From here to shining seas

Published in the January 20, 2011 Culpeper Times -"Made in the Piedmont" monthly column

What do the Olympic Games, the Titanic, and Oil from the Gulf of Mexico have in common? More importantly what do they have in common with the Virginia Piedmont? It is interesting to find that many of our neighbors, friends, and family are part of global events in ways that are surprising.  The Virginia Piedmont is rich with manufactures of world class products. There are times that we drive by a facility and just take it for granted. We say “Oh that is XYZ” but we never really know what they do, what they make, and where the products go. “Made in the Piedmont” will go behind the scenes to bring the best of our area to a new appreciation.

When we talk about economic development, we often think of attracting new businesses to our area. However, there is no better way to build our local economy than to recognize and support our existing businesses. They are the companies that have supported our tax base and provided employment for decades. They are community partners ready to support our schools, clubs, and civic organizations. Why are they here, why do they stay, what is it about our area that is attractive? “Made in the Piedmont” will help to answer some of these questions.

One such story is Tyco Electronics/  Rochester Wire & Cable LLC , located in the Town of Culpeper, Virginia. The layout and architecture of the facilities are reminiscent of stately corporate offices with beautifully manicured grounds and colonial brick buildings, a warm facade to a very technical and sophisticated manufacturing facility. The facility has been in Culpeper since the 1940’s, however, Tyco Electronics/  Rochester Wire & Cable LLC originally started life in 1794 in Maryland making ropes out of manila and other fibers for sailing ships.

The plant converted from making synthetic ropes to industrial cables in the 1940’s in order to meet the needs of the military.
Today, the company operates a 400,000 square foot manufacturing facility that makes state of the art cables, employing approx 175 employees as a major employer. The facility is situated on 43 acres with easy access to rail and truck routes. Many of the products are shipped to the Port of Virginia in Norfolk, Virginia, and destined for foreign markets.

The names of the cables that are produced today are a good indicator of their technical sophistication. Names like Side Scan Sonar Tow Cables, Electro-Optic Tow Cables, Armored Mining Cables, Single Conductor CTD and Instrumentation Cables, ROV & Plow Umbilical Cables, Offshore Oil Cables, Coaxial Cables, TV Inspection Cables, and Multi Conductor Instrumentation Cables are just the surface of their technical nature. The manufacture of these cables requires expertise in special metals, coatings, and communications in order to meet the needs for very interesting uses. 

Recently,  an RMS Titanic, Inc  salvage expedition teamed up with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute to develop a three dimensional map of one of the most famous ship wrecks in history, the Titanic. According to P.H Nargeolet, quoted in a newsvine.com story, “Never before have we had the scientific and technological means to discover so much of an expedition to the Titanic”. Imagine… part of the technology used in this expedition were cables produced by Tyco Electronics/  Rochester Wire & Cable LLC to control devices for the research at these great depths and extreme temperatures. From 6,000 meters below sea level, Tyco Electronics/  Rochester Wire & Cable LLC is technologically equipped to meet these tough challenges. Each cable is designed, developed, and manufactured to rigid specifications tailored to the particular application. In this case, researching an historic event was made possible in part due to the talent, engineering, and quality produced at Tyco Electronics/  Rochester Wire & Cable LLC.

When the Olympic Games took place in Beijing, China, the world watched every event as if it were next door. The clarity of the images was sharp and we simply turned on our computers or TV’s to watch the athletes compete. In order for part of this to occur the images were communicated thru cables that traversed the Ocean floors from the US to China. The communication cables were produced and laid on the ocean floor by Subcom a sister company in the Tyco family . Components of the cables were made at the Culpeper plant.
Tyco’s new technologies have focused on optical fiber for data transmission. The Tyco Electronics/  Rochester Wire & Cable LLC’s STEEL-LIGHT® was developed to meet the challenges posed by harsh environments and rigorous operational scenarios. Cables utilizing the STEEL-LIGHT® product meet the hydrostatic pressures encountered at full ocean depth and endure the mechanical stresses imposed during the repeated flexure affiliated with dynamic systems. Sounds amazing…

We recently watched as the oil was flowing from a broken oil well in the Gulf of Mexico. The work to solve the problem took a great deal of ingenuity. Yes, the cables communicating with the robotics at the ocean floor from the top of the oil rig and used to close the leak were cables made by Tyco Electronics/  Rochester Wire & Cable LLC.

These are just a few of the ways that our local products made at Tyco Electronics/  Rochester Wire & Cable LLC are being used for global solutions. However, the most interesting part of the story is that the products are being made by our friends, family, and neighbors here in the Piedmont of Virginia. Pride in the employees of Tyco Electronics/  Rochester Wire & Cable LLC … wow – yes. Their work is amazing, cool, and so important to our world. It is great to know that they are “Made in the Piedmont”!

Best regards,
Jim Charapich
President & CEO
Culpeper Chamber of Commerce & Visitor's Center