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Valves are essential components in fluid control systems across a wide range of industries, including petroleum, chemical processing, power generation, long-distance pipelines, shipbuilding, nuclear energy, cryogenic engineering, aerospace, and marine oil production. The continuous growth and evolving demands of these sectors have driven the development of the valve industry. In recent years, there has been a growing focus on enhancing the performance, reliability, and cost-effectiveness of valves through improvements in design, materials, and manufacturing processes.
With their extensive applications and diverse product range, valves play a critical role in ensuring the smooth operation of various industrial systems. The quality and technological level of valves directly impact the efficiency and safety of these sectors. Therefore, maintaining high-quality standards is crucial. Some valves must meet international certification requirements to be sold globally. For example, power plant and nuclear valves often require ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) approval, which includes markings such as "N," "Nv," "NPT," and others. Similarly, oil industry valves need to carry the API (American Petroleum Institute) certification to gain market access.
As global industries continue to expand, the valve sector has also seen rapid development. Around 50 years ago, many countries had already established independent valve industries with professional organizations. These include valve associations in Europe, the U.S., and the UK, the Japan Valve Industry Association and the Japan Valve Research Society, and specialized valve design institutes in the EU and former Soviet Union countries. These organizations were formed to enhance production technology and strengthen competitive positions in the global market.
Currently, the valve industry in major industrialized nations is well-developed. In the U.S., there are about 77,500 workers in the sector, with 70% being technical and managerial staff. The UK has 80,000, Germany 52,500, Japan 35,000, Italy 15,000, and France 11,519. The number of valve manufacturing companies varies significantly: the U.S. has around 900, with the largest having up to 3,500 employees; Japan has 1,507 companies, with the largest employing nearly 900 people; Germany has 450 firms, with the biggest having 3,300 workers; the UK has 490, while France has 400. Notably, Japan has the highest number of valve manufacturers, while the U.S. has the most workers. Japanese valve workers are roughly half the number of U.S. workers, yet Japan has nearly twice as many companies. Most Japanese valve companies are small or medium-sized, with only about 250 larger enterprises.
Since the 1980s, the workforce in the valve industry has decreased slightly in many countries. France saw the most significant drop, from 21,000 in the 1980s to just 1,155 by 1987. In terms of output, the U.S. valued its valve production at $10.74 billion, Germany at 7.958 billion German marks, Japan at 484.143 billion yen, France at 6.00 billion French francs (1987), and the UK at 6.101 billion (1986).
The international valve trade market has been highly active in recent years, with intense competition. Germany and the U.S. are the strongest players. Germany is the world's leading valve exporter, and in 1985, Italy surpassed the U.S. in valve trade volume. By 1987, developed countries accounted for a large share of global valve imports and exports, with Germany at 22.2%, Italy at 16.5%, the U.S. at 10.9%, Japan at 10.7%, and France at 9.7%. In 1985, the top eight countries in valve trade were Germany (2,739.8 million German marks), Italy (2,127.5 million), the U.S. (1,833.1 million), Japan (1,683.5 million), France (1,545.7 million), and the UK (1,376.7 million).
October 06, 2025