General Cable to close Australian operations

General Cable Corporation has announced that it will close its operations in Australia over the remainder of 2016 and manage ongoing sales in this market from its regional headquarters in New Zealand.

Managing Director Oceania David Peterson said: “The closure is part of a program to ensure the regional business of General Cable remains competitive. It is consistent with changes announced in May, and already underway, to restructure the business in New Zealand.

“This change is the result of the continued decline in the market segments served by General Cable in Australia. Despite the challenging market conditions, the company will continue to look for project opportunities in Australia from our regional base in New Zealand,” Peterson said.

General Cable, headquartered in Kentucky, USA, supplies copper, aluminium and fibre-optic wire and cable products for the energy, industrial and communications markets. Manufacturing was established in Christchurch in 1951 and supply has been maintained to Australian markets since 2000.  

The closure of the Australian operations will affect 28 employees in five states and will occur in a staged process, with a transition team remaining in place until the end of the year to ensure customer service is maintained.