Johnson Valves turns 60

Stuart Robertson, managing director, told

Maritime Journal

the company’s flexibility and willingness to change with the times is what’s enabled it to keep going, along with a “small, yet committed workforce of long-serving personnel”.

Beginning as GJ Johnson & Sons Limited in 1954, the company was initially a supplier of ship’s telegraphs. As that technology was superseded, the company moved into more general engineering supplies and then more specifically valves and fittings, and as the marine industry in Southampton declined, it developed other areas such as steam, process and industrial valves.

But, with the resurgence of the UK marine industry, Johnson Valves has again concentrated more resources in this area.

In addition, Mr Robertson told MJ the company has also been flexible with its supply chain too. “GJ Johnson & Sons was initially devoted to UK sources for all of its products. The UK continues to be important to us but at times it can be expensive.”

As a result, it’s developed strong links with a number of mainly Northern European suppliers and most recently was appointed UK distributor for Scandinavian valve specialist, Meson AB.

Going forward, Mr Robertson said as a small company in a competitive market, it will continue to invest and develop.

Traditionally, the company has supplied manually actuated valves – with hand wheels, levers or gearboxes – and for a number of years, it was keen to develop its own in-house offering of electric, pneumatic and hydraulic actuation. This led to the employment of an in-house specialist in January 2014.

In a move to offer customers an all-encompassing package, Johnson Valves also joined forces with flow control company, Flowserve Limitorque, whose actuators have been used to consistently drive multi-turn and quarter-turn industrial valves and dampers for more than 85 years.

Mr Robertson told MJ Johnson Valves now imports its own ranges of electric and pneumatic actuators that can be supplied, assembled and tested from its UK stock.

“In addition we have been appointed by Flowserve Limitorque to distribute their high end actuator packages. In the last year we have expanded our team of external sales engineers and now offer nationwide coverage,” he concluded.

By Rachael Doyle