Sherwood Valve components are among the most popular pieces in the Chemtech product range. Delivering reliable performance and high-quality results to users across various industries, these valves make a real difference daily. But how did we get here?
In this article, we’ll look at the Sherwood Valve journey – the evolution of a collection of early American industrial pioneers into a modern and forward-thinking organization. Read on to discover more.
The Early Decades of Sherwood Valve
Sherwood Valve has a history spanning three centuries. It began at the end of the 19th and is still going strong in the 21st.
Its story traces back to the Hill Clutch Company, founded in 1886. It became the Hill Clutch Machine and Foundry Company in 1906, producing a range of components for an increasingly industrialized society.
Industrial valves were still in their infancy during these early and formative stages. Industrial valve components weren’t produced in the northeastern United States until the Aluminum and Brass Company began manufacturing its own valve products at its Lockport, New York, site in 1923. This opened the door to huge advances in industrial capability.
A decade later, in 1934, Hill Clutch and Machine produced the first hydraulic grinder in the United States market, utilizing the valves manufactured by Aluminum and Brass to support the machine’s hydraulic system.
Four years after this important breakthrough, two brothers founded the Deutsch Company, which worked on several innovations. One of these became the nation’s first viable industrial LPG valve. This valve was released by the Deustch Company subsidiary American Screw Products in 1940.
This history of innovation formed the bedrock for what Sherwood Valve would become. By developing through several mergers and joint operations, it became the only fully integrated valve manufacturer in the country – a status that Sherwood Valve still holds to this day.
The Development of Sherwood Valve Through the Second World War and Beyond
Industrial production went into overdrive when the United States entered the Second World War at the end of 1941. The growing family of companies that would eventually become Sherwood Valve was making significant contributions to the war effort. It developed bulk-head fittings and brass swivels for the U.S. Navy, designing them for deployment in tough conditions at sea.
At this same time, another gas valve manufacturer provided industrial gas valves to the American armed forces: Superior Valve. The company would eventually become part of the Sherwood Valve family several decades later.
After the war, this collection of companies went from strength to strength, eventually coalescing into the Sherwood Valve organization we know today. In 1951, Deutsch Company acquired Selwyn Pacific. It deployed this new asset alongside its own American Screw products division and strengthened its design, assembly, and marketing operations.
The two companies eventually merged, becoming Deutsch-Selpac in 1962 and catching the attention of the Aluminum and Brass Company. Aluminum and Brass took Deutsch-Selpac over the following year, renaming the organization Sherwood-Selpac.
Around this time, Aluminum and Brass was developing a new technology at its Lockport, New York, headquarters. This was SCUBA valve and regulator technology, which would become a key part of the Sherwood product range in the future.
Sherwood, Hill Acme, and Harsco
By 1968, Hill Clutch and Machine operated under a different name: Hill Acme Company. During this year, it bought the Sherwood-Selpac organization from the Aluminum and Brass Company, completing the union of those early American industrial pioneers within the history of Sherwood.
Hill Acme continued to operate Sherwood-Selpac until a buyout in 1986. In 1980, Shermet Inc. joined Sherwood-Selpac, producing continuous brass rod castings and forgings from its plant in Cleveland, Ohio.
The 1986 buyout brought Sherwood-Selpac and Shermet Inc., along with other Hill Acme properties, under the Harsco Corporation umbrella. Harsco operated out of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, beginning Sherwood Valve’s decades-long association with the Keystone State.
As part of Harsco, Sherwood merged with Taylor Wharton, forming the Harsco Gas and Fluid Control organization in 1995. Three years later, Sherwood acquired Superior Valve Company, cementing its position at the forefront of the American valve market. Eventually, in 2007, Wind Point Partners purchased Harsco Gas and Fluid Control Group, creating Taylor Wharton International.
Sherwood Valve Today
In June of 2015, Mueller Industries – a leading copper, brass, and aluminum works with a $2.3 billion valuation – came forward with a bid to acquire Sherwood Valve. The bid was successful, and Mueller has remained committed to developing Sherwood’s unique product offerings for an evolving global market. While Mueller is headquartered in Tennessee, Sherwood has retained its Pennsylvania base in Pittsburgh.
The need for high-quality, innovative valve products is greater than ever before. Industries across the country and beyond still rely on valves for hydraulic mechanisms, fuel delivery, and other applications.
Healthcare and scientific research facilities need specialized gases delivered via their own system of valves and connections. The SCUBA market – now over half a century old – is still growing, and robust, reliable valve components are at the very core of this field. And the emergence of alternative fuel and cryogenic industries is also driving the valve market forwards. Sherwood Valve is at the forefront of component design and manufacture in these fields.
Find Sherwood’s Valve Products in Our Range
Here at Chemtech, we want to make sure our users have the products they need to get the job done in the right way. This means providing a range that encompasses a wide variety of different industrial applications and use cases.
Sherwood Valves are one of the cornerstones of our range, and we offer industrial, medical, and specialized gas valves from this venerable organization.
To discover more, take a look at our Chemtech product pages. You can also reach out to our team directly if you need any further assistance or guidance.