Elettrotek Kabel SpA (EK Group) has acquired Controlcavi Industria Srl—an Italian manufacturer of fire-resistant electrical cables for the marine, onshore and offshore petrochemical industry—and the trading company that owned it.

A press release said that the deal for the business, now called CCI Cable Service, will expand the scope of the EK Group, enabling it to continue the growth path it has been on since its founding in 2001. The EK Group now has 250 employees and annual revenues topping 150 million euros in its three divisions: electrical cable production, cable harness production and assembly and its worldwide commercial distribution.

The Italian manufacturer of low- and medium-voltage cables was formed in 1981. It operated with headquarters in Bernate Ticino (MI) and Milan, under its trading company, CCI Cable Service Srl. Products from the company, which is known for its FIREBAR® fire-resistant technology, have been  approved by many of the world’s largest industrial, naval and petroleum groups.

EK Group President & CEO Robert Gallingani said that CCI Cable Service represents a perfect fit as the company share its values and entrepreneurial culture. “This knowledge alignment will result into an easy integration between the two companies, with subsequent growth of the EK Group in markets where track records, approvals and 40 years of experience are fundamental.”

Gallingani said the deal also respects the will of the recently deceased sole director and owner of the CCI Cable Service group, Gianpaolo Brambilla, to continue the company’s development path pursued by two generations, to preserve the excellence achieved and company values.

The Prysmian Group reports that it has been chosen by National Grid Electricity Distribution (NGED) to help the upgrading process of the U.K.’s electricity grid.

A press release said that Prysmian has been awarded a medium-voltage cable framework agreement with NGED, the U.K.’s largest electricity distribution network, that is for a minimum of three years. The deal was reached through Prysmian’s U.K. subsidiary.

Prysmian will supply medium-voltage cables primarily made at the Group’s Wrexham plant in North Wales. The cable will enable NGED Grid to expand and modernize the network. Prysmian and NGED have built a strategic relationship over many years across all voltage levels for supply into the U.K. market. Such projects include the North Sea Link, the world’s longest submarine electricity interconnector, enabling the sharing of renewable energy between the U.K. and Norway; the Viking Link, the first submarine cable connection between the U.K. and Denmark; IFA2, the turn-key design, manufacture and installation of a submarine and land power cable link to connect Tourbe in France to Chilling in Hampshire, U.K.; and the Western HVDC Link, a new submarine High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) interconnector between Scotland and England.

Hellenic Cables receives a 2nd contract to replace existing cable lines in Adriatic Sea

Hellenic Cables has signed a second contract with Croatia’s Končar Group to supply it approximately 30 km of 110 kV high-voltage submarine cables to replace outdated cable lines in the Adriatic Sea.

A press release said that Hellenic Cables will start production of the cable this year at its production facility in Corinth, Greece, and is expected to finish early in 2024. The company will also provide accessories and related services as part of the project for Končar Engineering Ltd., a regional supplier of engineering solutions, power transmission and distribution, rail vehicles and infrastructure.

The order marks repeat business. A prior order, in 2021, completed in 2022, saw the delivery of 12 km of 110 kV submarine cables, accessories and related services. “For the second time, we have chosen Hellenic Cables as a partner in a strategic project in Croatia which will connect Croatian islands Hvar, Korčula, Cres and Lošinj with new 110 kV HV cables,” said Gordan Planinić, MOB of Končar Engineering Ltd. “This enables, above all, to maintain the security of supply of customers on the Adriatic islands as well as a significant environmental contribution to the preservation of the cleanliness of the Adriatic Sea.”

Midal Cables, based in the Kingdom of Bahrain, will provide the transmission line conductors for the Ten West Link Transmission Line, an energy infrastructure project that had the support of the Biden-Harris administration.

A press release said that Midal Cables was chosen to supply the conductors for the project, which the Biden-Harris administration announced had been given the approval by the Interior Department. The project will facilitate increased renewable energy development and delivery in Arizona and California. The 126-mile long project will deploy a 500-kilovolt (kV) alternating current overhead transmission line.

“This prestigious project being supplied through EC Source to DCRT adds to many such projects that Midal Cables has had the opportunity to be associated with in North America,” the release said. It notes that Midal Cables is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of bare aluminum overhead conductors, which are made in the company’s four factories, and supplied to more than 60 countries world-wide.

A press release said that expansion of the plant in Cuauhtémoc, which opened in 1998, was made to meet the increasing market demand. Over the next five years, Leoni will invest approximately $16.8 million for additional production equipment. The expansion is expected to result in at least 30 new jobs.

During the opening ceremony, Bill Livengood, president of Leoni Cables North America, expressed his gratitude for the excellent cooperation with the state of Chihuahua and the city of Cuauhtémoc. Guests at the celebration included the Governor of Chihuahua, Maria Eugenia Campos; the Secretary of State for Economic Affairs, Maria Angelica Granados; and local officials.

The Cuauhtémoc plant has become an important player in the automotive cables business in NAFTA. It manufactures a broad product portfolio ranging from simple single-core cables to complex multi-core cables for driver assistance systems and data cables for autonomous driving is answering the needs of Tier 1 and Tier 2 customers in North America.

In 2020, Phase I of a project called EMOMEX (E-Mobility Mexico) was accomplished. It included an investment of $27 million in equipment and machines for the design, development and production of high-voltage cables and cables for charging systems. More than 120 new employees were hired.

WAI is reaching out again to technical paper authors to take part in two Association efforts this year in Italy and Mexico.
The timing is tight for Wire & Cable Milan 2023, which will be held Oct. 16, 2023, at the Palazzo Giureconsulti in Milan, Italy. For Milan, the abstract deadline is Feb. 28. If that date is a concern, authors can contact WAI staff for a possible extension. Acceptance notifications will be sent March 31, and the manuscript deadline is July 31.
The event is being put on with ACIMAF, the Italian wire machinery association, led by President Ferruccio Bellina, a long-time supporter of such efforts. WAI last held an event in Italy in Verona in 2019, with other events there in Milan (2013), Bologna (2007) and Stresa (2003).
The timing is better for WAI’s Mexico ITC, which will be held Nov. 13-15, 2023, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, in Monterrey, Mexico. It was last held at the same location in 2016, at which time it drew 190 participants. The WAI had held two prior ITCs in Monterrey (2008 and 2010), and one in Querétaro (2004). At all those events, WAI Past President Antonio Ayala served as a key volunteer and organizer.
For both events, the Association is seeking presentations on technical subjects, but also on topics such as sustainability, workforce issues, operating best practices or general business influences in the wire and cable industry.
For Monterey, the abstract deadlines is April 17. Notification will be made by May 22, and the manuscript deadline is Oct. 1. The program will include a presentation about market conditions in Mexico, Central America and South America