Top 10 Cable Manufacturers in the World

Introduction to the Global Cable Manufacturing Industry

Importance of Cable Manufacturers

Cable manufacturers produce wire harnesses for various applications, such as automotive, aerospace, medical, and industrial equipment. These manufacturers are critical because they ensure part of the critical components needed for these applications are available to make them run. But these cables must be made using high-quality materials and processes to ensure high performance and reliability.

High-performance cables are particularly important for modern technology and infrastructure because they enable high-speed communication with zero interference, smart sensing, and reliable power transmission.

Criteria for Ranking the Top Cable Manufacturers

Cable Manufacturing Market Share

A large market share reflects a company’s expertise and product quality, so this is a significant factor to consider when ranking these manufacturers. Also, this factor points toward the company’s financial strength (revenue), which mostly implies it has more money to invest in R&D, resulting in better quality products.

R&D

R&D ensures these cable manufacturers don’t remain static technology and innovation-wise. So for a cable manufacturer to make it to this list, it must invest a significant portion of its revenue in R&D. 

Innovative Technologies

Even with R&D investments, the outcomes might not be very useful in the cable industry, so we have looked at the specific technologies these companies are innovating and developing to determine if they are good enough to push the industry forward.

Product Diversity

There are two primary cable categories: copper/aluminum (power) and optical fiber for data/signals. But there are several cable types, such as high-capacity fiber, submarine power cables, etc., and the more the product diversity in the company’s catalog, the better it sits in the ranking.

Environmental-Friendly/Sustainable Manufacturing

As the world becomes more environmentally conscious, these cable manufacturers should follow suit. So we’ve factored in this criteria in the ranking, looking at companies that place a keen emphasis on green manufacturing to reduce CO2 emission and environmental pollution.

Top 10 Cable Manufacturers in the World

1. Prysmian Group

Prysmian Group is the largest cable manufacturer globally, and it specializes in the production of electrical cables for telecom and energy industries, as well as fiber optic cables. The company is Italian but has a significant presence in both Europe and North America, with 48 and 23 plants, respectively.

Prysmian invests heavily in R&D, which has made it produce quality cables that almost monopolize the transmission cable market in the US (97%) and fiber optic cables in Australia (93%). Additionally, it owns more than 60% market share of residential wires in Europe and Hong Kong.

The company acquired Draka in 2011 and General Cable in 2017, expanding its product portfolio and solidifying it as a leader in cable manufacturing in terms of revenue.

Prysmian also launched an innovation lab in 2017 to handle pilot projects that explore how digital technology can be included in its core business to imagine and make smart cables for applications like smart cities.

2. Nexans

Formerly known as Alcatel, Nexans is a French multinational specializing in manufacturing sophisticated cable solutions for energy, communication, infrastructure, and industry applications. The company is the second-largest cable manufacturer and a pioneer in renewable energy and submarine cables.

One of the key differentiators of Nexans is its commitment to sustainable, eco-friendly cable manufacturing. The company incorporates practices like aluminum and plastic recycling, using low-carbon aluminum, and selecting suppliers rigorously based on their environmental performance.

3. General Cable (now part of Prysmian Group)

Being an American company, General Cable has a significant presence in North America and focuses on manufacturing utility and industrial cables. In fact, the company is the largest manufacturer of special cable solutions (copper, aluminum, and fiber optic), which are used in ships, nuclear plants, ultra-high voltage equipment, etc. General Cable is currently a subsidiary of Prysmian Group after being acquired in 2017.

4. Southwire Company

Like General Cable, Southwire is an American company, but it serves the industrial, construction, utility, EV charging, and data center markets. Southwire is particularly good at developing smart cables that feature integrated sensors to enable predictive maintenance. These are critical in industrial settings because they help to reduce manufacturing downtime and equipment maintenance costs.

To make these cables, the company places a keen emphasis on compliance with stringent industry standards to ensure safety, reliability, and durability. Southwire is also well-recognized for its customer-centric approach to cable development, quality, and innovation.

5. Sumitomo Electric Industries

Sumitomo Electric is a major cable producer on the global scene and has a strong foothold in the Asian market. Since its inception in 1897, the company has invested heavily in R&D, which has resulted in high-quality manufacturing standards and innovative cable solutions, such as high-capacity optical fiber cables. These technologies are being used in major projects globally, such as traffic control and telecom.

Currently, Sumitomo has acquired over 400 subsidiaries, which collectively make the company one of the cable manufacturing industry leaders in automotive wiring harnesses, optical fibers, and high-capacity cables. Sumitomo currently holds the second-largest cable manufacturing market share in the automotive wiring harness market.

