Sherwood Valve announces plant consolidation

Aug. 12, 2008
Washington, Pennsylvania and Cleveland, Ohio facilities to host all valve manufacturing and assembly operations

Sherwood Valve LLC (www.SherwoodValve.com), a division of Taylor-Wharton International, is consolidating all manufacturing and assembly operations into the company’s Washington, Pennsylvania and Cleveland, Ohio facilities. Current production processes at the Niagara Falls, NY factory will be relocated to Washington and Cleveland.

Roger Carlson, president of Sherwood, commented that, “The consolidation of production from three to two facilities will yield significant manufacturing efficiencies, contribute to streamlined administration practices and generate opportunities to leverage raw materials, inventories, labor skills and similar processes among Sherwood’s multiple product lines.” Carlson further noted that, “We estimate the relocation of machinery and personnel to be complete within 3-6 weeks of our commencement date during the month of August.”

Dino Sciullo, Sherwood’s director of sales and product development, added, “We expect this consolidation will be transparent to our customers and suppliers and do not anticipate any delays in shipments and deliveries. We have built sufficient inventories to satisfy current orders and we have secured adequate raw materials and component parts to supply each machine and process as it is relocated to Washington or Cleveland.”

Product lines currently assembled and tested at Sherwood’s Niagara Falls factory include industrial valves, medical valves, SCUBA products, life support valves and propane valves and fittings. All production and assembly of industrial valves will be moved to the Cleveland location. The com0pany said the resulting manufacturing system at Cleveland will be the most complete, vertically integrated, valve production facility in North America with all processes from the smelting of brass chips to finished product occurring at a single location. The incorporation of the remaining Niagara Falls activities into the existing product line capabilities at the Washington facility will provide Sherwood’s customers with the opportunity to consolidate shipments of multiple products into single freight movements and harvest the resulting transportation savings. An additional benefit will be the ability to exploit freight resources and improve service to Sherwood’s international customers and global warehousing locations.

A significant reduction of Sherwood’s imprint on the environment also contributed to the consolidation decision. The company expects energy consumption related to the valve business to decrease by approximately 30 percent and predicts a 30 percent reduction in waste generation. Sciullo noted that, “Sherwood’s commitment to the continuous development of green initiatives as we grow our business is always a paramount consideration. Additionally, as Sherwood continues to introduce new products and services to the global gas community, the real estate necessary to expand the manufacturing footprint of the company exists at the Washington location.”

Sherwood Valve LLC produces valves and fittings for all segments of the compressed gas industry including industrial, chlorine, medical, welding, specialty, semiconductor, life support, LPG and refrigeration. Sherwood said it is the only 100 percent fully integrated valve producer in North America, a significant competitive advantage in the areas of cost containment and timely distribution. Sherwood also supplies the valves for TWI’s gas storage containers, providing customers with a comprehenive, single supply resource. Taylor-Wharton International LLC operates 20 manufacturing, sales, warehouse and service facilities in 6 countries on 4 continents, and markets its products in more than 80 countries worldwide.