General Cable Corp. - Altoona Plant, Altoona, Pa.
Employees: 276, union
Total Square Footage: 198,000
Primary Product/market: Automotive ignition wire sets
Start-up: 1988
Achievements: IW Best Plant Winner in 2003; ISO/TS 16949:2002 certified in 2006; 99.98% first-pass yield for finished products; zero total OSHA recordable incidents for 12 months ending November 2009; AutoZone 2009 Extra Miler top vendor award
Though tucked midway between Pittsburgh and Harrisburg, General Cable's Altoona, Pa., plant is on the forefront of global manufacturing competition. As plant manager Ken Smith wrote in a recent employee newsletter, "We all see the challenges: not just with the current economy but with a declining market and the fact that our competitors are now producing in low-cost regions such as Mexico and sourcing their materials directly from low-cost producers such as China."
What makes the Altoona facility a Best Plant is how it has successfully responded to the relentless global pressures for faster, leaner and cost-competitive production. The plant is following a multifaceted plan that includes the pursuit of new markets, new technologies, self-directed work teams, lean manufacturing and an emphasis on safety.
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