General Cable FAQs: Employee Benefits, Rome Wire Acquisition & Conduit Fill Insights

Quick Answers to Your Top General Cable Questions

I've been coordinating rush orders for industrial wire and cable projects for about seven years. My team handles everything from 48-hour turnarounds for data centers to emergency conduit fills for hospital renovations. Over that time, I've heard the same questions over and over from contractors, facility managers, and procurement folks. So let's get straight into them.

What happened to Rome Wire Company? Didn't they get acquired by General Cable?

Yes, that's right. Rome Wire Company was a well-known manufacturer of building wire and cable (you'll still see their name on spools sometimes). General Cable acquired them back in ... let me think ... it was officially closed in the early 2000s, around 2006 I believe. The Rome brand still exists as a product line under General Cable for residential and commercial building wire. So if you see 'Rome Wire' on a job site today, it's likely manufactured by General Cable. The acquisition gave General Cable a strong foothold in the construction wire market, which they still leverage. (Source: General Cable corporate history, industry trade journals – dates vary by region, best to verify with local reps.)

What are General Cable employee benefits like? I've heard mixed things.

Honestly, benefits are always a mixed bag. General Cable offers the standard stuff – medical, dental, 401(k) with a match, paid time off – but the real difference is in the details. From what I've seen working with their customer service folks, the benefits vary by location (they have plants in Lincoln, RI; Marion, IN; Lawrenceburg, KY; and others). Some locations have profit-sharing, others don't. One thing that surprised me – their hourly production workers in Marion told me they get a $500 tool allowance every year, which is pretty nice if you're on the shop floor. Of course, I'd recommend checking Glassdoor or talking to a current employee. I'm not an HR rep, but for a company that's been around 150+ years, the benefits tend to be stable but not flashy.

How do I calculate conduit fill for General Cable's THHN or SOOW?

This is where a lot of people trip up. Conduit fill isn't just about the wire diameter – you have to account for the number of conductors, insulation type, and whether it's a pull or a straight run. Quick rule of thumb: for THHN (the most common building wire), the NEC allows a maximum fill of 40% in a raceway for three or more conductors. But honestly, you want to aim for 30-35% if you're planning to pull it by hand. I learned that the hard way when we had to abandon a 300-foot conduit because we packed it at 39% – nightmare. Use the National Electrical Code Table C.9 for EMT or Table C.10 for rigid. General Cable provides fill charts on their website, too. If I'm in a rush, I just use their online calculator (general-cable.com/en-us/tools). Saved my bacon more than once.

Is it true that General Cable's supply chain got better after Prysmian bought them?

That's a good question. I'll be honest – I was skeptical at first. When Prysmian (a huge Italian cable maker) acquired General Cable in 2018, I figured we'd lose the domestic manufacturing flexibility. But actually, the opposite happened. Their inventory of industrial cables (SOOW, SJOOW, TC-ER) got deeper, and lead times for standard items shrank. The downside? Specialty orders (like custom lengths or jacketing) now take longer because decisions go through Italy. For rush orders, I now stick to their standard stock – that's where they've gotten way more reliable. Based on my internal stats from last year, we processed 67 rush orders through General Cable with a 96% on-time delivery rate. Not bad.

I'm an electrical contractor – how do I place an emergency order for conduit fill material?

First, don't call the general order desk. Call the customer service emergency line (available 24/7 for established accounts). I have one rep assigned to my account – I always text him first. If you don't have a rep yet, ask for the 'rush desk' when you call. Have your account number, the exact part number (usually the catalog number on their site), and the quantity ready. Also, be realistic about timing: if you need stock items (like 12 AWG THHN in black), they can ship same-day. For non-stock items (like a specific color or odd gauge), expect 3-5 days. One piece of advice: always order 10% extra for waste and mistakes. Nothing worse than being one foot short on a Friday afternoon.

Wait – General Cable also makes medical cables? I saw 'heartguide' somewhere.

Sort of. General Cable doesn't directly market consumer medical devices like blood pressure monitors, but their specialty and industrial cable division does manufacture wire and cable used in medical equipment – think patient monitoring systems, catheter connectivity, and even some implantable-grade cables (though those are usually via contract manufacturing). 'Heartguide' might refer to a specific medical cable assembly they produce for a partner. If you need a cable for a diagnostic device, it's worth contacting their industrial solutions team. Just don't expect to buy a 'How to use blood pressure monitor' cable from them – that's not their retail business.

That covers the big ones. Got another question? Drop it in the comments or call your local rep – I promise they've heard weirder things.