EoW July 2012

News Corporate

Boom time ahead for eastern Europe . . .

in production into Eastern Europe has seen demand for cable increase sharply over the last decade,” said Stephen Duck, analyst at Integer. Integer Research – UK Website : www.integer-research.com New chief executive Lars Fagerholm, was appointed CEO of the Maillefer group, as of 12 th April this year. Mr Fagerholm has a broad international experience from several management positions, specifically from his extensive career with Albany International, the leading global supplier of technical paper machine clothing products to the pulp and paper industry. Maillefer International Oy – Finland Website : www.mailleferextrusion.net

its position with the acquisition of the leading Serbian cablemaker FKZ. It has been exporting cable products from Poland into Western Europe, but more recently has focused on significant investments in EHV power cable and a new submarine power cable operation in Szczecin (Stettin) on the Baltic coast.” The only global and regional producers with operations in more than one country are Prysmian Group (Hungary, Slovakia and Romania, and its subsidiary Draka Kabely in the Czech Republic), NKT (Poland and the Czech Republic), and Wilms Group (Czech Republic, Romania). “Increasingly the leading economies such as Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia, and more recently Romania have become intertwined with key western European economies. This increase in investment and shifts

The eastern Europe cable industry saw impressive growth rates from 2000-2008, before being hit hard by the global financial crisis. Since then the cable industry has bounced back to become one of the fastest growing markets globally. According to Integer Research’s latest study, cable output in the region will top US$7 billion in 2012, and demand will reach US$6.5 billion. “There is significant investment in the region, from existing companies and new entrants. The main players look entirely different now compared to ten years ago, when Siemens sold off many of its operations in the region,” said Integer Research director Philip Radbourne. “Tele-fonika is still by far the largest cable manufacturer in this region. It cemented

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EuroWire – July 2012