Custom Fluid System Assemblies Help Improve Production Efficiency
This customer success story highlights how Texas-based Charbonneau Industries improves production efficiency and supports critical oil and gas operations with custom fluid system assemblies from Swagelok. By integrating professionally fabricated assemblies into its products, Charbonneau Industries reduces labor requirements, streamlines manufacturing processes, and improves consistency across installations. The use of preassembled solutions helps save valuable time, simplify inventory management, and support reliable field performance. Learn how collaboration between Charbonneau Industries and Swagelok delivers repeatable, high-quality fluid system solutions that help minimize downtime, increase productivity, and support long-term operational success in demanding applications.
Video Transcript
Think about your house. It often has natural gas. That gas is running through miles and miles of pipelines. There are compressor stations and on/off systems throughout the entire pipeline network that keep it safe and running at all times. Here at Charbonneau Industries, we can offer full packages, not only from a valve standpoint but from an integration of the automation as well.
People trust Charbonneau Industries because we have been here a long time. We have a reputation for quality. We keep about $120 million in inventory on the floor, and I believe we have about $150 million on order at any given time. That is a $270 million investment in what we are doing, and it is one our customers take seriously. The main reason is that any time they are down or that equipment fails, they are typically losing money. If they cannot get that equipment back up and running, they are losing it to the order of magnitude that, for some of the facilities we sell to, could be $100,000 an hour. Our ability to respond to them or provide a replacement piece of equipment for what they are trying to do is critical.
What makes Charbonneau Industries different than a lot of other companies in their space is their business model. They really are a one-stop shop, especially for these midstream customers. We continue to support them with investments in inventory specifically for them. We help them with forecasting, and we make inventory commitments in our own inventory to support their growth. Now, we are doing all kinds of custom solutions for them and supporting them not only as they grow their volume, but also by helping them preserve their labor to do more things that are value-added for their business.
Right now, we are making a fabrication for Charbonneau Industries, which is a DTR, differential thermal relief. Many of the valves that Charbonneau Industries puts together have these DTRs on them. It saves them a lot of time. Their folks do not have to build these assemblies, which may take them an hour or two to complete. We are saving them hours per valve. This gives them a whole lot more time to do the things they need to do to get the whole actuator package put together. They can just open one bag, use one part number, and make the assembly. That saves them time and money. Being able to request Swagelok to deliver a product in a timely and quick manner is a great savings for us. It takes a burden off our operations.
A lot of our products go into critical applications. They are shutdown valves or ESDs, so if those do not work when they are supposed to, then that station cannot come offline when it is supposed to. If something happens that is an anomaly, they cannot shut everything down, and that can impact not only their station but also flow down the line. When you understand the application where these products are being used—oil and gas pipelines—it is very important. These systems go through neighborhoods, cities, and along interstates. They are everywhere. Swagelok is a credential for many customers. They will specifically call out Swagelok brand components. DTRs, or differential thermal reliefs, are a big part of what we do with the valves, and they have become our go-to on our DTRs. If you use Swagelok as your go-to, we typically have met everybody’s spec. I trust Swagelok because they are the best. I do not have to question whether this will work down the road—in a year, two years, three years, or ten years. We see Swagelok products that come back on our actuators and valves that are still there after 20 years, and they are still holding pressure just fine.
The value of high-quality products, especially in the industries we serve, is that customers do not have to go back and do it again. They do not have to fix what you sell or what you put out there. They do not have downtime to spare. When you put the product out there right the first time, every time, those customers are coming back for sure.