6. Leoni AG

This German cable manufacturer is the leading producer of automotive and industrial cables in Europe. It has built strong partnerships over the years with major automotive OEMs to solidify its position in this cable industry segment, producing charging cables for the growing EV market and zonal wiring in vehicles to improve simplicity.

Leoni is also driven by sustainability, which basically means manufacturing green cables and wiring systems using processes that reduce CO2 emissions by 50%. The company focuses on the entire life cycle of the product to achieve sustainability, including the choice of materials, which are bio-based and easy to recycle.

7. Belden Inc.

Belden is a US company that serves industrial automation, broadband, networking, broadcast cables, 5G, and smart building solutions markets. The company is a key player in the North American market and has solidified its reputation as a provider of networking and high-performance data wires, with an extensive product range that includes the following cable solutions.

• Armored
• Broadcast
• Coax and Triax
• Ethernet
• Control
• Fieldbus
• Fiber optic
• Flex
• Instrumentation
• Power
• Video

8. LS Cable & System

LS Cable & System was originally under the popularly known LG group, but the business separated in 2003 to become an independent entity. Over the years, the company has become a major cable manufacturer in Asia with a growing global footprint that includes factories in China, India, Malaysia, and Vietnam, as well as subsidiaries in North America and Europe.

LS has become well-known and experienced in the energy sector because its expertise primarily lies in manufacturing power transmission cables for renewable energy. Some products include extra-high voltage cables, submarine cables, bus ducts, overhead lines, and distribution cables. The company has invested in R&D to make its products highly efficient and has large-scale manufacturing capabilities to serve renewable energy projects of national or international scale.

9. Furukawa Electric

Furukawa Electric has a rich history that dates back to 1884 when Furukawa Ichibei founded Nikko Copper Works, a copper smelting plant. Fast forward to the present and Furukawa doesn’t deal with copper wires only anymore. The company is well known for making advanced fiber optic cables for data centers and telecommunications, as well as high-voltage power transmission systems for the energy industry. 

Furukawa also invests a significant portion of its revenue in R&D to develop superconducting technologies and combine its core technologies with digital ones to cut and resolve environmental and social issues.

10. Cloom Tech

Although Cloom Tech is the relatively new kid on the block, its expertise and versatility make it capable of manufacturing cables and wiring harnesses for different applications, be it automotive, robotics, industrial automation, medical, aerospace, smart manufacturing, etc. The company excels on three fronts:

• Customization: Cloom Tech provides custom cable assembly services based on your requirements to ensure superior performance and seamless fitting/installation
• Innovation: The company is committed to industry-leading innovation to ensure its cable solutions are efficient, durable, and reliable
• Low Costs: Innovation also drives low-cost production, and Cloom Tech pushes these limits without compromising on cable quality

Competitive Landscape and Industry Trends

Current Trends in Cable Manufacturing

The current trends in cable manufacturing, which are some of the criteria we considered for these cable manufacturers to make it into our list, include:

• Smart Cables: Cables and wire harnesses have traditionally been passive devices but this has changed. Modern cables incorporate sensors into their designs to make them smart for data collection, enabling predictive maintenance.
• Sustainable Manufacturing: Eco-friendly manufacturing is a conscious decision these companies take to reduce their environmental footprint.
• Use of Advanced Materials: Advanced materials like superconductors or high-performance polymers in optical fiber boost the performance and capacity of the cables for better, more efficient performance.

Innovations Driving the Industry Forward

In order to stay ahead of the pack, each cable manufacturer must invest in R&D to innovate. Some of the innovations that are driving the industry forward include fiber optic technology improvements using advanced materials, increasing the capacity of power, signal, and data cables, and developing smart cables with accurate sensors that enable predictive maintenance to prevent costly downtimes and equipment repairs.

Market Share Analysis

With its acquisition of General Cable in 2017, the Prysmian Group became the largest cable manufacturer by market share, revenue, and global presence. Nexans follows in second place and the list generally follows that order. The primary factors that influence this market dominance and shifts are product quality and cost. Therefore, manufacturers must balance between these two factors if they want the market to favor them, which means investing in R&D and expertise. It’s a long game that requires capital but will pay off with time.

WellPCB’s Position in the Cable Manufacturing Industry

Strengths and Differentiators

WellPCB (and Cloom Tech by association), stands out in the cable manufacturing industry due to its customization capabilities to suit specific use cases. We collect customer data to prepare a detailed requirements analysis before manufacturing to ensure the harness fits the application area seamlessly and provides the required performance.

 For instance, in the automotive wiring harness category, we customize the front, rear, roof, HVAC, engine, body, battery cable, chassis, and signal cable assemblies to suit specific vehicle models.

