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Furukawa Electric has reported a recent improvement in its magnet wire production, and plans a monthly production in fiscal 2009 (ending March 2010) of 1,500 tonnes of enamelled wire and 85,000 km of triple insulated magnet wire; this is 70-75% (for enamelled wire) and 80-85% (for triple insulated magnet wire) of the peak levels produced in April-September 2008. Enamelled wire production could reach 1,700-1,800 tonnes per month in October 2009-March 2010. Furukawa Electric's domestic magnet wire production is being consolidated into its Mie Works in order to cut costs; production at its Hiratsuka Works will transfer to Mie within 2009.

Furukawa Electric Co. Ltd. announced that its magnet wire producing subsidiary Furukawa Magnet Wire has co-developed a rectangular magnet wire with a voltage resistance of up to 1,400-1,500V. The higher voltage rating and shape factor is believed to make the cable suitable for motors within small hybrid energy vehicles (HEVs) or electric vehicles (EVs). The company is supplying Toyota with this magnet wire for use in its 'AQUA' HEV. Furukawa will expand monthly production at its plant in Mie, Japan by 50% to 300t in this fiscal year to meet demand from rising production of AQUA and to supply other HEV/EV manufacturers.

Furukawa Electric Co. Ltd. and Tohoku University Graduate School have jointly introduced a medical application made of copper alloy. This development refers to an apparatus that uses copper shape memory alloy and aims to correct ingrown nails. What the apparatus does is to insert an alloy plate at both sides of the nail correcting its curvature. Tohoku University is currently using the instrument on a pilot basis, however, Furukawa is planning to start selling it within this fiscal year. The company expects to sell a significant volume of the newly developed instrument as about 10 million people in Japan suffer from ingrown nails.

Furukawa Magnet Wire Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Furukawa Electric Group, announced that it has expanded its facility in Malaysia. Production capacity of its TEX-E, trilayer insulated wire, which is principally used in rechargers for computers and mobile phones, has been doubled. The company expects that demand will increase in China and other emerging markets in the medium to long term. In addition, it was reported that Furukawa Electric increased its stake in Chongqing Changhua Automobile Harness Co. Ltd., the China-based wiring harness assembler, to 65% from its previously held 50% share.

Four major manufacturers of wire and cable are set to increase their level of capital investment in this fiscal year. The companies are expected to make large investments within emerging country markets, which promise growth over the medium to long term. Another area of investment is the field of smartphone components. Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd., SWCC Showa Holdings Co. Ltd. and Furukawa Electric Co. Ltd. will expand capital investment "significantly", while Fujikura Ltd., will do so only "slightly".

Furukawa Electric announced that it will triple its output capacity for copper foil used in lithium ion batteries to 1,500t per month in 2013. The company will build a new factory with monthly capacity of 500t of foil in the western Taiwanese county of Yunlin. Investment will amount to 6.9bn yen and production is expected to begin in September 2012, gradually being brought up to speed by July 2013. Furukawa Electric has a factory nearby that makes copper foil for circuit boards, and therefore it will be able to procure supplies for both. In addition, the company said that electric power costs in Taiwan are half as expensive compared to Japan, and that will make it competitive in the growing segment of automotive lithium ion batteries. Furukawa Electric will consider exporting foil for lithium ion batteries from Taiwan to China, South Korea and elsewhere. Furthermore, 100ml yen will be spent in order to revamp spare equipment at the existing copper foil factory in Nikko, Japan. That will enable the plant to raise capacity by 80% to 1,000t per month by March 2012.

It was reported that Furukawa Electric plans to bring forward its capacity expansion plans for electrolytic copper foil due to steady demand from lithium ion battery makers, especially for electric vehicles. The company had previously announced that domestic capacity would expand from 550t/m to 1,000t/m in March 2012. However, supported by increasing demand from EV battery makers, Furukawa will put the time schedule ahead to December 2011. In addition, the company is planning to accelerate the time schedule for its new electrolytic copper foil plant in Taiwan, which was originally due to commence operations in September 2012.

Furukawa Electric Co. Ltd., the Japan-based wire and cable manufacturer, has reached a plea agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice under which it will plead guilty to U.S. antitrust violations and pay a fine of US$200M. Separate felony charges levelled against three Furukawa executive employees involved in the collusion have resulted in a combined total of 45 months in U.S. jail terms. The case relates to the collaborative investigations by Japan, the U.S. and the E.U. following the February 2010 raids by Japanese authorities on Furukawa and its competitors: Fujikura Ltd., Sumitomo Electric Industries and Yazaki Corporation. The companies are suspected of being involved in price-fixing and bid-rigging within the automotive components industry. All of the manufacturers, with the notable exception of Furukawa who avoided penalties through reporting the cartel, were also fined a total of ¥12B (US$150M) in June by the Japan Fair Trade Commission for anti-competitive offences in the domestic automotive wire harness market. However, the total cost in penalties in the U.S. could escalate as the remaining companies undergo court judgements after they decide to either enter plea agreements or wait for a court hearing.

On 1st November, Furukawa Electric Company announced further details about plans to increase profits by JPY18B (US$226M) by 2015. The company aims to do this through consolidation of their copper wirerod and optical cables division and pulling out of some areas including winding wire. The company will also move production of copper foil and electric wires overseas. Furukawa Electric cited the mature Japanese market and limited opportunities for growth in this market as reasons for the restructuring.

