Holyoke Wire & Cable Company continued to grow and expand in the 1950s. In 1954, the company leased 15,000 square feet of space in the former National Blank Book Company metals division building at 1 Appleton Street. Work was also performed at 720 Main Street in an expansion project awarded to the Casper Ranger Construction Company.
To illustrate the increase in the number of employees over the years, the company employed 27 at its inception, about 300 during World War II, and 500 during the Korean War. In 1954, one-third of its employees had been with the company for over 10 years.
The officers of the corporation at this time were Michael X. Andrews, President, Frank G. Mauer, Vice-President and Assistant Secretary, E. S. Bartlett, Vice-President and Assistant General Manager, and Robert Kidd, Treasurer.
By 1954, different materials were used in the production of covered wires. Various government and Underwriters Laboratories safety standards needed to be met. The Canadian Standards Association also established criteria for electrical goods entering Canada.
Post World War II, the demand for plastic-coated wiring was outpacing the rubber-covered wires of the past. Holyoke Wire & Cable invested $200,000 to replace its equipment for producing plastic/vinyl covers. As standards for rubber insulation were steadily reduced, the company continued to operate on a single shift for this insulation type.
As the company had leased 30,000 square feet of production space over the previous six years, up to 1954, there was little interruption in converting from rubber to plastic & vinyl. The company then ceased all production of rubber insulating products.
The company was also equipped to fulfill customers' orders for lacquer-coated wiring for high-temperature use.
The company introduced a straight-line manufacturing process, in which production began at one end of the building, and work-in-progress moved through the mill to completion at the shipping department. By 1954, most of the company's 1945 equipment had been replaced with high-speed, technologically advanced machinery.
In 1955, Hurricane Diane impacted the Main Street mill, causing $50,000 in damage. Four feet of water inundated the Main Street plant's basement, damaging 75 motors and raw materials stored there.
In late 1956, Holyoke Wire and Cable Company purchased the 4-story factory building at the southeast corner of Appleton and Water streets. Three years prior, the mill housed the metals division of National Blank Book, which relocated to the former Riverside Paper mill adjacent to the Willimansett Bridge.
Holyoke Wire and Cable had been leasing the top two stories of the building, and the Nonotuck division of Beryllium Corporation had been leasing the first two floors. Nonotuck performed some fabrication work for Holyoke Wire and Cable and would continue to do so. The purchase price was $150,000.
In 1957, the company invested in a plastic extruder capable of extruding wire at 750 feet per minute. The company also purchased three Teflon extruders. The equipment cost $122,000. Production grew by 100% over the past 10 years, according to the company President, Michael X. Andrews.
Citations:
Newspapers.com (paid subscription): Citations: Holyoke (Massachusetts) Transcript & Transcript-Telegram; Springfield (Massachusetts) Republican; publication dates and pages are shown.
Ancestry.com (paid subscription): Price & Lee Holyoke, Massachusetts, City Directories
Hampden County Registry of Deeds, Springfield, Massachusetts
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