Australian Water Management Review Vol. 1 2014 | Page 166

Maric celebrates 50 years with export growth Global miners are among an increasingly impressive client list for a niche Adelaide manufacturer which is celebrating its 50th birthday with record sales and exports. While many small manufacturers struggle to get their products offshore, Maric Flow Control is tapping into growing world demand for its hand-crafted water valve technology. From its idyllic creek setting in the Adelaide foothills, the family-owned business has become a highly specialised producer of control valves which provide constant, predetermined flow rates regardless of water pressure. Maric is a key supplier to various industries, particularly mining, water utilities, water treatment, pumping and irrigation. Aluminium producers in Australia and the US, including Alcoa World Alumina, are among the company’s biggest customers. Over the past three years Maric has recorded a 32% increase in exports which now account for 40% of total sales. Overall turnover has surged 11% in the first four months of 2013-14. Director Grant Schroeder said recent investment in new production equipment is helping the business keep up with its expanding order book. But it is the company’s ability to tailor high-quality, long-life valves to meet very specific customer requirements that is a key point of difference – and that’s achieved by hand. “The fact that we can deliver thousands of different configurations involving different valve materials, body specifications, flow rates and pressure ranges is unique in the marketplace,” Schroeder said. “It’s why we’re now regarded as a leading manufacturer and supplier of flow control valves internationally.” The original Maric flow control valve was developed by Schroeder’s father Eric, who established the business in 1963 manufacturing instantaneous electric water heaters for the domestic market. To improve the heater he needed a valve that could deliver a constant flow of water despite fluctuating water pressures. The only valve available was produced in the US and cost half the price of the heater – so he studied rubber chemistry and set about designing his own valve. Like all great inventions the solution was relatively simple – a precision-moulded rubber control ring that varies in diameter depending on the pressure. “The Maric Valve was born and because of its water saving capability my father soon realised it had other applications far beyond water heaters,” Schroeder said. Grant Schroeder joined the business in 1987 and invested in machinery upgrades and more concerted marketing. “Eventually the valves became our major product and we’ve now reached the stage where we produce very few heaters,” he said. 160 | Australian water man age m e nt re v ie w “New applications for the valves have prompted various adaptations to suit different environments and recently we patented a non-return feature for use in the mining sector.” The company is also using some of the latest highpressure rubber compounds, and titanium and super duplex stainless steel bodies, so that the valves can be used in more aggressive industrial environments involving high pressures, high temperatures and corrosive water environments. Maric’s export markets include Europe, the UK, the US, South America, New Zealand, South Africa, the Middle East, Scandinavia and China. Further information: Grant Schroeder, tel. [phone] or email [email protected] www.maric.com.au