Hull Daily Mail Newspaper Article - Valve firm steps up the pressure

A HULL pressure valve business is looking to expand its portfolio as it celebrates its 30th anniversary. Flowstar (UK) Ltd, a valve specialist based in west Hull, says it is looking to develop a growth plan for the next 30 years.The firm has been operating in Hull since 1988 and has developed into becoming a one-stop shop for valves across a number of industries, including petrochemical, oil and gas and pharmaceutical sectors. The firm is continuing to grow at its large unit in Gillett Street and says it hopes to mark the milestone by forging its future expansion. Flowstar was founded by John Griffiths and Tony Derrick, who owned Broady Flow Control, a safety relief valve and pressure reducing valve manufacturer also based in Hull. The pair set out to form a business that could stock their products and give customers a quick delivery on their portfolio of valves. Lee Hobson, director of the firm, says that the company established itself as a leading supplier by growing its portfolio of niche products. He said: “Over the years our accomplishment has been down to our highly trained sales team offering customers bespoke solutions for their requirements. “From day one we quickly grew our portfolio of niche manufacturers, which now include Broady, Neizgodka, NABIC, COI Technology, Besa and Bailey, and soon established ourselves as a leading safety valve and pressure reducing valve supplier. “In February 2013, our growing success meant we had to expand our warehouse capacity in order to increase our portfolio and give us the capability of offering our customer’s more options and more products. “At this stage we expanded into the unit next door, now operating more than 6,000sq ft of space. “Going forward into this year, we’re looking at expanding our portfolio even further, which will give us access to other industrial sectors and grow our stock holding.” Mr Hobson says the growth in popularity of niche stock has led to the firm’s success. After Flowstar was established it took on a distributorship with Niezgodka, a valve manufacturer based in Germany. He says that when the firm opened it held Niezgodka totalling £5,000, which has now grown to about £1m in 2018. Chris Moore, partner at Dutton Moore chartered accountants and business advisers in Hull, carries out a shadow financial director role for the business. He said: “This is a fantastic milestone for a great Hull company. “As their accountants and business advisers, we are delighted to be supporting them as they forge ahead into the next decade of successful business. ”

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