Crane Cams closes it's doors

[Byteme]

More fallout from a poor economy.

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.

[Cobra93]

I'm not too surprised. I spent 20 years in the performance aftermarket industry. With later model computer controlled vehicles, you simply don't have the leeway for engine modifications that you had with earlier cars.

[sportyaccordy]

I'm not too surprised. I spent 20 years in the performance aftermarket industry. With later model computer controlled vehicles, you simply don't have the leeway for engine modifications that you had with earlier cars.

What do you mean?

I wonder if they will have a liquidation sale now.

[Cobra93]

What do you mean?

I wonder if they will have a liquidation sale now.

I mean you can't just slap a cam in an engine now and gain lots of power. The engine controller won't allow it.

[FoMoJo]

I mean you can't just slap a cam in an engine now and gain lots of power. The engine controller won't allow it.

You'd have thought that they would have evolved their products to suit the times; even if it meant branching into modern products.

[Cobra93]

You'd have thought that they would have evolved their products to suit the times; even if it meant branching into modern products.

One of the problems they faced was simply that it's not very cost effective to try and gain much power over the stock factory tunes while remaining emissions legal. After all, today's cars are making much better specific output than their predecessors.

[Byteme]

You'd have thought that they would have evolved their products to suit the times; even if it meant branching into modern products.

They did branch into electronic ignitions, modules and distributors, but as Cobra93 pointed out that's a finite market that was probably shrinking anyway. 

I don't think they were ever an OEM supplier but even if they were they would be hurting today.

[GoCougs]

Wow - they were pretty famous back in the day.

But yeah, that writing was on the wall long ago. The days of swapping an RV cam into a carb'd small block are gone.

Roddin' is a holistic and pricey endeavor today.

[sportyaccordy]

I mean you can't just slap a cam in an engine now and gain lots of power. The engine controller won't allow it.

So you get your ECU tuned, either w/a standalone or a piggyback. *has a standalone*

[Cobra93]

So you get your ECU tuned, either w/a standalone or a piggyback. *has a standalone*

Still, there just aren't nearly as many people modifying them now. The gains are smaller, harder to come by and more expensive. As you just pointed out, you must invest in some electronics before you can even get started.

[Cobra93]

Wow - they were pretty famous back in the day.

But yeah, that writing was on the wall long ago. The days of swapping an RV cam into a carb'd small block are gone.

Roddin' is a holistic and pricey endeavor today.

The company I worked for was a sister company to Competition Cams in Memphis. I bet they're really tore up about this. 

[GoCougs]

The company I worked for was a sister company to Competition Cams in Memphis. I bet they're really tore up about this. 

Edelbrock seems to be doing okay as well, or at least not terrible, but they transformed their business substantially over the last 20 years.

[Cobra93]

Edelbrock seems to be doing okay as well, or at least not terrible, but they transformed their business substantially over the last 20 years.

Yep, they've definitely diversified. I'm a distributor for their crate engines. They're a little pricey, but they still move pretty well.

[Soup DeVille]

Shit, I guess I should have ordered my cam last year...

[Eye of the Tiger]

Why didn't they get bailed out!?

[Soup DeVille]

Why didn't they get bailed out!?

As far as I'm concerned, they're a more integral part of the economy than Washington Mutual...

[Eye of the Tiger]

As far as I'm concerned, they're a more integral part of the economy than Washington Mutual...

No shit. If only the government had given them the bail-out money they needed to develop a new line of Swift performance cams, they would have certainly been a huge boon to the economy.

[the Teuton]

No shit. If only the government had given them the bail-out money they needed to develop a new line of Swift performance cams, they would have certainly been a huge boon to the economy.

You'd buy all the sets.

[SVT666]

Still, there just aren't nearly as many people modifying them now. The gains are smaller, harder to come by and more expensive. As you just pointed out, you must invest in some electronics before you can even get started.

Cams still provide big power bumps in a lot of applications, but with the advent multi cam engines it's goddamn expensive now.  A new Chevy or Dodge V8 still only needs one cam and it rewards in a big way, but if you want to do the cams in a 2000 SVT Cobra, you need 4 cams.

[the Teuton]

It isn't like this company is the only one out there with a CNC machine and an idea of how to grind some cams.

[Eye of the Tiger]

It isn't like this company is the only one out there with a CNC machine and an idea of how to grind some cams.

Nope, they are. Now that they are closed, there will be no more camshafts in the world.

[Soup DeVille]

It isn't like this company is the only one out there with a CNC machine and an idea of how to grind some cams.

They were the only ones that had off-the-shelf solutions for Cadillac 472/500 engines.

[the Teuton]

They were the only ones that had off-the-shelf solutions for Cadillac 472/500 engines.

Sorry to hear that then.

[Soup DeVille]

Sorry to hear that then.

There are small specialty shops that will do (or order) custom grinds, and know how to get them right, but they're about double the cost.

[SVT32V]

Cams still provide big power bumps in a lot of applications, but with the advent multi cam engines it's goddamn expensive now.  A new Chevy or Dodge V8 still only needs one cam and it rewards in a big way, but if you want to do the cams in a 2000 SVT Cobra, you need 4 cams.

The LSx crowd is seeing big gains with cams, maybe not crane cams, but still big gains.

The 5.0 crowd is still huge but ford racing perfromance parts makes enough flavors of cams to run the the most wild to mild engines.

The hemi engines are also going to see gains from this but tuning is just coming out for them.

For whatever reasons, the orginal manufacturers seem to be in a better postion to make hi po cams.

[Soup DeVille]

Word from one of the caddy power folks that should know these things:

We arent giving up on Crane just yet.

  In the coming days there will be some decisions made as to what will happen to crane and at this point we are going to wait and see.

There arent that many people in the US that make cores and they are amongst the better of the choices however they wont be as affordable as what we can offer thru crane and that is ONE of our main concerns.

  What i dont see is how crane CAN go out of business.

  GM FORD and Chrysler have cams and cam blanks made there along with other companies like Waukeshau and there are others.

   There was a deal in place for a group of investors to buy Crane but the banks sorta put a monkey in the wrench we will have to see how this all goes but we have backup plans and none of them are as good as the two originals however it matters not what they cost it does matter if we can get the cores we need.

  My only fear is that a certain large cam company will end up with them and it would not be good.

   Just so you folks know

   Edelbrock MSD and at least two other companies are also for sale.....very for sale.

[Cobra93]

  My only fear is that a certain large cam company will end up with them and it would not be good.

Wonder who he's talking about? 

[SVT666]

The hemi engines are also going to see gains from this but tuning is just coming out for them.

Hot Rod magazine saw 120 hp increase using Comp Cams Stage 3 camshaft for the 5.7L Hemi.  They used a FAST ECU to adjust redline, timing, and such, but that's huge for just cams.

[SVT666]

   Edelbrock MSD and at least two other companies are also for sale.....very for sale.[/i]

That's interesting.

[Rupert]

So you get your ECU tuned, either w/a standalone or a piggyback. *has a standalone*

Did you get a new car?