OSKALOOSA — On July 31, 2025, Interpower Corporation celebrates 50 years of power cord and component manufacturing.
Interpower’s history began in 1975 as the Panel Components Corporation in California. In 1993, founder and CEO Bob Wersen moved the company to Oskaloosa, Iowa, with a fast-track plan to complete construction of the building’s production floor, offices, and shipping and production areas. Machines were quickly added such as molders and crimpers, ultrasonic welders, and testing equipment. Also in 1993, Wersen opened a distribution center in Bognor Regis, England, Interpower Components, Ltd., (ICL). In 1999 ICL moved from Bognor Regis to Milton Keynes, England. After the move to Iowa, the company began with 12 employees—eventually that number would reach 120.
Bob Wersen, founder and CEO of Interpower, reflects on the move and expansion. “While our relationship with manufacturers and vendors was working well, selling for European manufacturers did have its strengths and weaknesses. It seemed the time was right to take the plunge, invest in manufacturing equipment to make our own cords, cord sets, and components. We began to think about relocating and building a manufacturing facility that better suited our needs to grow.”
By 1997, Panel Components (Oskaloosa) was manufacturing their own North American power cords and cord sets. Meanwhile, in 2000, Interpower received approvals for their IEC 60320 C13 and C19 connectors having just opened a new manufacturing facility in Lamoni, Iowa, which produces molded hospital grade cord sets, North American and International electrical cable and cord sets, and components.
“We started out with limited product lines to ensure our quality and capacity,” Wersen said. “This included making our accessory power strip (APS), a continental European power cord, and a North American power cord—depending how that went, we would reassess expansion.”
In 2002, a new two-story building was built in Ames, Iowa, for both Marketing and Product Development departments. In 2004 the company was renamed the Interpower Corporation. Today, Interpower manufactures country-specific power cords, hospital-grade cords, accessory power systems, North American and international cable, and electrical components. Interpower is the premier supplier of electrical power distribution systems worldwide, making it easier for customers to build and maintain electrical designs for global markets. Still, Interpower maintains its forward looking approach to manufacturing electrical designs.
“Probably not a lot of companies can map out a detailed business plan ten years in advance,” Wersen said. “We have a good sense of the next intermediate steps we need to take as a manufacturer—it’s how we’ve approached it in the past, and it has served us well. Concerning 2025, I see our business picking up, as we’ve seen some positive trends toward the end of 2024.”
