Karmazin Products Corporation

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."

References

* "John Karmazin Sr. is Dead at 93", "The News-Herald", June 1, 1977.
* "Closing the Book, Karmazin Introduced City to the World", "The News-Herald", November 15, 2000.