The VPS Guide to Building Valve Supply Chain Resilience: Practical Strategies for Maintaining Continuity of Supply
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Recent announcements regarding manufacturing changes affecting Flowserve Worcester Controls and Norbro products prompted us to reflect on previous industry transitions and share practical guidance that may help customers navigate the changes ahead. While every manufacturing relocation is different, periods of transition often encourage organisations to review their valve supply strategies and assess potential exposure to future supply-chain disruption.
Drawing on our experience supporting customers through major manufacturing moves and supply-chain changes, we have produced a four-step guide to strengthen continuity of supply and reduce operational risk during periods of uncertainty and change.
Why Supply Chain Resilience Matters
Modern valve supply chains span multiple countries, suppliers and logistics networks, making them more vulnerable to delays, changing regulations and fluctuations in manufacturing capacity.
For organisations that rely on critical valve assets, disruptions can lead to extended lead times, project delays, increased costs and operational risk. A resilient supply strategy helps minimise these impacts by improving visibility, strengthening planning and identifying potential vulnerabilities before they become problems.
Rather than reacting to disruption, resilient organisations take a proactive approach.
How resilient is your current supply chain strategy?
If you’re unsure how resilient your current valve supply strategy is, VPS can help. Our team offers a free Valve Supply Chain Health Check* designed to identify potential vulnerabilities, review critical assets and highlight opportunities to improve resilience before issues arise.
How VPS Has Helped Customers Navigate Industry Change
Supply chain change is not new to us. Over the years, VPS has helped customers navigate major manufacturing relocations, including the transition of Westlock Controls production from the UK to the USA and later Emerson Keystone manufacturing moves from Europe to China.
While every transition is different, the challenges are often remarkably similar. Lead times increase, support structures change, communication becomes more complex and customers lose visibility of future supply.
Those experiences have shaped the way VPS approaches supply chain resilience today and provide valuable lessons for future industry changes, including the ongoing Flowserve Worcester Controls and Norbro transition.
Proven Experience Managing Supply Chain Change
Our founder, Steve Pearson, recalls the Westlock Controls UK manufacturing transition:
“When Westlock manufacturing moved from the UK to the USA, the change happened much faster than many people expected. There was very little time to prepare and, almost overnight, we went from placing orders with a UK manufacturing facility to sourcing products directly from the United States.
Ordering from the US wasn’t an issue. The real challenge was navigating the complexities of importing goods – something we had never done before. We suddenly had to arrange collections ourselves, identify suitable freight and courier partners, understand air freight and sea freight options, factor in additional transit times and manage the extra costs associated with international shipping.
We were now faced with import duties, taxes, insurance requirements and exchange rate fluctuations. Lead times extended from around 4–6 weeks to 14–16 weeks or more, and customers had less visibility of future supply. From my perspective, the biggest challenge wasn’t simply longer lead times—it was uncertainty. Customers needed confidence that critical products would be available when required.”
How VPS Responded
To continue supporting customers, we adapted quickly. By investing heavily in strategic stockholding we purchased larger volumes to secure favourable pricing and reduce carriage costs per item. We recruited former Westlock Controls personnel so customers could continue speaking with experienced UK-based specialists rather than relying solely on overseas support.
Additionally, we developed expertise in international logistics and imports, established strong relationships with the US manufacturing team and built inventory levels that effectively transformed a 16-week lead time into next-day availability for many customers.
The introduction of forecasting and purchasing strategies was required to minimise the impact of currency fluctuations. We set up a dedicated US dollar account and began actively monitoring exchange rates to buy at the most favourable times. This approach required significant commitment and forward planning, but it helped us maintain stable, competitive pricing and continuity of supply for our customers.
Most importantly, we worked closely with customers to improve forecasting, inventory planning and risk management, helping them identify potential issues before they became operational problems.
The same themes emerged during subsequent Emerson Keystone manufacturing transitions from facilities in the UK and Germany to China. Although the products and locations were different, the challenges remained familiar: longer lead times, increased supply-chain complexity, evolving support structures and a greater need for forecasting and inventory planning.
