History

History of Wirerope Works, Inc.

Wirerope Works, Inc. has a long and illustrious history, dating back to 1886. Over the past 100 years the Company has evolved from a local wire rope mill to a fully-integrated wire and wire rope manufacturer recognized internationally for its craftsmanship, innovation and performance.

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  • 1886 Morrison Patent Wire Rope Company formed.
  • 1888 Name of company changed to Williamsport Wire Rope Company.
  • 1895 Williamsport Wire Rope Company relocates to 100 Maynard Street, Wirerope Works, Inc.'s present location.
  • 1916 Construction of the new wire mill begins.
  • 1928 Construction of the present rope mill begins.
  • 1937 Bethlehem Steel Corporation purchased the company, and it became the Bethlehem Wire Rope Division of Bethlehem Steel Corporation.
  • 1968 Installation of the 72-wire planetary stranding machine capable of manufacturing structural strand up to 5-1/2" diameter.
  • 1970 The Bethlehem Wire Rope Division purchased certain assets of Roebling Wire Rope, relocating equipment to Williamsport.
  • 1974 Installation of a 418-ton planetary wire rope closing machine to manufacture wire rope up to 7" diameter.
  • 1989 Williamsport Wirerope Works, Inc. (WWW), the manufacturer of Bethlehem Wire Rope®, is formed.
  • 1991 WWW installs new spoolers and MG sets in the wire mill.
  • 1993 Purchase and installation of a new mainframe and related software that enables the company's systems to be fully integrated.
  • 1998 WWW becomes a division of GlobalLIFT Technologies.
  • 1999 Installation of new neutralization facility, representing a multimillion dollar investment into the plant.
  • 1999 WWW celebrates its 10th anniversary.
  • 2002 Williamsport Wirerope Works purchased Paulsen Wire Rope out of bankruptcy. Two months later, restarted operations as Sunbury Wirerope, LLC.
  • 2004 Local entrepreneur purchases Williamsport Wirerope Works, Inc. and the Paulsen facility in Sunbury, forming a new company, Wirerope Works, Inc.