18 Valve World APRIL 2005 www.valve-world.net

The oldest and largest of theKorean industrial valvemanufacturers, PK Valves tracesits origins back to 1946. Sincethen the company hasdeveloped and nowmanufactures a full range ofcast industrial valves for the oiland gas industries, powergeneration sector and generalindustry. As Valve Worlddiscovered during a visit to PKValves' headquarters inChangwon City, Korea, thecompany's philosophy ofcompletely integrated yetflexible production gives itquite a unique edge.

Petronas, Pertamina, BP, etc,” states MrH.S.Yoon.

Casting is criticalPK Valves is truly self-sufficient,” continuesOverseas Sales Team Leader General Man-ager Mr Son. “At the start of the chain wehave invested in finite element analysissoftware and sophisticated CAD systems.But we also make our own casting pat-terns, for example.And of course we runtwo foundries, one for carbon and alloysteels and one for stainless steels.” Further,PK Valves has a modern machine shop withnumerous CNC equipment, a well-equipped assembly area and a whole rangeof test and inspection facilities, includingnon-destructive tests such as radiography,MPI, LPI, etc.At all stages it is apparentjust how much pride PK Valves' employeestake in their work, to ensure valves reachthe customer facilities in perfect condition.Asked which element of the manufacturingchain was the most crucial to the entireproduction process Mr Son gave an imme-

COVER STORY

By David Sear and Michael van Wijngaarden

To spot what makes PK Valves standout you only have to take a quick tour

around their production facilities. For cer-tain the valves that are made here can alsobe found elsewhere and the CNC ma-chines, whilst modern, are nothing uniquefor a valvemaker anymore.What is specialthough, is that PK Valves has developed avery flexible manufacturing base. It is nei-ther a highly automated plant for high vol-ume output nor is it a job shop for one-offspecials, but rather a facility that is capableof producing both small and fairly largequantities of valves in a wide range and onvery short delivery schedules.PK Valves' Business Division Executive Di-rector Mr H.S.Yoon explains why thecompany has implemented this arrange-ment. “From the very start, PK Valves'philosophy has been to serve its cus-tomers, whatever their needs. In the mod-ern, fast-paced business climate the clientmay ask for a large number of valves for aproject one week and then come back theweek after looking for a one-off special as

a replacement for an existing, criticalvalve. So we set out to meet those varieddemands, and be there for the client whenhe needs us. So we are most definitely notjust another commodity valve manufactur-er, but focus on depth of design andbreadth of product range.”In addition, PK Valves is fully integrated,from R&D, engineering, pattern makingand casting, right through to machining,assembly, testing and even painting andpacking.This gives PK Valves completecontrol over the entire manufacturingchain, helping the company to manufac-ture valves to high and consistent qualitystandards. “This philosophy explains whyPK Valves has such a blue-chip customerbase, including engineering contractorssuch as Fluor Daniel, JGC,ABB, Bechtel,Brown & Root as well as end users likeExxonMobil,Aramco, Shell,Total,

PK Valves has something

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COVER STORY

diate reply: the casting. “Casting quality isfundamental and the necessary foundationfor the production of quality valves. How-ever, the consistent production of highquality valve castings is not easy and in factrequires enormous knowledge, some ofwhich is quite subtle and can only begained from decades of experience.That iswhy we believe having our own facilitiesgives PK Valves a clear advantage: not onlycan we ensure the quality of our castings,but we can also produce more or less ondemand, so keeping lead times to an ab-solute minimum.”It is well-known that some manufacturersnow buy castings at general foundries thatmake all kinds of components and are alsoturning to the new foundries that arebeing established in low cost countries.However, Mr Son stresses that thesefoundries lack the long experience in de-signing and manufacturing valve castingsthat PK Valves can offer. “When big enduser companies make huge investments inprocess facilities that by their very nature

involve a risk to human life, the environ-ment and property, it is surely absolutelyvital that they can have real confidence inthe quality of all their equipment.That iswhy serious end users make the effort andinvestments to assure the quality of thevalve castings and finished valves used intheir plants. Indeed, many end users, suchas ExxonMobil, Saudi Aramco. Shell(USA), ChevronTexaco and others haveformal programmes to approve valvemanufacturers. I am proud to say that PKValves is on all of these Approved VendorLists and many others.As plant processesbecome more severe, so the significance ofprocuring only the top quality valves willincrease.”

