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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.

Nexans, the large French wire and cable maker, announced on 7th February that its full year operating revenues, at constant non-ferrous metals prices, increased by 6% to EUR4.87B (USD6.60B). However, the company noted that acquisitions were responsible for the increased revenues and organic sales growth was roughly flat compared to 2011. Nexans reported mixed revenue growth by sector, with the group's Industrial Cables unit and the Distributors and Transformers unit showing organic sales growth, whilst the Nexans reported contraction in its Power Transmission and Utilities and Operators businesses. In the Industrial Cables unit, high double-digit growth was noted in the demand automotive wiring harnesses, with the company highlighting its strong position with German autos companies as a decisive factor. The company also noted strong growth in supplying cables to the oil industry and the aeronautical industry. Weak European growth was noted in Nexan's automation and Capital goods business, as well as in the railways sector, with Nexans noting that they expect railway investment to pick up in China in H2 2013.

According to data from the Japanese Electric Wire & Cable Makers' Association, shipments of copper wire and cable from Japanese manufacturers fell 2.7% y-o-y in January, to 54,500t, a second monthly fall. Shipments of copper cables to the autos industry fell by 15.1% y-o-y to 5,300t whilst delivery of wires to the electric-machinery sector fell 4.1% y-o-y to 12,200t. An official from the research department of the association said that the recent falls in the Japanese Yen had yet to feed through into demand for exports, however, he said that demand for cables may pick up in the next fiscal year.

General Cable Corporation announced on 5th November that it had completed its acquisition of Prestolite Wire LLC, the wire & cable and wiring harnesses producer. Prestolite Wire, which reported revenues of US$170M in 2011, has two production sites based in the USA and Mexico and manufactures predominately for the transport sector. Commenting on the acquisition, General Cable said that the Prestolite Wire is "highly complementary to our existing transportation related businesses as approximately 90% of Prestolite's revenues are generated from products that are incremental to the Company's existing product portfolio."

From Nexans' Q1 2012 financial report, we can infer that the European wirerod market was supported by a very strong automotive sector, driven by demand from German premium auto manufacturers, as well as increased infrastructure investment in France and Scandinavia, and a rebounding construction sector in Northern Europe. Demand in Southern Europe, meanwhile, continues to be subdued.

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 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.

Kia Motors, South Korea's second largest automotive manufacturer, announced that it is recalling 35,000 Souls and Sorentos because of a fire hazard. The auto maker said that its 2010 Soul with the Advanced Lighting Speakers and the 2011 Sorento with the Interior Accent Illumination have a defect with the wiring harness that could cause an electrical short and possibly a fire. Until a repair could be made, Kia advised drivers to turn off the lights. The company sold more than 1.6 million cars in 2009.

Delphi, the wiring harness manufacturer, plans to shut down its Czech unit. The plant is located at Ceska Lipa, 90 km north of Prague, and serves auto makers such as BMW and Audi. The job cuts will take place in stages until the closure will be completed by the end of May 2011. As a result, all 1,400 employees will be affected. The trade union commented that the company plans to relocate to lower cost places. The Czech Republic has attracted foreign investment related to the automotive industry; however, due to rising costs, some companies decided to relocate.