EBRO ARMATUREN enhances range for chemical ... - bröer group
EBRO ARMATUREN enhances range for chemical ... - bröer group
EBRO ARMATUREN enhances range for chemical ... - bröer group
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
<strong>EBRO</strong> <strong>ARMATUREN</strong><br />
<strong>enhances</strong> <strong>range</strong> <strong>for</strong><br />
<strong>chemical</strong> industry<br />
To complement its solid<br />
portfolio of high quality valves<br />
and actuators, Ebro<br />
Armaturen spent the past two<br />
years developing three new<br />
valves series <strong>for</strong> the<br />
demanding <strong>chemical</strong> industry.<br />
With the final series ready to<br />
be launched at the Achema<br />
show in Frankfurt, Germany,<br />
this May, Valve World spoke<br />
to Marketing Manager Peter<br />
Eckhoff and Public Relations<br />
Co-ordinator Mrs Diana Völkel<br />
to find out what makes these<br />
valves unique, and how the<br />
company is expanding into the<br />
<strong>chemical</strong> and desalination<br />
industries around the globe.<br />
By David Sear and Joanne McIntyre<br />
18 May 2009<br />
Ebro Armaturen is a mid-sized family<br />
business producing top quality, German<br />
engineered valves <strong>for</strong> a wide <strong>range</strong> of<br />
applications and industries worldwide.The<br />
business was founded by Peter Bröer who is<br />
still active as CEO, although he is gradually<br />
handing over the reins to his daughter, Mrs<br />
Lydia Bröer.The company also has a strong<br />
team of highly experienced industry<br />
professionals on board and Marketing Manager<br />
Peter Eckhoff was keen to explain some of the<br />
benefits of being a family business.“One of the<br />
most obvious advantages is that operational<br />
decisions can be promptly taken – often a<br />
short phone call is all that’s needed.This<br />
facilitates rapid product development <strong>for</strong><br />
example. Similarly, if a customer needs a<br />
specific solution which requires a valve to be<br />
modified, we have the flexibility to rapidly<br />
prepare the design and drawings and then<br />
quickly produce a sample.This makes us highly<br />
responsive to feedback from our customers.”<br />
“This ability and willingness to adapt our valves<br />
to meet customer needs often results in the<br />
development of specialised solutions which are<br />
based on standard product lines,” adds Mrs<br />
Diana Völkel.“The ability to provide such<br />
expansive solutions is an ideal means of<br />
entering into long-term business with a client.<br />
Once they see the integrity of our unique,<br />
customised solutions they will have immediate<br />
confidence in our standard <strong>range</strong>s of valves as<br />
well.”<br />
With almost 900 employees world-wide, Ebro<br />
Armaturen still considers itself a medium sized<br />
company although it continues to grow steadily.<br />
“Communication is easier in a family business<br />
regardless of which country our colleagues are<br />
in, because most of the key positions have been<br />
occupied <strong>for</strong> a very long time,” explains Mr<br />
Eckhoff.“The fact that we all know each other<br />
so well makes it easy to communicate and<br />
work together.”<br />
The acquisition of Stafsjö in 2006 enhanced<br />
Ebro’s presence in the pulp and paper industry,<br />
and strengthened its position in the wastewater<br />
and biogas market with Stafsjö knife-gate<br />
valves. Both companies operate independently<br />
while enjoying the synergies of having two<br />
strong brands in-house.<br />
Achema launch<br />
Visitors to the Achema trade show in Frankfurt<br />
in May this year will be the first to see all of<br />
www.valve-world.net
Ebro Armaturen’s three new <strong>range</strong>s of valves<br />
especially designed <strong>for</strong> the <strong>chemical</strong> industry.<br />
The company took just two years to develop<br />
valves that fully meet all the rigorous<br />
requirements of this most demanding of<br />
industries.<br />
“These series are based on our existing<br />
product lines which have been specially adapted<br />
