Manufacturer of industrial valves, actuators and controls – butterfly valves, ball valves, gate valves, control valves and actuators.
Bray International, Inc.
Houston, Texas (US) · Glasgow (GB) · Willich (DE) · HangZhou (CN) · Chennai (IN) · Heerhugowaard (NL)New on Amplifa
About Bray International
Bray International, Inc. is a manufacturer of flow-control products founded in 1986 by Craig C. Brown and Frank J. Raymond in Houston, Texas: butterfly valves, ball valves, knife gate valves, control valves, check and drain valves as well as actuators (pneumatic, electric, electro-hydraulic), positioners and smart controls with IIoT monitoring. The modular product line also includes cryogenic and low-temperature valves (Series 4X with Polar Seats) and PFA-lined valves (Amresist/Acris). The company manufactures and assembles in its own plants in Houston (110,000 sq ft with Technical Center and cleanroom), Glasgow, HangZhou (over 500,000 sq ft, more than 550 employees) and Chennai, with R&D centers in the USA, China and India. Materials include stainless steel for bodies, PTFE for seats and seals, PFA linings, elastomers and multi-component metal seats. Bray supplies industries ranging from oil and gas, chemical and petrochemical to power, pulp & paper, mining and semiconductor through desalination, sugar/ethanol, industrial gases and nuclear power, and is present with more than 3,250 employees in over 40 countries. The German location is in Willich.
- Site
- Houston, Texas
- Processes
- Manufacture of shut-off valves (butterfly, ball, gate, check valves,, Valve automation (actuators: pneumatic, electric, electro-hydraulic; positioners), Manufacturing and assembly of valves and actuators, Testing: positive material identification, material strength and toughness testing, optical, Cryogenic and Low Temperature Valves (Series 4X, Polar Seats), PFA-lined butterfly and ball valves (Amresist/Acris), Valve Automation, Design/Engineering
- Materials
- Stainless steel (valve bodies), PTFE (valve seats/seals), PFA (lining), Metal (sealing seats, multi-component metal seats), Elastomers (seals), Stainless steel, PTFE, PFA
- Certificates
- ISO 9001, ABS, DNV, UL
- Founded
- 1986
- Employees
- 3250+
- Industries
- Oil & Gas (Tanks & Terminals), Chemical, Petrochemical, Power/Hydropower, Pulp & Paper, Mining/Lithium
- 01
Design & Engineering
- 02
R&D and test laboratories
- 03
Procurement (cast, forged and machined parts)
- 04
Manufacturing and assembly of valves and actuators
- 05
Testing and quality control
- 06
Sales via own locations and distributors in 40+ countries
- 07
On-site engineering support and after-sales
Materials & Processes
Stainless steel
Material for valve bodies, in use since 1988 for the Series 20/21.
PTFE
Seals and valve seats, e.g. Series 22/23 PTFE butterfly valve.
PFA
Lining for chemical-resistant butterfly valves and ball valves (Amresist/Acris).
Metal seats (multi-component)
Patented multi-component metal seat designs for ball valves and high-performance butterfly valves.
Elastomers
Sealing materials for various valve series.
Locations
Houston, Texas
USHeadquarters, manufacturing, Technical Center with R&D and test laboratory
- Materials
- Stainless steel, elastomers
- Materials & metrology test laboratory
- Cleanroom
- Manufacturing and assembly
Glasgow
GBManufacturing (Bray UK, plant since 1999/2000)
Willich
DEGerman sales office (since 1996)
HangZhou
CNManufacturing & R&D
- R&D center
Chennai
INManufacturing & R&D
- R&D center
Heerhugowaard
NLManufacturing (Bray Controls Benelux)
Valves & Components
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacture of shut-off valves (butterfly, ball, gate, check valves,Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Valve automation (actuators: pneumatic, electric, electro-hydraulic; positioners)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Manufacturing and assembly of valves and actuatorsAssembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| Testing: positive material identification, material strength and toughness testing, opticalTesting | – | – | – | – | Metals |
| Cryogenic and Low Temperature Valves (Series 4X, Polar Seats)Assembly | – | – | – | – | – |
| PFA-lined butterfly and ball valves (Amresist/Acris)Surface | – | – | – | – | PFA, Metal |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality
Bray operates engineer-run materials and metrology laboratories with positive material identification, strength and toughness testing and optical spectrometry; measuring equipment is calibrated to micron precision and third-party certified. A centrally managed, audited across all sites management system ensures traceability, inspection certificates and continuous improvement (FMEA, Control Plans).
| Evidence | Houston, Texas |
|---|---|
| ISO 9001 | |
| ABS | |
| DNV | |
| UL |
History
- 1986
Founding of Bray International by Craig C. Brown and Frank J. Raymond in Houston, Texas; first valve prototypes by Christmas.
- 1987
First own series production of butterfly valves (Series 20/21, 30/31, 35/36)
- 1988
Founding of Bray UK (Scotland), first foreign subsidiary; later Bray Canada
- 1989
Founding of Bray Mexico
- 1990
Start of Bray Continental Europe; move to the US plant (61,000 sq ft)
- 1996
Expansion into Germany; acquisition of the Bray/McCannalok line from McCanna Inc.; ISO 9001 certification of Bray USA
- 1999
Acquisition of Flow-Tek (ball valves); new UK plant
- 2000
Acquisition of Ritepro and Ultraflo
- 2001
CE marking in the USA, UK, Germany and China; US plant expanded to 110,000 sq ft
- 2003
Acquisition of the Netherlands distributor (Bray Benelux)
- 2005
Completion of the new China plant; start of Bray Brazil
- 2009
Craig Brown becomes CEO; Frank Raymond remains Chairman
- 2010
New Bray China plant (over 500,000 sq ft, more than 550 employees)
- 2011
Opening of the Bray Technical Center Houston; Shell global contract; Series 4X Cryogenic
- 2012
Plant opening Bray India (Chennai) with R&D facility
- 2013
Acquisition of Kugelhahn Müller and VAAS Knife Gate Valves
- 2022
Acquisition of Acris (PFA-lined valves); Series 98EH
- 2024
Series 76 electric actuator, Series 943/953 knife gate, cleanroom expansion USA & UK
- 2025
New locations Guatemala and Saudi Arabia; Series 98C