Suppliers & Manfacturers - The Crosby Group

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The Crosby Group, Inc., was conceived with a long range goal to develop into a single source for accessories used in the lifting and material handling industry with the highest levels of quality control available. Through a creative program of product development and aggressive acquisitions of market-leading lines, Crosby began its growth. The current experience level of our employees has been many years in the making.

Quality - Priority One

When you read the statement "Crosby or Equal" on a contract, you owe it to yourself and the personnel that will be using the product to determine what it means to be "Or Equal." Crosby has several "Value-Added" features that must be compared when trying to find the "Or Equal" product.

"When buying Crosby, you 're buying more than product, you're buying Quality."

This phrase is more than a slogan. It is our mission. In addition to providing products of Uncompromising Quality, every service that we offer is performed with the integrity and sincerity you have come to expect from The Crosby Group. Each and every employee gives you the best quality available in all that they do.

Crosby Communication System

The Crosby Communication System has been developed with one purpose in mind. That purpose is to convey the positive aspects, or Value-Added features of Crosby to the marketplace. Known as the Quality Continuum (or big Red Q), Crosby has identified six segments of our business that when viewed as one, differentiate us in the marketplace. These six segments are:

1. Manufacturing
2. Complete Product Line
3. Engineering
4. Research & Development
5. Customer Service
6. Risk Management

Although various manufacturers in our industry may be strong in a few of these areas, no other single manufacturer offers you the complete package made available by The Crosby Group.

Manufacturing

Each manufacturing facility of The Crosby Group offers state-of-the-art processes and technology.

Lebus Manufacturing
In 1956 Lebus became part of The Crosby Group. The name Lebus, with its load binders, snatch blocks and tail chains was a highly recognized name in the Texas oil fields. Their quality was second to none. Over the years, most all of the forging work for The Crosby Group has been moved to Lebus to make use of their larger facilities.

Today, Lebus continues to put an emphasis on producing a quality product. Like all Crosby facilities, extensive quality control systems are in effect from the time steel is unloaded, through the various production stages, to when the product is packaged and shipped. The modern factory utilizes the latest technology to prepare the high volume of dies needed for the forge shop. Machining and assembly of many of the forgings is performed at Lebus. In addition, the plant's heat-treating furnaces offer all the capabilities to normalize and Quench & Temper products. Lebus currently forges the load binders, shackles, hooks, turnbuckles, links, rings and other products available throughout the Crosby line. Lebus Manufacturing is ISO 9001 Certified.

McKissick Products
McKissick Products, acquired in 1959, is the largest block producer in the world. Organized in 1925 as Peerless Supply Co., it began as a distributor specializing in oilfield and welding supplies. The company's involvement in the block business came after 1925. At that time, laws were passed requiring safety guards on wire line entrances to oilfield blocks. It was McKissick that developed and patented a wire line guard which could be opened to allow the reeving of the block without disassembly. Since 1937, when it began focusing on making blocks, McKissick has developed into the producer of the widest range of crane blocks, snatch blocks, construction blocks, specialty blocks and sheaves in the world. In addition, McKissick also produces the Crosby Red-U-Bolt Clip, the world standard for forged wire rope clips. McKissick's certifications to ISO 9001 and API Q1 reinforce their commitment to continued quality. McKissick is Your Total Block Company.

National Swage
In 1969 National Swage was acquired. National is the world leader in the manufacturing of swage fittings used in the fabrication of wire rope slings and pendant lines for cranes. National offers the patented "Cold-Tuff" process that gives mechanical properties equal to or exceeding those of stainless steel swage fittings. Crosby National also offers a line of swaging machines used to press the fittings onto wire rope. Crosby National is ISO 9001 Certified.

Crosby Canada
The Crosby Canada operation was established in 1965 to serve the growing needs of the Canadian market. The plant is a full scale, modern forging facility. They manufacture many of the wire rope related fittings for their market including load binders, wire rope clips, shackles and turnbuckles. In addition, the facility serves as a full line distribution center for Canada, stocking products manufactured at Lebus, National and McKissick.

Crosby Europe
Crosby Europe was established to serve the needs of the European, Middle Eastern and South African markets. The plant is a full scale, modern forging facility. They manufacture many of the wire rope related fittings for their market including load binders, wire rope clips, shackles and turnbuckles. In addition, the facility serves as a full line distribution center for Europe, stocking products manufactured at Lebus, National and McKissick.

Complete Product Line

Time-Tested Brand Names That Are Still Market Leaders

The Crosby Group has the most highly recognized brand names in the industry. Each has stood for quality for many years. Because of that ongoing "uncompromising" commitment to quality, these products have been the choice of several generations of end users.

