Make Good Use of Technical Sales Representatives

Technical sales representatives bring outside expertise

Process and control equipment is most often sold with the support of sales engineers working for the local distributor or representative. Realizing what these specialists have to contribute, taking advantage of their knowledge and talent, will help save time and cost, contributing to a better project outcome.

Consider these contributions:

Product Knowledge: Sales engineers, by the nature of their job, are current on new products, their capabilities and their proper application. Unlike information available on the Web, sales engineers get advanced notice of product obsolescence and replacement. Also, because they are exposed to so many different types of applications and situations, sales engineers are a wealth of tacit knowledge that they readily share with their customers.

Experience: As a project engineer, you may be treading on fresh ground regarding some aspects of your current assignment. You may not have a full grasp on how to handle a particular challenge presented by a project. Call in the local sales person - there can be real benefit in connecting to a source with past exposure to your current issue.

Access: Through a technical sales engineer, you may be able to look “behind the scenes” with a particular manufacturer and garner important information not publicly available. Sales reps deal with people, making connections between customers and manufacturer's support personnel that may not normally be public facing. They make it their business to know what’s going on with products, companies, and industries.

Of course, sales engineers will be biased. Any solutions proposed are likely to be based upon the products sold by the representative. But the best sales people will share the virtues of their products openly and honestly, and even admit when they don’t have the right product. This is where the discussion, consideration and evaluation of several solutions become part of achieving the best project outcome.

As an engineer who designs or manufactures a product or process, it's highly recommended you develop a professional, mutually beneficial relationship with a technical sales expert, a problem solve. Look at a relationship with the local sales engineer as symbiotic. Their success, and your success, go hand-in-hand.

Flowserve ValveSight Diagnostic Solution for Control Valves

The video shared this week, from Flowserve, provides an overview of their ValveSight real time online diagnostic solution for use with control valves and associated actuators, positioners and controls. ValveSight enables operators to keep valves in service longer by detecting potential failures before they occur. The system provides a deep level of monitoring and diagnostic functions which are described in the video. Reducing unplanned downtime is a common goal among all facilities and plant operators. Check out the short video, and share your questions about the system with an application specialist.

Smart Control for Steam Boiler Water Level

Maintaining proper water level in a boiler is necessary for safe and efficient operation. Historically, boiler level measurement and control were accomplished with mechanical means. Today, sensor technology, electronics, and software bring improved accuracy and a host of other useful features to the water level control system.

Clark-Reliance, a globally recognized leader in level indication and control, separation and filtration for steam systems, has developed a smart boiler level indication system to enhance boiler operation. The video included below provides an illustrative overview of the system, how it works and the benefits it will bring to a new or retrofit installation.

Share your combustion and steam challenges with experienced specialists, and combine your site and project knowledge with their expertise to deliver an effective solution.

Video of Valtek Packing Subassembly

The Mark One, from the Flowserve brand Valtek, is a globe valve intended for flow control of liquids or gases across a wide range of applications. The valve design provides high positioning accuracy, repeatability and tight shutoff. A wealth of special design and construction features make the Mark One a serious contender for almost any fluid control operation.

Share your control valve and valve automation requirements and challenges with an application specialist, combining your own process knowledge and experience with their product application expertise to develop an effective solution.