Karmazin Products Corporation
Encyclopedia
The Karmazin Products Corporation was founded in Wyandotte
, Michigan
during 1946 by John Karmazin, Sr.
The company produced radiators, oil coolers and many other heat transfer devices that were primarily used in heavy construction equipment, tractors and trucks.
Most of the company's products were based on patents obtained by John Karmazin, Sr. He was awarded more than 50 patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office during his lifetime. The company's largest customers included Caterpillar Inc.
, Massey Ferguson
and other heavy construction equipment manufacturers.
During its peak sales in the 1970s, the company had approximately 300 workers and was one of the largest private sector employers in Downriver
Detroit. Michigan Governor John Engler
honored the company in 1996 to commemorate its 50th anniversary of continuous operations.
Due to the impact of low-cost foreign competition and the drop in product demand caused by the general decline of Midwestern manufacturing during the 1980s and 1990s, the owners of the company closed the Wyandotte plant in 2000.
Wyandotte mayor Lawrence Stec commented on the closure of the plant, "Those products they made there went all of the world, and a piece of Wyandotte went along with them. I'm certainly sorry to see it go."
Wyandotte, Michigan
Wyandotte is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 25,883 at the 2010 census, a decrease of 7.6% from 2000. Wyandotte is located in southeastern Michigan, approximately south of Detroit on the Detroit River, and is part of the collection of communities known as...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
during 1946 by John Karmazin, Sr.
John Karmazin, Sr.
John Karmazin, Sr. was an American engine component inventor and business founder.Born in Tman, Austria-Hungary , Karmazin emigrated to the United States in 1903 and became an American citizen...
The company produced radiators, oil coolers and many other heat transfer devices that were primarily used in heavy construction equipment, tractors and trucks.
Most of the company's products were based on patents obtained by John Karmazin, Sr. He was awarded more than 50 patents by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office during his lifetime. The company's largest customers included Caterpillar Inc.
Caterpillar Inc.
Caterpillar Inc. , also known as "CAT", designs, manufactures, markets and sells machinery and engines and sells financial products and insurance to customers via a worldwide dealer network. Caterpillar is the world's largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas...
, Massey Ferguson
Massey Ferguson
Massey Ferguson Limited was a major agricultural equipment manufacturer which was based in Canada before its purchase by AGCO. The company was formed by a merger between Massey Harris and the Ferguson tractor company in 1953, creating the company Massey Harris Ferguson. However in 1958 the name was...
and other heavy construction equipment manufacturers.
During its peak sales in the 1970s, the company had approximately 300 workers and was one of the largest private sector employers in Downriver
Downriver
Downriver is the unofficial name for a collection of 18 suburban cities and townships in Wayne County, Michigan south of Detroit along the western shore of the Detroit River....
Detroit. Michigan Governor John Engler
John Engler
John Mathias Engler is an American politician and a member of the Republican Party. He served as the 46th Governor of Michigan from 1991 to 2003....
honored the company in 1996 to commemorate its 50th anniversary of continuous operations.
Due to the impact of low-cost foreign competition and the drop in product demand caused by the general decline of Midwestern manufacturing during the 1980s and 1990s, the owners of the company closed the Wyandotte plant in 2000.
Wyandotte mayor Lawrence Stec commented on the closure of the plant, "Those products they made there went all of the world, and a piece of Wyandotte went along with them. I'm certainly sorry to see it go."