Riding shotgun with the ‘Road Warrior’ of wire and cable

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OEM R&D Advances: The time is now

Inside: + Riding shotgun with the Road Warrior of wire and cable p. 62 + WJI: Sorry, but we are NOT for sale! p. 66 + Keynote imperative: All must embrace AI p. 68

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INDUSTRY INSIGHTS

Riding shotgun with the ‘Road Warrior’ of wire and cable Join HOWAR Equipment’s Martin Plut, aka “the Road Warrior,” on a whirlwind day across New England, where weather, timing, and instinct shape every mile. From factory floors to roadside lunches, his disciplined travel routine reveals a salesman who turns logistics into relationships and every stop into a future opportunity. Below is WJI Editor-in Chief Mark Del Franco’s report. A Walmart parking lot in Northeastern Connecticut seems like an odd location to meet a road warrior. I’m not entirely sure what to expect the moment he arrives. “All set?” he asks as he extends his hand in friendship. He’s friendly and outgoing. Purposeful. The antithesis of who I was expecting. Meet Martin Plut, product sales manager at Concord, Ontario-based supplier HOWAR Equipment. Several months earlier at Wire Expo in Milwaukee, he graciously offered to let me ride along on a day’s worth of client site visits in New England. Before his engine even settles, there’s a plan—there’s always a plan. “Worcester is our first stop,” Plut proclaims. “How do you pronounce it?” he asks. “WOO-ster?” Clearly, the local pronunciation is already jarring his Canadian sensibilities. “Anyway, it’s 31 minutes out.” Not “about half an hour,” but exactly 31, mapped, buffered, and accounted

The 800-mile travel plan for Martin Plut’s New England trip that saw WJI ’s Mark Del Franco join on the second day.

WJI ‘s Mark Del Franco, r, with Martin Plut, “The Road Warrior,” who shared part of his trip and some tales of the road. for. That’s how the road warrior operates. Every mile has purpose. Riding with him, it immediately becomes clear this isn’t just a job—it’s a system. A rhythm. Meticulously planned out over the prior two weeks, Plut had determined that the Walmart was the ideal meeting place. Plut didn’t earn his tag casually. This week alone, he was to meet about 20 customers across New England. 800 miles all told. Yesterday, it was five visits, despite a delayed flight that cost him his first appointment. No complaints. Just adjustments. A stop in Taunton, Massachusetts, another down toward Kingston, a cold call that didn’t pan out, and then a visit to Protectowire in Pembroke, where antique firefighting equipment fills the lobby like a museum. Somewhere in between, a last-minute request pulls him to New Bedford – which means he wont reach his hotel until well after 8 pm. And this morning? He’s back at it before most people finish their first coffee. To Plut, this pace is normal. A way of life built on spreadsheets, logistics, and an almost relentless efficiency. He walks through the route like a pilot reviewing a flight plan. Multiple stops, tightly scheduled, each one a piece of a larger strategy. Plut started with Howar Equipment during the uncertainty of Covid. See p. 64. Most people stayed put. But the moment restrictions lifted, he moved fast—armed with letters, reasons, and a clear objective. Within days, he crossed the border and launched into a two-week run,

Editor’s note: This occasional section is a venue where the industry can discuss topics of interest, both direct and indirect. If you would like to share your thoughts, contact editor@wirenet.org. For more on Howar Equipment, visit howarequipment.com.

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INDUSTRY INSIGHT visiting 24 customers in 15 states and covering some 3,600 miles. Not casually. Deliberately. Since then, Plut has made some 40 such trips. Ask him what makes a day difficult, and he doesn’t mention the schedule. He doesn’t mention the miles. “Weather,” he says. “Always weather.” He’s driven through whiteouts in Vermont where the road disappears entirely. He’s navigated the South during tropical storms, trying to stay just ahead of systems that don’t care about appointments or timelines. He describes skies that don’t look real—tornado warnings lighting up his phone, flood alerts stacking up, and still, he keeps moving. “You plan, you adjust, and you keep driving.” The first stop on our journey is Worcester, Massachusetts-based TriCab USA Inc., a cable manufacturer owned by TriCab Group, which is based in Australia. The company’s marine cable products are used in commercial vessels, offshore installations, shipyards and government projects. As we arrive, Plut pulls into a visitor parking spot where we see a sign that reads, “Vendor Offering Discounts.” “Isn’t that great?” Plut says with a chuckle. That’s a good harbinger and it sends us inside still laughing. At this early morning hour, the front desk is The road is not without its unoccupied but worklighter moments. ers are going about their business. While we wait for Melissa Pacheco Navarro, general manager of operations, Plut imparts the first of many tips and tricks learned from a lifetime on the road. “See these magazines on the desk?” he points out. “Put your magazine in that stack.” He then steps back and peruses the company’s guest book. “When I have a few minutes, sometimes I’ll flip through the guest sign-in book to see which of my competitors has been here before me.” Navarro, Plut and I take a seat at the conference table. Plut is asking Navarro about the plant’s needs. She then provides a tour of the TriCab plant. We exchange business cards. Plut reads from Pacheco Navarro’s business card. “General manager. Did you get promoted?” You can sense that Plut has already registered a quick mental note. He’s building relationships. He theorizes that today’s process engineer becomes tomorrow’s decision-maker. A quick visit today can turn into an opportunity years down the line. He isn’t just chasing sales, he’s in it for the long haul. Plut excels at building relationships, explains Chris Hauer, general manager at Howar Equipment. “Visiting