Crosby® (Formerly Crosby-Laughlin, Founded 1836)
Shackles, hooks, turnbuckles, links, rings, eye bolts and wire rope clips.

Lebus® (Founded 1941)
Load binders, snatch blocks and tail chains.

McKissick® (Founded 1925)
Crane blocks, snatch blocks, construction blocks and sheaves.

National (Founded 1954)
"Cold-Tuff" Swage sleeves, swage buttons, swage sockets, Swaging machines and dies.

Western® (Founded 1883)
Snatch blocks, tackle blocks, marine blocks and manila rope blocks.

Bullard® (Founded in 1952)
Golden Gate Hooks for use with wire rope, chain and hoists.

Engineering

Recognized Dependability

Crosby is considered the standard of the industry, both nationally and internationally. This can be drawn from the fact that most contracts involving rigging products in the U.S. and around the world read "Crosby Only" or "Crosby or Equal."

Competitors' products cannot be substituted in place of Crosby products just because they "look" alike. Crosby products are manufactured with the highest design factors in the industry. Crosby products are better able to withstand abusive field conditions because of the improved impact and fatigue characteristics designed into each item of our line.

The majority of Crosby's products are "Heat Treated". The "Heat Treatment" allows the product to deform if overloading occurs, giving warning before ultimate failure. An "As-Forged," or non-heat treated product, will break with little or no warning. This is called a "Catastrophic Failure," and is a result of brittleness or lack of toughness in the non-heat treated product as compared to "Heat Treated" product.

Crosby recognizes the importance of four essential performance properties in its products.

• Working Load Limit
• Ductility
• Fatigue
• Toughness

Engineering Excellence

Engineering is the application of scientific principles to practical ends in the design, construction and use of equipment and systems. Crosby engineers its product to perform. The applications of the following items are an example of the available engineering expertise that has resulted in Crosby being considered the standard of the industry, in the United States and around the world.

• Proper selection of material and heat treatment process that allows for superior strength and impact performance. 
• Active participants in professional societies and committees including ASTM, CVSA, API, ASM and ANSI.
• Extensive expertise in computer aided design (CAD), Finite Element Analysis, Non-Destructive Testing and Failure Analysis of Products.
• ISO 9001 Certified.

Quality Control

The majority of the steel purchased by Crosby is isolated from production until approved by our metallurgical lab. Each product is individually "PIC Coded" (Product Identification Code) to allow traceability to its respective date of production and material certification.

Research & Development

Since our beginning, the mission of The Crosby Group has been to be the industry leader. We have always pushed ourselves to set the standards for others to follow. As in the past, our goal is to design products that will benefit you. The following is a list of firsts for The Crosby Group.

• First to produce the forged wire rope clip (1880's).
• First to produce wire rope guards on sheaves that can be opened for easy reeving (1925).
• First to forge Load Rating (Working Load Limit) directly onto product (1958).
• First to Quench & Temper fittings for more reliable performance (1973).
• First to forge Product Identification Code (P.I.C.) into each product that allows traceability to its respective date of production and material certification (1977).
• First to rate products as Fatigue Rated (1991).
• First to forge patented QUIC-CHECK™ markings into hooks, shackles and various other rigging products to assist users in determining proper use (1992).
• First in the United States to produce a crane block that can be reeved without removing the wedge socket from wire rope (1996).

Customer Service

The phrase Customer Service at The Crosby Group means more than just having the product available when you need it. Customer Service also means having full-time, knowledgeable District Sales Representatives available to serve you. It also means having a well-trained and fully-equipped Customer Service Department, a broad product line offering, a strong worldwide network of Authorized Crosby Distributors, and a Technical Support Team second to none.

Finally, Customer Service means having a management team dedicated to ensuring that  the previously mentioned services run smoothly and that your needs are met.

Risk Management

Crosby has always been concerned that our users are knowledgeable with the installation, use, inspection and maintenance of our products. Crosby offers a formal product instruction and warning program which includes such "Value-Added" features as instruction sheets attached to individual items, comprehensive literature, and a video training program. Crosby also offers a complete on-site training program which can be customized to fit your needs.

A Technical Support Team is also ready to answer any questions in regard to our products or services. This instruction can be provided through training seminars and on-site engineering applications. These services provide important benefits, such as improved risk management, which results in lower costs of doing business for our customers.

To view any of the crosby rigging accessories you can see them at liftingsafety.co.uk, which are all complete with full specification details and are available for quotation using the quick quote system and some have the ability to buy online.