Crane Pump & Systems

Over 60 Years of Pump Experience

Backed by 150 Years of Crane Excellence in Engineered Manufacturing
Crane Pumps and Systems began in 1946 as “The Piqua Machine and Manufacturing Company”. The original products were 56 Frame Fractional HP A.C. electric motors, used primarily in Oil Burning Furnaces. The three founders, Roy Speigle, President, Odus Treon, Vice-President and Beatrice Avey, Secretary / Treasurer came from Lear Avia, Inc., a Bill Lear Company.

From their experience making motors that could withstand wet conditions for aircraft, the founders were able to develop a pump which would no longer require a long shaft, meaning the motor could actually be submerged. In 1948 the original Submersible 1/3 Horsepower, 1 1/4 Discharge Sump Pump was developed and put on the market.

In 1953 the company bought “The National Waterlift Company in Kalamazoo, Michigan and moved it to Piqua. It had a line of Shallow Well and Deep Well piston-type water pumps. Then in 1963 Roper Industries of Commerce,Georgia purchased the Piqua Machine and Manufacturing Company.

Miss Avey had retired by this time (October of 1963). Mr. Speigle retired in August of 1965 and passed away in November of 1980. Mr. Treon retired in August of 1980 and passed away in October of 1981.

In 1968 Roper Industries purchased Cornell Manufacturing Company in Portland, Oregon. The trade name “ENPO-Cornell Pump Company” was set up to sell Piqua Machine and Manufacturing Company pumps along with Cornell Manufacturing Company products in all states except the 13 western states. Cornell Manufacturing would do likewise with our products in the 13 western states.

In 1971 Piqua Machine and Manufacturing Company entered into an agreement with Mengin, a French pump manufacturer, to adapt and market their cutter pump ends on our submersible motors and dry pit frames.

In 1976 Roper Industries purchased all assets and rights to the Crown Self-Priming Pumps from Construction Machinery Company (CMC) of Waterloo, Iowa and moved it into the Piqua plant.

In 1981 the agreement with Cornell Manufacturing Company was discontinued and the company name became ENPO Pump Company. (ENPO stood for “Engineered Power”, the trademark of the Piqua Machine and Manufacturing Company.)

In 1986 The Harbour Group from St. Louis, Missouri purchased ENPO Pump Company from Roper Industries. The Harbour Group owned two Prosser Industries, Inc. plants at this time (one in Anaheim, California and one in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) and moved them to the Piqua plant in 1988. These products consisted of the Sellers line and the Prosser Dewatering pumps. The company name was changed to Prosser-Enpo Pump Company in 1987.

In 1990 the company name was changed to Burks Pumps Company as a result of the Harbour Group-owned Burks Pumps in Decatur, Illinois being put under the leadership of the President of the Piqua facility. Later in 1990, Harbour bought Barnes Pump Company in Mansfield, Ohio, then moved it to Piqua in 1991. A sales office remained in Mansfield which is still in operation today.

In 1992 Harbour Group purchased AMW Industries in Arkansas which manufactured the Aermotor and Weinman pump product lines. In December 1993 Harbour sold a business to and purchased a business from GSW in Canada. The facility in Arkansas and the “water systems” business was sold. The “water systems” business consisted of the Aermotor product lines from Arkansas and some of our products that were being manufactured in Decatur, Illinois. In conjunction with this sale was our purchase of Barnes Pumps Canada from GSW which we operate today as a stand alone company.

In conjunction with this transaction was a two-way move of product lines. The “water systems” business from Decatur, Illinois was moved to GSW’s newly acquired Arkansas facility. The Weinman product line, which we retained and was being manufactured in Arkansas, was split up and moved to our Piqua and Decatur facilities.

In 1993 Crane Corporation bought Burks Pumps, Inc. The name was changed to Crane Pumps & Systems, Inc.

In October of 1995 Crane bought Process Systems and which was sold to Ruthman Engineering along with Deming Vertical Turbine pumps in 2007. Sellers Cleaning Systems was also divested in 2008 to Cloud Company.