KB Delta unbound: a global parts partnership

Burckhardt will serve as a worldwide distributor and service partner for KB Delta’s extensive range of compressor valves and components. (Photo: KB Delta.)

KB Delta is marking its 40th year in business in 2022. And it’s fair to say the Torrance, California, USA, supplier of compressor valves and components is starting its anniversary year off with a bang.

Near the end of 2021, the company signed a global distribution agreement with Swiss reciprocating gas compression specialist Burckhardt Compression, through which Burckhardt will serve as a worldwide distributor and service partner for KB Delta’s extensive range of compressor valves and components.

The agreement took effect Jan. 1 and extends indefinitely, the companies said.

“We are happy that we could formalize an agreement with a long-standing, trusted partner which gives our customers access to high-quality products with short delivery times due to KB Delta’s extensive inventory and state-of-the-art production,” said Rainer Dübi, president of Burckhardt Compression’s Services Division.

Founded in 1844, Burckhardt Compression is a global supplier of reciprocating compressor systems, technologies and services. Its customized compressor systems are used in the gas gathering and processing, gas transport and storage, refineries, chemical and petrochemical facilities, as well as in the industrial gas and hydrogen mobility and energy sectors.

The new partnership reflects the evolution of a relationship that has been growing over the last decade.

“KB Delta is proud to work even closer with Burckhardt Compression in the future,” said George Giourof, chief operating officer of family-owned KB Delta. “We’ve slowly grown with them – we know all of their parts for compressor valve and valve internals. We’ve built a lot of trust with each other.”

While the companies had been working together for some time, the formal strategic partnership came together in the last six months of 2021, Burckhardt Compression said.

“Having worked with KB Delta for more than 10 years, we wanted to formalize the partnership,” Dübi said. “We know the company and its products very well. In terms of strategy and philosophy we are on the same page.

“For our customers, it is essential to have a comprehensive service partner both for their needs for valve refurbishment and repair but also for direct demand of valve parts. The reliable parts’ supply from KB Delta will have a positive impact as the delivery times are shorter, thanks to this agreement.”

Under terms of the partnership, KB Delta will provide valve components for Burckhardt’s 30 worldwide service centers, which include locations in eastern, central and western Europe, the Middle East, Africa, India, China, Japan, South Korea and the Americas.

That worldwide service network is intended to allow Burckhardt to provide comprehensive customer services, including onsite maintenance and repairs, 24-hour technical support, engineering services, installation upgrades and modernization, real-time condition monitoring and customer training programs designed to enhance reciprocating compressor operating efficiency.

KB Delta components covered in the agreement include metallic and thermoplastic valve plates, springs and dampers, rings, seals poppets and valve assemblies and related hardware.

“The focus in using KB Delta valve parts is on the service side,” explained Dübi. “Beside our own technologies, we offer KB Delta solutions whenever the customer needs a very quick and cost-efficient solution at high quality. Thanks to the big inventory of KB Delta, we can deliver parts to customers quickly. So, it’s perfectly complementing our product portfolio.

“And we can provide solutions for all models and brands. KB Delta’s products are of high quality and their big inventory makes it very easy to order and to serve customers fast. It fits our service strategy perfectly.”

For KB Delta, the new partnership is the reward after a lot of concerted effort over the last several years, much of it focused on expanding globally while maintaining its traditional strengths of a well-stocked service inventory and quick parts order turnaround.

“We are probably best on the planet at keeping a stock of inventory for our customers, so our deliverability rate is super fast,” Giourof said. “Nobody wants their compressors down. When your compressors are down, you’re losing money.”

Perhaps the biggest positive of all for KB Delta is that it helps provide a significantly expanded global reach. Since its founding in 1982, most of the company’s business has been in North America. But fueled in part by both product line and facility expansions over the last several years, the company has been looking to bolster its presence on the world stage.

And now, with the help of a very large, very well-established partner, KB Delta has done just that.

“With Burckhardt, we’ve got a lot of boots on the ground,” Giourof said. “We can now deliver parts to more customers around the world. That reach extends from Africa to the southern tip of Argentina.

“KB Delta will have access to new markets and countries thanks to Burckhardt Compression’s extensive sales network. We are looking forward to a fruitful partnership.”

KB Delta is a family-owned business, located in Torrance, CA, USA. KB Delta has become the premier compressor parts manufacturer and supplier of compressor valve parts for the natural gas, air, refrigeration and P.E.T. industries worldwide. KB Delta was established in 1982 by Boris Giourof, a recognized reliability specialist in the refinery and gas compressor industry. KB Delta manufactures the most durable and highest quality compressor valve repair parts in the industry and has the most complete product line in stock for valve refurbishment and repair.