Earlier this year, UltraTech Cement, a significant India cement manufacturer, announced that it plans to venture into the wire and cable industry with an investment of approximately $216 million over the next two years.

A press release said that the decision, announced at the company’s Feb. 22 board meeting, calls for the initiative to begin production by December 2026 at a manufacturing facility set to be established in Bharuch, Gujarat. “UltraTech proposes to leverage its extensive manufacturing expertise coupled with its connection with the end-customers to deliver high-quality wires and cables thereby targeting a higher share of the customer’s wallet.”

The company will focus on making wire and cable for sectors such as residential, commercial, infrastructure and industrial applications. Per the release, India’s wire and cable industry has seen CAGR revenue of 13% from 2019 to 2022. “With the migration from the unorganized to the organized market, the outlook continues to remain robust which provides an attractive opportunity for a new trusted player in the sector.”

Company Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla said that the plan will expand the company’s presence within the construction value chain. The foray into wire and cable “aligns with our vision of providing comprehensive solutions to our end customers in the construction sector.” He emphasized that this move supports UltraTech’s long-term growth strategy and market leadership ambitions.

UltraTech’s board has approved the plan, signaling the company’s intention to diversify its portfolio and strengthen its position as a leading provider of building solutions. The company will leverage its expertise in manufacturing and its strong customer connections to deliver high-quality wires and cables.

Per its website, UltraTech Cement Limited is the cement flagship company of the Aditya Birla Group. It is the largest manufacturer of grey cement and ready-mix concrete (RMC) and one of the largest manufacturers of white cement in India. It is the only cement company globally (outside of China) to have 175+ MTPA of cement manufacturing capacity in a single country. It operates in 40+ countries across six continents, and more than half its revenues come from operations outside India.

R&L Spring Company™, a manufacturer of springs, coils and wire forms, has opened its third facility in Wisconsin, this one in Elkhorn, that adds 50,000 q ft of capacity.

“R&L Spring has continued to expand and grow our business, and the opening of this 3rd facility allows us to support our growth in both the short term, as well as set the stage for planned growth initiatives over the coming years,” company President Julie Arenz said in a press release.

R&L Spring has two manufacturing facilities in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, with 220,000 sq ft of capacity that also supports its Medicoil™ division that began serving the medical device market in 1992. It was formed to address the unique requirements of the medical device market and evolved into a leader in manufacturing micro-precision coil and wired formed products for the medical device industry.

The family owned and operated company has 53 years of precision, winding, coiling and wire forming experience. R&L Spring Company custom manufactures springs, coils, and wire forms for a wide range of OEM’s in powersports, automotive, medical device, as well as other general industries markets.

FiberHome Telecommunication Technologies Co., Ltd. (FiberHome), a Chinese provider of networking and telecommunication equipment, has opened a plant in Kisbér, Hungary.

Per multiple media reports—from Xinhua and Evertiq, an electronic news service—the optical cable base that is called ZettaNet represents “a new milestone in Chinese-Hungarian economic cooperation.” The investment was estimated at 20 million euros, with 15% of the funding provided by the Hungarian state.

FiberHome had previously served European customers via a distributor, but now the company “is stepping up its direct manufacturing base.” The Kisbér facility, which will have about 120 employees, will produce optical cables for local customers such as Magyar Telekom and MVM. The reports noted that FiberHome has industrial bases in Wuhan, Northeast China, East China, Southwest China, Northwest China, South America, South Asia, and North Africa, and dozens of wholly-owned, holding and equity participation subsidiaries, and now the optical cable base in Hungary.

“This newly established ZettaNet cable manufacturing base is our first industrial entity invested in and constructed in Europe,” said FiberHome Board Chairman Zeng Jun. The Hungarian facility will leverage FiberHome’s expertise in the fiber optic cable industry to establish a high-end optical communication manufacturing hub in Europe. The site will integrate production, technological research and development, and logistics delivery to serve the broader European market, he said.

The Chinese Ambassador to Hungary, Gong Tao, observed that the project was completed and put into operation in less than a year. That achievement “not only demonstrated the efficiency and strength of Chinese companies but also reflects the mutual trust, cooperation and shared vision between China and Hungary.”

