The competition in global valve manufacturing enterprises is sharp. There is no monopoly till now. West European valve manufacturing enterprises, e.g. Germany, the U.K. and France make up 40% global market share while the production and export of valves in Asia-Pacific region mainly concentrate in India, China and Japan. Valve products made in Japan are mainly high-end while those made in India and China are low-end. 

 

To survive in the global competition and reduce the cost, many world famous valve manufacturers transfer their factories from North America, Europe and Japan to China, India, Korea and Middle Europe. 

 

Presently, China valve industry can provide about 12 categories with over 3,000 models of products in over 4,000 specifications. The parameter performance ranges from vacuum valve to ultra high pressure valve in 600Mpa and the temperature ranges from low -196℃ to high 570 ℃. Major products can basically satisfy the domestic market demand. With the improvement in complete set ratio, complete set level and ability, the industry has founded a base. 

 

Since China's reform and opening-up, China valve industry has fast developed to be the largest manufacturer in the globe. In 2012, the output volume of valves in China reached 7.213 million tons. The CAGR of the output volume in 2002-2012 is 25.2%. In 2012, the gross output value of the industry exceeded CNY 210 billion. In 2012, there are over 1500 state-owned valve enterprises with annual sales revenue of CNY 20 million (about USD 3.2 million). Meanwhile, there are thousands of small-scale enterprises and household workshops. 

 

Currently, about 50% of global valve parts are purchased from China. China has been the largest exporter of valves. 

Global purchase of petroleum equipment drives Chinese valve devices to the overseas market. Price advantage is one major factor attracting foreign buyers; besides, the delivery advantage is another factor. For instance, the delivery of Chinese valves is about 6 to 8 weeks while that of European valves is as long as 6 to 24 weeks. Chinese factories can further shorten the delivery. 

 

In China, some ordinary valve product market has been saturated, which hinder the development of medium to small scale enterprises. Even for those products with high technology contents, the competition in the global market is also fierce. Heat valve, environment protection valve, building valve, etc. can be found on China market. 

 

However, the products are still on low-end level. The industry concentration rate of China valve market is still low. Qualities of different products are not the same. The overall technology level of China valve industry still lag behind that of developed countries'. Domestic enterprises lack independent intellectual property rights and core technology, which leads failure in global high-end market. High-end demand is satisfied by import. In 2012, the import value of valves in China exceeded USD 6 billion. 

 

With the economic development, demand for valves in China is still growing. On the whole, the prospect of China valve industry is good. 

 

In the next 2-3 years, China may exceed the U.S.A. to be the largest valve market in the world. Although the labor cost is increasing and core technical talents is scarce, the large market potential provides opportunities for foreign capitals in China valve market.