About us

Fabryka Przewodów Energetycznych S.A. in Będzin is one of the oldest cable industry plants in Poland. It was founded by two partners, Aleksander Goldstaub and Herman Noblin, who launched the first production of cable products in 1928. In January 1930, the company was registered at the District Court in Będzin as Fabryka Kabli i Drutu w Będzinie. The beginnings were very modest, both in terms of product range and output, but already in 1934 the factory was a leading producer of profiled copper and brass bars and the only producer in Poland of commutator profiles for rotors of electric machines.

The first production in Poland of power conductors, aluminium and steel-aluminium, was launched. About 100 km of conductors produced by us were used to build Poland’s first 150 kV transmission line between Warsaw and Rożnów.

During this period the factory grew into a medium-sized enterprise, both in terms of production volume and employment.

On the first day of the war, three bombs fell on the plant, damaging the production hall and later forcing the occupier to rebuild and modernise it. At the end of 1939, the whole Dąbrowa Basin and Silesia were incorporated into a German province, and Fabryka Kabli i Drutu was placed under German trusteeship. In the final days of the occupation, the evacuation of the factory to Oderberg began, where from 1944 a new cable plant was built using forced labourers from Będzin. Thanks to the slow dismantling of machines by the crew, hiding parts of machines and raw materials, the evacuation was delayed, which prevented the entire factory assets from being taken to Oderberg.

In January 1945, after the withdrawal of German troops, the government representative, engineer Warth, in agreement with the Factory Committee, approved the Temporary Management Board of Fabryka Kabli i Drutu in Będzin under State Administration.

Starting in 1950, specialisation of production began to be introduced in the Polish cable industry. As a result, production of insulated conductors in Będzin was discontinued, while production of bare conductors was expanded.

The years 1961-1970 brought further development of the product range. In 1961, serial production of steel-aluminium conductors with cross-sections of 402 mm2 and 525 mm2 was launched.

In 1962, production of solid rolled sector cores for high-current cables with cross-sections of 16-120 mm2 and angles of 90 degrees and 120 degrees began, and a prototype batch of profiled aluminium wires was made.

The years 1963-1967 saw the greatest development in the production of copper profiles and silver-bearing copper profiles intended for windings of high-power electric motors. Production began of bare overhead AFL-3 conductors with a cross-section of 16 mm2 intended for rural electrification and agriculture.

In 1971-1978 the plant recorded further significant progress in the production of new and modern cable products. An example of forward-looking planning in the factory’s development was power conductors made from aluminium alloys, which have much higher strength and can replace steel-aluminium conductors. The first successful production trials of an AlFEMg alloy conductor were carried out in 1975 in cooperation with the Institute of Non-Ferrous Metals, Light Metals Branch in Skawina. The produced 20 km conductor was installed on a pilot line in northern Poland and is still in operation today.

The 1970s also brought dynamic growth in export production. Overhead power conductors made in the factory are installed on many transmission lines in China, Libya, Iran and Iraq, as well as in countries of the Middle and Far East.

Work from the late 1970s on implementing the production of aluminium alloy strands continued. A major success was the production of an AAL-270 mm2 conductor made from Almelec TR-23 aluminium alloy, which was installed on a line near Kędzierzyn.

At the same time, work was carried out to expand the range of commutator profiles, both in terms of dimensions, shape and the grade of copper used.

In 1993, production was launched of profiled and round copper contact wires up to 150 mm2 cross-section, made from M1E grade copper and silver-bearing copper.

In 1994, the factory began cooperation with Alcoa Fujicura Ltd. in the production of lightning protection strands with an integrated optical fibre core of the OPGW type.

Since 1999, FPE S.A. has operated as a State Treasury company. After 2000, the factory’s development, in line with market demand, moved toward the production of insulated conductors. In 2003, production was launched of self-supporting insulated conductors for rated voltages of 0.6/1 kV, types AsXSn and AsXS, intended for domestic and foreign markets.

The years 2005-2006 brought further new products: insulated overhead conductors according to the Finnish AMKA standard and single-core conductors coated with an insulating layer.

In 2009-2015, the company developed significantly both in copper processing, including copper wires and profiles, and in overhead conductor production. In 2009, a new line for insulating flat Cu and Al wires with tapes was launched. This was a response to growing market demand in this segment. In 2010, a second line for insulating Cu and Al wires was launched in a newly built production hall, which significantly increased production capacity for this type of product.

In the same year, new copper extrusion equipment was purchased and launched. It significantly shortened the production cycle of copper wires and profiles and enabled faster fulfilment of customer orders. As part of these investments, a high-bay warehouse for finished products was also built.

In the overhead conductor range, low-sag HTLS conductors, including GTACSR conductors in 2010 and ACSS conductors in 2013, were implemented as an alternative to classic overhead conductors. Production also began of insulated steel-aluminium AFLy conductors in 2011 and CuMg 0.4 – Bz II alloy copper conductors used in railway applications. The company also started producing lightning protection wires for construction in 2013, made from aluminium and aluminium alloy.

Following the introduction of the new ACSR/TW low-loss conductor standard by Polskie Sieci Elektroenergetyczne, the 408-AL1F/34-UHST conductor was produced and tested as a replacement for the AFL-8-350 mm2 conductor in 2014.