<strong>for</strong> the <strong>chemical</strong> industry. Requirements here<br />
are among the toughest in the industry, not<br />
only in terms of product quality but also <strong>for</strong><br />
documentation and service. Our valves fully<br />
meet all of these requirements and several key<br />
customers have already approved our new<br />
series <strong>for</strong> their <strong>chemical</strong> processing facilities.<br />
Noteable <strong>chemical</strong> companies, such as Bayer <strong>for</strong><br />
instance, have qualified the Z600-C, HP-C,<br />
Z011-A, Z 014-A and F012-K1 models.”<br />
The three new lines are valves with rubber<br />
seals; PTFE lined valves; and high per<strong>for</strong>mance<br />
(HP) valves.The HP valves are designed to<br />
withstand high pressures up to 40 bar and<br />
temperatures up to 450°C.“The high<br />
per<strong>for</strong>mance valves are produced with either<br />
metal to metal seals or rein<strong>for</strong>ced PTFE seals.<br />
Buyers can be confident in the quality of the<br />
valve design because the new series are all<br />
Mrs Diana Völkel,<br />
Public Relations Coordinator<br />
at Ebro<br />
Armaturen.<br />
Mr Peter Eckhoff,<br />
Marketing Manager<br />
at Ebro Armaturen.<br />
based on our trusted and proven standard<br />
series,” notes Mr Eckhoff.<br />
The new Ebro Armaturen valves are unique in<br />
that they contain a triple shaft bearing <strong>for</strong><br />
perfect alignment. In conjunction with the<br />
specially-shaped liners, which were developed<br />
<strong>for</strong> the <strong>chemical</strong> industry, this ensures the valve<br />
has perfect sealing capacity.The rationale behind<br />
the development of the new valves is clear:<br />
Ebro Armaturen plans to gain market share in<br />
the <strong>chemical</strong> industry.“This is an industry that is<br />
willing to pay a fair price <strong>for</strong> high quality<br />
products,” explains Mr Eckhoff.“It’s not an area<br />
where purchasers are looking <strong>for</strong> low cost<br />
valves. Quality is all-important, and we have the<br />
expertise, testing facilities, and contacts in the<br />
business to provide the type of product this<br />
industry demands.”<br />
It is also an important development <strong>for</strong> Ebro<br />
Armaturen’s image in the global market, adds<br />
Mrs Völkel.“As a supplier <strong>for</strong> the demanding<br />
<strong>chemical</strong> industry, people realise we have the<br />
ability to manufacture valves <strong>for</strong> any other kind<br />
of application as well. Once clients buy our<br />
Techonologycally advanced manufacturing of valves and actuators.<br />
COVER STORY<br />
valves <strong>for</strong> their <strong>chemical</strong> applications they will<br />
also be interested in buying from our standard<br />
product lines <strong>for</strong> their other needs. Our<br />
expertise in working with elastomers – testing<br />
the charge casting, compound selection, material<br />
examination and on-going research – has really<br />
helped to establish our reputation as a<br />
manufacturer you can trust.”<br />
Many <strong>chemical</strong> concerns also impose their own<br />
standards so Ebro Armaturen has to comply to<br />
both governmental directives and the end user<br />
requirements.“In Germany the <strong>chemical</strong><br />
industry regulations have been unified and<br />
clustered together in a system known as PAS<br />
1085. Ebro Armaturen is compliant to all the<br />
important norms and technical guidelines, such<br />
as PED, AD-Regelwerk, etc,” says Mr Eckhoff<br />
proudly.<br />
Recognised quality<br />
Ebro Armaturen is unusual among valve<br />
suppliers in that it also produces its own <strong>range</strong><br />
of pneumatic and electric actuators.“The most<br />
immediate benefit <strong>for</strong> our customers is that we<br />
can provide turn-key units, where valve and<br />
actuator are made by <strong>EBRO</strong>,” explains Mrs<br />
Völkel.“This gives peace of mind as clients have<br />
just a single point of contact <strong>for</strong> any issues<br />
