Bartell Machinery unveils single-twist strander machine

ROME — On July 22, Bartell Machinery Systems, LLC unveiled a state-of-the-art, single-twist strander machine at its plant in Rome. 

The machine — which spans 78 feet in length, 20 feet in width, stands 17 feet high, and weighs 55,000 pounds (unloaded) — is capable of producing large, industrial, electrical-transmission cable for the power-utility industry. The wire strander is scheduled to ship in August to a customer in China.

“Bartell Machinery owns unique, roll-forming technology that shapes and pre-forms wire during the manufacturing process,” says Patrick J. Morocco, company president. “We had a dedicated team working on this project, which took a year to complete. The challenge was to design and build a structurally sound and perfectly balanced machine that can weigh up to 100,000 pounds [when loaded with copper wire] that rotates at up to 200 revolutions-per-minute and is operated by a programmable logic controller and a menu-driven touch screen.”

Bartell Machinery manufactures equipment for the tire and rubber, oil and gas, and wire and cable industries. The company employs 165 people, of whom 145 work at the Rome facility. The plant is located just north of the city on 17 acres and encompasses 170,000 square feet. The real estate is owned by the company. 

The Business Journal estimates that Bartell’s annual revenue exceeds $50 million. In addition to the headquarters in the Mohawk Valley, Bartell has sales-and-service offices in the United Kingdom and Quingdao, China, and a sales office in Toronto.

Bartell Machinery, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary this year, was founded in 1940 to service New York wire and cable customers. National Standard bought Bartell in 1969, and 20 years later sold it to Pettibone, which is owned by Heico, a conglomerate headquartered in Chicago. 

Morocco notes that Bartell generates 60 percent of its revenue from the tire and rubber industry, 25 percent from oil and gas, and 15 percent from wire and cable. 

The company has more than 8,500 machines in operation worldwide.

“All of our machines are highly engineered,” emphasizes Morocco. “Research and development is a key component of our success. The technical staff includes 40 engineers, all with engineering degrees, of whom 10 focus solely on R&D. We have devoted 5,500 [square] feet to an R&D lab, and we use the most advanced technology to design and develop innovative solutions.”

He continues, “Our ability to design, engineer, and manufacture advanced, industrial machinery that competes in the world market is a testament to our skilled work force and to the strong technical and manufacturing base we have right here in Central New York.”

Morocco was born in New Jersey and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland in 1986 with a B.S. in engineering. He spent seven years in the Navy as an engineering officer, including a stint on an Aegis-class cruiser. Morocco joined the private sector in 1993 and held executive positions with Stewart & Stevenson Operations, Inc. In 1998, he joined Wartsila, a Finnish company, as the vice president of worldwide operations. Morocco moved to the Carrier Corp. in Syracuse in 2001 and to ECR International in Utica in 2004, before joining Bartell in April 2013. He resides in Marcellus with his wife Peggy, also a Naval Academy graduate from the class of 1986, and four children.

Heico Companies, LLC is a holding company that owns 35 manufacturing, construction, and industrial-services companies in 12 countries on four continents. The holding company is organized into four groups: Ancra, Heico Metal Processing, Heico Construction, and Pettibone. 

Heico, which is privately owned, posts annual sales topping $2 billion. The holding company offers its properties financial, environmental, health-and-safety, legal, and risk-management resources. Heico also provides its constituent companies a worldwide supply chain for sourcing products and services.