Interesting Auto/Cycle Industry News

[asphaltgambler]

S&S Cycle is the oldest and also the largest player in the Harley-Davidson aftermarket for drive train components as well as complete assemblies. Odd thing is they already have a complete cam/ valve/spring production unti and they, unitl now, have never delved into the auto industry............................


S&S Cycle
Press Release

April 23, 2009

Viola, Wisconsin. S&S Cycle announces the acquisition of certain assets of Crane Cams Inc. Those assets include the inventory, intellectual property, and trademarks for all Crane automotive and motorcycle electronic products and for Crane motorcycle valve train products. The intellectual property portion includes designs, drawings, and cam profiles. Crane automotive valve train products are not included in this acquisition. Crane Cams was founded in 1953, and like S&S Cycle, founded in 1958, it has become a respected and iconic brand in the high performance industry.

S&S intends to continue to sell Crane products through the same distributors and dealers who have sold them in the past. To that end, they will establish a new facility in Daytona Beach, Florida to manage the business and provide customer service and technical support. This new facility will be staffed by many of the same personnel that Crane customers have worked with in the past, providing as seamless a transition as possible. While there may be some shortages of product in the near future, the Crane/S&S team will be working hard to fill back orders and meet future demand for Crane ignitions and motorcycle valve train components.

Since the acquisition does not include the Crane facility or equipment, manufacturing of valve train products will be moved to the S&S manufacturing facility in Viola, Wisconsin. S&S CEO George Smith comments: “The addition of this product line is a natural fit for our current in-house cam manufacturing capabilities as our equipment and processes are state of the art. We’re also excited that the highly successful Crane motorcycle and automotive electronics line is included with this acquisition. This will further strengthen S&S Cycle in the electronics field by providing additional expertise to improve our product offerings in late model ignitions, among other things."

S&S Cycle has been a leading manufacturer of Proven Performance v-twin motorcycle components and engines for nearly 50 years. George Smith and Stanley Stankos founded the company in 1958 in Blue Island, Illinois. Shortly after the founding of S&S, George, and his wife Marjorie (whose maiden name was also Smith), bought out Stanley Stankos and Smith & Stankos became Smith & Smith (S&S). In 1969, S&S moved from Blue Island to Viola, Wisconsin and expanded to La Crosse, Wisconsin in 2004. More information can be found at www.sscycle.com).