John Crane Group

John Crane
Subsidiary
Industry Oil & Gas, Power Generation, Chemical, Pharmaceutical, Pulp & Paper, Mining
Founded 1917 (1917)
Founders John Crane and Frank Payne
Headquarters Franklin Center
Chicago, Illinois[1], U.S.
Area served
 Global
Key people
 Duncan Gillis ( Former President)
Eric Evans (CFO)
Number of employees
 More than 7,000 employees in 200 locations in 50 countries
Parent Smiths Group
Website John Crane
John Crane manufacturing site in Morton Grove, Ill.

John Crane is an American company, now a subsidiary of the United Kingdom corporation Smiths Group, involved in the design and manufacture of mechanical seals, couplings, hydro-dynamic bearings, seal support systems, and filtration systems. The company sells into a variety of markets including the oil and gas, chemical, pharmaceutical, pulp and paper, and mining industries.[2]

The company has operations in more than 50 countries and employs more than 7,000 people. John Crane is the largest division of Smiths Group plc, a global technology business listed on the London Stock Exchange.[3]

John Crane has end-user customers in process industries, including large oil companies, national oil companies (NOCs), and refiners. The company also serves original equipment manufacturers (OEM) customers engaged in the design and manufacture of pumps and turbines. John Crane also has a business called John Crane Production Solutions, focused on artificial lift products for the oil and gas industry.[2][4]

History

Old John Crane Headquarters

John Crane was originally founded in 1917 as Crane Packing Company. Before founding his company, engineer John Crane patented a flexible, lubricated metallic packing (#956,042) in 1910.[5] In 1915, Crane patented the manufacturing method for flexible metallic packing (#1,151,344). He discovered that wrapping his flax packing in metallic foil increased its longevity and kept the cylinders’ surface smooth and uniform. Frank Payne, a sales representative for the Warren Packing Company, recognized the potential of Crane’s innovation.[6]

Crane Packing Company initially manufactured packing and gasketing, which is still offered today. Prior to World War II, Crane Packing sold its England-based operations to Tube Investments, known today as TI Group PLC. Condenser Tube Packing was introduced in 1922 and in 1928, Metallic water pump packing were used on Chevrolet and Ford cars. An estimated 25 million motors were using Crane Packing materials by the mid-1930s. By 1938, all Chrysler cars used Crane Packing mechanical seals[7] on their water pumps .[5][8]

In 1939, the company invented the first automotive mechanical seal.[9] In the early 1940s, John Crane developed and introduced patented end face shaft seals and an elastomer bellows seal . The U.S. Navy relied on packing solutions from Crane Packing for a host of applications, including expansion joints, stern tube service, cargo pumps, rotary steam and air compressors, water-tight closures, metallic condenser packing and pipe fittings. In recognition for its service, Crane Packing received a U.S. Navy “E” Award. From the years 1941 to 1949, Crane Packing applied for and received 24 patents, the majority of which were for mechanical seals [10] designed to handle high-pressure and corrosive applications.

In 1948, Crane Packaging developed its own seal face [6] lapping machines and processes, which evolved into Crane Packing’s Lapmaster division. Another advancement of sealing and packing technology during this period was the commercial availability of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), marketed by its creator DuPont as Teflon. Crane Packing introduced its “CHEMLON” line of Teflon-based packing material for use on pumps, valves, hydraulic fittings and cylinders, coaxial cables, and gaskets in 1948.[5]

Old John Crane Advertisement

In 1950, Crane Packing purchased 26 acres (110,000 m2) of land in Morton Grove, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. Construction began on the new company offices the next year and continued until the main office, laboratory, and cafeteria were completed in 1956. John Crane’s Morton Grove facility comprises five manufacturing buildings totaling 453,000 square feet (42,100 m2).

In the 1980s, John Crane introduced the Type 28 non-contacting, gas lubricated gas seal,[6] which is designed for centrifugal compressors. In 1987, through a series of acquisitions and divestitures, the company in the United States and the company in the United Kingdom were reunited, this time under the name John Crane.[5]

Beginning in the 1990s, John Crane applied non-contacting technology to pumps handling liquids that are hazardous to the environment.

Timeline

First Patent for John Crane

Acquisitions

In 1998, John Crane acquired three companies; Sealol, Safematic and Flexibox.[6]

On October 15, 2007 John Crane acquired German company, Sartorius Bearing Technology,[12] manufacturers of tilting pad bearings for high-speed rotor applications, standard thrust and journal multi-lobe bearings and combined bearings for restricted assembly and mounting applications.

On April 29, 2008, John Crane acquired Indufil Bv, a supplier of filters for the petrochemical and power generation industries.[13]

John Crane acquired Orion Corporation on May 14, 2009, which manufactured hydrodynamic bearings for high speed turbine, generator, compressor and gear drive applications for the oil and gas, power generation and general industrial markets.[14]

References

  1. ↑ Tekippe, Abraham. "Manufacturer moves HQ to West Loop from Morton Grove". Crain's Chicago Business. Retrieved 2016-02-07.
  2. 1 2 "John Crane - Home Page". John Crane Inc. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  3. ↑ "Home - Smiths Group plc". Smiths Group plc. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  4. ↑ "Artificial Lift Solutions". John Crane Inc. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 4 John Crane
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 , John Crane History
  7. ↑ John Crane
  8. ↑ Ethanol Producer
  9. ↑ Pumps & Systems
  10. ↑ Pumps & Systems
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 USPTO
  12. ↑
  13. ↑ , John Crane News
  14. ↑ MandaDeals

External links

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