion flanges that then need to be welded to the piping . With our products , we already supply the flange and the weld end . The flange is sized according to the client ’ s wishes to ensure our products can be installed anywhere and everywhere .” And because Combet Valves always has enough products in stock , the client can replace their traditional valve with a significantly shorter lead time . “ We can anticipate longer delivery times because our European facility is closer to the material suppliers than most of our competitors ,” Benjie adds . “ Any items with long lead times of four to six weeks are kept in stock , so we can control delivery schedules .” Combet Valves keeps its prices competitive through a solid network of local partner machine shops and by stocking critical materials and parts . “ We were able to dodge the volatility in the market when the war broke out because we source our materials from elsewhere ,” Matthieu explains .
A worldwide market
As the only traditional compact valve manufacturer in Europe , Combet Valves ’
10 Valve World August 2023 www . valve-world . net