In the 2021 State of the Industrial PVF market feature, the industrial PVF sector was facing a set of challenges that market experts described as “the perfect storm.”

Mary Jane (MJ) Abeling, 94, passed away on July 13, 2023. She was born on June 8, 1929 to Wilma and Clarence Blough in Temple City CA. She was the youngest of three sisters.

Merit Brass announced the opening of its newest distribution center in Houston, Texas. This state-of-the-art facility is strategically located to provide faster and more efficient delivery to their Southern Texas and Louisiana customers.

The demand for extended service agreement (ESA) products continues to grow and this growth is fueled by both contractors and homeowners. Homeowners have been conditioned to be offered some sort of extended warranty product on just about anything they buy, from appliances to phones and just about anything else.

The Collins Companies announced an agreement to acquire Washburn- Garfield Corporation, a supplier of industrial and commercial pipe, valves, and fittings in Worcester, Massachusetts, as well as their subsidiary, Waites Co., a distributor of abrasives and cutting tools in that market.

 Any business hoping to stand out in a competitive marketplace needs to find the one or two things it can do better than everyone else. Now celebrating 75 years in business, Industrial Valco has spent the last decade perfecting the craft it is known for – delivery speed and inventory availability - while honing in on a unique niche in the commercial and industrial PVF distribution worlds – marketing and branding.

Together, SLB and Newmans Valve are uniting valve quality and customer service to make a significant positive change in the timely accessibility of NEWCO valves.

In an industry where mergers and acquisitions often get a bad reputation, it’s important to recognize the cases where the merging of two companies is of the best interest of each party and their respective customer bases. This was on full display in 2019 when two longstanding PVF product suppliers decided to merge into one powerhouse.

After a challenging couple of years plagued with post-pandemic effects, unprecedented weather events and supply-chain disruption, November of 2021 served as a hopeful turning point for the waterworks sector with the passing of the U.S. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act — the largest investment in water in history, according to the American Waterworks Association’s 2022 State of the Waterworks Industry report (SOTWI).

According to a few industry experts, the sector is experiencing enough demand to say the market is in decent shape overall. Better yet, there are technology advancements happening to help provide relief from labor shortages.