CHICAGO (March 9, 2017) – On March 9, a century after the Crane Packing Company launched in Chicago, John Crane has become a global leader in solutions for process industries that is celebrating its 100th anniversary, according to a statement from the company.
“Our longevity is a testament to our people and our service-minded culture,” said John Donatiello, VP of Global End-User Sales and Service for the company. “We help our customers stay ahead of change.”
While today the company is a market leader in mechanical seals for pumps and compressors, it built its early success on packing and gasketing products patented by engineer and co-founder John Crane, according to the statement. His flexible, lubricated metallic packing sealed voids in cylinders, valves and other equipment to prevent leaking. By the mid-1930s, an estimated 25 million automotive motor water pumps used Crane Packing materials, the company said.
In 1968, John Crane was awarded a patent for spiral groove technology, leading a shift from contacting to non-contacting shaft seals over the next three decades. The innovative non-contacting technology delivers lower operating costs, higher reliability, and improved safety and is today gaining recognition as a low-emission technology solution to help address climate change concerns, the company said.
Over the years the company has developed dozens of revolutionary products and processes, including the first automotive mechanical seal; the end-face, elastomer bellows shaft seal; seals for high-pressure and corrosive applications; and non-contacting technology for pumps handling environmentally hazardous liquids.
“We’re celebrating 100 years of innovation,” said Joe Haas, VP of Engineering. “But we’re also working on the next breakthroughs for industry, in areas like additive manufacturing, materials development using nanoparticles, and Sense™—a predictive diagnostics platform for the Industrial Internet of Things.”