34 July 2015 - Business View Caribbean
Taylor’s 200 employees create specific filters based on
orders from the home office. While his company ships
only to Syracuse, Arcom distributes its products glob-
ally. North American Assemblies gets its metal work
from the home office and its component parts from
various U.S., Chinese and Taiwanese suppliers. Its
boxes and bags come from local, St. Lucia businesses.
Arcom has other products that it manufactures in
its Syracuse plant, including what’s known as a CPD
Hunter, which is a cable network interrogation and
predictive maintenance tool that helps its customers
quickly locate the root cause of network impairments;
and a Snare, which can pinpoint with great accuracy
where there is a break, or a loss of signal, in a cable
line. (More information on Arcom’s product line can be
found at
)
According to Taylor, there are only a few companies in
the industry, but his stands out because, as he says,
“We’re the innovators. We always come up with new
designs.” In addition, North American Assemblies is a
responsible company that is committed to St. Lucia. A
lot of its employees have been with it since it started
and even during tough economic times, Taylor says
that there have only been two layoffs in 20 years. The
company even pays local teachers to come in to edu-
cate its workers. In recognition of its achievements,
North American Assemblies won the “Implementation
of Standards and Best Practice, Platinum Award” from
the St. Lucia Manufacturers Association, in 2012.
While the workload is currently steady, Taylor sees tech-
nological shifts coming and his company is attempting
to stay ahead of the curve. “We actually have moved
over the last several years into more digital technology.
Analog technology is almost out the door.” The com-
pany now produces digital filters for cable companies
that provide services for the internet. “We’re also go-
ing to see less and less hardwire and a move to more
wireless technology,” says Taylor. He adds that the par-
ent company is looking to expand its markets in Latin
