Capital calls on AEI
Monday 7 January 2013 5:00
Cable design and manufacturing AEI Cables has won London Underground’s approval for a range of its cables, raising hopes of new contracts.
The company, based in Birtley, County Durham, developed new compounds for its Firetec fire performance, FP, cables range to meet London Underground’s stringent safety demands and the transport system has now recognised the range meets its standards.
A spokesman for AEI said: “It’s very positive. It opens the way for the company to bid for work and it could have very positive consequences for further orders.’’
This is further good news for the company which employs some 190 staff on its 26.5 acre Birtley site. Last November it celebrated its 175th birthday with the announcement of a £10m order to design, manufacture and deliver a state-of-the-art range of naval power, instrumentation and communications wires and cables for the Queen Elizabeth Class Aircraft Carrier programme.
That represented a welcome turnaround for the company which 18 months ago had to lay off 126 North East workers following a doubling in price of key component copper and an influx of low-priced products from overseas.
AEI Cables - part of Paramount Communications, one of India's largest cable manufacturers - has supplied the capital’s rail sector for more than 100 years.