When Keith Stelter owned and operated Delta Industrial Valves, Inc. in Niles, he maintained a steady drumbeat contending that inaction on the Keystone XL Pipeline was keeping his company from expanding dramatically. He even traveled to Washington, D.C. to testify before the United States Congress on the issue. So, it’s sadly ironic that the company that he sold two years ago will cease operations in Niles by this summer, after word comes literally hours after President Donald Trump signed executive orders breathing new life into the pipeline project.
Stelter sold Delta Industrial Valves, Inc. to The Weir Group, PLC who announced plans to relocate the Niles plant to an existing manufacturing facility in St. Louis, Missouri this summer, putting 56 Niles workers out of a job.
The decision to move was necessitated by the substantial expansion plans of Delta Industrial Valves over the next two years.
The relocation of the Delta Industrial Valves manufacturing facility will enable the development and enhancement of the product line to better serve the industries in which it operates.
The state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in St. Louis has designed and manufactured the Group’s Lewis pumps and valves for the Sulphuric Acid industry for over 125 years. As one of the most efficient facilities in the Weir Group, the customer base for Delta Industrial will experience substantial benefits from the move.
John Abbott is International Sales Director for Delta Industrial Valves. In a statement released by The Weir Group he says, “Lewis Pumps have been producing high quality pumps and valves for the sulphuric industry for over 125 years. The facility’s streamlined process will support our continued expansion plans and accentuate our ongoing commitment to our customer base.”
In line with the Weir Group’s mission to continually provide superior customer service, the relocation will offer improved delivery and quality to the customer base for Delta Industrial Valves worldwide.
Abbot says, “This wasn’t an easy decision to make and we recognize the personal impact on our employees. We will do all we can to support our people during this time and are actively looking for opportunities for some employees to transfer to other Weir Minerals US facilities.”
The move will commence in June, 2017.
The move was actually flagged earlier this month in a brief statement from the company foretelling the shutdown. That statement said:
“The decision to close the Niles facility is a difficult one and reflects the challenges in Delta Industrial Valves’ oil sands markets as a result of the oil price downturn, further compounded by the Alberta wildfires earlier this year. We will do all we can to support our people during this time and are actively looking for opportunities for some employees to transfer to other Weir Minerals US facilities. There will be no impact to the service offered to Delta Valves customers.”
The Weir Group, which is based in Scotland designs and manufactures products for the mineral, oil & gas and power industries. Worldwide, the company has more than 14,000 workers on the payroll.
Stelter sold Delta Industrial Valves in 2015 for $47-million with $10-million of that contingent upon the business meeting pre-determined targets for growth in profits.
The Niles facility that houses Delta Industrial Valves comprises roughly 80,000 square feet. The firm was originally established in 1987 serving segments of the steel industry at the outset, adding energy firms later.
The product photo accompanying this story on Moody on the Market.com was provided by the company.
