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Case Study

Solutions for Actuated Valve Options

Developing reliable and cost-effect solutions for actuated valve options.

The Challenge:

There wasn’t a problem, just an opportunity. Glosten, a naval architecture and marine engineering firm, had spent several years developing a Ballast Water Treatment System (BWTS) they could take to market. Each of their packaged systems had several automated valves. The challenge was sorting through all the actuated valve options to come up with a solution that was reliable yet cost-effective.

Glosten is in Seattle, WA and has been in business for more than 60 years. They’re one of the top naval architects in the U.S., focusing on modern ship design and solving tough marine-engineering problems. Knowing that new ballast water discharge regulations would be taking effect worldwide in the next decade or so, they began researching the BWTS market in the early 2000’s. It was going to be a multi-billion-dollar industry, so they decided to create a subsidiary company focusing on the design and manufacture of a low-cost, but effective, BWTS.

The Customer:

The journey was a long and detailed one. JA Moody first engaged Glosten about this project two to three years before they were ready to come to market with their BWTS. They knew they wanted their automated valve system to consist of butterfly valves and electric actuators. From there, the challenge was coming up with a solution that would keep their installation costs low yet withstand the corrosive seawater environment. Glosten looked at several of JA Moody’s competitors’ solutions. Any one of them would have worked, but determined ours was the best value, could meet their demanding delivery schedule, and their technical specification.

The Journey:

The journey was a long and detailed one. JA Moody first engaged Glosten about this project two to three years before they were ready to come to market with their BWTS. They knew they wanted their automated valve system to consist of butterfly valves and electric actuators. From there, the challenge was coming up with a solution that would keep their installation costs low yet withstand the corrosive seawater environment. Glosten looked at several of JA Moody’s competitors’ solutions. Any one of them would have worked, but determined ours was the best value, could meet their demanding delivery schedule, and their technical specification.

The Solution:

After looking at several of our competitors’ offerings, as well as a few different options that we provided, they chose our GR valve with the EPI-2 actuator. The reason? JA Moody’s GR valve is known in the commercial marine industry for being well-engineered, well-manufactured, rugged, and reliable in seawater applications. In addition, it was a valve their customers could buy anywhere in the world and could order in imperial or metric sizes. Glosten chose the EPI-2 actuator for its reliability, long history in the marine industry, low cost, and simplicity.

The Implementation:

Glosten wanted metric valves, but we couldn’t get them in the required timeframe. Instead, we manufactured imperial GR valves in the U.S. and had the flanges re-drilled to fit metric piping. Once installed in the system, Glosten customers reported no issues with the actuated valve system and were extremely satisfied with the entire BWTS.

The Result:

The GR valve with the EPI-2 actuator gave Glosten exactly what they were looking for: a low-cost, but reliable, electric actuation system that could stand up to the harsh marine environment. While our solution was not their lowest cost option, they felt it was the best value. Their BWTS was so well-received in the worldwide commercial marine market that the spin-off company through which they marketed their BWTS, was acquired within the first few years of their systems being on the market.

To learn more about Series GRW/GRL Wafer and Lug Resilient Seated Butterfly Valves, please contact: JA Moody Sales.