Sharpe Valves & Smith-Cooper merger delivers a complete package of valves, pipe and fittings
‘‘After spending 20 years building Sharpe Valves, known for innovation, and Sharon Stainless, known all over the country for quality,” Bob Cooper, president of Smith-Cooper explained, “...the family owners wanted to retire. But more importantly, they wanted a good match for their values, a company committed to the same, family-business foundations of service, quality and integrity.
“We’re glad they chose us. It’s turned out to be a great match for us, and our customers.”
The combined companies now operate as Smith-Cooper and Sharpe Valves. Smith-Cooper now offers a complete range of commercial and industrial fittings; in a variety of materials, including stainless, brass, iron & carbon steel, along with Sharpes full line of carbon and stainless steel valves. Sharpe Valve’s corporate office, including critical engineering, quality management and sourcing will remain in Chicago, and will continue to provide actuation services, along with engineered and multipurpose valves worldwide. According to Alex Winkler, president of Sharpe Valves, these traditionally distinct valve types are more alike than ever: “Valves that have been traditionally called ‘engineered valves’ because of their complex nature and long delivery times. We now see an opportunity to supply the same engineered valves “off the shelf” and, at the same time many ‘multipurpose’ valves can have a lot of added value engineering in actuation systems and process control integration.”
Together, the companies offer a cross-trained direct sales team who can “...answer your questions and ship your order the same day,” according to Cooper. “Both companies have always required a high level of training and service...so organizing our customer service team was pretty straightforward. So was integrating our product tracking systems from materials source to final delivery. It will take more time to integrate our standardized Pro-Pak packaging, but over the next year or so that will also be accomplished.”
Sharpe Valves also utilizes a nationwide network of factory representatives, providing “additional service and great knowledge of local wholesale markets, particularly for their multipurpose valve lines,” according to Sharpe Valve vice president Gary Skeber. “When called for, we also have field engineers, who can be very helpful with some of the more advanced, actuator-controlled multipurpose valves.”
Two histories — one uncompromising approach to quality
The companies share a long history of commitment to quality, including international quality control engineers and procedures that have evolved over several decades. Sharpe Valves is iso 9001 certified, “for both valve design and manufacturing” Winkler proudly noted, then added “all of our Fire-safe line was certified by an Exxon-approved lab in the United States.” Along with additionally, both companies’ products meet relevant ansi and astm standards.
These international resource networks include not only quality materials and castings, but, in some cases, precision subassemblies. The real value, according to Winkler, is “bringing all the resources and materials together to build not only the highest level of quality —that’s a given today in both multipurpose and engineered products but service. To us, that means a real understanding of what customers need, and putting ourselves in the best position to deliver.”
To meet these commitments, takes on-staff engineering talent, three full-time engineers working with the latest cadam, as well as an in-house lab with materials analysis capabilities. In addition, Sharpe Valves boasts in-house precision assembly capability, including a clean-room for assembly and testing of oxygen, cryogenic, and other specialized engineered valves.
Sharpe Valves claims innovation leadership in both multipurpose and engineered valves
“Most valve manufacturers do one or the other, or are known for one or the other, when it comes to engineered, or process, and multipurpose, or service, valves” claimed Alex Winker, “and the fact is, Sharpe innovates across both engineered and multipurpose lines. Multipurpose valves are often semi-custom, usually because of actuation, and engineered valves may start with a well-proven design template, customized in any number of ways, that still must be available within a few days or weeks. In addition, we have made a number of fundamental design improvements that have changed the industry’s perception of what to expect from ‘multipurpose’ valves.”
Other examples of Sharpe Valves innovation cited by Winkler, usually initiated by careful listening to customer needs, include:
- “V-Port” ball valves, which offer more flow and process control than ever before from a ball valve
- 2000-lb., 3,000-lb. and 6,000 lb. Seal Weld ball valves, a new way to economically control high pressures
- A patented, direct-mount ball valve allows adjustment to stem packing without removing the actuator
- The “Bio-T Block.” a modular, combined T-coupling and valve that saves space
- “Sonic-Torque” 4x4 four-piston actuators that offer more balanced, controlled operation in a space saving design.
Winkler again noted the importance of a variety of manual and automated actuation, and how process control needs often blur the lines between “multipurpose” and “engineered” valves. In addition, he mentioned that Sharpe Valves will be offering in the near future, a product that blurs these traditional lines even more: “We will also offer off-the-shelf metal seat ball valves built from pre-packed kits for high temperature slurry applications. This means instead of a custom product that ships in weeks, we now ship a fully assembled valve, within two days.”
Winkler went on to say, “Is that a custom, engineered valve, or a high-end manufactured valve? The point is, it’s what our customers say they need, and we’re listening.”
For more information about Sharpe Valves and Smith-Cooper International, visit www.sharpevalve.com or www.smithcooper.com