EoW March 2008

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EuroWire – March 2008 14
english corporate news
Nexans has completed a contract for the
manufacture and delivery of more than
160km of specialised axle counter cable
for Balfour Beatty Rail Projects to enable
the resignalling of a 29km section of
railway track in the Trent Valley, close to
Lichfield, Staffordshire, UK.
The resignalling project is a part of a much
larger Network Rail scheme known as
TV4 (Trent Valley Four Tracking) which will
improve the route through Tamworth,
Lichfield and Armitage by upgrading and
widening the railway from two to four tracks.
“A particular challenge for this project
was that the large number of possible
variations in the specification of axle
counter cables, due to the choice of
conductor sizes and varying twisted pair
counts, means that it is not feasible to
deliver from stock,” said Steve Robbins,
Nexans UK business development
manager for rail infrastructure.
“So the lead time had to include gearing
up the factory in Santander, Spain, to
manufacture a bespoke order for Balfour
Beatty Rail Projects.
“Following the first delivery in May, we
then delivered every two weeks, with the
final delivery taking place in August.”
Nexans – France
Fax : +33 1566 98484
Email:
Website:
Nexans makes sure rail contract
stays on the right track
Resignalling project will improve route for travellers ▲
Nexans has signed a framework agreement to acquire the cable business of Madeco, in
South America.
At current non-ferrous metal prices, the 2006 sales of the Madeco Group cable
business totalled US$ 672 million (€457 million), in three major segments: cables for
infrastructures, industry and building (and in electrical wires to a lesser extent).
The organic volume growth for these segments was 12% per year during the 2004/2006
period. For the 2007 half-year, Madeco’s wire and cable sales breakdown by country was
approximately: 43% in Brazil, the largest market in South America, 28% in Chile, 18% in
Peru, 6% in Argentina, and 5% in Colombia.
In all these countries, Madeco has a leading position thanks to its established reputation
and commercial image.
These growing markets, Madeco’s leading position, and its management excellence
enabled the company to realise a US$ 43 million (€29 million) EBITDA in the first half of
2007, representing an operating margin of 10.6% of sales at current non-ferrous metal
prices.
The closing of this acquisition is expected in the third quarter of 2008 and is mainly
subject to approval of Madeco’s and Nexans’ shareholders, as well as relevant regulatory
authorities.
Nexans – France Fax : +33 1566 98484
Email: Website:
. . . and agrees to buy Madeco In Brief . . .
Dries Ausems, at present Director
Investor Relations, was appointed
Spend Area Director Petchem and
Energy with DSM Sourcing, from 1st
January 2008. On the same day, Hans
Vossen – DSM’s Director of Corporate
Strategy and Planning – succeeded
Dries Ausems.
DSM Desotech – Netherlands
Fax: +31 45 571 9753
Email:
Website:
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Dow Wire and Cable has upped its
prices on all its wire and cable resins,
compounds and materials sold in
North America by $0.12 per pound,
effective from 1st January.
DowWire and Cable – USA
Fax: +1 713 978 3281
Email:
Website: