Grinnell Mechanical Products

Last updated
Grinnell Mechanical Products
TypeTyco International
IndustryMechanical, HVAC, Commercial, Mining, Institutional and Industrial
Founded1850
Headquarters Lansdale, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Key people
Colleen Repplier, President
Parent Tyco International
Website www.grinnell.com

Grinnell Mechanical Products, a brand of Tyco International Ltd., manufactures grooved piping and mechanical products. Grinnell Mechanical Products specializes in mechanical, fire, HVAC, commercial, mining, institutional and industrial applications. Grinnell grooved products are used in various industries because they are historically more efficient than flanged, welded, and threaded pipe joining methods. Key product lines include grooved couplings and fittings, G-PRESS systems, strainers, stainless steel systems, copper systems, and G-MINE PVC systems. Grinnell Mechanical Products offers mechanical services used for supporting engineering and design. These include 2D and 3D drawings for the mechanical room and design suggestions and easy to follow installation drawings with legends for each pump. [1]

Contents

Products

Grinnell Mechanical Products GRINNELL Couplings.jpg
Grinnell Mechanical Products

Mechanical and Fire Products

Grinnell grooved products include grooved couplings, grooved fittings, mechanical tees, valves, circuit balancing valves, copper systems, stainless steel systems, plain end systems, HDPE systems, PVC systems, G-PRESS systems, gaskets and spare parts, and preparation equipment, as well as accessories, such as strainers, tee strainers, suction diffusers, dielectric waterway transition fittings, dielectric waterway groove threads, and dielectric waterway male threads. Grinnell grooved products have a 10-year limited warranty for most products, except for the G-MINE line of products, which are warranted for six months. The company’s fire protection products comprise rigid and flexible couplings, full and short pattern grooved elbows and tees, and a variety of valves and accessories. [2]

Services

Grinnell Mechanical Services include shop drawings, pump assemblies and equipment connections, cost comparisons, crate and tag handling, thermal movement analyses, CAD blocks and families, and training services. [3]

History

Early history

The predecessor for Grinnell Corp. was Providence Steam and Gas pipe Co. founded in Providence Rhode Island in 1850. The company specialized in gas main installations, putting in the original gas mains in Rhode Island. They eventually grew to offer pipe fitting and plumbing services.

In 1869, Frederick Grinnell, a Massachusetts-born engineer, purchased a controlling interest in Providence Steam and Gas and became its president. Fire protection was a new science in this time period and depended on manually turning on the sprinklers. In 1874, Henry S. Parmelee of New Haven, Connecticut, patented an automatic sprinkling device, and four years later the Providence Steam and Gas Pipe Co. secured the right to manufacture and install it, paying royalties to the inventor. In 1881, Grinnell patented an improved, more sensitive sprinkling system. [4]

Through the next few decades, Grinnell sprinklers were installed in thousands of buildings and were credited with saving thousands of lives. Frederick Grinnell took out some 40 patents for improvements and also invented a dry-pipe valve and automatic fire-alarm system. To improve the quality of its iron castings, General Fire Extinguisher established its own foundry and shops in Cranston, Rhode Island, opening the operation in 1909. [5]

1950–1970

Grinnell acquired a controlling interest in American District Telegraph Co. (ADT Security Services), manufacturer of electrical supervisory and alarm systems for protection against fire, burglary, holdup, and other hazards. Further, Grinnell stock was trading at nearly triple the 1953 value. [6]

At this time, Grinnell and its acquired subsidiaries held more than 87 percent of the central-station fire and burglar alarm business in the United States, according to the U.S. Justice Department. However, this field of business accounted for only about 20 percent of Grinnell's annual sales volume and profits, with plumbing supplies and fixtures being responsible for most of the rest. "We are major manufacturers of the valves and fittings that go into sprinkling systems, but that is not our biggest business," Fleming told a Forbes interviewer in 1965. "We also make industrial piping systems and humidifying systems. We are strictly an industrial supplier." [7]

1970–1990

Grinnell's bottom line was so attractive that in December 1968 the giant conglomerate International Telephone & Telegraph (ITT) offered to acquire Grinnell for an exchange of stock valued at almost $250 million. Grinnell shareholders backed the merger in August 1969, despite the Justice Department's decision to oppose it on antitrust grounds. In 1971, a consent judgment required ITT to divest itself of Grinnell's fire-protection division and Grinnell's share in Hajoca by September 24, 1973. [8]

When ITT was unable to receive what it considered an acceptable bid for the fire-protection unit the concern was turned over to a court-appointed trustee. Operating as Grinnell Fire Protection Systems Co., the unit, whose annual turnover had risen to $107 million, was purchased by Tyco Laboratories in 1976. As part of the deal with ITT, Tyco agreed to pay ITT $14 million and 40 percent of Grinnell's net earnings for the next 10 years, with a minimum total payment of $28.5 million guaranteed; in return, Tyco gained two manufacturing plants, plus other facilities, tools, equipment, patent rights, and trademarks. [9]

1990s

Grinnell grooved products became one of Tyco's leading manufacturing units. Going into the mid-1990s, Grinnell Corp. was actually a family of companies that included Grinnell Manufacturing, Grinnell Fire Protection, Grinnell Supply Sales, Ansul, Wormald, Mueller, Hersey, Allied, and Total Walther. [10]

2012

Pentair valve and control through an all-stock merger, [11] took operational control over the valve manufacturing and distribution from Grinnell Mechanical Products. [12]

Related Research Articles

A flange is a protruded ridge, lip or rim, either external or internal, that serves to increase strength ; for easy attachment/transfer of contact force with another object ; or for stabilizing and guiding the movements of a machine or its parts. The term "flange" is also used for a kind of tool used to form flanges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fire sprinkler system</span> Fire protection method

A fire sprinkler system is an active fire protection method, consisting of a water supply system, providing adequate pressure and flowrate to a water distribution piping system, onto which fire sprinklers are connected. Although historically only used in factories and large commercial buildings, systems for homes and small buildings are now available at a cost-effective price. Fire sprinkler systems are extensively used worldwide, with over 40 million sprinkler heads fitted each year. Even though Fire Sprinkler Systems are a Life Saving System and are not designed to protect the building, 96% of buildings that had fires and were completely protected by fire sprinkler systems were controlled by the fire sprinklers alone.

Tyco International plc was a security systems company incorporated in the Republic of Ireland, with operational headquarters in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. Tyco International was composed of two major business segments: security solutions and fire protection.

A plumbing fixture is an exchangeable device which can be connected to a plumbing system to deliver and drain water.

Drain-waste-vent system

In modern plumbing, a drain-waste-vent is a system that allows air to enter the plumbing system to maintain proper air pressure to enable the removal of sewage and greywater from a dwelling. Drain refers to water produced at fixtures such as sinks, and showers; waste refers to water from toilets. As the water runs down, proper venting is required to allow water to flow freely, and avoid a vacuum from being created. As the water runs down air must be allowed into the waste pipe either through a roof vent (external), or an internal vent.

Fire sprinkler Component that discharges water to protect buildings

A fire sprinkler or sprinkler head is the component of a fire sprinkler system that discharges water when the effects of a fire have been detected, such as when a predetermined temperature has been exceeded. Fire sprinklers are extensively used worldwide, with over 40 million sprinkler heads fitted each year. In buildings protected by properly designed and maintained fire sprinklers, over 99% of fires were controlled by fire sprinklers alone.

SimplexGrinnell, a subsidiary of Johnson Controls, is an American company specializing in active fire protection systems, communication systems and testing, inspection and maintenance services. The company headquarters is in Boca Raton, Florida; corporate sales and marketing offices are in Westminster, Massachusetts, and the company has about 160 district offices throughout North America. It is currently the largest fire protection company in the world.

Mineral-insulated copper-clad cable

Mineral-insulated copper-clad cable is a variety of electrical cable made from copper conductors inside a copper sheath, insulated by inorganic magnesium oxide powder. The name is often abbreviated to MICC or MI cable, and colloquially known as pyro. A similar product sheathed with metals other than copper is called mineral insulated metal sheathed (MIMS) cable.

Hose coupling Connector on the end of a hose

A hose coupling is a connector on the end of a hose to connect it with another hose or with a tap or a hose appliance, such as an irrigation sprinkler. It is usually made of steel, brass, stainless steel, aluminium or plastic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pipe (fluid conveyance)</span> Tubular section or hollow cylinder

A pipe is a tubular section or hollow cylinder, usually but not necessarily of circular cross-section, used mainly to convey substances which can flow — liquids and gases (fluids), slurries, powders and masses of small solids. It can also be used for structural applications; hollow pipe is far stiffer per unit weight than solid members.

