Ripley Company gets tooled for 'next wave' of cabling

The Ripley Company (www.ripley-tools.com) has acquired the products and assets of Amherst FiberOptics. The company made the acquisition so it could add Amherst FiberOptics' optical-fiber tools to its Miller product line, and ready it for what it sees as the next big trend in cable installation: the residential market.

"The next wave is to the home," says Ken MacCormac, president of the Ripley Company. "With the combination of Miller and Amherst, we are ready."

The Ripley Company, based in Cromwell CT, manufactures wire and cable preparation tools for the CATV, utility, optical-fiber, electrical and telecom industries. The company, which originally made lighting controls, now focuses on wiring and stripping tools.

Amherst FiberOptics was owned by CDI, which is now in Chapter 11 proceedings. CDI is the parent company of TVC Communications. The Ripley Company purchased the assets of the company, along with its inventory, finished goods, and properties.

As part of the transaction, The Ripley Company purchased the patents to the Amherst Hot Stripper, which is an optical-fiber cable stripper designed to allow an end user to strip and clean fiber simply and precisely. MacCormac says this is all part of its plan to build up its Miller product line, which he believes will become more popular when the economy turns for the better.

The Ripley Company believes home cabling projects, including the installation of high definition TV cable products, will become increasingly popular. MacCormac says this market is expected to take off as the price of optical fiber comes down.

"Five percent of the end users of cable television have high definition TV, and people seem to want more definition, bigger screens and, therefore, more cable in the pipe," says MacCormac. "We want to be ready when the market comes back."