Type Private Company Products Automotive parts CEO Ronald L. Coleman (1989–) Headquarters Memphis | Industry Automotive aftermarket Number of employees 100-250 (2004) Founded 1976 Parent organization COMP Performance Group | |
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Founder John McWhirter, Ivars Smiltniks, Tom Woitesek, Bob Woodard, and Ronald L. Coleman in 1989 Key people Ronald L. Coleman, CEO & President (1989-present) Profiles | ||
Competition Cams, Inc., or COMP Cams, is a specialty performance automotive, motorcycle, and kart aftermarket parts manufacturer. The company has five US locations including headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee.
Contents
History
Although founded in 1976, 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.
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.
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.
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.
COMP Cams most recent development is the process of ion nitriding for camshafts, or Pro Plasma Nitriding. 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.
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. 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.