In 2003, Industry Week recognized a manufacturing facility owned by General Cable Corporation as one of the best plants in America. In 2009, Industry Week again awarded General Cable top honors in its Best Plants Profile.
But the road to success was not always easy for this Altoona manufacturer of automotive ignition cables, in spite of its illustrious past.
As far back as 1844, General Cable supplied the insulated wire to Samuel Morse for his historic communication between Washington and Baltimore. It supplied the wiring to light our nation's symbol of freedom - the Statue of Liberty. It supplied all of the transmission cable for the Hoover Dam; manufactured 140 miles of hollow tube to supply fuel for the D-Day Invasion; produced the control and communication cable for the original Minuteman Missile base; and designed, manufactured, and installed the first fiber optic cable.
In spite of General Cable's technological advances, the company issued a 90-day WARN notice in 1995, signifying its intention to close the Altoona plant. Contentious workplace relations between management and labor had reached an impasse. With contract negotiations looming, General Cable's management concluded that it would be impossible to adapt the former Carol Cable plant to its competitive plans.
Carol Cable requested SEWN's assistance to break the impasse and revitalize the plant. SEWN convened an emergency task force comprised of the local union, local management, local economic developers, and the Governor. Zeroing in on plant floor operational problems, the task force convinced General Cable to institute a labor/management committee, and to provide the committee adequate time to resolve the most pressing contract issues.
Through the dedication and hard work of the labor/management committee, General Cable withdrew its WARN notice, saving 250 jobs in the Altoona plant. SEWN assigned a consultant to help the union and management learn to communicate more effectively regarding workplace practices and business problems.
Rising from its near collapse, General Cable invested heavily in workplace training and new production techniques to maintain the viability of its Altoona plant and earn the coveted Industry Week recognition. Plant manager Bill Yankovich noted that the employees and the union rallied behind the company's efforts, "All we have accomplished would not have been possible without the dedication and commitment of all of the Altoona associates and the ongoing support we have received from our local union leadership."