According to Mitsuyoshi Shibata, president of Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd, the company will increase its production and sales of copper and alloy plates and strips in China. The company aims to step up sales to meet the demand from auto makers who are moving operations to China. Furukawa Electric opened a subsidiary Furukawa Metal (Suzhou) Co in October 2012 and ramped and reached full production in early 2013.

Furukawa Electric announced on 8th May that it has developed a new type of aluminium alloy wire harness that is strong enough to be used in car doors, engine compartments and other locations traditionally reserved for copper wiring harness. The newly announced product features are expected to enter commercial production in 2014.

Furukawa Electric said it plans to double sales to around ¥50 billion ($630.7 million) by 2015 though increasing production and sales in Indonesia. Sales are to increase at local plant TMS which manufactures copper and aluminium wirerod and the company hopes to capture the demand in infrastructure to increase its sales of cables. The company also expects increased demand from the automobile sector which will have a positive impact on wire harness production. In addition, Furukawa Electric said it had made an agreement with SUCACO for technical assistance with aluminium overhead ground wires and high performance electric wires.

In late August, Furukawa Electric announced they would be raising prices for enamelled wire as they try to offset the rising cost of energy and varnish, particularly for polyvinal formal enamelled copper wire (PVF). According to Furukawa varnish and energy costs have increased 40% and 80% respectively since fiscal 2004. Sumitomo Electric, Hitachi Cable, Unimac and Totoku Electric have all also announced that they are either negotiating price rises on future shipments or conducting studies into a price increase. However, slowing demand for electric wire and electronic parts may make any further price hikes difficult. An industry source commented that, "makers could only get a higher price for PVF."

Nexans won a contract to supply most of the power, control and data cables in a project of Bombardier Transportation involving the construction of 27 passenger locomotives for the New Jersey Transit Corporation. The cables will be used in the production of the ALP-46A locomotives, developing a technology that Bombardier has been applying since 2002. Nexans cables meet the required technical specifications for fire resistance and efficiency, and they will be produced in the company's plants in Nuremberg and Monchengladbach, Germany. Delivery will start in April 2009. As Global Segment Manager for Rolling Stock Dietmar Steinbach reported, ''the main factors that persuaded Bombardier Transportation to place this major contract with Nexans are our proven capability to design, develop and deliver on-time and throughout the world a complete range of special cables to meet virtually any rolling stock requirement.''

Essex Group Inc., a subsidiary of Superior-Essex Inc., announced the acquisition of the magnet wire sale and distribution assets of Furukawa Electric Co. Ltd. (FEC) and American Furukawa Inc. Magnet wire is produced out of copper or aluminium and is used largely by the motor and electronics industries. The product is becoming increasingly popular due to its applications in the manufacture of electric motors for the hybrid vehicle market.

Furukawa Electric announced that in Q1 of fiscal year 2009 it suffered group net losses of Y3.51 billion (US$37.1 million) compared with profits of Y6.89 billion (US$72.7 million) in the same period of 2008. Revenues in Q1 FY2009 amounted to Y166.74 billion (US$1.76 billion) vs. Y287.04 billion (US$3.03 billion) realised in the same period of 2008. For H1 FY2009, the company is expecting to achieve group revenues of Y376.00 billion (US$3.97 billion) whilst for the full FY2009 Y807.00 billion (US$8.52 billion).

It was reported that Furukawa Sangyo Kaisha, Ltd. will establish a sales base in Guangzhou, China, in February 2011. Furukawa Electric's core trading subsidiary aims to benefit from the large number of electronics and auto makers located in Guangzhou City. The company intends to expand sales of electric wire for appliances, wire harnesses, copper and brass semis, as well as aluminium products.

Japanese Furukawa Electric Co. plans to begin exporting copper power cable from its Shenyang production plant in China to the US and Europe from September 2011. So far, the company has been providing cables for the Chinese market only. It was reported that the quality of cables has improved sufficiently to be exported to industrialised countries. The company hopes to achieve annual sales of US$125M to industrialised countries in the next five years. The company expects strong demand from sustainable sources of energy.

Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. announced plans to integrate three subsidiaries related to electrical power parts by April 2013. The subsidiaries it is considering are the Asahi Electric Works Co., Ltd. engaging in power transmission, Inoue Manufacturing Co., Ltd. producing underground power lines and Furukawa Power Components Inc. which produces overhead distribution lines. The merger will form a comprehensive parts manufacturer encompassing the entire electrical supply network ranging from power plants to consumers. In the future, it plans to mobilize technology and management resources to strengthen overseas deployment as well as research and development for new energies. Following the integration, it aims to increase sales from about ¥17 billion in total in 2010 to ¥30 billion by 2016.

Furukawa Electric Co, the Japanese maker of wire, cable and copper semis announced on 15th April that it will consolidate its copper plate and strip business at its Nikko Offices. Company President Mitsuyoshi Shibata indicated that the company was taking contingencies for 10% drop in demand for copper sheets and strips, including consolidating finishing mills and casting lines. The company is in the midst of a large restructuring taking steps including closing its magnet wires business and off-shoring copper foil production to Taiwan.

Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd. said that it had recently started mass production of aluminium wire harnesses, which it promised can reduce weight by 40-50% from traditional copper harnesses aiding weight reduction in automobiles. It will supply wire rods from a factory in Indonesia to manufacture and assemble the electric wires in a subsidiary in Vietnam and it will manufacture harnesses used in the door section. The news follows Furukawa's early December announcement of an agreement to acquire the automotive connector business of Mitsubishi Cable Industries, Ltd. Furukawa said that it expected the acquisition to aid the development of new aluminium wire harness technologies and high voltage cables for electric and hybrid vehicles.