ValveValveWorldWorldVolume 10, Issue 7, October 2005

Cover Story

www.valve-world.net Power Generation

Special

Bernard stakes itsclaim as a global player

Bernard stakes itsclaim as a global player

Five Minutes With...

Mr Bill Patrick, Dow p25

Power Generation

“Thermal-Binding research“ p27

Geothermal Power in NZ p72

Column

What costs counterfeiting? p57

Oil & Gas

Interview with RasGas p58

01_Cover 16-09-2005 12:46 Pagina 1

20 Valve��World OCTOBER 2005 www.valve-world.net

Revisiting Bernard after a five-year absence,

this editor was curious to see if the goals of

growth that Bernard had set for themselves

had been reached. The answer is a

resounding yes. As the president of the

company, Mr Etienne Bernard, explained in a

frank interview: “We have

transformed an internationally

exporting company into a

global group serving the

actuator market throughout

the world”.

By David Sear

COVER STORY

There is a saying in business that stand-ing still is the same as going back-

wards.This certainly cannot be applied toBernard, the well-known manufacturer ofelectric actuators, which has been imple-menting carefully orchestrated growthplans for a number of years. Having devel-oped from a family business to an interna-tional company by the turn of the century,Bernard has continued to grow withturnover up by a massive 50% since theyear 2000. “There is no magic secret be-hind our success,” opens Mr Bernard. “Allwe do is understand and then fulfil cus-tomers' expectations.We create and man-ufacture products that people will want touse.Today, Bernard is a group comprisingeight separate companies, providingworldwide reach.Wherever the market,we are one step ahead of the business.”These eight companies, comprising bothmanufacturing and sales, provide globalcoverage for Bernard's key markets: waterand environment, oil and gas, power gen-eration, and industrial applications andshipbuilding. Mr Bernard: “Whatever the

cus-tomer'sneeds, we havean electric actuator to suit. Be it a stan-dard or a special, with ATEX certificationor according to NEMA standards, for usein artic climates or the desert, we makerugged items that are built to last.”

Investing in EuropePicking up the story, Industrial DirectorMr Hervé Leroy indicates that a strengthunderpinning Bernard's growth is un-doubtedly its focus on product competi-tiveness. Explaining, he says this meansensuring products have the right blend offeatures, price and delivery times. “Thatcalls for on-going investments in all areas.Recently, for example, we have roundedout our flagship Intelli+ range whilst thecapacity of our engineering team has beenenhanced with new staff and highly ad-vanced design software. Changes have alsobeen implemented in production: machin-ing is now concentrated in our plant inGrandvilliers, France, whilst the factory in

100% service dutyBernard actuatormounted on A DN900modulating valve.

Photo Courtesy MetsoAutomation, division Field

Systems.

Gonesse, close to Paris, takescare of assembly and testing.As

one result, we have shaved manu-facturing times for specials from twelve toaround eight weeks.”Bernard is also making carefully consid-ered use of outsourcing opportunities.“We ensure we retain complete controlover actuator design and quality, focusingfor example on machining where we canadd value,” says Mr Leroy. Giving an ex-ample, he notes that the internals of theelectric motors are designed in-house, butthen outsourced to a low cost volumemanufacturer. However, Bernard retainssome winding capability in-house, to en-sure fast deliveries where engineered spe-cials are required.Assembly workshops have also been estab-lished in the USA and China. Mr Fichten-berg, Sales and Marketing Director: “Thisis an increasingly global market so we haveboosted our facility in Houston to betterserve customers in North and MiddleAmerica.The recently inaugurated Beijingoffice now boasts an assembly facility that

Bernard stakes its claim a

20_bernard 20-09-2005 15:33 Pagina 20

www.valve-world.net OCTOBER 2005 Valve��World 21

runs to the same high standards as the onein France.Whilst each facility is geared tothe needs of the local market, they can allpull together to when extra capacity is re-quired for large orders.”One area of investment that may come asa surprise is the level of expenditure inFrance.The Gonesse plant, for examplewill soon be expanded even further. Inreply, Sales Manager Europe Mr ThierryToulza comments: “We certainly don't be-lieve that Western Europe is finished as amanufacturing base. Nor is it a market indecline regarding sales. Of course youwon´t find any plans for world-scale re-fineries, but there are opportunities if youare prepared to look for them. In France,for example, the construction, heating andventilation sectors are flourishing, whilstenvironmental applications are big in Ger-many. On a larger scale, gas pipelines andpower plants are also being built acrossEurope, including some nuclear facilitiesin Finland and France.These are all veryinteresting to us.”Another group of Euro-pean clients include the engineering com-

panies and valvemakers. Mr Toulza: “With-out doubt, many of the world's projectsare still financed or engineered from theWest, so we receive plenty of orders fromsay valvemakers in Italy and Spain. Inmany cases, our actuators are then re-ex-ported as parts of larger packages.”

