Saunders Valve Co
of Wolverhampton and of Cwmbran, Newport.
1928 P. K. Saunders invented the diaphragm valve. The valve was manufactured by licensees.
1934 He founded the Saunders Valve Co.
1936 Manufacturing was brought in-house at Wolverhampton; some components were made by outside contractors.
1938 Cwmbran Engineering Co was incorporated; all production was undertaken at Cwmbran. The factory at Wolverhampton was occupied by Franks and Saunders
1940 Advert for diaphragm valves.
1945 Advert for valves.
1947 Private company. Saunders Valve Co (Cwmbran) Ltd was incorporated.
1948 Name changed to Saunders Valve Co Ltd. Company made public. Cwmbran Engineering Co was a subsidiary. Acquired 75 percent of Franks and Saunders, manufacturing Safran centrifugal pumps
By 1955 the Cwmbran factory was making Saunders diaphragm valves, the Hereford factory developed and made components for the aircraft industry and Wolverhampton made centrifugal pumps under the Safran trade mark[1]
1961 Manufacturers of diaphragms, valves, centrifugal pumps and fuel systems for aircraft. 1,800 employees.[2]
1981 Private company.
1982 The Hereford factory closed. Saunders brought assembly of its ball and butterfly valves, until now made at Hereford, to Cwmbran where its diaphragm valves were manufactured. A new firm Sheridan Engineering was started up by former general manager at Hereford, Val Sheridan who wanted to supply Cwmbran with machined components - particularly plugs for ball valves and valve actuator parts.[3]
1988 Acquired by Alfa-Laval Co
1995 Renamed Alfa Laval Saunders Ltd
2001 Acquired by Crane Ltd; name changed to Crane Process Flow Technologies Ltd.
2003 Major fire at the factory
2019 The company had major manufacturing facilities in Cwmbran, Satara (India), Conroe (Texas, USA) and Cincinnati (Ohio, USA)[4]
See Also
Sources of Information
- Mechanical World Year Book 1940. Published by Emmott and Co of Manchester. Advert p99
- Mechanical World Year Book 1945. Published by Emmott and Co of Manchester. Advert p119
- Saunders website [2]
- The Times Jan. 16, 1948