Unparalleled Quality and Durability
Anamet ElectricalBy Robert Hoshowsky
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For a company to stay in business, it takes dedication, drive and vision. For a company to remain successful year after year, takes a great deal more. Anamet Electrical, Inc. traces its roots back over a century and remains a force in the worldwide manufacture and supply of SEALTITE® flexible wiring conduit. It is founded on a tradition of quality products, timely delivery and customer service that is second to none.
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For decades, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), oil and gas industries, automobile manufacturers, railways, airlines, trucking companies, military, government and other clients have relied on Anamet Electrical to provide a range of durable flexible liquid-tight electrical wiring conduit for their machine shops, robotic equipment, nuclear power plants, industrial construction, mass transit vehicles and many other applications.
The company is proud to supply a variety of Anaconda Sealtite liquid-tight flexible conduit, flexible metallic conduit, industrial strip wound hose, fittings and FireTech™ high-temperature accessories. The company’s many quality wiring products and connectors are designed, engineered and made to withstand harsh conditions such as freezing cold and scorching heat, acid, corrosive salt water, solvents and flames.
Based in Mattoon, an Illinois city with a long-time history of manufacturing, the privately held, flexible conduit and fittings company goes back a very long way. Anamet Electrical’s plant – which is at 234,000 square feet today – was built in 1956. The site was chosen because of its central location close to Interstate 57, major rail hubs and waterways. “We have equipment to perform slitting, forming, winding, extrusion, braiding and cleaning of product,” says Executive Vice President Sam McCammon. “Most of the machinery has been designed, machined and installed by Anamet employees.”
The company is about two hours from Indianapolis, two hours from St. Louis and two and half hours from Chicago. The University of Illinois – which has a top caliber engineering program – is about forty minutes north of Anamet.
“The bulk of our engineers come from the well-respected University of Illinois,” says Vice-President, Sales & Marketing Desirée Grace.
Anamet also has locations in Ontario, Canada and the Netherlands. The three operate as distinct business units but collaborate and have an annual face-to-face meeting and share best practices.
The history of Anamet Electrical goes back to 1908 when The American Metal Hose Company was incorporated ‘as an outlet for brass mill products of The American Brass Company.’ Over the years, the company changed. The Anaconda Mining Company purchased American Brass in 1922, with Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) acquiring Anaconda – including American Brass – in 1977. By 1984, the Anaconda Metal Hose Division was sold by ARCO to private management investors under the name of Anamet Inc., and in 1993, Anamet Electrical, Inc. was organized as a Delaware corporation.
Invention is the mother of necessity, and this is especially true in times of a crisis like war. “During World War II, military equipment needs and the related machine tool development in the U.S. led to the need for a liquid-tight flexible metallic conduit system which included fittings,” explains company President William. S. Cady. This wiring conduit system known as Anaconda Sealtite has become a standard in the industry. The first system was tested and approved by Underwriters Laboratories on April 18, 1949.
Anamet Electrical has been synonymous with Sealtite flexible wiring conduit and remains the worldwide supplier of this and other outstanding products to the U.S., Mexico, South America and Australia. Anamet Canada Inc. focuses on all Canadian provinces, while Anamet Europe handles all of Europe and the Middle East. All three Anamet affiliates trade together and share technology as well as new products and application information.
Cady has an extensive educational and industry background which includes as Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Tri-State College – Angola Indiana and an MBA from the University of Connecticut. He has worked as a metal hose applications engineer, product development engineer, plant manager and technical director at the company for years before becoming president in 1992.
He says Anamet Electrical’s longevity comes down to its products and people. “The company has always had a reputation based on high-end product quality, innovation and terrific customer service,” says Cady. “Product development and new product introductions are a key to our success. We have always been self-reliant as it relates to innovative equipment and tooling design. Much our focus today centers on metal core winding technology, plastics extrusion, material processing.”
