SIC 3491 Industrial Valves

Contenidos

• NAICS CODE(S).
• INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT.
• ORGANIZATION AND STRUCTURE.
• BACKGROUND AND DEVELOPMENT.
• CURRENT CONDITIONS.
• INDUSTRY LEADERS.
• RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY.
• FURTHER READING.

SIC 3491

This category covers establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing industrial valves. Establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing fluid power valves are classified in SIC 3492: Fluid Power Valves and Hose Fittings; those manufacturing plumbing fixture fittings and trim are classified in SIC 3432: Plumbing Fixture Fittings and Trim; and those manufacturing plumbing and heating valves are classified in SIC 3494: Valves and Pipe Fittings, Not Elsewhere Classified.

NAICS CODE(S)

332911

Industrial Valve Manufacturing

INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT

A valve is a device designed to regulate the flow of a gas, liquid, slurry, or dry material through a pipeline or a chute. Valves not only regulate the flow of material but also the rate, volume, pressure, and direction of the flow. The Valve Manufacturers Association observes that valves are basic yet indispensable items in our society; they are required in "virtually all manufacturing processes and every energy production and supply system." Today's valves are made from a variety of materials and range in complexity from simple to highly sophisticated. They range in size from a fraction of an inch to more than 30 feet in diameter, and they can handle pressures ranging from a vacuum to more than 20,000 pounds per square inch, as well as temperatures ranging from cryogenic extremes to more than 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit.

Compared to other manufacturing industries, the industrial valves segment was both labor and capital intensive. High-tech equipment was used in researching, designing, manufacturing, and testing products. Comparative ratios of employees, production workers, wages, and hours worked per establishment were much higher than in other manufacturing industries. Cost, shipments, and investment per establishment were also higher than the manufacturing average. The Valve Manufacturers Association of America placed the value of industrial valve shipments at $2.7 billion in 2003.

ORGANIZATION AND STRUCTURE

Valves are made from metals, including brass, bronze, iron, steel, and alloys, as well as from plastics. In the late 1990s some valve companies operated their own foundries to make the castings from which the valves were fashioned. Sourcing parts offshore was another practice that some valve companies engaged in.

According to the Valve Manufacturers Association of America...