regarding the complete unit. By adapting<br />
pneumatic actuators with automation systems<br />
such as switch boxes and ASi Bus systems we<br />
can deliver proven solutions to any challenges a<br />
client may face.”<br />
The <strong>chemical</strong> industry is known to be<br />
conservative when it comes to selecting<br />
pneumatic and electric actuators, traditionally<br />
relying on just a few suppliers.“Ebro Armaturen<br />
www.valve-world.net May 2009 19
COVER STORY<br />
Resilient-seated butterfly valve<br />
series Z 600-C <strong>for</strong> semicorrosive<br />
and aggressive media.<br />
is keen to let the industry know that our<br />
actuators have passed all of the rigorous tests<br />
which qualify them <strong>for</strong> use in the <strong>chemical</strong><br />
industry.With an established network of<br />
automation technology partners we are in a<br />
strong position to build up long-term<br />
relationships in the <strong>chemical</strong> industry,” notes Mr<br />
Eckhoff.<br />
Visitors to Ebro’s plants are sometimes<br />
surprised by the extensive testing facilities which<br />
are used to maintain the quality of the<br />
company’s valves and actuators. Comments Mr<br />
Eckhoff:“we have our own pilot plants where<br />
A global overview of<br />
<strong>EBRO</strong>/Stafsjö sales<br />
offices and subsidiaries.<br />
20 May 2009<br />
High per<strong>for</strong>mance lug type<br />
butterfly valve series HP 114<br />
with double-acting actuator.<br />
we carry out extensive inspections and various<br />
test procedures. Quality improvement and<br />
control is very important to us and random<br />
samples are taken from every incoming<br />
component delivery to ensure consistent<br />
quality is maintained. In addition to visual,<br />
functional and dimensional inspects, a long list of<br />
additional tests are carried out including liner<br />
hardness, coating thickness, surface roughness of<br />
polished discs, ultrasound, IR spectrometer,<br />
<strong>chemical</strong> analysis, tensile and compression tests<br />
and helium detector.”<br />
During wear and tear tests, Ebro replicates the<br />
● <strong>EBRO</strong>/Stafsjö Sales Offices<br />
● <strong>EBRO</strong>/Stafsjö Subsidiaries<br />
PTFE-lined butterfly valves<br />
series T 200-C <strong>for</strong> <strong>chemical</strong>ly<br />
corrosive and toxic media.<br />
Stafsjö knife gate valve<br />
with manual operation<br />
type MV.<br />
operational temperature and pressure<br />
conditions, opening and closing the valve up to<br />
5,000 times.The shaft and other components<br />
are then thoroughly inspected. Says Mr Eckhoff:<br />
“we sell valves that we know will work <strong>for</strong> our<br />
clients; we certainly don’t expect them to test<br />
the valves <strong>for</strong> us!”<br />
Optimism and growth<br />
The Bröer company is steadily expanding its<br />
international sales organisation. Key account<br />
managers oversee large projects (water<br />
desalination, power generation, <strong>chemical</strong>, etc),<br />
www.valve-world.net
Mrs Lydia Bröer, Executive Vice President Ebro<br />
Armaturen.<br />
while sales managers regularly back-up and<br />
maintain contact with customers on-site.<br />
“We have identified several areas where we<br />
want to increase our activities,” explains Mr<br />
Eckhoff. “Currently <strong>for</strong> example our sales in the<br />
USA are around USD 5 million per year, but<br />
given the size of that market there is lots of<br />
potential <strong>for</strong> growth so we are expanding our<br />
sales <strong>for</strong>ce and dealer network. American buyers<br />
also expect faster product delivery, so we are<br />
building up our US stock to meet this demand.<br />
But we are also approved by several leading<br />
<strong>chemical</strong> companies to supply valves to worldwide<br />
projects.”<br />
Ebro Armaturen now has offices in South<br />
America and India and is gaining market share in<br />
those large markets. “Our South American<br />
operations are growing steadily, with offices in<br />
Chile and Brazil and a good representative in<br />
