By providing a unique environment for customers to discuss product needs, as well as observe the advanced manufacturing process of wire and cable that crews will deploy in the field, the Southwire Energy Center is extending the company’s reputation for innovation as a leading energy industry supplier.

Southwire’s state-of-the-art plant located in Villa Rica, Ga., will lead a push in developing smart grid components and products for renewable energy projects. The new multimillion-dollar facility’s primary focus will be to expand Southwire’s substation cable technology and solutions.

“We believe the Southwire Energy Center is unlike any plant our customers have ever toured. We have co-located our sales and product development teams with our manufacturing and logistics operations. This builds stronger collaborative problem solving, in a modern facility that allows customers to be involved in product development and observe the manufacturing process like never before,” said Michael Tribble, Vice President, Substation Cables at Southwire. “A major focus of what is taking place at the Southwire Energy Center is developing new products and services for substations, because we recognize the critical importance of these facilities for our customers.”

The Southwire Energy Center offers a variety of specialized cable products and services designed to improve productivity and make the process of building new substations or upgrading existing facilities easier. The facility will provide a complete product overview, simplified order fulfillment and flexible delivery scheduling so that products arrive when they are needed on the jobsite. Additionally, Southwire will provide advanced technical support during the substation design and specification stage.

Southwire is focused on sustainability and will assist customers in eliminating waste by allowing substation project managers to get cut-to-length cable for specific installation needs. The Southwire Energy Center will also pioneer a “substation kit” that will be custom packed with all of the cable components needed to build or upgrade a substation based on customer specifications for individual projects.

Southwire has more than 60 years of experience in providing customers with innovative products and services. The Southwire Energy Center is a next-generation manufacturing facility that will meet customer needs by offering a single trusted source for substation planning and product fulfillment. The facility will utilize insights uncovered by Southwire’s Cofer Center, which tracks new technological trends and researches ways these advancements can be implemented, such as cables that integrate monitoring and automation capabilities to support smart grid development.

The Southwire Energy Center will manufacture specialty substation cables along with control cables that include Southwire’s Proof Positive® Technology to help deter theft.

- Whitney Agan