Victaulic is a developer and manufacturer of mechanical pipe joining systems, and the originator of the grooved pipe couplings joining system. The firm is a global company with 15 major manufacturing facilities, 28 branches, and over 3600 employees worldwide. Currently, its headquarters is located in Easton, PA. Director level leadership is helmed by the Bancroft family; Standard Oil heirs and former owners of the Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones. The latter half of Victaulic is controlled by Prince Pierre D'Arenberg of France, known for active involvement in several youth charities along with ties to Ghislaine Maxwell and Jeffrey Epstein.

Piping and plumbing fitting

A fitting or adapter is used in pipe systems to connect straight sections of pipe or tube, adapt to different sizes or shapes, and for other purposes such as regulating fluid flow. These fittings are used in plumbing to manipulate the conveyance of water, gas, or liquid waste in domestic or commercial environments, within a system of pipes or tubes.

Frederick Grinnell was a pioneer in fire safety and was the creator of the first practical automatic fire sprinkler.

The ROTAREX Group is a privately owned Luxembourgish group of companies who develop and manufacture high pressure valves, tube fittings and pressure regulators for almost all types of gas, in almost all application fields. Founded in 1922 under the name CEODEUX in Lintgen, Luxembourg, ROTAREX currently employs approximately 1500 people and is present on all continents with a broad range of products.

Plastic pipework Tubular section or hollow cylinder made of plastic

Plastic pipe is a tubular section, or hollow cylinder, made of plastic. It is usually, but not necessarily, of circular cross-section, used mainly to convey substances which can flow—liquids and gases (fluids), slurries, powders and masses of small solids. It can also be used for structural applications; hollow pipes are far stiffer per unit weight than solid members.

John Crane Group

John Crane is an American company, now a subsidiary of Smiths Group and provider of engineered products and services including mechanical seals, couplings, hydro-dynamic bearings, seal support systems, filtration systems and artificial lift. The company services customers in the energy services sector including production, transmission and storage, refining, power generation, petrochemical, pulp and paper, and mining industries.

The Queen's Award for Enterprise: Innovation (Technology) (2009) was awarded on 21 April 2009, by Queen Elizabeth II.

Dixon Valve & Coupling Company

Dixon Valve & Coupling Company is a manufacturer and supplier of hose fittings and accessories. The company, often referred to as just Dixon, offers products for fire protection, food processing, dairy processing, beverage and brewery operations, industrial manufacturing, mining, construction, chemical processing, petroleum processing and refining, oilfields, mobile tankers and agricultural operations. Dixon Valve, which was founded by H. W. Goodall in 1916, maintains manufacturing, warehouse, sales or service facilities in eleven U.S. states. It also has sales and service offices on five continents. Its international headquarters are in Chestertown, Maryland (USA).

Autocall is a company that specializes in fire protection and customized communications equipment. The original company was founded in 1908 and was based in Shelby, Ohio. The Autocall brand became defunct in 2001 after it was incorporated into the SimplexGrinnell merger by Tyco International. On September 6, 2016, Johnson Controls and Tyco completed a merger, and Johnson Controls relaunched the Autocall brand in late 2017.

Mueller Water Products, Inc. (MWP) is a publicly traded company headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. It is one of the largest manufacturers and distributors of fire hydrants, gate valves, and other water infrastructure products in North America. MWP is made up of two business units—Mueller Co. and Mueller Technologies—that oversee more than a dozen brands and affiliates, including Echologics and Mueller Systems.

References

  1. ↑ "History of Grinnell Corp. – FundingUniverse".
  2. ↑ "Grinnell Corp - Company Profile and News".
  3. ↑ "Grinnell Corp - Company Profile and News".
  4. ↑ International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 13. St. James Press, 1996.
  5. ↑ GRINNELL: 1850 to 1950, Providence, R.I.: GRINNELL Corp., n.d.
  6. ↑ International Directory of Company Histories, Vol. 13. St. James Press, 1996.
  7. ↑ Hoddeson, David, "After the Break-Up," Barron's, May 27, 1968, pp. 5, 26–27.
  8. ↑ "Grinnell Corp - Company Profile and News".
  9. ↑ "Tyco Labs Is Named Successful Bidder for ITT's Grinnell," Wall Street Journal, September 23, 1975, p. 16.
  10. ↑ "Grinnell".
  11. ↑ "Tyco -Press Release". Archived from the original on 2014-09-30. Retrieved 2014-09-30.
  12. ↑ "Valves, Actuators & Regulators | Emerson US".
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.