Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Sustainable Plastics
  • Rubber News
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Processor News
    • Suppliers
    • More News
    • Digital Edition
    • End Markets
    • Special Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Resin pricing news
    • Videos
    • Injection Molding
    • Blow Molding
    • Film & Sheet
    • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
    • Rotomolding
    • Thermoforming
    • Recycling
    • Machinery
    • Materials
    • Molds/Tooling
    • Product news
    • Design
    • K Show
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Sustainability
    • Public Policy
    • Material Insights Videos
    • Numbers that Matter
    • Automotive
    • Packaging
    • Medical
    • Consumer Products
    • Construction
    • Processor of the Year
    • Best Places to Work
    • Women Breaking the Mold
    • Rising Stars
    • Diversity
    • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
  • Opinion
    • The Plastics Blog
    • Kickstart
    • One Good Resin
    • Pellets and Politics
    • All Things Data
    • Viewpoint
    • From Pillar to Post
    • Perspective
    • Mailbag
    • Fake Plastic Trees
  • Shop Floor
    • Blending
    • Compounding
    • Drying
    • Injection Molding
    • Purging
    • Robotics
    • Size Reduction
    • Structural Foam
    • Tooling
    • Training
  • Events
    • K Show Livestream
    • Plastics News Events
    • Industry Events
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Livestreams/Webinars
    • Editorial Livestreams
    • Ask the Expert
    • Plastics News Events Library
    • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Plastics News Executive Forum
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Plastics News Caps & Closures
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
    • Plastics in Automotive
    • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Numbers that Matter Live
    • Plastics in Politics Live
    • Sustainable Plastics Live
    • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
    • Plastics in Healthcare Library
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
  • Rankings & Data
    • Injection Molders
    • Blow Molders
    • Film Sheet
    • Thermoformers
    • Pipe Profile Tubing
    • Rotomolders
    • Mold/Toolmakers
    • LSR Processors
    • Recyclers
    • Compounders - List
    • Association - List
    • Plastic Lumber - List
    • All
  • Directory
  • Resin Prices
    • Commodity TPs
    • High Temp TPs
    • ETPs
    • Thermosets
    • Recycled Plastics
    • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
    • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
    • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Historic Thermosets
    • Historic Recycled Plastics
  • Custom
    • Sponsored Content
    • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
    • Conair Sponsored Content
    • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
    • ENGEL Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Classifieds
    • Place an Ad
    • Sign up for Early Classified
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
News
December 05, 2017 01:00 AM

Helukabel adding new US HQ, expanding presence globally

Chris Sweeney
Rubber && Plastics News
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print
    Helukabel GmbH
    Officials gather for the groundbreaking of Helukabel's new U.S. headquarters in Elgin, Ill.

    German wire and cable maker Helukabel GmbH has invested more than $38 million to increase its global presence in 2017, including breaking ground for a new headquarters for Helukabel USA in a Chicago suburb.

    The maker of wires and cables using PVC, thermoplastic polyurethane, thermoplastic elastomer and other materials marked the ground breaking for its 75,000-square-foot building in West Dundee, Ill., Nov. 9.

    In separate moves, the firm has expanded its manufacturing facility in Windsbach, Germany, and recently opened subsidiaries in both Mexico and Brazil.

    Helukabel's new U.S. headquarters represents an $8 million investment with room to expand beyond 200,000 square feet if future growth dictates. The site will open with about 20 full-time employees. A company spokesman said via email the firm had maxed out its previous 45,000-square-foot headquarters in nearby Elgin, Ill.

    The building will have state-of-the-art energy efficiency systems in place. The spokesman added that the firm will be able to increase operational efficiency with improved workflow as well as a dedicated spooling rack space for high-volume items.

    Helukabel also wanted a location that wasn't too far from its current site. The new facility is about five miles from Elgin.

    "It was important to find a property in close geographic proximity to our current location to maintain our existing employee base," Helukabel USA President Markus Dannheim said in a statement. "Our employees and the relationships they have created with customers around the world are a fundamental key factor for the continued success our company has experienced over the past years. It was furthermore important for us to have immediate interstate access to minimize lead-times for our customers. West Dundee and their pragmatic and progress-oriented city officials made it an easy decision for us to invest within their city limits."

    The spokesman added that the North America market has been growing steadily for the firm, both organically and through new subsidiaries. Its new headquarters will have more storage racks to enhance product availability and reduce customer lead times, in addition to dedicated rack space for high-volume, small cut lengths that can be packaged directly from the rack instead of moving cables to the cutting equipment.

    He said Helukabel projects growth in the region to continue at the same level it has been during the last 10 years.

    "With more space and optimized material flow, the new location will allow orders to be cut faster, greater product availability for improved lead time, and with the new building being closer to interstate access potentially quicker delivery," the spokesman said.

    Expanded manufacturing

    Helukabel invested more than $30 million on its building in Germany and subsequent manufacturing equipment. The spokesman said the project was completed early in 2017 and added about 96,800 square feet to the existing site.

    "The new engineering center is equipped with six drag chain test facilities that will allow us to check if our products are ready for series production and further their development in a realistic environment," he said.