Global serviceIn order to get its products to the market-place PK Valves has a mature, world-widenetwork of highly qualified representativesand distributors, says Overseas Sales TeamAssistant Manager Mr S.K.Yoon. “Manykeep stocks of valves for immediate deliv-

ery and provide essential local expertiseand service capabilities. In short, they arenot just supply houses but are valve con-sultants, with technical libraries and pro-prietary information relating specificallyto PK Valves.They are therefore fully ableto understand user specifications and torespond with appropriate quotations,drawings and technical information in atimely manner.”In the European market, for example, PKValves has enjoyed a long relationship withPrometal, a member of the FCX Group.Mr S.K.Yoon: “Authorised as exclusive PKValves agents for the Benelux and France,Prometal's efforts in promoting PK Valveshas lead to approvals from the Europeanoil majors such as Atofina,Total, Basf andTractebel to name just a few.”Whilst these and other end users may havebeen relying on PK Valves for many years,the company has in fact had a relativelylow profile until quite recently.That is be-cause for decades PK Valves has been pro-ducing valves under private labels for

Not afraid to make bold investments infundamental research as well as manufacturingtechnology, PK Valves now has productioncapabilities in parallel slide gate valves, metal-seated triple-offset butterfly valves, high-pressureY-type globe valves and tilting-disc check valves.

PK Valves flexible manufacturing base can produceboth small and fairly large quantities of valves in awide range and on very short delivery schedules.

g unique to offer

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many of the world's leading valvemakers.In fact, PK Valves' immense productionrange, its large capacity, its proven qualitystandards and its competitive pricing hasfor years made it a natural source for pro-duction or supplementary supply for othermanufacturers looking to meet large proj-ect orders in particular. More recently,though, PK Valves has started marketingits own brand valves through its represen-tative and stockist in North America,TheNewdell Company. Slowly but surely, PKValves is gaining recognition for its long-standing but often hidden contribution tothe needs of valve users.Whatever the marketing route, PK Valves'repair and maintenance teams are on handto give prompt service in the event cus-tomers experience problems during orafter installation and commissioning.Thefeedback that accrues from this work ishighly valued by PK Valves, as accumulatedtechnologies and experiences provides asolid basis for on-going product optimisa-tion, indicates Mr S.K.Yoon.

Bold investmentsOf course, every company is only as goodas its next order. In order to remain com-petitive, PK Valves therefore takes troubleto identify customers' future needs and toensure those needs are met. In doing so, itis not afraid to make bold investments infundamental research as well as manufac-turing technology.This has lead, for exam-ple, to production capabilities in parallelslide gate valves, metal-seated triple-offsetbutterfly valves, high-pressure Y-type globevalves and tilting-disc check valves.Thislatter valve features a line contactingmechanism that compensates for the weakpoints associated with the swing-typecheck valve.Similarly, PK Valves has also been very ac-tive in developing valves with optimumemissions performance. Mr H.S.Yoon: “Inthe chemical process industries, leaks ofvolatile organic compounds have beenidentified as a serious environmental prob-lem. It is expected that many national au-thorities, such as the EPA, will extend and

strengthen the regulations against externalleakages.That is why we have developedLFE (Low Fugitive Emission) valves whichwe fit with our own, patented packing.Wehave also established our own standardbased on long duration cycle tests usingmethane to achieve sub 500 ppm perform-ance at 1000 cycles of operation. Makingvalves with superior low emissions per-formance requires attention to detail at allstages; during manufacturing the rough-ness of the stem and packing seal should becarefully monitored whilst the torque ap-plied to tighten nuts and bolts during theassembly stage is also critical.”In addition to low fugitive emission valves,PK Valves can also offer so called zeroemission valves. Mr H.S.Yoon: “Whenworking with some fluids, such as acids ortoxic gases that may be hazardous to theenvironment and human health, leakagesare simply not tolerated. In these in-stances, the bellows valves from PK Valvesare the perfect solution.”Asked about other trends in the valve user