PersuasiveAlthough Western Europe continues tooffer growth potential, Bernard's man-agers expect sales here will be eclipsed inabsolute terms by regions such as SouthAmerica and Asia. Reflecting this potentialand its own growing stature as a worldplayer, Bernard recently created four keysales areas around the globe.These giveend users even more direct access toBernard's products and expertise. Respon-sible for the Middle East is Regional Man-ager Mr Gerry Cleverley. “The MiddleEast is a much more varied market thanyou might imagine. Certainly there is astrong oil and gas sector, but there is also aflourishing construction industry, for ex-ample, as well as desalination projects.

Bernard has the scope of product to meetsuch varied needs. Moreover, we carrystocks here to meet those clients requiringquick turnover, and we know we can relyon our flexible manufacturing chain toservice world-scale projects.”Confirming that actuators are not itemsthat can be sold from a catalogue, MrCleverley says he spends much time work-ing to train sales staff as well as all distrib-utors and agents. “Our focus is to teachthem what to sell, not how to sell.Anoth-er aspect of my job is training local servicecompanies to install, commission andmaintain our actuators. In fact, their solidperformance over the long term is oftenthe most persuasive form of selling thatthere is,” he comments.

Projects worldwideGetting close to customers and under-standing their needs is the real key tobeing successful, according to MarketingManager Mr Fabien Lemaître.That's whyhe is especially happy Bernard's networksin the Middle East and elsewhere are shap-

�

By including data loggingcapabilities in its first generation ofintelligent actuators, Bernard was atthe forefront of automatedmaintenance.

Thanks to the clever design, Bernard's fail-safe electric actuators are nowused world-wide for oil & gas safety applications.

COVER STORY

m as a global player

Bernard's recently inauguratedBeijing office now boasts anassembly facility that runs to thesame high standards as the onein France. Sales and MarketingDirector Mr Fichtenberg notesthat whilst each facility is gearedto the needs of the local market,they can all pull together towhen extra capacity is requiredfor large orders.

20_bernard 20-09-2005 15:33 Pagina 21

ing up nicely. Giving some examples of re-cent projects served, he points to the400(!) actuators supplied to a geothermalplant in Russia. “These actuators had to besuited to modulating service at Kamchat-ka.Another complication was the highlevel of hydrogen sulphide in the atmos-phere, so the components used in the ac-tuator needed to be manufactured inadapted materials to avoid excessive cor-rosion.With our skills, it was relativelystraightforward to come up with alterna-tive materials.”Another demanding sector includes LNGtankers. In fact, Bernard has long been afirm supplier to global LNG fleets.Aselectrical equipment is not permitted ondeck, the company successfully utilisedpneumatic and hydraulic systems to pro-vide motive power. Mr Lemaître: “Our ac-tuators are used in areas such as the load-ing and unloading of LNG tankers.We'vebeen doing this since the seventies and thisis still a booming market. It's nice to seethat as many first-generation tankers re-quire refurbishing, the owners call on us

to fit them out with the latest generationtechnology.They have seen we make prod-ucts to last, with special coatings designedto withstand the harsh marine environ-ment. Moreover, we help accommodatethe short delivery times. In fact, one ofour people recently spent several weekson board two tankers, commissioning ac-tuators whilst they sailed on their shuttleruns.”Mr Toulza contributes a project examplefrom the Libyan desert where robustnessand reliability are definitely in demand.Here, some 1400 Bernard actuators havebeen installed on water-well skids. “This isactually aggressive water, requiring resin-lined butterfly and globe valves for protec-tion. Despite the harsh environment, I'mpleased to say we have only been calledback once since the project was complet-ed - and that was to train additional staffhow to use our actuators.”Mr Lemaître continues by saying that inmany cases the actuators are not sold as'stand alone' items. “Bernard is seen as anexpert in areas such as control systems

www.valve-world.net22 Valve��World OCTOBER 2005

COVER STORY

Bernard regularly welcomesinternational visitors to itsheadquarters at Gonesse, keen to learnmore about how actuators can enhanceplant operations.