customers is not just a numbers game though. It is important to our relationship with customers that we get enough face-time in with them and witness what happens on the shop floor. Our motto is ‘solutions, not just products’ Sadly, hurricanes have no respect for Road and this only Warriors. happens when we interact with the customer and operators, as only then can we provide a solution to everyday issues. Martin exemplifies this process.” Even the miles tell a story. This week might only be 800—light work in New England, where everything is closer together. Put him in Texas or the Midwest, and that number doubles easily. Fifteen hundred miles means fewer stops, longer stretches of road. Driving through Texas at night in thick fog, guided only by glowing road lines. For Plut, it’s just part of the landscape. He doesn’t mind the company, though. Twenty hours behind the wheel in a week is easier when someone else can take a turn. But whether he’s driving or riding, he’s still in control of the bigger picture—the route, the timing, the mission. And then there are the moments you can’t plan. Because that’s what defines him. Not just the miles, but the mindset. The planning. The ability to move through uncertainty without hesitation. To stack five visits into a single day and still be thinking about the next one. From Worcester, we make our way to the quaint New England town of South Grafton, Massachusetts. We have two stops here. First is Molex, a manufacturer of interconnection cables used in everything from data centers to defense. We’re greeted and shown immediately to the cafeteria because all the conference rooms are occupied (more on that in a moment). The Molex building is bright and welllit. You can eat off the floor. The cafeteria still has the posters up from the recently concluded World Cup. After a brief meeting, Process Engineering Manager Manny Goncalves provides a tour of the operation. While every manufacturing facility is different, I’m amazed at the creative workarounds I have seen that operators come up with to get the job done. After a quick tour of the Molex operation, Plut is hungry. Even the Road Warrior must eat. We find a rustic looking restaurant right

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INDUSTRY INSIGHTS off the main road. Walking inside, we’re led to the back of the restaurant. Plut spots a table of guys wearing Navy blue shirts with the Ulbrich logo emblazoned on them. Spotting an opportunity to introduce himself and possibly open an avenue toward another sale, Martin says to me, “Go get your magazine from the car.” After introducing ourselves and some quick introductions, Plut and I learn that the Ulbrich party had just come from Molex (Ulbrich supplies copper to Molex) and they were the reason why we couldn’t get a conference room. Small world. Such is life on the road for the traveling salesman. On the way to the car, we feel the raindrops start to fall. Not a good sign particularly as we are only half way through the trip. They next stop is Hueson Corp., also located in South Grafton. Hueson is a long-time customer that has bought a wide variety of equipment over the years. There’s a new management team at this location and Plut wishes to establish a good rapport. He is always thinking. Inside Hueson Corp., the building is emblematic of many old industrial plants in New England. In fact, the wire and cable industry was one of several advanced

manufacturing sectors that grew in New England after textiles had already made the region an industrial center. The last stop of the day is Pomfret, Connecticut-based Loos & Co., part of Central Wire (see p. 12 for related story). Founded in 1958 by Gus Loos, the wire rope, cable, and hardware manufacturer is best known for mil-spec fittings, aircraft cable, swaging tools and accessories. The rain is now a full-on downpour. Plut and I sprint into the building. As the company is looking to modernize some of its legacy process lines, the purpose of the visit was to review some quotes issued earlier in the year. We meet with Anthony Rondeau, senior engineer. The thunderstorm was in full effect. Loud claps of thunder and lightning caused the lights to flicker. It’s probably our cue to wrap things up and finish our visit. Now the day has shifted. I’m back where it started—the Walmart parking lot—but this time under a heavy curtain of rain. Plut has another hour or so on the road before he stops for the night. The rain may have changed the route, but not the routine. Before he pulls away, Plut is already planning the next day’s agenda.

The ‘Road Warrior’ evolved from the 1st post Covid roadtrip Worse single day ever? Chicago O’Hare during Tornado-mania in July 2023. A direct tornado warning led to 10,000 people being pulled from the terminal and from planes It took staff three weeks to on the tarmac, then directed prepare a two-week-business trip into underground tunnels in the U.S. It was a time when leading to the parking many customers had a “no visigarage. tor” policy and there was a risk I was asked how I had of not being allowed to enter the maintained my energy and U.S. The trip, by car, would start spirit. I realized that I had and finish in Toronto. never really thought about I had to plead my case for two The first trip served as a template for future trips. it that way. It was just what hours at the border crossing, I did, and I enjoyed it. I like but I was allowed in. I intended visiting cable manufacturing plants for the first time and to make the most of it. Over the next 12 days, I met 24 helping customers with various process challenges they customers in 15 states, racking up 3,600 miles. This being face. my inauguration trip into the U.S., I relied on the Howar A key through all of this has been Sunita, my very underEquipment brand to get me into customer facilities. I had standing wife of 27 years. Throughout, she has been most previously worked with Howar many years ago, but the supportive. But aside from a few earlier trips, I now plan so U.S. market was new to me. Some customers I visited were that I am always home to spend time with her on weekends. strict on Covid distancing while others were happy to interShe’s good with that, and I am a lucky guy. act on a professional level once again. It was a unique time One last thing. My work is not done. There are roughly and learning experience for me. 430-450 factories in North America that manufacture Since then, over the past five years I have averaged eight extruded wire and cable products. I have been to roughly different long trips a year, most lasting five days and about 60% of them in the past five years. I have many more to 1,000 miles, although some are much longer. I usually have go. n four different hotel stays Every story has a beginning, and for the Road Warrior it began in the post-Covid period. when the U.S. started to allow essential travel in spring 2021. Below is Plut’s story.

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