After a message was posted to Scythe USA’s website, many claimed the company was going out of business.  HWC dug a bit deeper and found that Scythe will still be around.

For years Scythe has been regarded as one of the world’s leading manufacturers of heatsinks and fans so when certain sites “broke” the news of their impending closure, enthusiasts were naturally shocked.  Many pointed to a news item on Scythe’s North American website as proof this respected supplier of cooling gear was on their way out.  It said:

To Customers and Users

Scythe USA Inc. has been a supplier of Scythe products for the past several years. In November 2012, Scythe USA had to make a difficult decision to end its operations as a result of the closure of its parent company. We greatly appreciate your business and support over the years.

At first glance, Scythe’s announcement certainly sounds ominous. But before you start hoarding those Gentle Typhoons and Kaze Jyunis, we reached out to Scythe’s head office for comment and the response should put to rest any worries enthusiasts may have (translated version below):

“Under no circumstance (is Scythe) curtailing our North American operations.  Due to economic conditions, our North American distributor is winding down operations and will stop carrying our products.  We are currently looking for new distribution options but in the interim, Scythe will continue supplying channels from our other bases of operation.  Alternately, large retailers throughout Canada, Latin America and the USA will continue getting shipments directly from Scythe.   Scythe continues to be a healthy company and will be introducing many new and exciting products in the coming months, many of which will be available in North America!”

Indeed, Scythe’s locations in Europe and other parts of the globe are still operating under normal conditions.  From our understanding and through additional conversations with some North American retailers, it seems like no one is worried about supply interruptions throughout the busy pre and post-Christmas seasons.  This is great news for anyone that was worried about continued product availability.

So why all of this confusion?  Smelling blood in the water and a potential for controversy, many sites jumped the gun and reposted this “news” without actually following up with Scythe for their side of the story.  Unfortunately, as this shameful situation illustrates, sometimes proper follow up procedures get put on the back burner in an effort to garner pageviews.  So breathe easy, Scythe isn’t going anywhere for the time being.