Iconic 1980s Devo Tune Brings Southwire's SIMpull Rip CHIP™ Disc to Life

CARROLLTON, Ga., Aug. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- On the surface, a 1980s Punk/New Wave band from Ohio and a wire and cable manufacturer from Georgia might not have a lot in common. But Devo and Southwire Company have come together on a remake of an iconic song that encourages electrical contractors to "Rip It."

The collaboration has resulted in a new video that promotes Southwire's SIMpull Rip CHIP™ disc, an amazingly simple breakthrough that can save time, while eliminating the need to use a knife to remove the stretch wrap placed around wire reels to keep them clean, dry and secure during shipping.

"The Rip CHIP disc is a fun and effective addition to our packaging that we launched earlier this year as a way to make life easier for contractors on job sites," said Jack Carlson, President of Southwire's Electrical Division. "It wasn't that far of a reach for the 80s music fans in our company to take 'Whip It' and make it 'Rip It.'"

Southwire's ad agency, Eric Mower + Associates, helped rewrite the lyrics to the iconic song and Southwire lined up original Devo band members Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale to record 'Rip It' in Los Angeles earlier this year. A number of electrical contractors have starring roles in 'Rip It,' singing the song and doing a Devo-inspired dance in Devo-style hard hats—while at the same time demonstrating how to use the Rip CHIP disc. You can watch the 'Rip It' video by clicking www.southwireanddevo.com.

Devo exploded on the music scene when MTV gave "Whip It" significant airplay during the cable network's early days. While the song only reached number 14 on the Billboard charts, its role in the changing musical scene of the times is reflected in the fact that VH1 named "Whip It" as one of the top 100 songs of the 1980s. The song appeared on "Freedom of Choice," the group's second and best-selling album, which reached platinum status. Devo is known for sarcastic humor and post-modernist dress that includes yellow jumpsuit stage costumes, black turtlenecks and red stacked "energy caps." 

Some wire companies wrap their cuts and parallels as a quality control step to protect the wire and cable. However, it can often take several minutes to remove the plastic before the installer can start the job.

"We listened to our customers who told us that cutting away the stretch wrap wastes time and it can lead to knife injuries. Electrical contractors will tell you one of the biggest hassles at the start of a wiring job is removing the layers of stretch wrap placed around reels," said says Phil Tuggle, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Business Development of Southwire's Electrical Division. "The Southwire SIMpull Rip CHIP disc is an amazingly simple breakthrough that can save time, while eliminating the need to use a knife to remove the stretch wrap. It's an idea we came up with after visiting job sites and talking to our customers. That's why we wanted to feature some of them in the 'Rip It' video."

The SIMpull Rip CHIP™ disc is bright green and is attached to a nylon cord, that, when pulled, easily and quickly cuts through the protective stretch wrap covering the wire or cable. The Rip CHIP disc helps remove the shrink wrap in under 30 seconds and decreases the likelihood that a worker will be injured or will damage the wire while using a knife to cut the shipping plastic.

Southwire SIMpull Solutions^® products and services have racked up a variety of industry awards from various sources that recognize the products as being a smarter, faster, safer and more efficient way to handle the wire installation process. The SIMpull Rip CHIP™ disc has already started rolling out from Southwire service centers to job sites around the country.

About Southwire Company

A leader in technology and innovation, Southwire Company is one of North America's largest wire and cable producers. Southwire and its subsidiaries manufacture building wire and cable, metal-clad (MC) cable, FlatWire Ready^® products, cord products (including Tappan™ sound, security, and communication cables through Tappan Wire & Cable Inc.), utility cable products, industrial power cable, OEM wire products, SCR^® copper and aluminum rod, and continuous casting technology. Southwire also supplies MAXIS^® wire and cable installation tools to the commercial, industrial and utility construction markets. To learn more about Southwire's products, community involvement, and its vision for a sustainable Southwire, please visit Southwire on the web at www.southwire.com.

SOURCE Southwire Company