Mueller Industries has agreed to acquire Nehring Electrical Works Mueller Industries, Inc., (Nehring) and some of its affiliated firms, for approximately US$575 million. The deal is subject to customary purchase price adjustments.

A press release said that Nehring, based in DeKalb, Illinois, produces wire and cable solutions for the utility, telecom, electrical distribution and OEM markets. Operating through its three business units (Nehring Electrical Works Company, Conex Cable, LLC and Unified Wire & Cable, Inc.), Nehring supplies numerous utilities, REAs, municipalities, telecoms and electrical distribution companies throughout the U.S. For its last fiscal year, Nehring’s annual net sales were approximately US$400 million.

At Nehring’s website, the company notes that it is one of the few U.S.-based companies manufacturing both copper and aluminum conductors. Also, it “has been producing wire and cable products longer than any wire mill in the Midwest.” The company was founded in 1912 by Paul A. Nehring, who invented many of the machines used for covering copper with braided cotton. The family business was sold several times, including to Coleman Cable Company, and had been owned by a private partnership group since 1995.

“This acquisition provides a substantial platform for long-term growth in the electrical and power infrastructure space and complements the other critical infrastructure sectors we support,” said Mueller CEO Greg Christopher. “With its operational culture, which is well aligned with our own, the addition of Nehring leverages our deep expertise in metals, particularly copper and aluminum extrusion, and provides synergies to both companies.”

Based in Collierville, Tennessee, Mueller manufactures copper, brass, aluminum and plastic products. It operates locations throughout the U.S. as well as Canada, Mexico, Great Britain, South Korea, the Middle East and China.

Hitachi Energy reports that it has entered into a multi-year agreement to provide high-voltage cable for what will be a record-sized U.S. project.

A press release said that Hitachi Energy will suppy Pattern Energy for its high-voltage direct current (HVDC) technologies for the SunZia Transmission Project. The link will connect the 3,515-megawatt (MW) SunZia Wind project in New Mexico to Arizona and Western states, which when completed will be one of the world’s largest transmission links delivering renewable energy.

Hitachi Energy will provide its HVDC Light® technology that is designed to efficiently transfer and integrate huge volumes of wind power. The project will stretch more than 885 km into the regional power grid. When complete, SunZia Wind will have a total power capacity of 3,515 MW, enough clean, renewable electricity to provide power to approximately three million Americans. The HVDC link will transmit up to 3,000 MW of this power to Arizona. The HVDC Light system will be the largest voltage source converter (VSC) installation in the United States.

Pattern Energy is one of the world’s largest privately owned developers and operators of renewable energy and transmission projects. Multi-year agreement provides service solutions to the SunZia Transmission Project, linking New Mexico’s wind farms to Arizona’s grid, increasing renewable energy to Western States.

LS Eco Energy (CEO Lee Sang-ho) announced two separate contracts that will see it provide cable to Denmark.

A press release said that one is for the company to supply high-voltage cables to Denmark for a North Sea wind farm project. The order, worth approximately $13 million, is for 220 kV underground cables for use in the 1 GW Thor offshore wind farm, which was described as Denmark’s largest. It will be built 22 km from a North Sea port and is scheduled to be completed in 2027.

The second order was from Energinet, for extra-high voltage cables valued at approximately $30.5 million. Energinet is the Danish national transmission system operator for electricity and natural gas. It operates the 400 kV electricity transmission grid and the gas transmission grid.The company owns and operates also 132 kV and 150 kV power grids (Regionale Net) and the HVDC Great Belt Power Link.

LS Eco Energy, which started exporting cables to Denmark in 2017, has established itself as a leading supplier to the Danish high-voltage cable market along with LS Cable & System. LS Eco Energy was established by LS Cable & System in 1996 for the purpose of entering the domestic market in Vietnam. It has now established itself as a major export company of Vietnam, with exports to Europe and North America accounting for 30% of sales.

 “Demand for electric wires is rapidly increasing worldwide due to the construction of offshore wind farms, replacement of old power grids, and construction of data centers,” said LS Eco Energy CEO Lee Sang-ho

Amphenol Corporation has officially opened a new plant in Vietnam that is expected to be at full operational capacity by the end of this month.

A press release said that Amphenol RF Vietnam Company, based in Ho Chi Minh City, is Amphenol’s fifth division investment. It also is expected to be a strong area, with a revenue target of $20 million by the end of next year “demonstrating their confidence in the Vietnamese market and their commitment to growth.”

Bill Callahan, group general manager - RF, Optics and Broadband Division at Amphenol, explained that the company invested in the new factory because it was impressed by the vibrant community. He lauded the work ethic and determination of the people there. “If you think back when we started five years ago, it was right before Covid, and so the inception was just then. Then Covid struck, and the team here found a way. Without the ability of people to travel from the United States or from anywhere ... the team found a way to make it happen. And that is just a memory that I will never forget.”

Amphenol, which reported 2023 sales of $12.6 billion, had some 95,000 employees at the end of last year.

LS business reports 2 recent contracts,

A subsidiary of Hellenic Cables plans to build a new, cable manufacturing facility in Baltimore, Maryland, that will see an investment of some $300 million.

Per media reports, the subsidiary, Hellenic Cables Americas, will use the plant to manufacture underwater and underground cables for offshore wind and grid modernization applications. The project was estimated to cost about $300 million. Of note, the project is being bolstered by Hellenic Cables Americas successfully getting a transferable tax credit from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) up to $58 million for the project.

Hellenic Cables Americas plans to acquire a 38-acre waterfront property at Wagners Point in Baltimore once its ongoing due diligence process is completed, which could be as soon as this month.

News about the project came from Belgium’s Cenergy Holding, whose industrial portfolio includes Hellenic Cable and Corinth Pipeworks. Hellenic Cable is one of the largest cable producers in Europe, manufacturing power and telecom cables as well as submarine cables.