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Please use the navigation links at the top and bottom of each page to view and print for your harvey CRANE's secrets notebook.
LIQUIDATION AND SALE TO
S&S CYCLE, VIOLA, WISCONSIN
On
February 25 of 2009 the local news paper in Daytona Beach, Florida published a
story about the closing of the 56 year old auto parts manufacturer Crane Cams.
The newspaper blamed it on the economic conditions.
The TRUTH is the Wachovia Bank forced the closing because of the Crane employee
payroll bank account was no longer being funded.
Here are OTHER TRUE FACTS!
This firm was founded on January 1, 1953 by Harvey J. Crane, Jr. as Crane
Engineering Company. In 1963 the firm was Incorporated as Crane Engineering,
Incorporated. A new employee was sold 20 percent of this new corporation.
Later in anticipation of going public the name was changed to Crane Cams,
Incorporated.
In 1986 the firm along with 55 friends and employees were moved to Daytona
Beach, Florida and Harvey J. Crane, Jr. announced to the all the employees that
he was taking his first real vacation and left for Alaska with his wife Maxine
in their 37 foot Beaver motor home and was gone for three months. Harvey
returned to work and for 40 hours a week continued to provide the technological
leadership to this firm with over 300 employees.
On January 24 of 1989 the executive group voted to FIRE Harvey. At that time
Harvey owned only 17 percent of the firm. The Employee Stock Ownership Trust (ESOT)
had been buying Harvey's stock and GIVING THIS STOCK TO THE EMPLOYEES AS AN
ANNUAL BONUS & PROFIT SHARING !
17 years later the "ESOT" sold the firm to Mikronite Technologies.
2 1/2 years later Mikronite management laid off most of the employees.
The final chapter of this Mikronite/Crane Cams, Incorporated ownership was started on Wednesday, the 22nd of April 2009, when a LIQUIDATION AUCTION was held in the Crane Cams building. This auction was also webcast on the internet by LiquiTec.net of Mequon, Wisconsin.
The purchaser of the Crane Cams and Crane's "intellectual property" was S&S Cycle of Viola, Wisconsin.
The official bidder's name was Anders Stubkjaer, the chief financial and operating officer of S&S Cycle.
UPDATE 1 - 13 June 2009
The owner of the property that was leased to Crane Cams (Mikronite) located at 530 Fentress Boulevard in Daytona Beach, Florida, told S&S Cycle to vacate the building and parking lots by Friday PM, June 22nd.
On Thursday, June 21st there were more than 22 cars and 10 trucks in the rear parking area loading items purchased by S&S Cycles! It is believed that these items are still located in the Daytona Beach area.
UPDATE 2 - 29 August 2009
I
have been driving to the Fentress Boulevard location of the original Crane Cams/Mikronite
building several times a week to log the number of cars and trucks in the rear
and front parking lots. On most days the rear gate is closed and the front
parking lot contains a single car.
On the fourth of August, things were busy. The rear gate was open and a big
tractor/trailer was being loaded with very large (100 gallon?) plastic
containers of SEWER WATER. The front area contained a large tanker truck pumping
the sewer lines.
The city of Daytona Beach had found dangerous chemicals in the sewer water and
capped the drains. The owner of the building had hired a firm from Tampa Florida
to "clean up the mess".
Finally, the water to the building could then be turned on. On the
13th of August trucks in the rear were removing the "PORTO POTTIES" that had
been rented to serve the few employees and visitors.
The 530 Fentress address now has a sign out front saying "AVAILABLE" ! The sign
is by CBRE.COM with a phone number of 386-986-0265 with a name of Erik Poole as
a contact person.
While I searched the internet for information on the "NEW CRANE CAMS" I found
the following. Crane Cams / S&S Cycle is now located at 1640 Mason Avenue in
Daytona Beach, Florida. When I drove to this location, which is only about one
mile from the old location, I found an empty industrial building. But, driving
into the parking area I found at the rear, in Unit 180, several cars belonging
to the old Crane Cams employees. The new phone number is 386-628-0197. The
web site cranecams.com now has several e-mail address's.
THIS STORY IS STILL NOT OVER!
Today we have added a "new" book, Part 1 of Racing Camshaft Founders. It's now available to read on-line here or download the PDF version to read off-line here FREE! Harvey suggests you print it (approximately 11 pages) so you may read it at your leisure.
If you have heard of Harvey's "book" and wondered if it will ever get published, volume one is now available to read on-line here or download the PDF version to read off-line here FREE! Harvey suggests you print it (approximately 32 pages) so you may read it at your leisure.
HARVEY CRANE ® has spent more than 56 years in CAMS and CAMSHAFT MEASUREMENT, CAM ANALYSIS and CAM DESIGN. His personal consulting services and software can provide you with the answers you need to solve your camshaft and valve train problems.
Harvey Crane does not sell camshafts! (Well, a few billet Ford Model A & Model B camshafts only).
harvey CRANE, Inc., is in the consulting business and charges an hourly rate for services. Your first call is FREE! MORNINGS ONLY PLEASE! He offers experience, expertise and innovation in the field of camshaft and valve train technology.
Ramp Secrets! A listing of sample roller cam designs using different RAMPS, some of which have never been described in published literature. Graphic views are now available of each of these RAMPS. These graphs show lift, velocity, acceleration, and jerk curves of these UNIQUE RAMPS.
Other previously unpublished secrets are from the Original Camshaft Man (since 1953) - Harvey Crane. These secrets are numbered and additions will be published periodically. Follow the links at the top or bottom of each page to learn the Secrets Of The Camshaft Man!
He formed Crane Engineering on January 1, 1953. Later as he expanded the cam business, the name was changed to his LAST NAME CRANE + CAMS, Inc. This firm became the best known in the field of racing camshafts in the late 1960's. In 1989 the ESOT (employee owned) firm's executive committee of 10 (from a total of more than 250 employee owners) decided they could save money by "letting Harvey go". They FIRED HIM on Tuesday afternoon, January 24, 1989! At that time he only owned 17% of the company stock shares, so there was nothing he could do to save his position as the technological leader of the company that still uses his name.
After his one year noncompete expired in 1990, he began to offer consulting services, cam profile measurement, design services, cam design software and cam analysis software.
A member of the Society of Automotive Engineers since 1958, his acknowledged leadership in the automotive field was recognized by the SAE in 1988 when it awarded him a fellowship in the SAE.
Late in 2007 he was awarded a 50 year certificate of active membership with SAE International.
The harvey CRANE, Inc. phone will normally be answered by Harvey Crane during daily business hours of 9:00 AM to 12 Noon Eastern time, Monday through Friday. Please note that I do not work afternoons! When you reach the age of 78+ you too can work half days!
His cam design and analysis software is not available for sale. All software is available ONLY with HARVEY CRANE'S Personal Consulting Services.
Harvey would be pleased to assist you in the camshaft business. Your first call to him is FREE! He will recommend other camshaft manufacturers when you call with a specific engine request. Please do not send an e-mail requesting a referral of a camshaft manufacturer. The only e-mail listed here is for the webmaster for questions or comments about the web design. Overseas potential customers may send e-mail to the webmaster with any questions for Mr. Crane. These will be forwarded and eventually answered. Please allow up to 14 days for a response.
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