Since 1984 Lanoco Specialty Wire Products, Inc. has been supplying high fatigue stainless steel wire to the brush industry. As they celebrate their 15th year in business it is appropriate to say that an awful lot has changed in a relatively short period of time.
Founded by John Lannon, Robert Lannon and Thomas O'Connor, the business was located in a 7500-sq. ft. building in Millbury, Massachusetts. All of the original equipment was designed and built by the founders with much of it still in production today.
Originally, the company began purchasing processed wire and converting it into custom packages per customer specifications. At this time all of the equipment was designed for crimping, straightening, cutting and multi-stranding of specialty wires. Charged by customer confidence, the company continued to grow and it became evident that Lanoco needed to gain more control over its sources of process wire.
The company moved from its original location to a new facility in Sutton, Massachusetts in 1997. With a building twice the size of what they had, they were now able to support the integration of wire drawing into their operation. During the early 90's the company made substantial investments in equipment required to incorporate stainless steel rod breakdown and today purchases rod directly from wire mills worldwide. This vertical integration has allowed Lanoco to control the wire product from beginning to end using premier quality raw material that ensures a consistent high quality output.
In 1996, Lanoco was joined by Rory Beaudette, General Manager, to manage the business on a daily basis. It was at this point that everyone understood the operation had grown to where it's capacity exceeded sales in the brushwire market alone. The company began to diversify into other markets where high quality stainless wire was required. Immediate results were achieved and significant sales growth was realized in that year.
The Sutton, MA facility was expanded to 28,000-sq. ft. in 1997 to accommodate additional equipment that was required to support the growth. In addition to brush fill wires, the equipment to provide brush staple wire, strip retaining wire and twisted stem wire was added to provide more products to the brush industry. At this point the company began operating 24 hours a day to provide delivery performance that was industry leading.
The company's first acquisition was completed in 1998. It purchased The Wachusett Wire Company, Inc. in Worcester, Massachusetts. Wachusett Wire, a fine wire manufacturer in many various alloys, including stainless steel, has been in business for 50 years.
Today, Lanoco has two plants dedicated to the production of fine diameter wire, with its focus remaining in stainless steel and its major market being the brush industry. The expanded product line now includes monel, inconel, high and low carbon steel, brass, bronze, nickel silver, galvanized, and aluminum. Current capabilities include drawing rod from .217 to as fine as .003 diameter.
Fifteen years is a relatively short time to start from nothing and grow to become the leader in their core market. This is something they are very proud of and was made possible through the efforts of their dedicated employees as well as loyal customers. With a strong commitment to continuous improvement and supported by a management team, including second generation family members, Lanoco Specialty Wire will no doubt continue their leadership position in the brush industry.
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