Per Schoenherr, an Austrian law firm that advised Chengdu Datang Communication Cable Co. (a member of the FiberHome Group), said the 25,000-sqm industrial site in Kisbér had been owned by the Hungarian subsidiary of Sumitomo Electric Wiring Systems Limited, the European company of the Japanese Sumitomo Group. FiberHome, which is listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, was said to hold some 4,000 patents.

Nexans has secured a major contract from Interconnect Malta (ICM) to deliver the second Malta-Sicily interconnector, a high-voltage alternating current (HVAC) subsea link designed to reinforce Malta’s electricity system.

A press release said that the subsea cable, to be made at the company’s U.S. plant in Charleston, South Carolina, will run between Maghtab, Malta, and Ragusa, Sicily. The length was not cited, but a report at independent.com said it would be about 99 km long and the project is valued at approximately €300 million. The cable will be installed in parallel with the existing interconnector that Nexans supplied in 2015.

“Delivering this second interconnector strengthens the energy link between Malta and Sicily, ensuring long-term stability for the country’s electricity supply,” said Nexans’ EVP Power Transmission Business Group, Pascal Radue. “Building on our longstanding partnership with Interconnect Malta, this project also plays a key role in supporting the country’s transition toward a climate-neutral economy and enabling further investment in renewable energy.”

In other news, Nexans reported that the company is expanding its low-carbon product range this year. The low-voltage cables from its plant in Jeumont (northern France) will have 10% recycled aluminum content and contribute to reducing Nexans’ and its customers’ carbon footprints. They will be made exclusively with low-carbon aluminum produced using a decarbonized energy mix, and 10% of the aluminum in them will be recycled. All the cables from Jeumont for low-voltage markets will include this new feature.

“The goal for Nexans today is to source enough recycled aluminum to meet the market’s needs,” said Nexans Sustainable Offer Marketing Director Laure Desseigne. “That’s why we are asking our customers to route their cables towards streams that effectively ensure circularity, i.e. turn used cables into new, recycled cables.” In 2024, the Nexans Group announced a new €15 million investment plan to modernize its plant in Bourgen-Bresse, France, to produce eco-friendlier medium-voltage cables.

Germany’s SIKORA AG, a manufacturer of innovative measuring, control and sorting technologies for industries that include wire and cable, was acquired by Swiss MAAG

Group, a leading international group of companies for integrated solutions in polymer processing and part of the Dover Corporation.

A press release said that, with the news, “SIKORA gains a strong strategic partner for the future.” Founded in 1973 by Harald Sikora, SIKORA continuously developed, opened up new markets and has grown steadily. The company now has some 450 employees in Bremen and its 13 international subsidiaries, from which it offers innovative solutions and customized customer service.

“With the MAAG Group, we have found our ideal partner for the future,” said Harald Sikora, who added that he is confident that the company is in capable hands: “SIKORA and MAAG are connected by more than just a strategic goal: we share core values - innovative strength, entrepreneurial spirit, sustainable thinking and the clear pursuit of long-term success. We are therefore convinced that in the MAAG Group we have found the right partner for further growth and to continue our success story together.”

MAAG Group President Ueli Thuerig said that SIKORA’s products “address similar customer needs in resin-related markets to ours, and its offerings provide MAAG with increased exposure to highly attractive market adjacencies where we have existing industry knowledge and customer relationships.” He predicted that synergies “will generate material cross-selling benefit with a highly complementary portfolio of products and technologies, deepening our joint value proposition and integration with our OEM partners and end customers.”

The release said that SIKORA’s expertise in measuring and control technology ideally complements the MAAG Group’s portfolio in the areas of pump, filtration and pelletizing systems. The regional proximity also offers advantages: Both companies are represented with strong locations in the DACH region and are broadly positioned internationally. This results in valuable, shared strengths and the opportunity to provide customers with even more comprehensive support and offer new solutions.

Harald Sikora will remain in an advisory capacity and the partners will rely on continuity with regard to the operational management at SIKORA. The long-standing Management Board of SIKORA AG will continue to be responsible for the company’s growth story in the future.

Dr. Christian Frank, CEO of SIKORA, adds, “The partnership with the MAAG Group is a strong sign for our future: for SIKORA, for the Bremen location, and for our global team. “We have achieved great things over the past decades,” said SIKORA CEO Dr. Christian Frank. “Now a new chapter is beginning in which we can contribute our strengths and

continue to grow with MAAG. For our employees, this transaction means security, new perspectives, and the opportunity to continue our success story together.”