“The biggest lesson we have learned is that visibility and preparation matter far more than geography. The companies that respond fastest and plan furthest ahead are usually the ones that emerge strongest.” — Steve Pearson
The Result
By investing early in stock, logistics capability and technical expertise, VPS was able to help customers maintain continuity of supply throughout periods of significant change.
Customers benefited from:
Improved product availability through extensive local stockholding
Reduced supply-chain complexity by sourcing through an experienced UK partner
Access to dedicated UK-based technical expertise
Competitive pricing supported by strategic purchasing and exchange rate management
Faster delivery times despite extended global manufacturing lead times
Greater confidence during periods of uncertainty
Applying These Lessons to the Flowserve Worcester Controls and Norbro Transition
Every manufacturing transition is different, and the Flowserve Worcester Controls and Norbro changes may not follow the same path as previous relocations involving Westlock Controls or Emerson Keystone. However, experience shows that major manufacturing moves often create similar challenges and the principles of supply chain resilience are remarkably consistent.
VPS Guide to Building Supply Chain Resilience
Having helped customers navigate multiple manufacturing transitions, we have reflected on our own experience and on our experience to produce this guide to help you prepare for changes and develop supply chain resilience.
We recommend focusing on four key areas:
Conduct Valve Criticality Assessments
Optimise Valve Inventory and Critical Spares
Evaluate Consignment Stock Opportunities
Improve Forecasting and Demand Planning
Together, these steps help organisations identify vulnerabilities, prioritise resources and maintain continuity of supply even during periods of market uncertainty.
Step 1: Conduct a Valve Criticality Analysis (VCA)
Identify Critical Assets
Not all valves carry the same operational importance. A standard utility service valve may be relatively easy to replace, while a specialised control valve, automated package or site-specific assembly may have a significant impact on production if unavailable.
Identifying critical assets is the foundation of an effective supply resilience strategy. Without this visibility, organisations often allocate inventory and procurement resources inefficiently, increasing both operational risk and unnecessary cost.
A criticality assessment helps organisations identify where supply disruption would have the greatest impact. Once valves have been categorised, inventory, forecasting and maintenance strategies can be aligned accordingly.
Recommended Assessment Criteria
Valve criticality should be evaluated using a combination of operational, technical and supply-chain factors such as:
Safety implications
Environmental impact
Production impact
Typical replacement lead time
Availability of alternative solutions
Historical failure frequency
Availability of spare parts
Complexity of installation or commissioning
Establishing Critical Categories
Many organisations find it useful to classify valves into three categories.
Category A – Mission-Critical
Failure results in production loss, safety risk or significant operational disruption. These assets often require dedicated contingency plans, strategic spare holdings or advance procurement planning.
Category B – High Operational Impact
Failure impacts efficiency, maintenance planning or operational flexibility but does not immediately stop production. These assets may justify limited stockholding and regular monitoring.
Category C – Low Operational Impact
Readily available products with limited operational consequences. These assets can typically be managed through standard procurement processes.
Common Criticality Assessment Mistakes
Many organisations assume criticality is determined solely by the valve’s function within the process. In reality, supply-chain factors can be equally important. For example, a relatively low-cost valve with a six-month lead time may represent a greater operational risk than a higher-value product that can be sourced within days. Similarly, products that require special materials, unique certifications or site-specific configurations often present hidden vulnerabilities that only become apparent when replacement is required.
Regular reviews help ensure criticality assessments remain aligned with changing operational priorities and evolving supply conditions. If your organisation has never formally assessed valve criticality, there may be hidden risks. VPS can help identify critical assets, assess supply-chain exposure and develop practical strategies to improve continuity of supply.
Step 2: Optimise Valve Inventory and Critical Spares
Review existing inventory
The first step to optimising your inventory is to conduct a review to ensure stock levels remain aligned with operational requirements.
Many inventory strategies are based on historical purchasing patterns rather than operational risk. Products are often stocked because they have always been stocked, while genuinely critical assets remain exposed to supply-chain disruption.
