Crane Cams Closes Doors

[HKr1]

Seen this posted on another forum. Thought these guys had the best stuff out there for valve trains. I always used them, except for the last build(gmpp).

By JIM WITTERS
Senior Business Writer

DAYTONA BEACH — Crane Cams, a 56-year-old auto parts manufacturer, closed its doors this week and laid off its employees, a worker said today.

The news took Volusia County’s top economic development officer by surprise. City, county and state officials were working with Crane Cams and officials from its New Jersey parent, Mikronite Technologies, to keep the company open and in the community.

“We were trying to help them through this transition,” said Rick Michael, Volusia County economic development director. “They were considering a transfer of ownership. We were not expecting any closure.”

An automated voice mail system at Crane’s plant on Fentress Boulevard announced at midday today the company was closed and suggested calling back during business hours, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. A call to Mikronite’s New Jersey offices produced similar results. Six cars sat in the parking lot early this afternoon at the local plant, which employed 220 just three years ago.

Inside the lobby, a reception desk sat empty. A call from the lobby phone got an answer from Dennis Burgess, who declined to comment and said no one at the plant could provide information.

In the parking lot, 14-year employee Ronald Dorn was leaving the plant for what he believed was the last time

He said workers were told during the past week that layoffs were likely, but he didn’t expect the plant to close.

Mikronite received approval in 2006 to receive tax rebates from the state and the county amid discussion about moving its New Jersey operations here. But the company ended its contract with the state in 2008 due to nonperformance, Michael said.

“Crane has gone through a series of small layoffs recently,” he said.

Crane Cams and Crane Technologies Group were founded by Harvey J. Crane Jr. in 1953 as Crane Engineering Inc. in Hallandale. The company is well known in high-performance and racing circles for its line of camshafts and engine valve train components.

In 1979, Crane Cams became an employee-owned company. Some operations moved to Daytona Beach in 1981, with the remainder of the operation and employees relocating here in 1985.

Mikronite, an industrial technology firm, bought Crane in 2006.

[g21-30]

Crane Cams were great. I installed one when I rebuilt my 426 hemi Dodge SuperBee in 1970! That car ran like a bat out of hell.

[VeX]

WTF? For cams I always chose Compucams and Crane cams! Looks like Compucams is going to have damn near a monopoly. That's nuts!

[ninjabrewer]

I hate seeing niche companies go under. But with todays economy, I can understand it. Hopefully, somebody will keep hold of the intellectual property and restarted it when the economy picks up again.

nb

[Kolya1981]

I heard that they will be restructuring and reopening and they are currently operating a minimal staff to fullfill outstanding government contracts. Not sure what that means for those that lost their jobs though.
Posted via Mobile Device

[camaroz1985]

Originally Posted by Autoblog.com

To borrow a line from the classic Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Crane Cams isn't quite dead yet. The storied aftermarket auto parts company was founded back in 1953 and has since grown into a well-known brand name specializing in camshafts and valvetrain components. While the company did, in fact, recently close its doors and tell all 280 of its employees not to come back the next day, vice president Steve Leva says that Crane plans to reopen after restructuring takes place, which could take as little as a week or as long as a month. Considering the sorry state of affairs that currently plagues the American economy, we'll keep tabs on this story with guarded optimism.

[camaroz1985]

Well looks like the restructuring thing isn't happening.

The latest:

Originally Posted by Autoblog.com

Last month, Crane Cams announced that it had shut its doors and told all 280 of its employees not to come back the next day. Shortly afterward, the storied automotive aftermarket parts company indicated that it would reopen after the restructuring process had taken place. That's apparently not the case after all.

LiquiTec Industries has issued a press release stating that it has been contracted to liquidate all of the assets of Crane Cams. The sale will include everything that the company had owned, including all of its unsold products, machinery, raw materials, trademarks and patents. Bids are currently being accepted, after which all of the unsold goods will be put up for auction.

This news comes after speculation that Crane Cams would be purchased by a company called Scorpion Performance. We're not sure what happened to that deal, but we've placed a call with Scorpion in an effort to find out.