Molded Goods
Vernay builds presence in irrigation market
By Brad Dawson
Rubber & Plastics News Staff - "Reprinted with the permission of Rubber & Plastics News"
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YELLOW SPRINGS, Ohio--Vernay Laboratories, Inc. is broadening its presence in the irrigation and sprinkler system market with a new line of elastomeric flow control diaphragms.
The company has a goal of $5 million in annual revenue by 2011 within the pressure compensated drip irrigation market. The branding of its materials and products--under the VernayDrip moniker--is part of its strategy to re-invigorate its presence there, said Joy Brim, Vernay technical market research analyst.
VernayDrip diaphragms are contained in the body or housing for pressure compensated drippers or micro-sprinklers, which use the flow valves to regulate the water discharge and subsequent flow throughout the irrigation matrix, Brim said.
As a result, the pressure and drip rate will be equal along the length of the irrigation line, meaning plants growing at the end of the line will receive the same amount of water and fertilizer as those at the beginning, she said.
The valves are made of proprietary EPDM or silicone-based formulations. When Vernay entered the market more than 30 years ago, valves for pressure compensated drippers primarily were EPDM, and the material performed well under demanding field conditions, Brim said.
Liquid silicone rubber diaphragms emerged in the sector later because of an exclusivity agreement between Vernay and the market leader, preventing competitors from benefiting from the technology, she said. That agreement has expired.
Vernay makes its VernaDrip diaphragms using a proprietary process called strip-cure molding, which provides consistent, well-controlled thickness and strip widths for better fit, she said. Valve widths range from 20 to 120 millimeters and thicknesses from 0.2 to 2 millimeters.
The strip cure technology also improves the materials' physical property characteristics and performance consistency, the Yellow Springs-based company said. The property characteristics include resistance to ammonia-based fertilizers; amine-based insecticides, acids and bases; and typical descaling agents.
Customers typically are manufacturers of pressure compensated drippers or micro-sprinklers for commercial or consumer use, Brim said. They can request standard formulations and shapes, but Vernay does a lot of customized engineering to accommodate different manufacturing processes, dripper requirements and formulation modifications.
Vernay's primary customer target region is Israel, with most of the drip irrigation manufacturers located there and in surrounding areas. The company established its Vernay Israel Ltd. site specifically to service those OEMs.
The firm--whose markets also include the automotive, medical, appliance and office products sectors--is establishing relationships with small manufacturers located in the U.S. and Europe as well. Along with the Israel facility--and to ensure supply continuity--Vernay can serve customers with VernaDrip products from its Milledgeville, Ga. plant, which has strip cure molding capacity and testing capabilities as well.
In addition to the Milledgeville site, Vernay operates another U.S. facility in Griffin, Ga. Overseas, the company has the plant in Israel, two others in the Netherlands and Italy, and a partnership with a rubber company in China. It also expects to have a planned technical support center for the Asia Pacific region in Singapore ready by the seond half of this year.