Weir Valves & Controls USA (WVC USA) has completed the purchase of a new building to house its nuclear valve engineering and manufacturing centre. Located in Ipswich, Massachusetts, USA, the location is near WVC USA’s present headquarters in Salem Massachusetts. The facility is dedicated to the production of valves for use in the nuclear power industry. The move is made to increase production capacity to meet the expected surge in orders for new nuclear power plants. The facility is 3 years old and previously served as the World headquarters for Kortec Inc. a manufacturer of systems for injection molding. Construction work to prepare the building for Weir’s large and specialized machine tools will begin immediately. The new plant is being arranged to maximize the benefits of LEAN manufacturing principles. LEAN will result in reduced costs, shorter production cycles and more consistent quality. Weir is preparing for the extensive qualification testing which will be required to demonstrate that the products can function properly for the 60yr design life of the next generation of nuclear power plants.
