Towards a Sustainable Future in W&C Manufacturing

Modern manufacturing techniques enable the manufacturing of wire & cable products in the most efficient way and addresses consumption of resources. Indeed, the global use of materials has more than tripled since 1970. Moreover, only 9% of the global economy is circular. Just 9% of the 92.8 billion tons of material that enters the economy is re-used annually.

Considering efficiency means focusing on the manufacturing process itself. As a key technology provider to the industry, we are providing important innovations to make change happen in the most sustainable way. For us, sustainability is driven by several deliverables.

Material use

Maillefer offers several ways to improve material utilization in the manufacturing processes. Quality ramp-ups and -downs means one can save several percent in raw material consumption, notably when quality production begins immediately once the extrusion line begins to produce.

Controlling the overuse of plastics creates vast opportunities in raw material utilization. Maillefer’s modern extruders open that possibility when minimizing the difference between the nominal and actual product dimensions.

Quality product manufactured within tight tolerances requires less plastic. The extrusion stability combined with our latest development on automated crosshead centering concept allow us to reach up to ten percent plastic material savings. That corresponds up 100 tons plastic material savings on each single extrusion line.

We have introduced new extremely precise cable geometry measurement technology in power cable manufacturing lines. Topography scanning technology together with our smart crosslinking technology (MRC) enables us to develop the insulation process such a way that vast material savings are possible to reach. Plus, we have implemented improvements to the outer semicon distribution. Combining those two new developments one can save up to 200 k€ of insulation and semicon materials in a single power cable manufacturing line.

Manufacturing efficiency

Manufacturing speeds have always been the main target for production line development. Machine utilization rate is the second key factor for efficiency. A well-maintained line, of high-quality, guarantees high manufacturing utilization rates. Advanced process and quality controls make sure the quality consistency is maintained. With maximum line efficiency comes reduced energy consumption.

The green energy transformation is creating pressure for efficient manufacturing technologies. We have developed the extrusion process for longer running campaigns, which count more than 100 tons of insulation material. Here too, power consumption is reduced because there are less ramp ups and downs in total annual length produced.

Introducing smart solutions

The productivity of manufacturing can be increased with higher line speeds. Higher speeds call for more precision. Maillefer smart control solutions that assist in both line operation and process parameter optimization tasks. The results lead to remarkable material savings.

Going one step further, we have introduced the world’s first autonomous line for fiber optic cable manufacturing, called Smart Buffering. It yields material savings on both plastics and fiber, reaching up to 400 k€.

Our impact on sustainability

Maillefer offers technologically advanced production lines. We aim to help our customers to maximize production efficiency and to reduce the scrap in their manufacturing process.

Our installed base is huge — more than 5,000 extrusion lines. Annually, from five to seven megatons of plastic material goes through those lines. The latest technology combined with upgrades can decrease the overuse and scrap amount by almost 10%. That corresponds to an annual plastic material savings equivalent to 600 kilotons of plastics or more than 1 megatons of carbon dioxide emissions.

There are answers for saving raw materials in remarkable ways and working towards building a more sustainable future. We are pioneering, together, for a premium sustainable production and for one that is transforming the industry.