Suzhou Furukawa Power Optic Cable Plans 11,000 km OPGW Sales in 2011

Suzhou Furukawa Power Optic Cable (SFPOC), a joint venture company controlled by Furukawa Electric to manufacture optical ground wire (OPGW) in Wujiang City, Jiangsu Province of China, plans annual OPGW sales at 11,000 kilometers in 2011 against its production capacity at 12,000 km per annum. The previous year sales were 9,000 km in volume and 3 billion yen in value.

SFPOC is the only producer of OPGW in Furukawa Electric Group, except for Viscas Corporation, a fifty-fifty company between Furukawa Electric and Fujikura. Furukawa Electric controls 55% shares in SFPOC and the rest 45% is held by Etern Group, Chinese major telecom cable maker. SFPOC was established in 2002. There are 2 factories on 30,000 square meter site with approximately 160 employees.

About 30% of the sales volume is bound for the U.S.A. and about 20% for Australia. The sales volume bound for Chinese domestic market accounts for about 30%. OPGW sales are increasing in emerging countries where power transmission infrastructures are actively constructed. In advanced countries, demand is also increasing for OPGW since new power transmission lines are organized along introduction of renewable energy sources.

SFPOC focuses on OPGW export especially for advanced countries. SFPOC has advantages in its high cost competitiveness as well as product design and quality forces. In emerging countries, the product quality tends to be more lowly appreciated than the price. SFPOC is ranked at the second or the third share position in global OPGW market while in China the position is estimated at the seventh.