M&J Valve has been a global provider of compressor parts and service since 1985. A specialist in valves, packing, piston rods, and connecting rods, the Lafayette, Louisiana, based company has weathered the many boom-and-bust cycles that are synonyms with the oil and gas industry. While the COVID pandemic brought with it myriad challenges beyond those encountered during past industry downturns, M&J Valve was able to use the most recent slowdown as an opportunity to strengthen its product and services portfolio and expand its operations throughout the US.
“When the pandemic hit and oil prices went negative, a lot of people suffered,” said Matthew Gordon, operations manager at M&J Valve. “For us, it became clear that valves wouldn’t be able to carry the day. COVID forced us to look at our business and identify opportunities for us to expand. We made the decision to invest in our facilities and our portfolio of products and services across the board. For example, since the pandemic began, we’ve upgraded machinery in just about every facility or bought new machines.”
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette serves as headquarters for M&J Valve’s operations. From there, it oversees eight additional locations throughout the US and a global network of industry partners and company representatives.
In October 2019, the company moved into a brand new 10,000 sq.ft. (929 m2) facility. Equipped with a 10-ton (9.07-tonne) overhead crane, the facility has an 8000 sq.ft. (743 m2) shop complete with two new CNC Lathes – a Hass ST-20 and a Hass TL-2. The facility includes 1000 sq.ft. (93 m2) of inventory space which houses a 60-day supply valves and compressor parts. In addition, there is a standalone 2500 sq.ft. (232 m2) inventory warehouse for used and surplus compressor parts and a 5000 sq.ft. (464 m2) manufacturing facility. The manufacturing facility utilizes six new CNC lathes (a Haas Mini-Mill, a Haas VF-1, two Haas ST-10, and two 2 Haas ST-20 machines), two upgraded machines (a Haas St-35 and a Haas VF-5 4 Axis lathe), and three additional units the company transferred to the new location (a Haas GT-20, a Haas Mini Mill, and a Haas VF-1).
“We manufacture valves, seats, guards, plates, piston rings, and piston rods in Lafayette,” said Gordon. “By increasing the crane capacity at the Lafayette shop, we’ve been able to add bigger items to our portfolio. Since the pandemic began, for example, we’ve started concentrating on rebuilding starters, and that is going very well for us. We brought in a salesperson with that background who has helped us get in the door. In addition, we’ve started doing steel and aluminum fabrication in Lafayette. Next up, we are looking into pumps and air motors.”
Moore, Oklahoma
In January 2020, M&J Valve relocated its Moore facility to a brand new …
This article appears in the February issue of Gas Compression Magazine.
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