Bekaert Corporation announced that it will expand production of wire stranding at its Van Buren manufacturing facility in Alabama.

Per the company and multiple wire stories, Bekaert is purchasing new manufacturing equipment for products used in the electrical grid and telecommunications industries. Bekaert Plant Manager Randy McClaren Jr., was cited as saying that the expansion is not to increase the footprint of the plant but its capacity to make steel cores used for electrical transmission lines.

The Van Buren plant, which began production for Bekaert in 1970, had its wire stranding capacity increased in 2021. There is room to expand the size of the plant, which also makes barbed wire and other products that are not part of the expansion. The new project should result in another 38 employees. Bekaert also has a manufacturing operation in Rogers, Arkansas.

In other news, Bekaert announces the acquisition of BEXCO, a manufacturer of synthetic ropes that can be used for offshore energy production, both conventional and renewable. Bekaert notes that it has significant experience in this field via its Bridon-Bekaert Ropes Group business unit. The €40 million acquisition “is part of Bekaert’s growth strategy and strengthens its current offering in synthetic offshore lifting and mooring solutions.”