Orion was founded in 1950, then went through several major management changes over the following decades, culminating in its acquisition by the Farina Group in 1996. Following the acquisition, it invested heavily in strengthening its technical department with a clear objective: to achieve qualification by as many end users as possible. Today, Orion Valves is qualified by virtually all major operators. At the same time, the company deliberately shifted its strategic focus toward severe-service applications, an area in which it has built a strong reputation. Its world-record-breaking valve is a clear demonstration of that capability. π www. valve-world. net Valve World February 2026
Cover Story
See how the world’ s biggest valve was manufactured by Orion Valves in Trieste, Italy.
environments, including seawater injection, corrosive and sour services, LNG, cryogenic duties, and other critical process conditions. A key area of development for Orion has been HIPPS( High Integrity Pressure
Protection System) valves.“ These fastacting, fail-safe systems form the final protective element in a HIPPS, a critical safety system used in oil & gas and chemical plants to prevent dangerous overpressure events by rapidly isolating the high-pressure source when conventional relief systems are not sufficient,” explains Mr Farina. Last year, Orion delivered its latest HIPPS system to ADNOC for installation at the Habshan oil and gas processing complex in the UAE. It is the largest HIPPS system Orion has supplied to date and represents a major milestone for the company. The project reflects Orion’ s long-term investment in fast-acting, high-integrity isolation technology and reinforces its position as a leading supplier of safetycritical valve systems for high-risk process environments.
Nuclear sector
Orion is also making strong in-roads into the new build nuclear sector, developing specialised valves for molten-lead applications in collaboration with the Italian company Newcleo, within the field of small modular reactors( SMRs). Chief Operating Officer Mr Alberto Rossi explains:“ This project presented a significant engineering challenge: molten lead is used as the reactor coolant and operates at temperatures of around 650 ° C, while also being highly corrosive.”“ Because nickel-based alloys are not suitable for this service, we developed a solution based on a special grade of stainless steel protected by an aluminium oxide coating. The prototype valve has already been successfully certified and placed into operation.” Today, Orion has a strong and well-established technical department, with nuclear-sector activities
The President of Orion Valves, Luca Farina( left) receives the certification from Guinness World Records.
Focus on severe service
Orion was founded in 1950, then went through several major management changes over the following decades, culminating in its acquisition by the Farina Group in 1996. Following the acquisition, it invested heavily in strengthening its technical department with a clear objective: to achieve qualification by as many end users as possible. Today, Orion Valves is qualified by virtually all major operators. At the same time, the company deliberately shifted its strategic focus toward severe-service applications, an area in which it has built a strong reputation. Its world-record-breaking valve is a clear demonstration of that capability. π www. valve-world. net Valve World February 2026
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