Left to right: Charlie Murrah, Fiona Naughton, Alice Naughton, Julia Richards, Rich Stinson, Lee Richards, Patrick Slaughter, Laura Richards, Jerry Cook, Kathleen Edge and Ron Sanders

Southwire has officially broken ground on the construction of its new copper rod manufacturing plant in Carrollton, Ga., featuring an SCR-9000S Copper Rod System. The plant supports Southwire’s long-term modernization strategy and builds on its goal to remain generationally sustainable.

“The new, 100,000 square foot facility will be located on the same property as the existing manufacturing plant and will be the largest SCR® system in the world,” said Rich Stinson, Southwire president and CEO. “This is an exciting future site for Southwire, and it will help the company continue to grow.”

The facility will utilize the company’s patented Southwire Continuous Rod (SCR®)
technology, which transformed the wire and cable industry in the early 1960s and is still the preferred system around the world. 

Southwire started operation of its current copper rod system in Carrollton in 1981, and four decades later, copper continues to be the primary source of metal for the company’s wire and cable operations.
 

“On December 9, 40 years ago, my dad drove my siblings and I to the existing rod mill. The mill was completed, and we watched it start production that night,” said Lee Richards, Southwire board member and son of the company’s founder, Roy Richards, Sr. “My dad always believed that there was a more efficient way to make copper and aluminum rod, and the SCR system development was the result of this belief. This new mill gives our team confidence that we are reinvesting in the company.” 

The new SCR system in Carrollton will have the capability to produce more copper rod than any other SCR system in the world. For Patrick Slaughter, plant manager, the facility will enhance Southwire’s commitment to safety, quality and service. 

“As I look over at the existing facility, I see a mill that has been the backbone of this company for 40 years, producing over 25 billion pounds of copper rod,” said Slaughter. “I’m filled with excitement when I look at the new site, and I cannot wait to let my team work in a new facility with new assets and modern technology, because I know that they will do great things.”  

Production should begin in the new facility by the end of 2022. 

For more information on Southwire’s copper rod mill, visit https://www.southwire.com/blogs/scr-system.