An effective inventory strategy should be driven by a clear understanding of operational requirements, asset criticality and lead-time exposure. Organisations that take a structured approach to inventory management are often able to improve availability while reducing unnecessary stockholding.
A review should answer:
Are critical assets adequately covered?
Are there products being stocked unnecessarily?
Have lead times changed?
Are upcoming shutdowns or projects creating additional demand?
Have any assets become more critical over time?
Balancing Availability and Cost
Excessive stock levels tie up working capital, increase storage requirements and create the risk of obsolete inventory. Insufficient stock can result in emergency procurement, unplanned downtime and increased operational costs.
The objective is not maximum inventory it is optimal inventory. Achieving this balance requires data-driven decision making rather than intuition alone.
Identifying Strategic Spare Holdings
For critical valve populations, organisations should identify products that may justify dedicated stocking strategies. These commonly include:
Long lead-time valves
Site-specific configurations
Special materials
Automated valve assemblies
Critical actuators and accessories
Components with limited interchangeability
These products often represent the greatest supply risk and may warrant strategic spare holdings to protect operational continuity.
A proactive review process helps ensure inventory investment is focused where it delivers the greatest value. VPS can review existing inventory holdings and help determine whether stock levels align with operational risk and lead-time exposure.
Once you have reviewed your inventory, it may highlight a need for consignment stock arrangements. Consignment stock allows inventory to be positioned on-site without an upfront investment. Under a consignment model, VPS retains ownership of stock until products are consumed. This can improve availability while reducing the capital burden.
Consignment stock arrangements can deliver several advantages:
Reduced operational risk and improved availability of critical products
Reduced procurement lead times
Lower emergency freight costs
Greater flexibility during shutdowns and maintenance activities
Improved inventory visibility
Reduced working capital requirements
VPS can assess whether a consignment stock arrangement is appropriate for your operation and help develop a programme tailored to your installed valve population and maintenance requirements.
Moving from Reactive Procurement to Forward Planning
Forecasting is one of the most effective ways to reduce supply-chain risk. Rather than reacting to immediate requirements, organisations can identify future demand patterns and engage suppliers earlier in the planning cycle. This provides greater visibility throughout the supply chain and reduces the likelihood of unexpected shortages or delays.
A Practical Forecasting Process:
Review Historical Consumption Analyse previous maintenance activity, replacement trends and spare parts usage to identify recurring demand patterns.
Identify Future Projects Review shutdown schedules, plant upgrades, capital projects and expansion plans that may influence future valve requirements.
Assess Critical Assets Focus particular attention on assets with long lead times, limited availability or significant operational consequences if unavailable.
Engage Key Supply Partners Sharing forecasts with suppliers allows additional planning time and helps improve availability for critical products.
Review Forecasts Regularly Forecasting should not be a one-off exercise. Regular reviews help ensure forecasts remain aligned with changing operational priorities, project schedules and market conditions.
Forecasting does not eliminate uncertainty. However, it significantly improves visibility across the supply chain, enabling suppliers and end users to make more informed decisions and reduce procurement risk. Organisations that forecast effectively are generally better positioned to manage disruption, respond to changing conditions and maintain continuity of supply.
VPS works closely with customers to develop practical forecasting strategies aligned with maintenance schedules, shutdown plans and future projects.
Supply chain resilience is not achieved through a single initiative. It is built through a combination of understanding critical assets, holding the right inventory, improving visibility and planning ahead.
At VPS, these principles are not just recommendations, they are practices we have developed through experience of managing real-world supply-chain change. We have already invested in the infrastructure, supplier relationships and logistics expertise required to manage international supply chains effectively.
As manufacturing networks continue to evolve, our focus remains the same: helping customers reduce uncertainty, improve visibility and ensure critical products remain available when they are needed most.
By taking a proactive approach today, organisations can reduce operational risk, improve continuity of supply and strengthen resilience against future market uncertainty.
Contact VPS today to arrange your free Valve Supply Chain Health Check* and discover how your organisation can build a more resilient valve supply strategy.
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