Aurora Material Solutions, LLC (Aurora), a manufacturer of polymer compounds that expanded in March with the acquisition of EnCom Polymers, reports that it has completed the expansion of its plant in Streetsboro, Ohio.

A press release said that the facility expansion “adds over 140 million pounds of compounding capacity, creates new jobs, and supports Aurora’s continued growth with customer partners.” The facility is the company’s largest and hosts its rigid PVC technical center.

“The expansion is an example of our company’s mission to be our customers’ first choice in polymer solutions,” said Aurora CEO Darrell Hughes. “The expansion will help us continue to grow and win with our customers while further enhancing our unparalleled quality and lead times.”

In other news, earlier this year, Aurora announced the launch of AuroraEcoplast™ and a number of recycled and other sustainable material solutions. The company notes that it has achieved +Vantage Vinyl Gold compliance, an industry-wide sustainability designation created by the Vinyl Sustainability Council. It was audited by the third-party GreenCircle, which certified companies across the entire U.S. vinyl value chain.

In March, the company changed its name from Aurora Plastics to Aurora Material Solutions, a name change was said to have been to reflects the company’s commitment to expanding its scope and embracing a broader range of materials and solutions.

Ducab Metals Business (DMB), a subsidiary of the Ducab Group, plans to increase its annual production capacity for aluminum as well as bare copper product capacity in response to what it said was surging global demand for the UAE-manufactured products.

A press release said that the company recently added 51,015 sq m to its existing facility in Kezad. It plans to increase production for aluminum from 55,000 to 110,000 metric tons per year. It also plans to increase its bare copper product capacity in the initiative to elevate the ‘Made in the Emirates’ brand and boost the company’s global competitiveness. The announcement was made at the
Ducab Metals Business Expansion Forum, held in partnership with Middle East Economic Digest (MEED). At the forum, DMB also presented its advancements in developing green aluminum.

Hildebrandt chose ecologically sustainable concepts for the planning of the construction project. The future energy requirements will be completely covered by biomass, generated from its own production waste. “By doing this, we are reducing our ecological footprint significantly,” said Hildebrandt Partner Matthias Lohraff.” A concise strategy for sustainability is a core element of the company strategy of August Hildebrandt Group.

The UK Infrastructure Bank (UKIB) announced that it will provide approximately $22.3 million to HVDC subsea cable manufacturer XLCC toward building a factory in Hunterston, Scotland.

A press release said that the agreement also includes an option for as much as triple the initial funding. “The bank’s financing will help XLCC develop its factory in Hunterson, which when complete will have the capacity to produce thousands of km each year.”

The Hunterson plant is expected to create some 900 permanent jobs as well as many apprenticeships. “The (project will bring) significant investment to the U.K., creating highly skilled jobs in advanced manufacturing and project management for decades to come,” said XLCC CEO Ian Douglas. XLCC has already raised some $45 million for the project.

U.S.-based Kato Cable is expanding its production plant in Mankato, Minnesota, as it continues its growth story.

Per its website, the company, founded in 2006 by Eric Else, the chairman and CEO, started by manufacturing harnesses for the power generation space. Its current product range includes harnesses and assemblies for multiple applications, including medical, marine, industrial, motorcycle, harnesses and assemblies, agriculture, oil and gas and more.

The company’s plant, located on 12 acres, was built in 2006 and expanded in 2015. Per a report in the Mankato Free Press, the company plans to increase its work force from 135 to more than 200 within three to five years of completion. The expansion will add 40,000 sq ft. to the Power Drive campus. In 2021 the company had acquired space in an existing facility in North Mankato, but more space was needed.

Of note, the article included details about how one of its products had an impact for one employee. Engineering manager Matt Lukasek had heart surgery that was aided by a medical robot that relies on some of the company’s cables. “The products we make right here in Mankato are changing lives, and to have it change another person’s life, that’s a big deal,” Lukasek said. “To have it change your own life? It’s hard to put that into words what that feels like. It’s pretty crazy.”

Nexans announced that it has signed a contract for the Orkney Transmission Link, for which it last year reserved capacity, and that it plans to expand a plant in France.

A press release said that Nexans finalized the contract for the Orkney Transmission Link that will exchange up to 220 MW of energy between the Orkney Islands and the UK mainland. It will have one high-voltage alternating current (HVAC) that requires about 53 km of subsea cable and 15 km of land cable for the route from Finstown in Orkney to Dounreay in Caithness.

The contract includes both the production and the installation of the cable. The 220 kV high voltage alternating current (HVAC) cable will be the largest capacity cable connecting the Orkney Islands to mainland Scotland and will span 53 km offshore and 16 km onshore routes in total in Finstown, Orkney and Dounreay in Caithness, U.K.

The interconnector will be manufactured at Nexans’ plants in Halden, Norway, for the offshore sections, and Charleroi, Belgium, for the onshore cable sections. Nexans will also install the cable. The project will be delivered in 2027.

The company also reported that it plans to spend €15 million to expand the medium-voltage cable production capacity of an existing plant in east-central France with two new production lines and an overall upgrade of the entire manufacturing flow.

A press release said that the expansion will take place at the facility in Bourg-en-Bresse in the region of Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes, over a period through 2026. It is needed to meet the growing demand in the energy sector.

Plans call for the installation of a new stranding machine that can produce new, larger aluminum cable sections, including sizes up to 400 sq mm. The plant will also get a new cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) triple extruder. The new equipment is expected be up and running in the first half of 2026. Other upgrades will be made to the sheathing and assembly lines to strengthen production of the company’s EDRMAX reinforced direct-buried cables.