    The site's new engineering center houses additional test and inspection equipment for moving applications as well as for extreme climate zones. The spokesman said a significant amount has been invested throughout Helukabel's footprint in restructuring and commissioning existing machines, part of the firm's three-year plan to increase production capacity and optimize material handling.

    "We took the opportunity to improve communication between the various production areas," Thomas Pikkemaat, Windsbach plant business manager and drive technology product manager, said in a statement. "Shorter paths combined with newly set-up meeting zones will serve to enhance coordination between these areas and enable even leaner methods of working."

    Windsbach manufactures standard catalog items as well as custom and application-specific cables and wires that typically withstand extreme chemical, electric and mechanical stress. The site employs about 160 people and spans more than 430,500 square feet.

    Growing in NAFTA

    The firm also opened its 27th and 28th subsidiaries earlier in 2017, in Mexico and Brazil, marking the first such locations in each country. The combined investment for both sites exceeded $250,000.

    Helukabel Managing Director Mark Luksch said in a statement that the firm is seeing rising demand for its products in Central and South America, with Mexico alone accounting for thousands of global companies, with sustainable investments being made in the automotive and food and beverage industries, both key markets for Helukabel.

    The Mexico subsidiary will consist of an 8,600-square-foot warehouse located in Querétaro, northwest of Mexico City, and will employ about eight people.

    "With the opening of Helukabel Mexico we have now built one cohesive business unit covering NAFTA," Dannheim said in a separate statement. "Our customers, especially those that are export-oriented, now have access to a Helukabel branch in each country to provide enhanced product availability and the personalized service that our customers in each country have grown accustomed to."

    The Brazilian site is located in Valinhos, within the state of São Paulo, and spans about 10,700 square feet with a 7,500-square-foot warehouse. The site employs five.

    The spokesman said many of the firm's largest international customers have been active in Brazil for many years and, despite the current economic downturn, Helukabel is committed to the country for the long term and sees rising demand for its products in both Central and South America.

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Trinseo: Equipment failure blamed for latex emulsion leak
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]

    Most Popular
    1
    Biden sets US goal to replace 90% of plastics with biomaterials
    2
    Redline's ‘outrageous cultural behaviors' retain top employees
    3
    Industry sees Biden bioplastics goal as serious signal
    4
    Official says Norfolk Southern fire likely started in rail car containing resin
    5
    Commodity prices rise; engineering resins drop
    SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe today

    Subscribe to Plastics News

    Subscribe now
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Plastics News covers the business of the global plastics industry. We report news, gather data and deliver timely information that provides our readers with a competitive advantage.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI 48207-2997

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1723

    Resources
    • About
    • Staff
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Media Kit
    • Data Store
    • Digital Edition
    • Custom Content
    • People
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Sitemap
    Related Crain Publications
    • Sustainable Plastics
    • Rubber News
    • Tire Business
    • Urethanes Technology
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Processor News
        • Injection Molding
        • Blow Molding
        • Film & Sheet
        • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
        • Rotomolding
        • Thermoforming
        • Recycling
      • Suppliers
        • Machinery
        • Materials
        • Molds/Tooling
        • Product news
        • Design
      • More News
        • K Show
        • Mergers & Acquisitions
        • Sustainability
        • Public Policy
        • Material Insights Videos
        • Numbers that Matter
      • Digital Edition
      • End Markets
        • Automotive
        • Packaging
        • Medical
        • Consumer Products
        • Construction
      • Special Reports
        • Processor of the Year
        • Best Places to Work
        • Women Breaking the Mold
        • Rising Stars
        • Diversity
        • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
      • Newsletters
      • Resin pricing news
      • Videos
    • Opinion
      • The Plastics Blog
      • Kickstart
      • One Good Resin
      • Pellets and Politics
      • All Things Data
      • Viewpoint
      • From Pillar to Post
      • Perspective
      • Mailbag
      • Fake Plastic Trees
    • Shop Floor
      • Blending
      • Compounding
      • Drying
      • Injection Molding
      • Purging
      • Robotics
      • Size Reduction
      • Structural Foam
      • Tooling
      • Training
    • Events
      • K Show Livestream
      • Plastics News Events
        • Plastics News Executive Forum
        • Injection Molding & Design Expo
        • Plastics News Caps & Closures
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
        • Plastics in Automotive
      • Industry Events
      • Injection Molding & Design Expo
      • Livestreams/Webinars
        • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
      • Editorial Livestreams
        • Polymer Points Live
        • Numbers that Matter Live
        • Plastics in Politics Live
        • Sustainable Plastics Live
      • Ask the Expert
      • Plastics News Events Library
        • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
        • Plastics in Healthcare Library
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
      • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Rankings & Data
      • Injection Molders
      • Blow Molders
      • Film Sheet
      • Thermoformers
      • Pipe Profile Tubing
      • Rotomolders
      • Mold/Toolmakers
      • LSR Processors
      • Recyclers
      • Compounders - List
      • Association - List
      • Plastic Lumber - List
      • All
    • Directory
    • Resin Prices
      • Commodity TPs
        • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
      • High Temp TPs
        • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
      • ETPs
        • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
      • Thermosets
        • Historic Thermosets
      • Recycled Plastics
        • Historic Recycled Plastics
    • Custom
      • Sponsored Content
      • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
      • Conair Sponsored Content
      • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
      • ENGEL Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • Sign up for Early Classified