The growth in demand for high-end cables has brought forth challenges and opportunities in the cables industry and compelled manufacturers to take a fresh approach and develop strategies, a top official of a leading cable production company has said.

Hashem Al Huneidi, CEO of Middle East Specialized Cables (MESC), said his company had responded to the latest developments by studying what the market needed and proceeding to offer the required products and services.
“We identified the need to serve the region’s exploding economies by exploring all possible methods from developing new product technologies to partnerships with other cables manufacturers. We are committed to providing our customers with cost-effective and high-end quality products within a span of time that no other cable manu-facture can offer.”
MESC is implementing the seventh expansion of its Riyadh facility to raise by 30 per cent the production capacity of industrial cables. Its current capacity is 12,000 tonnes. It has a Jordanian subsidiary, JNC Cables, for manufacturing low voltage power cables, as well as a joint venture with Japan’s Fujikura and JNC for the production of low and medium voltage cables. The plant with Fujikura’s involvement will be operational in September of this year. MESC’s sales in 2007 were SR1.3 billion ($347 million).
Al Huneidi observed that the Middle East had captured the lion’s share of global energy investment not only because it was the heart of the world hydrocarbon production, but also because of the vast number of development projects taking place simultaneously across the region.
It was a big challenge to meet the rising demand for good-quality cables when the price of raw materials had also risen.
MESC had taken a series of steps with regard to volume and quality, he said. “The company invested in new technologies for developing a range of products and services. It also developed special testing facilities for flame retardance and smoke propagation, light transmission, fire resistance and acid gas emission within its premises. This is in addition to the existing fully fledged routine and acceptance test facilities created in line with international standards and specifications.”
Al Huneidi pledged the company would further strengthen its quality control measures both in relation to raw materials and the finished product.
“We continuously endeavor to maintain our excellent reputation,” he said.