Crane Cams Done For

-
GTXperience

GTXperience

Orig Stealth Mod
Joined
Jul 13, 2007
Messages
6,544
Reaction score
272
Location
Sacramento Area, CA
I just got this off of FBBO:
-----------------------------

February 24, 2009

Crane Cams shuts down, workers laid off

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.
 
OH CRAP SUX!

Sorry to those at Crane I always use their cams!
 
My belief that the ride is just beginning-see what the market did as they announced the "Stimulus" plan? It tanked down into the lower end of 7K; I got laid off in October and thankfully got a new job in January... my new company has just put in a hiring/raise/and 401K matching fund freeze. Some guys were bitchin', but I kinda replied that there is nothing out there and it got quiet (we work for an essential contractor for Microsoft; they'll be laying off up to 10K more of their own ,too, if earnings are equal or less than the last announcements they made in January).
 
luckily i'm in construction. so i never really have a job anyway. always working myself out of one. but my opinion is. "if we keep outsourcing everything and stop make anything, it will only get worse. we need something to do for work. we cant just be consumers of china's goods. especially without a job"
just my 2 cents.
 
My guess the Corp that bought it sold off the main assets, gutting the company and left the corpse behind.
 
The way they just shut the doors and locked everyone out sounds like they are closing for good. They were a well respected company. You would think they would have tried to sell what was left of it instead of just closing it down.
 
Actually, here is the entire article:
_____________________________

Crane Cams shuts down, workers laid off

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.

In March 2007, Mikronite sold its property on Fentress to STAG Capital Partners of Boston, then signed a 10-year lease.
 
Of stealing 300 American Jobs for the sake of saving a few pennies on a Peppermint Patty and moving the facility Feb. 23, 2009 to Mexico.

And we sentence you to losing me as a customer for life.

The wholesale export of jobs and the unfair trade practices of exporters to America continues as the trade deficit grows and National debt stretches beyond the capacity of my chinese calculator screen.

Crane had some good product and a competent staff, they didn't have the unfair advantage of $5.00 a day workers ....so those 220 people and the 300 from Hershey Pa. can now become a part of the 600,000 workers that filed for Unemployment benefits last week. Those of us left working will keep shopping for the cheapest product money can buy with no regards to quality or our fellow Americans who are struggling and suffering while our only concern is cheap.

This is not the 1st nor will it be the last of our tool box names to vaporize over the next 3-4 years.
 
Makes You Wanna Run Right Out & Buy One Of Those Chinese Camshafts. Lol Its A Sad Time When An Company Like That Falls. I Thought There Were Enough Small Block Chevys Out There To Keep Them Going.
 
cuda66273 said:
Those of us left working will keep shopping for the cheapest product money can buy with no regards to quality or our fellow Americans who are struggling and suffering while our only concern is cheap.
Click to expand...

NOT ME!!! I changed my choice of wheels when I found out that the American Racing Wheels I'd originally decided on for my '69 Dart project were now being made in China. Purchased some made right here in Southern California USA Centerline wheels.
I will NOT knowingly purchase products not manufactured in the USA unless it's the only choice I have.
 
That sucks. Hard to believe it was Chinese competition that put them out of business though... haven't seen any Chinese camshafts yet.

This was greed. Some guy in a suit ran away with the loot, employees be damned.
 
Man that sux! I have a Crane Power Max cam in my car now. Perhaps a portion of Obama's stimulus package should go to helping these guys out instead of studying Bees or some other worthless crap like that.
 
You don't suppose Comp or Mopar put a hurting on them do you? I've been around this site for a little while and see a lot of members use Comp cams and a few using Mopar. I have Mopar in my cuda.

But yeah there are plenty of Chevys around that could have kept them afloat.LOL!
 
mullinax95 said:
You don't suppose Comp or Mopar put a hurting on them do you? I've been around this site for a little while and see a lot of members use Comp cams and a few using Mopar. I have Mopar in my cuda.

But yeah there are plenty of Chevys around that could have kept them afloat.LOL!
Click to expand...
No, Mopar Cams are a drop in the bucket compared to what Crane sells. Comp may have put the hurting, but most of the blame will lie with Mikronite. What a shame, even though the Crane rep offended the hell out of me at a trade show once, it sucks to see the jobs lost in my state.
 
So, do those new Crane cams, lifters, etc. sitting in our garages go up in value or down because of what has taken place?
 
But what happened to all the machinery? If someone bought it they must want to use it or why would you invest that kind of money in something that you never use.
Hopefully some of them would come back as another company or a smaller version of Crane Cams. Funny how the city didn't try to help the people out there by putting them back into the building that Mikronite sold to the city and let them either buy the building back from the city or put them on a long lease and try to revitalize the company. JMO
 
That really sucks for them and their employees, but I never had good exp with their products...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top