United Wire, a family-owned wire manufacturer, is expanding its operations in North Haven, Connecticut, by 5,000 sq ft to accommodate a new, three-stand, wire shaping mill, a project that represents a seven-digit investment.
An announcement said that the addition will be completed in the first quarter of 2024. United Wire President Bob Swanson said that the space will host the wire shaping mill, which is being custom built by FENN, another Connecticut company. The mill, which will be in a “clean room,” is designed to manufacture specialty shaped medical wire. The company has been active in that sector and sees room to be a bigger part of it, he said.
The new equipment will be able to create flat and rectangle wire as small as .002 in. x .005 in., holding tolerances as tight as +/-.0001 in., Swanson said. It will use a non-contact optical gauge with precision servo motor dimensional monitoring and control. The machine will have a precision traversing spool take-up that has the flexibility to handle a customer’s desired spool size. Those capabilities, he said, are essential to creating the high caliber medical wire that the industry expects. The wire will be made into products such as catheters, stents, guidewires, endoscopy devices and orthodontic devices.
“This is essential to expanding our product capabilities, helping to better serve existing customers while also opening up opportunities to accommodate new customers,” Swanson said. The project, which he said will cost more than $1 million, will see his company’s workforce of 45 grow by up to 10 more positions.
Swanson said the choice of FENN felt natural, as his operation has long used its equipment. “FENN has an excellent reputation as a custom metal forming machinery builder, and we’re glad to support another Connecticut based manufacturer as part of our growth and expansion process.”
United Wire was founded some 30 years ago by Bob Swanson’s grandfather, Edward E. “Bud” Laird, who had spent decades in the wire forming industry prior to the company’s founding. Today, the company is led by Swanson, along with his two brothers and a cousin that serve key leadership roles for production, quality and engineering. “We’re very proud to have the third generation of our family continuing our grandfather’s legacy. I know he would be proud to see the company he started so many years ago continuing to thrive and help customers across the globe,” Swanson said.