Argentina. This is a very positive market <strong>for</strong> us,”<br />
notes Mrs Völkel. “Around the world, many<br />
clients really value German engineering, which is<br />
equated with high quality.”<br />
Headquarters of <strong>EBRO</strong> <strong>ARMATUREN</strong> in Hagen,<br />
Germany.<br />
In discussing the current world economic<br />
situation, Mr Eckhoff remains upbeat.” <strong>EBRO</strong><br />
Armaturen is looking to the future with<br />
confidence. Countries simply cannot stop<br />
constructing power plants, desalination plants<br />
and other industry, and once trust is restored,<br />
the situation will return to normal. Beside this<br />
the Bröer Group focus on long-term values.<br />
Preserving capital resources is a key factor <strong>for</strong><br />
the company’s success. Despite the current<br />
economic situation the <strong>group</strong> invests in a new<br />
logistics and IT-infrastructure. In addition we<br />
supply many different industries from water<br />
supply to power generation, pneumatic<br />
conveying systems, ship building, <strong>chemical</strong><br />
industry, civil engineering, public swimming pools,<br />
bioenergy etc. If one industry is in difficulty, we<br />
are easily able to switch our focus and sell valves<br />
to other industries and applications. This nicely<br />
cushions us from the effects of a downturn in<br />
any given industry. So as a family business, Ebro<br />
Armaturen is committed to providing long-term<br />
service to all our customers.”<br />
COVER STORY<br />
Desalination - a growth industry<br />
Ebro Armaturen recently completed its<br />
largest order ever; supplying over EUR 4<br />
million of valves to a desalination plant in<br />
Sydney, Australia. Comments Mr Eckhoff:<br />
“desalination is an increasingly important<br />
market <strong>for</strong> us. Our entire <strong>range</strong> of valves is<br />
used in this industry including our high<br />
per<strong>for</strong>mance (HP) valves, which are needed<br />
to transport water at pressure over long<br />
distances. The Sydney plant is very high-tech<br />
and we supplied extensive automation<br />
technology and HP valves.”<br />
The Sydney desalination plant has an initial<br />
capacity of 250,000 m³ / day and is designed<br />
to provide 500,000 m³ in the future. The<br />
project was planned by Veolia Water and is<br />
equipped with 687 Ebro butterfly valves,<br />
resilient-seated wafer type butterfly valves<br />
series Z 011-A and double-flanged series F<br />
012-A. High per<strong>for</strong>mance butterfly valves,<br />
especially fitted with body and shafts made<br />
of Super Duplex were<br />
also supplied. The<br />
valves ordered <strong>range</strong>d<br />
from 100 -2200 mm in<br />
diameter. With about<br />
200 desalination plants<br />
due to be built<br />
worldwide in the<br />
coming years, the<br />
industry looks<br />
promising indeed.<br />
Facts & Figures<br />
Name: <strong>EBRO</strong> <strong>ARMATUREN</strong> Gebr. Bröer GmbH and Stafsjö Valves AB (BRÖER GROUP)<br />
Headquarters: Hagen, Germany<br />
Production: Germany, China, Italy, Sweden, Thailand<br />
Sales channels: 26 subsidiaries, more than 50 agents worldwide<br />
Delivery times: Produced to order, valves are normally delivered within 2-4 weeks. 24-hour supply <strong>for</strong> MRO needs<br />
can also be met through trading houses / dealers.<br />
Products: - High per<strong>for</strong>mance, PTFE and rubber lined butterfly valves (lug & wafer type)<br />
- Stafsjö knife gate valves<br />
- Electric and pneumatic actuators, automatic technology (ASI)<br />
Key markets: Desalination plants, <strong>chemical</strong> industry, ship-building, power plants, food & beverage, automotive,<br />
water and wastewater, public swimming pools, powder & bulk solids handling, civil engineering, pulp<br />
and paper, bio-energy, mining<br />
Annual output: Over 500,000 valves, 100,000 pneumatic actuators, 15,000 electric actuators, modular accessories<br />
(switchboxes, bus system interfaces, etc)<br />
Employees: approx 900<br />
Turnover: EUR 160 million (2008)<br />
www.valve-world.net May 2009 21