Loos & Co., Inc. began operations as an importer of wire rope and aircraft control cable in 1958 in Pomfret, Connecticut. The first facility was the two car garage of August “Gus” Loos and his wife Joan. Like many small American companies the early years were a struggle but the company continually grew as the imported products were supplanted with products manufactured in-house. Small additions to the facility gave way to a new 40,000 square foot addition in 1969. Within a few years the company again required additional space and a new 80,000 square foot manufacturing plant was completed in 1975. Today, three additional expansions have brought the total square footage to over 200,000. Loos continues to manufacture wire rope and aircraft control cable of both galvanized and stainless steels, employing approximately 200 people. The company has expanded its capabilities over the years so it now draws its own stainless steel wire, strands the wire into cable and either sells the cable in bulk form or cuts it to length and makes finished assemblies. The products are used in a variety of industries including aerospace, automotive, agricultural, and marine. Loos is one of only four companies remaining on the U.S. government’s qualified producer list for the manufacture of MIL-DTL-83420 wire rope, and is the only remaining manufacturer for many of the items on that list. Loos’ cable products end up as flight controls in most of the worlds’ aircraft. Its products are also used in automobiles, sailboats, exercise equipment and many other end applications. The key to Loos’ success is finding niche markets that require very high quality products. Loos is not a high volume production mill but a low volume specialty cable manufacturer. Loos is only one of two steel wire rope manufacturers in the world that is registered to ISO 9001:2000 and AS9100 which is the aerospace quality standard.