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With full manufacturing facilities, PK Valves has two foundries, one forcarbon and alloy steels and one for stainless steels. The company alsohas a very impressive range of patterns

PK Valves providesexactly what its

customers want: valvequality, reliability and

low maintenance costs.

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modity valves, Mr H.S.Yoon says that PKValves was more than up to the challengeand would find ways to maintain and in-crease its full line of products, consistentlyengineered and produced to the higheststandards. “Clients are not just looking atprices. On-time deliveries and proper doc-umentation are also important sellingpoints that our clients can rely on,” he says.According to the Business Division Execu-tive Director, PK Valves will continue toenhance its reputation as a specialty valve-maker, with products for high tempera-tures and pressures. Its skills in workingwith special alloys such as stainless steels,Alloy 20, Hastelloy, Inconel, Monel andduplexes would underpin that goal, he in-dicated. “We will try and maintain thegood reputation that our valves enjoy. Ourvalves are not just sold as products, but infact serve a complete function.That's whywe have been able to successfully concludeseveral supply agreements with major en-gineering companies.As I said, PK Valveshas something unique to offer.”

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COVER STORY

market, Mr H.S.Yoon touches on thegradual change from multi-turn valvessuch as gates and globes to the quarter-turn variants, such as ball and butterflyvalves. “Triple offset butterfly valves areespecially growing in popularity as theyare comparatively easy to handle, compactand lightweight. However, the limitationof soft seats means their use is restrictedto temperatures below 80°C.As a com-plement, PK Valves has developed a metalseat version which can be used at hightemperatures whilst a cryogenic model is

also available for temperatures down to -196°C.This makes the cryogenic butterflyvalve ideal for the LNG sector which hasrecently come to prominence given theexplosive energy demand caused by therapid development of industrial societies “

Long-term valueAt the end of Valve World's visit to Chang-won City we were keen to learn moreabout PK Valve's philosophy for the future.When answering, Mr H.S.Yoon stressesthat the client' needs were central. “Ourcustomers tell us that life-cycle costs are avery important factor. Certainly we willnever be the cheapest manufacturer butwe offer the ideal balance between costand performance.That's what PK Valves'customers want: valve quality, reliabilityand low maintenance costs. Our objectiveis to provide our customers with an excel-lent, long-term value, whether they wantstandard or special valves.”Agreeing that there was an increasing chal-lenge from the low cost countries for com-

&FACTS FIGURESOfficial Name: Pan Korea Metal Industrial Co. Ltd

Abbreviation: PK Valves

Sales: Private labels, PK Valves own brand

Major Customers: Contractors and end users

Locations: Changwon City (headquarters and production)

Seoul (office)

Factory site: Land 99,888m2; floor space 28,026m2, employees 300

Production range: Gate, globe, angle, Y-globe, check (swing, lift, tilt), bellows sealed, butterfly valves

Key applications: Oil & gas, petrochemicals, power plants (thermal and nuclear), offshore, desalination

Quality approvals: ISO 9001, BVQ1, API6D, Lloyd, KEPIC, DNV, BV, NK, CE (PED/23/ec), etc

Major equipment: Induction furnaces (1 and 3 tons), heat treatment furnace, spectrometer, spectroport, helium

detector, cryogenic pressure tester, fire-safe testing, NDT (RT, MT, PT, etc).

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