Cover Story
With their unique compact valves , Combet Valves is ready to take the industry by storm . The young company has surpassed initial expectations , despite only dipping its toes in the vast market . Valve World spoke with Matthieu Smit and Benjie Terrebonne at their facility in Houten , the Netherlands .
By Alexandra Kist , Valve World
An outside view of Combet Valves ’ head office in Houten , The Netherlands .
Combet Valves : great solutions come in small packages
Matthieu Smit and Benjie Terrebonne met during an exhibition in the US while working for different companies and decided to team up in 2015 . They developed their unique compact valve designs and in 2017 , they took their products to the market . Initially , business went well , but then the pandemic hit and business slowed . “ But now , we have exploded ,” says Matthieu Smit , CEO at Combet Valves . With an office in the Netherlands and one in the US , the company is effectively establishing its presence in both the European and US markets . The full team currently consists of ten people . The office in the Netherlands serves as the manufacturing headquarters , and the American office is managed by Benjie Terrebonne , Vice President of the US branch , who focuses on business development . The two men meet daily on Skype to ensure everything goes smoothly on both sides of the world .
Unique features in a compact design
Compact valves are specifically designed to be small in size and weight while still providing effective control over fluid flow . These valves are typically characterised by their compact and space-saving design , which allows them to be integrated into systems or devices with limited space availability . They offer advantages such as reduced footprint , energy efficiency , fast response times , and reliable performance . “ For our compact valves , we use a modular design ,” Benjie says . “ They are outfitted with a unique seat carrier design that revolutionises the way floating ball valves are used in high pressure applications . Apart from that , the design code criteria of many popular specifications are incorporated into the compact valve , and the valve is not designed with traditional end-to-end lay lengths . Compared to conventional valves , ours are smaller in size , saving our clients space , weight , and cost .”
8 Valve World August 2023 www . valve-world . net