LS Cable expanding product lines of U.S. unit

LS Cable & System, a former LG Group unit and Korea’s top wire and cable maker, said yesterday that its subsidiary in the United States has embarked on the production of power cables for industrial use.

It said that Superior Essex (SPSX), an Atlanta-based communications cable provider acquired by LS Cable in 2008, has begun to produce medium- and low-voltage cables for control and signals that are widely used in the supply and management of electricity.

The company said the cables with voltages of 300 watts and 600 watts have been certified by Underwriter’s Laboratories, a research center set up by the American Insurance Association, which applies stringent criteria for preventing fires and power leakages.

LS Cable plans to use this opportunity to advance into the North American market and expand SPSX’s product lines - which range from magnetic wires to telecom and power cables - in a bid to secure a new growth engine.

The U.S. unit can begin production this month, as LS Cable’s cable plant in North Carolina, which is still under construction, has just completed a production line for medium- and low-voltage cables.

The Korean cable maker started building a power cable plant in North Carolina’s Tarboro City last May. It is the first Korean cable company to construct an independent cable plant on American soil.

The $60 million plant is expected to be completed in mid-October. It is equipped with high-tech production facilities and an effective inventory control system, which enables the company to respond to market demand more actively and efficiently.

When completed, the plant will begin to produce low-voltage cables for power distribution and move on to high value-added power cables later on.

“The new plant signifies that LS Cable’s overseas expansion is going smoothly,” said Sohn Jong-ho, president of LS Cable. “Our technological prowess and SPSX’s networks in advanced markets will be combined to devise various marketing strategies for penetration into North America and Europe.”

By Song Su-hyun [ssh@joongang.co.kr]