Important Changes to the Structure of Alco Valves Group

Following Alco Valves’ change of ownership in July 2020, we have been making great strides in growing the business, and we see many exciting opportunities for our industry on the horizon. We want to thank you for continuing to work with us, and we are looking forward to seeing what the new year brings (in spite of the pandemic!).

We have some important changes to report. Alco Valves was founded in 1977, and until 2014 (when Graco Inc. acquired the company), Alco was owned and operated by entrepreneurs. In retrospect, we feel that some of the entrepreneurial spirit and dynamism that the previous owners infused into Alco was lost following the sale in 2014. Under Arkle’s stewardship, we are reenergising the business, and this includes reverting certain decisions that overlooked the wisdom of the previous owners.

Those who have worked with us for a number of years may recall that prior to Graco’s purchase of Alco, we operated through multiple, separate companies, with each company serving a different product type. This structure enabled us to oversee each business unit separately, which helped us to manage our customer and supplier relationships with the greatest attention.

Therefore, our plan is to return Alco to its roots. To this end, we have set up two new companies.

Alco Valves Limited has been set up to supply Instrumentation valves to markets worldwide and have a range of “Ready to Go” (RTG) available directly from stock.

Alco Hi-Tek Limited will supply high performance Double Block and Bleed (DBB), DBB mono-flanges and Sampling and Injection valves worldwide for both Topside and Subsea applications.

A nimbler structure will support our endeavours to revitalise the business and allocate our resources in an efficient manner, especially as we work to establish new business relationships globally.

Therefore, with effect from 2^nd January 2022, all new customer orders should be placed with either Alco Valves or Alco Hi-Tek – depending on product type. If you are in any doubt, please feel free to contact your regular Alco sales contact for help or clarification.

Please note that all orders placed before 2^nd January 2022 are unaffected. These will be satisfied by Alco Valves Group Limited.

Similarly, the two new companies will commence purchasing independently with effect from 2^nd January 2022. We appreciate that this will require collaboration from our supply chain partners to set up new accounts. We will liaise on a one-to-one basis to arrange these facilities in the coming weeks.

The formation of these two new companies complements our more entrepreneurial approach, in which we are discarding with the conventional temptation to centralise things, and instead becoming more strategic and stakeholder focused.

 

Other important changes we have already implemented include:

1. Refocusing the company and its strategy on its core products and capabilities.
2. Recruiting and promoting new and existing talent to help us grow the business.
3. Moving to new, more appropriate facilities located at Armytage Road Industrial Estate.
4. Acquiring Sabre Instrument Valves in March 2021.
5. Making headway in new markets and opportunities, including the renewable energy sector.

We are also currently working on a new website that will unveil a rebranding of our Sabre division.

Our planned company structure change has served Alco very well in the past, and we are confident that it will do so into the future. Having already made great strides with the business since the sale in 2020, we look forward to continuing working with you into the new year.

Should you have any questions, please reach out to your usual contacts in Accounts, Sales, or Purchasing, who will be available to support you and answer any queries you may have.

Thank you for your time.