Company-History
The Toner Story
Humble Beginnings
1971
Toner is a proud family company with a humble beginning. In 1971, our founder, Bob Toner, was working as a sales manager for a pioneering cable TV equipment provider when he took a leap of faith to strike out on his own. With the support of his wife Shawn and their three children, Bob began distributing multi-taps and antennas – right from the basement of their home.
1973
The company quickly outgrew the family basement, and Bob moved to their first facility — a 3,000 sq ft office and warehouse.
1975
From the beginning, Bob combined trustworthiness, deep industry knowledge and a strong dedication to customer support. These became the company’s guiding principles, and the small company thrived in the 1970s, adding respected brands like Sadelco and Blonder Tongue to its growing list of suppliers.
The company quickly outgrew the family basement, and Bob moved Toner’s current US headquarters to Horsham, PA in 1975, where it remains today.
1985
Toner introduced the first of our own branded products in 1985. This line started with multi-taps and passives and eventually grew to include hundreds of innovative and cutting-edge products. By producing our own products, we can ensure they always meet our high standard of quality and performance.
1987
In 1987, Toner Cable began supplying fiber optic transmitters and receivers by Olson Technology.
International Expansion
1989
1989 was a landmark year for Toner, as we started our international expansion with a huge success. While Bob was visiting London for a trade show, United Artist Cable approached him with a napkin sketch for a unique kind of tap that could serve the UK’s dense neighborhood. From this meeting, they created the QuadTap, offering 32 or 48 tap ports in one housing. Over the next 25 years, Toner supplied the QuadTaps to almost every cable operator in the UK.
1998
The UK was just our first stop on our world tour. In 1998, we launched our Latin American division to meet growing demand in Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America. We built a sales team that understood the local language and culture so we could form lasting partnerships and ensure outstanding service throughout the region.
The Digital Revolution
2005
As the industry shifted from analog to digital, we knew our customers would need a trustworthy guide through the transition. Our sales team became experts in the emerging technologies, and our customers relied on our knowledge to upgrade their systems for the new digital world.
2009
Digital technology leveled the playing field for smaller operators. In 2009, we introduced a highly-quality, affordable conditional access system that could compete with the systems offered by the “Big Two” providers that have dominated since the 1970s. Customers loved it, and we have now installed over 25 systems ranging from 300 to 20,000 subscribers.
2010
In 2010, we launched our field service and technical team. This was a natural expansion of our superior customer service. We now offer full onsite support — including onsite system installations; analog-to-digital system conversions; system consulting; design and building custom headends; and more. Our field services team further enhances our ability to be your trusted resource throughout the life of your system, wherever it might be.
The Future
The cable and broadband industry is evolving faster than ever, and Toner remains at the forefront of that change. We are always adding new and innovative products for DOCSIS, fiber to the home, gigabit Ethernet and 2 GHz bandwidth and more. In the past few years, we’ve introduced cutting-edge devices, like our TSLM-AI1 signal level meter and the SLM-1000 handheld meter. To date, we have added over 300 products to the Toner line and each meets our commitment to high-quality standards at affordable prices.
Three Generations of Toners
Toner prides itself on being a family-run business, and it has carried on this mission from its earliest days. Bob’s son, BJ, joined the company in 1979 to head up the satellite services division. By 2005, Bob scaled back his involvement and BJ took over as the company’s president. In 2013 Rob Toner joined his father BJ at Toner Cable in the sales department. Now Rob is General Manager and VP of Administration. In 2018 BJ’s other son Sean Toner joined the company as Sales & Marketing Manager as well as handling Trade Shows.
On October 7th 2015, we lost our founder Robert L. Toner, a loving husband, father and successful entrepreneur who will be missed by all. Robert L. Toner grew Toner Cable into what we all know today, he is recognized by many in the industry and will be remembered fondly as the successful salesman that he always was. Toner Cable Equipment Inc. continues to be a privately held company. Above all, we remain dedicated to offering our customers the best knowledge and support in the industry.