and in providing interfaces, linking thevalve to the plants process systems. Re-cently, for example, we worked closelywith a valvemaker and the end user toprovide a turn-key system based aroundquite a special valve.”The valve in questionwas a DN900 ball valve, fitted with anti-cavitation trim, and required for modulat-ing service.The actuator had to have a100% duty rating given the long operatingtimes between the fully open and the fullyclosed positions. “This was a challengingapplication, also on account of the highlevel of precision specified and the re-quired torque of 150,000 Nm.This againhighlights one of Bernard´s strengths.Whatever the client's needs, we are thereto help him out,” concludes Mr Lemaître.

Fit and forgetAs Bernard has so much expertise inhouse, it is a natural to question to ask MrBernard what technology clients want tosee in an actuator. “To be honest, clientssimply want to get a reliable and long last-ing product, simple to install and set up.

20_bernard 20-09-2005 15:33 Pagina 22

www.valve-world.net OCTOBER 2005 Valve��World 23

COVER STORY

quickly to market changes, some shareshave been sold to a European bank.Thisinstitution fully supports our plans, so fi-nance is readily available. For example, ifthe right opportunity arose, I would notrule out an acquisition to gain marketshare.”Bernard's aim is to double turnover, con-cludes Mr Bernard: “Today, we are perhapsnumber four in global terms. I want to bein the top three soon. Customer relationsare the key to that. Our customers tell usthey value our manufacturing and applica-tions expertise.They also know that actua-tors with a Bernard name tag give goodreturns over the lifetime of the product.And we will continue to innovate: for ex-ample, there are areas in commissioningwhere we believe we can save significantsums for our customers. So whether theyneed standard or intelligent solutions,commodity or engineered actuators, smallvolumes or bulk orders, customers canrely on Bernard as their reliable, long-term and global actuation partner.”

�

Following investments at its assembly and testingplant at Gonesse (close to Paris) Bernard has shavedmanufacturing times for specials from twelve toaround eight weeks. Mr Bernards confirms thatfurther investments are planned, in part to supportBernard's strong sales in Europe.

FACTS FIGURES&Name: L.Bernard SA

Headquarters: Gonesse, France (Paris area)

Manufacturing sites: Europe: Gonesse and Grandvilliers (France)Americas: Houston (USA)Asia: Beijing (China)

Distribution: Subsidiaries and offices in Belgium, China, Germany, Italy,Japan, Netherlands, Spain, Thailand, UAE, USA.Distributors in over 30 countries

Products: Electric actuators (quarter-turn, multi-turn, modulating,failsafe, intelligent controls, fieldbus connection, additionalgearboxes)

Quality certifications: ISO9001-2000, CSA, GOST-R, GGTN, CE, NEMA, ATEX,Germanischer Lloyd, ABS, IEEE, RCC-E, …

Main applications: Thermal & nuclear power, oil & gas, water treatment,industry automation, shipbuilding.

Main clients: End users, engineering companies, valve manufacturers,systems integrators

Sales: EUR 30 million in 2004

Employees: 220

Website: www.bernard-actuators.com

New products for the building automationBernard has launched a new range of small

quarter-turn actuators for use in the HVAC,

greenhouses and equivalent applications. The

products' technical specifications are in line

with the expectations of this market and the

quality of the design reflects Bernard's long

experience and capacity to innovate.

plug & play :

-integrated electronic control

-torque limiter

-self-locking final gear

-adjustable mechanical end stops

-torque protected manual override

However, more and more users realise theoperational advantages of using data whichcan be retrieved from the actuator to im-prove preventative maintenance for theirvalves. Industrial users are also looking fora supplier who will think along with themduring the specification stage, providecommunication interfaces adapted to theirsystems and be on hand should service be-come necessary.”Bernard clearly has all the elements inplace to meet these needs, says MrBernard. “We have the right product, weunderstand our customers and we are def-initely committed to growing our share ofthe electric actuator market.That's whereour core competence lies, so there are noplans right now to diversify into say hy-draulic or pneumatic lines.”As a prelude to further growth, Bernardhas recently appointed an internationallyexperienced Financial Director, Mr Jean-Marc Lignères.Ties have also been soughtwith financial backers. Mr Lignères:“Whilst the Bernard family retains majori-ty ownership, which enables us to respond

20_bernard 20-09-2005 15:33 Pagina 23