Barksdale Control Products
For more than 65 years, Barksdale Control Products has worked closely with customers as a technology-driven, market-focused company. An ISO 9001-registered manufacturer of controls for industrial applications, the company specializes in the control and measurement of fluids.
Barksdale has a long-standing, positive reputation in the oil and gas business. The company has developed tried-and-true products in the valves and instrumentation segment, which Barksdale says are widely viewed as the best valve and instrumentation products in the industry.
The company is perhaps best known for its patented Shear-Seal® design control valve, which has been around since 1949. Shear-Seal® valves are known for zero leakage and robust durability.
“We have strong engineering abilities and routinely design new products that meet customer requirements,” Vice President for Oil and Gas Harold Moody says.
“We are international, with facilities in the U.S., Germany, China and India, and we have a global sales footprint,” Moody adds.
Industry Leaders
It is widely known that the oil and gas industry is in a positive economic cycle. This is good news for a company like Barksdale, which is heavily involved in the industry.
Blowout prevention is one area in particular where the company’s products are extensively used.
“We have a leading position with products in that area and work with some of the leading players in the industry,” Moody says.
“To help deal with the ups and downs in the industry, many of our products can be used in other applications,” he says. “We are a subsidiary of Crane Co. and with their financial backing we can support their operations. We can be flexible in terms of manufacturing and ramp up or scale down production when needed. Our primary objective is to meet requirements for customers and align our business with customer needs.”
The voice of the customer plays an important role in Barksdale’s product development initiatives. The company interviews them formally and informally to understand their pain points, which drives the company’s direction from a product development perspective.
Barksdale looks for ways where it can differentiate itself and create sustainable advantages, such as through patents, which gives the company some protection in the market and uniqueness in terms of what its products can do.
“We follow a formal product-development process,” Moody says. “It is stage gate process from ideation to business case, engineering, product launch and post-monitoring. Each stage has formal sign-offs before moving to the next stage.”
Over the past year, Barksdale has launched several new products, most of them focused on the land-based side of the oil and gas market. The company has also been investing in its facilities.
“We have a customer-ready facility, where they can show up at any time and visit the production floor,” Moody says. “They will see a best-in-class business, as we continue investing in our tools, facilities and employees.”
On the Move
Looking to the future, Barksdale is focused on everything from supplier relationships and corporate responsibility to growth and market conditions. As a responsible company, Barksdale and its parent Crane Co. are committed to going above and beyond all safety and environmental regulations.
On the supplier side, the company treats suppliers as partners and has a robust onboarding process. Barksdale visits with suppliers regularly to be sure they are compatible, and to make sure their business relationship is sustainable on domestic and international levels.
“We evaluate all of our suppliers based on different metrics, making sure we’re on the same page and finding improvements we can make to be sure we are on track,” Moody explains.
As for growth and market trends, Barksdale believes there continue to be growth opportunities in the oil and gas industry. In fact, several years ago Barksdale merged with another Crane company that makes instrumentation in the midstream oil and gas sector, and the companies are now partnering together in order to provide an expanded solution for shared customers.
“We supply a series of valves, pressure transducers, as well as switches and level indicating products, catering to the accumulator skid that controls the main BOP stack on the wellhead,” Moody says.
In all of its operations, Barksdale is very much focused on growth. “Our parent company has challenged us to grow our business, and they have provided the funding for us to do so,” Moody says.
“We are focused on improving our window to the market, understanding customers’ needs and bringing new solutions to market that our customers tell us they want,” he adds.