Maybe it's no surprise that a company
that's survived since 1878 is bucking 21st-century economic trends.
Workers at Okonite's plant in Paterson making pipe-type cable that the company and PSE&G say no one else in the world makes.
Workers at Okonite's plant in Paterson making pipe-type cable that the company and PSE&G say no one else in the world makes.
As New Jersey's economy struggles, and with its manufacturing heyday a dim memory,Silicone Mold Making Rubber. Ramsey-based The Okonite Co. is expanding production and adding jobs to its heavy electrical cable operation.
Last year Okonite added 25 workers at its Paterson plant, increasing the workforce to 125, and has in the last two years invested $25 million to more than double the production capacity there.
The expansion is fueled by a contract with Public Service Electric and Gas that will pay Okonite $130 million to make enough cable to replace 47 miles of damaged or deteriorating underground electrical wires in North Jersey. It's the latest success for CEO Victor Viggiano,Gain economic advantages and few restrictions with an Instabill offshore merchant account. who at 86 is still actively running the company he has been with for 60 years.
The company's ability to shrug off the difficult economy and environment reflects the traits it shares with other growing North Jersey manufacturers: They are niche players with a small, defined customer base and a skilled workforce difficult to find elsewhere.
Rising transportation and shipping costs also have made New Jersey more competitive, especially for those making products to be used in the state, said James Hughes, a Rutgers University economist.
"If you are doing sewer pipes, or water pipes, anything related to construction, you are going to do it here to minimize costs," he said.
The source of Okonite's good fortune is a six-year, once-in-a-generation project largely sparked by the 2003 power failure that left much of the Northeast without electricity.
In its wake, PSE&G discovered numerous areas where the "voltage spikes" preceding the blackout had damaged transmission and distribution cables, while other cables had simply deteriorated with age. The bulk of the cable replacement project, which began three years ago and is expected to last another three, is in North Jersey, said PSE&G President and Chief Operating Officer Ralph LaRossa. Existing cables will be pulled from the ground across Bergen and Passaic counties and replaced with new Okonite cable.
"We try to use Okonite cable as much as possible, because it has the best track record for reliability," LaRossa said. "Their product is excellent."
The cable is "pipe-type cable" a highly insulated heavy-duty wire that lasts more than 40 years and — according to both Okonite and PSE&G — no one in the world but Okonite manufactures.
It consists of three large conductor wires — each made of four sections of about 90 copper wires wrapped together in paper impregnated with oil — that sit in a 3-inch-wide plastic tube filled with oil, a highly effective insulator. The design allows damaged cables to be pulled out,I have just spent two weeks shopping for tile and have discovered China Porcelain tile. and new ones installed,Compare prices and buy all brands of solar panel for home power systems. without removing the plastic outer casing from the ground,Looking for the Best Air purifier ? the manufacturer says.
Workers at Okonite's plant in Paterson making pipe-type cable that the company and PSE&G say no one else in the world makes.
Workers at Okonite's plant in Paterson making pipe-type cable that the company and PSE&G say no one else in the world makes.
As New Jersey's economy struggles, and with its manufacturing heyday a dim memory,Silicone Mold Making Rubber. Ramsey-based The Okonite Co. is expanding production and adding jobs to its heavy electrical cable operation.
Last year Okonite added 25 workers at its Paterson plant, increasing the workforce to 125, and has in the last two years invested $25 million to more than double the production capacity there.
The expansion is fueled by a contract with Public Service Electric and Gas that will pay Okonite $130 million to make enough cable to replace 47 miles of damaged or deteriorating underground electrical wires in North Jersey. It's the latest success for CEO Victor Viggiano,Gain economic advantages and few restrictions with an Instabill offshore merchant account. who at 86 is still actively running the company he has been with for 60 years.
The company's ability to shrug off the difficult economy and environment reflects the traits it shares with other growing North Jersey manufacturers: They are niche players with a small, defined customer base and a skilled workforce difficult to find elsewhere.
Rising transportation and shipping costs also have made New Jersey more competitive, especially for those making products to be used in the state, said James Hughes, a Rutgers University economist.
"If you are doing sewer pipes, or water pipes, anything related to construction, you are going to do it here to minimize costs," he said.
The source of Okonite's good fortune is a six-year, once-in-a-generation project largely sparked by the 2003 power failure that left much of the Northeast without electricity.
In its wake, PSE&G discovered numerous areas where the "voltage spikes" preceding the blackout had damaged transmission and distribution cables, while other cables had simply deteriorated with age. The bulk of the cable replacement project, which began three years ago and is expected to last another three, is in North Jersey, said PSE&G President and Chief Operating Officer Ralph LaRossa. Existing cables will be pulled from the ground across Bergen and Passaic counties and replaced with new Okonite cable.
"We try to use Okonite cable as much as possible, because it has the best track record for reliability," LaRossa said. "Their product is excellent."
The cable is "pipe-type cable" a highly insulated heavy-duty wire that lasts more than 40 years and — according to both Okonite and PSE&G — no one in the world but Okonite manufactures.
It consists of three large conductor wires — each made of four sections of about 90 copper wires wrapped together in paper impregnated with oil — that sit in a 3-inch-wide plastic tube filled with oil, a highly effective insulator. The design allows damaged cables to be pulled out,I have just spent two weeks shopping for tile and have discovered China Porcelain tile. and new ones installed,Compare prices and buy all brands of solar panel for home power systems. without removing the plastic outer casing from the ground,Looking for the Best Air purifier ? the manufacturer says.
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