On May 10 over 300 industry professionals including Customers and Distributors, attended the inauguration ceremony of the new Crane Saunders Aseptic Valves factory in Satara, India, hosted by Crane Process Flow Technologies India Private Limited and ChemPharma & Energy, Saunders®, businesses of Crane Co. This day-long event included a luncheon and tour of the new plant that is completely dedicated to Saunders® HC4 products.  The factory was inaugurated by Mr. Andrew Powell, the VPGM of Saunders, in presence of Mr. Hari Jinaga, President of Crane India, Mr. Alex Alcala, President of Crane CP&E, and Mr. Mark Youssef, the President of Crane MEA. 

“Crane has maintained operations in India for over 25 years and it’s important to us that we continue to invest in the community and increase the ways in which we provide local support,” said Hari Jinaga, President, Crane India. “The facilities that have been built here in Satara are best-in-class; we’ve installed state of the art machines and software and set up world-class fabrication cells to ensure our products maintain the quality Crane is known for.”

Some of the new features and capabilities of the new site include:

• State of the art 5-Axis CNC Machining Centers providing full capability to produce multi-weir block valve technology
• A new Inspection Station where surface roughness, dimensional and borescopy controls ensure adherence to global standards
• A new Fabrication Cell using both automated (Orbital) and manual (TIG) certified welding processes, WPS (Welding Procedure Specification ) and PQR (Procedure Qualification Record), as well as ASME Section 9 Qualified Welders
• Washing & Laser Marking cells for better cleaning capabilities and permanent serial valve marking for lifelong traceability of every valve
• Separate Assembly cells for 2-way valve assembly and block valve assembly in a controlled atmosphere to ensure maximum cleanliness during production
• Foam Packing cell with advanced machinery to ensure consistent and quality packing and eliminate transit damage to the product
• Material Replenishment System for improved parts inventory management further supporting the reduction of lead times for all aseptic valve products

Earlier that same day, the guests joined Mr. Jinaga, as well as Alex Alcala and Mark Youssef, among other members of the company’s leadership, for a ground-breaking ceremony of the Crane-sponsored Maher Home for Disadvantaged Children.

“In partnership with local NGO Maher, Crane is pleased to be a part of this initiative through the purchase support of the land and construction of the hostel at Satara that will become a safe-haven for 50 local children,” said Hari Jinaga.

In addition to presenting a donation to the Maher Trust during the event, Crane also presented other donations to the Lila Poonawala and Satara Rehabilitation charitable trusts, all located in India.