Washington, D.C.— Orders booked for industrial valves by U.S. producers during 1997 declined 1.9% based on data compiled by the Valve Manufacturers Association of America (VMA). Orders during 4Q97 were up 0.7% over the previous quarter, but were down 4.5% when compared with 4Q96. Shipments during 1997 also decreased by 1.0%.

Three of the VMA study's five subcategories also reported decreased orders when compared to 1996. Also aligned with the overall results, three of the subcategories reported an increase when comparing 4Q97 with 4Q96. The subcategories were led by plug valve orders, which increased 1.2% during this period. Plug vales also recorded the largest increase, 6.5%, over the previous full year, followed by a 0.9% increase in butterfly valve orders.