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ST. LOUIS, MO, March 10, 2009 – CRANE MERCHANDISING SYSTEMS, a division of Crane Co., today announced that it will close its St. Louis area manufacturing facility in order to consolidate its vending equipment manufacturing operations in Williston, SC.
Following the October 2006 acquisition of Dixie-Narco, the Company has been aggressively driving continuous improvement actions and productivity initiatives across both of its large North American manufacturing facilities as part of Crane Co's Operational Excellence program while simultaneously improving customer metrics and introducing new products and solutions. This plant consolidation will facilitate additional operating synergies by establishing a manufacturing supercenter capable of producing any type of vending or foodservice dispensing equipment ranging from cold and hot beverage machines to food, snack and combination product merchandisers.
The consolidation, which is expected to begin this month, will occur in phases with selected machinery and assembly lines moved in an orderly manner. Crane’s high standards for product quality and delivery metrics will not be compromised, the transition will not be disruptive to current business activity, and all sales, service and supplier points of contact will remain unchanged. Orders for machines and parts will be submitted through the same channels and will be processed as they had been previously with no changes.
Brad Ellis, President of Crane Merchandising Systems said, “In spite of all the strategic and economic advantages associated with this consolidation, this has been a most difficult decision. We have many long term, dedicated employees in St. Louis and we sincerely regret the impact this action may have on their lives”.
Crane Merchandising Systems will maintain its headquarters in St. Louis that will include sales, marketing, engineering, procurement and administrative functions which will remain unchanged.
ABOUT WILLISTON, SOUTH CAROLINA. Williston is located in Barnwell County, ‘south-central’ South Carolina. The factory site is 23 miles east of Aiken, SC; 35 miles east of Augusta, GA; 68 miles SW of the state capital, Columbia, SC.
ABOUT CRANE MERCHANDISING SYSTEMS. We are North America’s largest manufacturer of a full line of food, snack and beverage vending machines. Vending equipment products are sold under the trade names of National Vendors, Automatic Products International, Dixie-Narco, GPL and Stentorfield, a range of hot drink machines manufactured in the UK. The Division’s other businesses are being organized to create an enterprise solution for vending operators. Streamware provides vending management software to benefit operator accountability and facilitate improved efficiency. National Rejectors (NRI), is a leading provider of coin changers and validators. CashCode manufactures banknote validators for use in a variety of niche applications in the vending, gaming, retailing and transportation industries. Telequip provides embedded and free-standing coin dispensing solutions across a broad range of markets that include - Retail (grocery/convenience/drug), Quick-Service Restaurants, Self-Checkout/Self-Service Kiosks, Banks, Gaming and Cafeterias. These Crane Merchandising Systems businesses are located in St. Louis; Boston; Buxtehude, Germany; Chippenham, England; Toronto, Ontario; Kiev, Ukraine; and Salem, New Hampshire.
ABOUT CRANE CO. — Crane Co. is a diversified manufacturer of highly engineered industrial products. Founded in 1855, Crane provides products and solutions to customers in the aerospace, electronics, hydrocarbon processing, petrochemical, chemical, power generation, automated merchandising, transportation and other markets. The Company has five business segments: Aerospace & Electronics, Fluid Handling, Engineered Materials, Merchandising Systems, and Controls. Crane has approximately 12,000 employees in North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Crane Co. is traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE:CR).
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