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The Crane Engineering Story
Crane Engineering was founded in 1939 as a pump supplier to the paper industry. Three generations of the Crane family have grown the business well beyond pumps and fluid process products. Today, led by the founder’s grandson Lance Crane, Crane Engineering is one of the Midwest’s leading providers of fluid process solutions with nearly 90 employees. The company serves a broad range of markets providing fluid system design, equipment sourcing & selection, fabrication, installation, field service and repair.
Crane’s high performance solutions and services include Inventory/Asset management, Energy Savings, Preventative and Predictive Maintenance, Maintenance Contracts, Equipment Integration, Field Service, Engineering Services and Systems Design.
Many of the Values on which Crane Engineering was founded still guide us today. |
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1939: “Basement Engineer”
Indiana native and Purdue University graduate Herbert “Tuz” Clinton Crane began Crane Engineering Sales, Inc in the fall of 1939 in Appleton, Wisconsin. Schooled as a mechanical engineer and experienced in Pulp & Paper processes, Herb began his new company distributing two key product lines that still remain today: Goulds Pumps and Viking Pump. Herb’s relationship with the Goulds family enabled Crane Engineering’s business to thrive. In the early years, the business was run out of Herb’s basement with Herb’s wife Marjorie performing secretarial and bookkeeping duties. |
Herbert Clinton Crane, founder of Crane Engineering. |
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1940’s: “Weekend Warrior”
The business became a weekend-only venture selling parts during World War II when Herb served as District Manager of the War Production Board from 1941 –1946 in Wausau and later Green Bay. After the War, Herb returned to Crane Engineering full time, moved to a small office and added his first full time employee, Mabel McClannahan as financial and operations manager. Mabel would go on to work for the company for nearly 40 years. |
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1950’s – 1960’s: “Engineers Who Sell”
In the 1950’s and 60’s, Crane Engineering became one of the leading suppliers of pumps and valves to the paper industry in Wisconsin and Upper Michigan. Herb hired his first two salesmen: Dick Reetz and Barney Davis. Armed with process knowledge and product expertise, Herb and his team worked day and night to develop relationships with customers like Crane’s largest customer Consolidated Papers, now known as Stora Enso North America. Key lines included Goulds, Viking, Gorman Rupp, Rovang Knifegate valves, and a private brand of hydraulic hand pumps that Crane marketed throughout the territory.
In 1962, Herbert’s son Jim joined the company from Goulds Pumps and after making his mark in sales with the company, became the second generation owner of the company in 1968. Ronnigen Petter filters added to line card. Sales top $1 million in 1969. |
Jim Crane, becomes second generation owner in 1968.
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1970’s – 1980’s: “Grow by Diversification”
During the 1970’s and 1980’s, Jim Crane realized that in order to grow, Crane Engineering needed to diversify into other markets and products lines. Crane first entered the Municipal Wastewater market in the early 70’s and then acquired Walter B Rohm in 1983 to expand its presence in the Industrial marketplace. Product portfolio now included valves, filters and other process equipment.
In 1973, Herbert Clinton Crane died at the age of 71.
In 1985, Sales topped $10 million. Crane launched its Service and Repair Capability and entered industrial flooring business. |
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1990’s "Knowledge to Keep Your Process Flowing"
By the 1990’s, Crane had assembled some of the best and brightest engineers and support staff in the business as sales topped $20 million. At 50 employees, Crane outgrew its Appleton offices and made the decision to build a new 55,000 square foot office in Kimberly, WI. The current facility has a 24,000 square foot warehouse and repair shop and large training rooms for customer and sales training.
In the early 90’s, Crane launched its systems business by developing the capability to design and build chemical feed, mixing and other systems to Industrial customers. DeZURIK valves and Foxboro instrumentation were added to the line card which now included nearly 60 product lines of pumps, flooring, valves, gauges, mechanical seals, filters, instruments, screens and other fluid process equipment.
During this period of strong growth, Crane formed a board of directors to bring in outside perspectives and expertise to complement the capabilities of the management team. |
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2000’s: Third Generation Leadership
In 2004, Jim’s son Lance Crane joined the company as a third generation leader of the company. In April 2005, Lance was named President and Chief Operating Officer. Crane now employs nearly 90 people.
In 2005, Crane acquired Debelak Technical Systems, a leading systems integrator serving the Dairy and Food markets, continuing its diversification into new growth areas. |
Lance Crane, becomes third generation leader, president and COO in 2005. |
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