The full range of products within the Anaconda Sealtite liquid-tight flexible conduit series and accessories are precision engineered and manufactured to withstand heat, cold, chemicals, corrosion, ultraviolet rays and even crushing. These products are created to last. Anamet’s products are crafted to meet customer demand and specific requirements.
Anamet has finely honed its manufacturing process over the years and has a fully developed engineering department responsible for process, product, tooling and equipment. “Anamet Electrical currently employs about 120 people,” says McCammon. We have a fully developed engineering department responsible for process, product, tooling and equipment. We design and produce our own tooling and machines in house. We have three shift production, quality and maintenance departments. Maintenance also includes our tool room.”
Using made-in-the-U.S.A. components is a further guarantee of reliability. The manufacturing process is more complex than people realize. Different stages, such as winding and extruding, require a steady hand and years of expertise.
Some products incorporate both machine processing and manual labor. Certain ones, especially those that are particularly flexible or have a small diameter, are entrusted to the company’s most experienced winders. Many of these winders have over thirty years of industry experience.
Before products leave the company, they must undergo rigorous testing. Since Anamet Electrical sells worldwide, it must meet standards from around the globe including U.S.-based global independent safety science company Underwriters Laboratories (UL), the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) and NEC.
“Our products are tested and approved to UL and CSA standards,” says McCammon. “We use UL, CSA, third party testing and our own internal lab for testing. UL approved products are tested for flame propagation, aging, tensile, crush, sun-light resistance (UV effects), cold impact and many more characteristics. We also have radiation tested and approved conduit for the nuclear power industry.”
“Generally, we meet or exceed the UL and NEC requirements. But specifically, the customer will look at things like crush-resistance or bending tolerances,” says Grace.
Products are tested to meet UL standards for safety including electrical resistance, flexibility, and strength (bending). Some must perform well while withstanding caustic or acidic environments, while others require nickel-plated brass fittings to guard against for salt spray or different jacket materials to protect against acetone in factories.
“There are different concerns, depending on the environment.” Products may be tested for flame propagation, aging, tensile strength, crushing, sunlight resistance, cold impact and even radiation tested for conduit using by the nuclear power industry. Some products, such as those used by robotic welders, must remain flexible for years, while other using in the meat industry or poultry processing must meet U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requirements for food contact.
Anamet’s products are highly customizable and can be matched to exact customer requests with regard to cuts, colors, imprints and custom assemblies. “Additionally, the company has a service level agreement where, if you give us all the information, we are able to turn around price and delivery information within three working days or less.”
The company has earned a reputation for unrivaled customer service. “We very rarely have quality issues, and I mean rarely,” comments Grace. “We have a high level of customer service, and our people are trained on the parameters of the product, so they are knowledgeable. If they can’t answer a question, they will get an engineer on the phone and try our darndest to resolve your issue on that single phone call without having to call back.”
The company is a member of the National Electrical Manufactures Association (NEMA), the National Association of Electrical Distributors (NAED) and the National Electrical Manufacturers Representatives Association (NEMRA). It sells all its electrical products through distribution and professional representatives.
“An innovative company and leader in the Flexible Metal Hose and Liquid-tight Flexible Metallic Conduit industries, Anamet is continually adding to its product offerings in specialty conduits as well as value added assemblies to grow both horizontally and vertically in our market,” says McCammon. “We supply products in many countries all over the world and continue to broaden our footprint around the globe. We provide a high quality product and strive to meet all regulations in our industry. We take pride in providing a safe product to the end user and it is our goal to meet or exceed all customer expectations.”
Anamet Electrical’s website provides valuable information on products, the latest catalogue, engineering data, service information, news and much more. This is an innovative company and a leader in the flexible metal hose and liquid-tight flexible metallic conduit industries. It continually adds to its offerings of specialty conduits and value-added assemblies.
“In addition to the high quality products and exceptional customer service we provide, we tend to be the innovators. A lot of our competitors do tend to follow what we develop. Not always, but usually, we are the first to market with a new solution or a superior solution. And we have respect for our competitors.”