On Thursday, NASA canceled the inaugural test flight for their new Orion spacecraft, which they hope will eventually produce manned missions to Mars, after fill and drain valve issues prior to the launch. Now delayed until Friday morning, the Orion will take-off while attached to a Delta IV Heavy rocket.

Cycling the fill and drain valves showed that the core booster valve for the hydrogen tank was not showing as it should for launch. While these issues are considered minor, they could not be resolved before the launch window closed, just before 10 a.m. Thursday morning.

GE Oil & Gas plans to invest $60 million in expanding and modernizing its foundry operations in Lufkin, TX. GE plans to demolish 30,000 square feet of its existing 515,000-square-foot facility and construct 72,000 square feet of new buildings. The company also plans to refurbish the remaining facilities at the site in Angelina County.

The facility upgrades will create a simplified production process flow, improve employee working conditions and improve quality and delivery schedules for customers.

Design work for the project is expected to begin in 2014. As currently proposed and pending government approvals and permits, construction would be carried out in four phases commencing in 2016. Under that schedule, construction is expected to be complete in about three years.

In 2013, GE announced it completed its acquisition of Lufkin Industries for approximately $3.3 billion. 

Metso will supply several thousand valves with accessories and spare parts for PT OKI Pulp & Paper Mills, located in Southern Sumatra, Indonesia. The order is Metso's largest ever flow control products delivery for a pulp and paper industry customer. When commissioned during 2016, the new plant will be the biggest single pulp plant in the world.

The order is booked to Metso's fourth quarter 2014 orders received. Terms have not been disclosed.

ValvTechnologies, Inc. has expanded the company’s existing in-house welding capabilities by adding six new machines dedicated to the welding process including an Arc-5 cladding machine and five Fronius cladders.

In addition, ValvTechnologies expanded their existing in-house coating capabilities by purchasing two additional robotically integrated spray booths.

“This was a long-term goal for our company,” Production Manager Chris Jones said about the HVOF coating process. “We can share this cost reduction with the end-user, which allows us to lower prices while improving quality.”

Anvil International LLC, a subsidiary of Mueller Water Products, Inc., has opened a distribution center in Orlando, FL.

The 41,000 square-foot distribution center services the Florida, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina wholesale pipes, valves and fittings (PVF) market and carries products for the fire protection, mechanical, plumbing, HVAC and PVF markets.

The distribution center is located in Orlando's first industrial smart park and features pre-wired IT systems, including business Ethernet services, security services, voice and data solutions, enabling Anvil to more efficiently serve its customers.

The distribution center is located at 236 Outlook Point Drive in Orlando and is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

"We are excited to open the new distribution center in Orlando. The center has a strong alignment to our end markets and our customers' needs," stated Brandon Gunnell, director of marketing.