Chromatic acquires new valve line, boosts output at new Texas facility
Chromatic Industries is ramping up production of its key technology, the Hemiwedge valve product, at a new specialized manufacturing facility located just north of The Woodlands, Texas, having begun a full schedule at the 30,000-square-foot facility in November 2011.
The Hemiwedge cartridge valve is a long service-life technology that minimizes costly issues of conventional valve maintenance and repair, the company says.
The valve piqued the industry’s interest quickly after its introduction, but the challenging economic climate stifled the company’s growth until 2011, when Chromatic Industries stepped in.
Chromatic completed the acquisition of the Hemiwedge product line in May 2011.
“The acquisition by Chromatic has been seamless and has given Hemiwedge the capital and support to truly take off,” says Ken Chickering, past-president of the Hemiwedge product line and now senior advisor to the president.
“Moving to our new manufacturing facility near The Woodlands is another major boost for the company because we are able to machine, assemble and test all in one location. This creates greater efficiencies and control and will allow Chromatic to embrace the growth we’re already seeing in Hemiwedge sales.”
With applications in the refining, mining, process, pipeline, power and petrochemical markets, Chromatic’s Hemiwedge valve is poised to make a significant mark on the industries it serves, alleviating many of the headaches and costs associated with traditional valve technology, the company said.
Chromatic has increased the company’s sales force and production for Hemiwedge, though it did not give specific figures.
“Prior to 2011, our sales were a combination of replacing existing problem valves and multiple test installations for end users’ approvals,” says Chickering. “A variety of the test situations have proven successful and we are now receiving orders for new projects as well as additional replacement business.”
The patented product line combines the positive features of ball, gate, plug and high performance valves resulting in a mechanically sealing, tight shutoff valve with a simple operation that provides outstanding longevity and performance with virtually no maintenance, according to the company.
The Hemiwedge cartridge design allows for easy access in-line, with minimal downtime, resulting in significant savings, Chromatic officials said.
Hemiwedge valves are available in soft-seated and metal-seated designs, making them viable for a wide range of applications, including demanding high-temperature requirements.
“The Hemiwedge has proven successful in some of the most challenging applications including solids handling (catalysts) and slurry services (solution mining with entrained solids). We’ve also seen excellent results in high temperature applications (molecular sieve drying),” said Chickering. “With these successes we know we have a valve that can solve problems that traditional valves have not.”
Chromatic’s Hemiwedge product line currently ranges in sizes from one inch to twenty inches, ANSI 150 to 1500 Class and is marketed in industries including oil and gas production, mid-stream, gas processing, refining, petrochemical processing, power, pipeline and mining.
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