Nearly 60 years of steel: How Mid-South Wire has kept its edge in Nashville
A family-owned Nashville wire manufacturer is investing in its people and embracing AI to power their next stage of growth.
For nearly 60 years, Mid-South Wire, an industry leader and manufacturer of carbon steel wire, has thrived in Nashville.
Teknovation interviewed Austin Prince, who started with the company in 2021 and now serves as its shipping and receiving manager, to learn what has kept the business strong thus far and how they are preparing for the next 60 years.
Business footprint
Today, the company operates four facilities in Nashville covering wire drawing, galvanizing, welded wire mesh production, and a logistics arm, MS Logistics, that handles much of its own shipping.
Johnson’s son, John. T. Johnson Jr. has run the company for roughly two decades. His son will soon step in to carry the business into the next generation.
To Prince, the “family-feel” is one of the many pros to Mid-South’s business model.
Investing in people
Founded out of a basement by John T. Johnson in 1967, Mid-South Wire has grown into a multi-facility operation with approximately 220 employees.
From championing role advancement to upskilling their employees, Mid-South has been big on giving back to its employees over the last six decades.
For example, they have partnered with the University of Tennessee Center for Industrial Services (UT CIS) for leadership development coursework and lean manufacturing training. UT CIS staff have worked directly with their employees on the plant floor to produce tangible results in organization, workplace safety and standardized work practices.
“Top priority for us is safety,” Prince said. “In a roundabout way, leaner and optimized manufacturing means safety in our industry. From UT CIS, we learned to make sure things are where they’re supposed to be and not in the way. Everything is clearly marked and must be returned to where it belongs after a job. It’s cleaner, which means reduced time spent searching for tools or materials. We also have standardized work practices so that every time someone does that job, they’re doing it the same way as the next person.”
Prince noted that these operational benefits extend to the bottom line as well.
“The benefits are going to be reduced waste, fewer errors, shorter cycle times, and improved safety. All those things directly impact our cost, quality, and the delivery of the material that we put out,” he said.
A foundation built to scale
Having this strong foundation of standardized processes, optimized workflows and more profitable manufacturing practices has positioned Mid-South well for future growth. As AI and advanced manufacturing become even more dominant, they know that they can innovate while still honoring their best practices.
Prince identified AI integration as the most significant operational opportunity on the horizon, and emphasized how important it is to “get on the AI train” and adopt other emerging technologies to stay relevant.
Much of the company’s operational data currently lives in spreadsheets spread across different systems. Their near-term goal involves reformatting that data into a structure that AI tools can actually tap into. Microsoft Copilot, deployed on company-approved devices under IT-supervised guidelines, is the current starting point.
After that is in place, Prince is excited to apply AI to predictive maintenance. This would reduce routine data entry tasks that currently take 20 to 30 minutes into seconds, and free up him and his team for even more hands-on work or strategy optimization.
“Times change, and you must adapt, but we have no plans to go anywhere,” ended Prince.
Learn more about MidSouth Wire.
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