The new company was named Crane in recognition of George Crane, a British foundry owner whose kind understanding and support backed their desire to hire away his foundry's long time superintendent, ironmaster David Thomas, who had achieved regular successes in employing the new hot blast process and successfully worked out necessary additional methods to not only smelt iron, but produce fine quality cast iron and pig iron ready to make steel. These results positioned Crane's company's strongly to dominate British steel and iron manufacturing for decades.
The new company was named Crane in recognition of George Crane, a British foundry owner whose generous nature and backing enabled their desire to hire away his foundry's long-time superintendent, ironmaster David Thomas, who had consistently achieved regular successes in employing the new hot blast process and developed necessary additional methods to not only smelt iron, but produce high-quality cast iron and pig iron ready to make steel. These achievements positioned Crane's company strongly to dominate British steel and iron manufacturing for decades.