Competition Cams

Competition Cams, Inc., often styled as COMP Cams, is a specialty performance automotive, motorcycle, and kart aftermarket parts manufacturer. The company has five US locations including headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee.

Competition Cams, Inc.
TypePrivately held company
IndustryAutomotive aftermarket
FoundedMemphis, Tennessee, USA (1976)
FounderJohn McWhirter, Ivars Smiltniks, Tom Woitesek, Bob Woodard, and Ronald L. Coleman in 1989
HeadquartersMemphis, Tennessee
Key people
Ronald L. Coleman, CEO & President (1989-present)
ProductsAutomotive parts
Number of employees
100-250 (2004)
ParentIndustrial Opportunity Partners
DivisionsAutomotive
Motorcycle
Go-kart
Websitewww.compcams.com

History

Although founded in 1976,[1] Competition Cams wasn't incorporated until 1977, when it began by selling valve train products through satellite distribution stores. The company has acquired manufacturers of transmissions, electronic fuel injection, and nitrous oxide through its holding group, COMP Performance Group, consisting of 13 companies.[2]

In the late 1980s, the company contributed to the Specialty Equipment Market Association, and its annual trade show in the Las Vegas Convention Center, Competition Cams was started by John McWhirter, Ivars Smiltniks, Tom Woitesek, and Bob Woodard. Current owners, Ron Coleman, and Paul Brothers were inducted into the SEMA Hall of Fame.[3][4]

In January 2020, Competition Cams was acquired by private equity group Industrial Opportunity Partners.

Industry contributions

COMP Cams created the Spintron engine testing system, which involves outfitting an engine with high-speed sensors and cameras to record data, and using an electric motor to drive the engine. The test observes valve-spring seat pressure, coil dynamics, camshaft/ pushrod flex, and lifter movement to identify problems in the engine's performance.[5]

A partnership between Richard Childress Racing, Okuma, and COMP Cams was established to develop the process for grinding a camshaft for a NASCAR engine, with an Okuma GC34NH cylindrical grinding machine; a CNC grinder.[6]

COMP Cams developed the process of ion nitriding for camshafts, or Pro Plasma Nitriding.[7] This is a 36-hour process that uses pulsed nitrogen plasma in a vacuum controlled environment to imbed chains of nitrogen ions into the camshaft surface approximately .008” - .010” deep, significantly hardening the surface.[8]

COMP Cams also developed a new surface finishing process called Micro Surface Enhancement (MSE).[9] By removing peaks from the surface finish (speaking in nanoscale terms), it improves bearing surface performance and life span of cam lobes and bearing journals.[9] The appearance of this new process is somewhat reminiscent of the development of superfinishing in the 1930s in the respect that a new metalworking process for surface finish improvement was developed in the quest for better shaft life span in automobile engines.

Sponsorship

Competition Cams does not sponsor a NASCAR team directly, but has access to advertising through a deal with NASCAR where the COMP Cams contingency sticker is placed on every NASCAR race car.[10] Contingency is a common form of 'after the fact' sponsorship whereby racers place stickers on their vehicles from companies that post monetary awards to racing teams for winning, in exchange for visibility and the right to use images of the driver and their car in promotional literature and advertising. Similarly, COMP Cams also posts contingency awards to drag racers and various other classes of auto racing.

References
  1. "Competition Cams Inc. - Private Company Profile". Business Week. The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
  2. "COMP Performance Group". Retrieved 18 December 2008.
  3. "Ron Coleman - 2000 Inductee". SEMA Hall of Fame. Specialty Equipment Market Association. Archived from the original on 2008-09-27. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
  4. "Paul "Scooter" Brothers - 2005 Inductee". SEMA Hall of Fame. Specialty Equipment Market Association. Archived from the original on 2009-06-28. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
  5. Steele, Lance (2007-06-01). "High Technology Helps COMP Cams Deliver Performance". Off-Road Business. Advanstar Communications. Archived from the original on September 26, 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
  6. Lorincz, Jim (2008-09-01). "NASCAR Is All About Teamwork". Manufacturing Engineer. Society of Manufacturing Engineers. 141 (3). Retrieved 2008-09-29.
  7. COMP Cams (2018), "Pro Plasma™ Nitriding", COMP Cams website, retrieved 2018-04-11.
  8. Fisher, Rob. "Engine Lubricants - Solving The Flat-Tappet Puzzle". Circle Track. Interlink Media. p. 3. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
  9. Korn, Derek (2018-04-01), "Evolution of performance camshaft grinding, finishing", Modern Machine Shop, 90 (11): 68–75, retrieved 2018-04-11.
  10. "Contingency stickers fill front fenders and help with bottom line". ESPN. 2008-04-11. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
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