UH, State Rep. Charlie Howard Presenting PBV Valve with ‘Excellence in Manufacturing Award’

As the search for new sources of oil and energy continues, the University of Houston's College of Technology and state Rep. Charlie Howard have identified a company that is leading the way in assisting the offshore drilling industry in this effort.

PBV Valve, a subsidiary of Global Flow Technologies, manufactures and supplies an array of valves for demanding industrial applications and environments. Their advanced production, testing and inventory procedures ensure strict specification conformance, fast delivery and reliable operational performance. At 10:30 a.m., Thursday, April 22, PBV Valve will be presented with the "Excellence in Manufacturing Award" by representative Howard and Ann Pham, director of the College of Technology's Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center Gulf Coast (TMACGC). The presentation will be made at PBV Valve's main office in Stafford, Texas.

Following consultation from TMACGC, PBV Valve recently gained further insight into efficient manufacturing solutions by targeting areas for a rapid improvement event. The management team focused on continuous improvement in quality, technology, processes, company culture, productivity, safety and leadership.

"TMAC launched the lean program at PBV Valve and truly helped transform the company," says Steve Twellman, CEO of Global Flow Technologies. "Even during the current recession and industry downturn, we continue to break revenue, backlog, and profitability records."

"We firmly believe that the rapid improvement event strategies have helped PBV Valve standardize and sustain quality while reducing wastes," said Ann Pham, director of TMACGC.

TMACGC at UH is one of the partner institutions comprising the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center (TMAC), which is an affiliate of the Manufacturing Extension Partnership program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). For more information on TMACGC and TMAC, visit http://www.tmacgc.org/.

"The College of Technology, with the support of the NIST, operates TMACGC as an extension center to provide technical and training support to enhance the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing," said William Fitzgibbon, Dean of the College of Technology.