Victaulic celebrates a century of innovation - 100 years since it was granted its first industry patent for mechanical pipe joining solutions.
On its Centennial ‘Innoversary’, the company continues to develop and patent ground-breaking technologies, with a current portfolio of more than 2,000 patented solutions that transform the building and industrial construction industries, while driving new industry standards in performance and safety.
The Victaulic coupling
On April 4, in 1919, Lieutenant Ernest Tribe filed the first patent for The Victory Joint, the first mechanical bolted coupling to join grooved pipe ends. Now known as the Victaulic coupling, the invention enabled critical piping infrastructure to be installed more quickly, safely and cost effectively than traditional methods. While first devised for military applications, the coupling went on to revolutionize the construction industry.
“For 100 years, Victaulic’s reputation has been built on customer collaboration, delivering new technologies that enable productivity, and reducing risk across the construction lifecycle,” said Victaulic’s Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, John F. Malloy.
Centennial ‘Innoversary’
One billion Victaulic solutions have been installed worldwide in some of the world’s most iconic construction projects
John adds, “Our Centennial ‘Innoversary’ is not only an opportunity to look back on our achievements, it’s also great motivation to make our next century even more valuable for our customers and rewarding for our employees.”
As of now, one billion Victaulic solutions have been installed worldwide in some of the world’s most important, iconic and ground-breaking construction projects, including the Hoover Dam, Eiffel Tower, Beijing Olympic Stadium, Petronas Towers and Hudson Yards. The company’s 4,000 employees are spread among 37 branches, 13 manufacturing facilities and five foundries around the world.
Diverse application solutions
They proudly serve customers in 120 countries, with a variety of application solutions across diverse industries, such as commercial buildings, oil, gas and chemical facilities, power generation facilities, mining operations, and municipal and clean water operations.
Victaulic has been part of Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley business community for almost 40 years, having first been headquartered in New York City. Victaulic’s ‘Innoversary’ coincides with current expansions and investments that will add close to one million square feet to Victaulic’s manufacturing operations, expanding manufacturing capacity to serve customers around the globe.
Lehigh Valley manufacturing facility
Set to open in 2020, the new, state-of-the-art manufacturing center in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania, a 400,000 square-foot facility, is the result of increased domestic demand for the company’s products and their desire to manufacture its products in close proximity to its customers. Additional global expansions include the company’s facilities in Dalian, China; Drezdenko, Poland and Ontario, Canada.
Our next 100 years will include more customer-centric innovation, as technology grows more rapidly"
“Our next 100 years will include more customer-centric innovation, as technology grows more rapidly than ever before and we continue to make strategic R&D investments,” said John Malloy, adding “Our company is an exceptional place to work because of the dedication of our employees and a shared passion for customer excellence across the entire global Victaulic family.”
Multiple industry awards winner
Victaulic’s commitment to excellence has been recognized with more than 100 industry awards, including product-of-the-year awards and top facility awards, as well as ‘Best Plant’ by Industry Week and ‘Top Plant’ by Plant Engineering. Other recent awards include:
- OSHA VPP Star Certification
- EH&S Today - America’s Safest Companies
- Five-time winner of the ‘Morning Call Top Workplace’ Award
- Lehigh Valley Business - Corporate Citizen of the Year
- Maritime News 100 Awards – Top 100 Leaders & Innovators
- Marshal Office of Lubusz Province - Economic Development Award (Poland)
- United Way Campaign Achievement Awards
As a nod to its one billion installed solutions, Victaulic invites its social media followers to see, snap and share their personal findings of products on their social media channels, using the hashtag - #iSpyVic. Images identified with a geotag or location may be added to the company’s ‘Mapping Success’ section of its celebratory 100 Years of Innovation website. Victaulic will celebrate its centennial throughout 2019.