Our other unique selling points are adhering to international quality standards, such as IATF 16949 and ISO 9001, and using proprietary manufacturing technologies, which make the cables high quality while reducing material wastage and production inefficiencies.

Innovations and Future Outlook

As stated earlier, WellPCB (Cloom Tech) is a relatively new kid on the block but is gradually catching up to the big players in this industry. With its investments in R&D to innovate and make better cable assemblies, WellPCB plans to compete with the current industry leaders in a few years. Considering we provide some unique selling points that currently place us ahead of the pack, we are confident our products will meet and exceed our client’s needs.

Case Studies and Client Success Stories

WellPCB has been manufacturing wire harnesses for over 10 years and in this short period, we have gained repeat clients who come back due to our quality products, reliability, trustworthiness, and adherence to industry standards.

Conclusion

To summarize, cable manufacturers are critical in the supply chain of machinery, automobiles, telecommunication, planes, medical equipment, and other devices with electronics inside. Therefore, this top 10 ranking of the best cable manufacturers worldwide is critical to ensure you know which suppliers you can term reliable, innovative, and producers of quality cable for different applications.

WellPCB adds customization to this mix, making it a worthy supplier to consider. Contact us for personalized support on your wiring harness project or to explore our product catalog and competitive pricing in the cable manufacturing market. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Who are the top cable manufacturers in the world?

1. Prysmian Group: Has the largest market share and powerful subsidiaries like General Cable, giving it a powerful global reach.
2. Nexans: Second largest cable manufacturer by market share and is committed to sustainable, eco-friendly manufacturing.
3. General Cable: A subsidiary of Prysmian Group that focuses on making specialty cables for ships, high-voltage equipment, nuclear plants, etc.
4. Southwire Company: One of the largest cable manufacturers in the US and it specializes in making smart cables with integrated sensors.
5. Sumitomo Electric Industries: Sumitomo is an expert at developing high-capacity fiber optic cables and automotive wiring harnesses, and has a strong R&D department to boost innovation.
6. Leoni AG: A company driven by sustainability that leads automotive and industrial cable manufacturing in Europe.
7. Belden Inc.: Belden is a US company with an extensive product range of networking and high-performance data wires for industrial automation, smart cities, broadband, and other applications.
8. LS Cable & System: An expert in power cable manufacturing for renewable energy with significant R&D investment in this field.
9. Furukawa Electric: Furukawa is well known for manufacturing advanced optical fiber and high-voltage power transmission cables.
10. Cloom Tech: versatile company specializing in manufacturing custom cables for various applications at low costs.

What criteria determine the leading cable manufacturers?

• Market Share: A large market share and global presence indicate the cable manufacturer makes quality products that the market wants to buy.
• R&D: Research and development drives innovation, quality, product diversity, and growth, making it a key indicator to consider.
• Innovative Technologies: Each company’s innovative technologies in the copper/aluminum and optical fiber cable spaces must be beneficial to customers or users.
• Product Diversity: Product diversity is critical to ensuring the cable manufacturer serves a large market in specific or multiple niches.
• Sustainable Manufacturing: The last factor is eco-friendly manufacturing, which helps to reduce CO2 emissions while encouraging recycling.

What innovative technologies are driving the cable manufacturing industry?

• Recyclability and Green Materials: Cables and wire harnesses contain a lot of metals and plastics or rubber, which cause pollution if not recycled. Part of the innovation that is driving the cable manufacturing industry is sustainable manufacturing using easy-to-recycle and green (organic) materials. 
• Fiber Optic Technology: Metal core wires are heavy, so part of the innovation involves switching to optical fiber for data and signaling in applications like automotive and industrial automation. Transmission using fiber optic technology is also faster.
• Smart Cables: These cables feature integrated sensors to help detect anomalies for preventive maintenance

How does WellPCB compare to the top cable manufacturers?

WellPCB provides some unique selling points that place us ahead of the pack. These include harness customization using requirements analysis and implementing proprietary manufacturing technologies that cut production costs, manufacturing time, and material wastage. We also strictly adhere to industry standards to ensure cable assembly quality.

What trends are shaping the future of cable manufacturing?

• Sustainability: As part of the collective global responsibility to go green, cable manufacturing is adapting to become more sustainable by encouraging recycling and using green materials.
• Digitization: Digitizing all the cable manufacturing processes introduces efficiencies that reduce wastage, pollution, and CO2 emissions.
• Advanced Materials: R&D in cable manufacturing has brought forth the discovery of advanced materials that enhance the performance and efficiency of cable assemblies for power, data, and signal transmission.