On 14 May last, the Angolan Industry Minister, Joaquim David, and the Deputy Minister, Kiala Gabriel, visited the Condel plant, General Cable’s factory in the city of Luanda, the country’s capital, leading a delegation of 16 people made up of director generals and technicians from the ministry. This visit came within the process of revitalization of the Restructuring of Industry Master Plan being carried out by the Angolan Industry Ministry, whose main objectives are the industrial development of the country and support for private initiative and for competitive and high-quality companies.

The minister and his delegation were received in Condel by Carlos Carreira, member of the boards of directors of General Cable Condel and of General Cable CelCat, accompanied by Júlio Nunes, Country Manager for Angola, and by Rui Pinto, responsible for the investments and for the industrial organization project in Angola. The Condel plant manufactures different ranges of energy transportation and of telecommunication cables.

Investment in infrastructure improvement

Following a brief presentation of the General Cable Group, Carlos Carreira spoke about General Cable Condel, the company established in Angola since 1957, highlighting the modernization of installations and machinery plan implemented over the last three years (2007-2009), with a considerable investment. This effort has been repaid with a progressive penetration of the Angolan market, in which it has achieved 120% growth, reaching sales of 21 million in 2009.

The Portuguese-Angolan management team which runs the plant is succeeding in consolidating these growth rates of the business. This team is perfectly coordinated and has managed to consolidate the progress that has been recorded on a commercial and industrial level. Some 103 people currently work in the Condel plant. The production was of 731 tons of cable in 2008. This year that figure has already been exceeded and the forecast is to achieve 2,300 tons in 2010.

Reference factory in Angola

Carlos Carreira stressed that “our development project is sound and is focused on the needs of the Angolan market, adapting perfectly to the new political framework defined by the government and to its objective of restructuring the country’s industry. We are in Angola with the objective of developing the electric cable industry and of being privileged partners of the public institutions and the national projects. Our Angolan factory produces low voltage cables, but as part of an international investment group we have the capacity to offer a global supply capable of meeting all needs for electric cables, both for infrastructure projects and for any other application. We want to grow alongside the country’s own development and we hope that within 3 years we will be a reference factory in Angola”.

During the visit of the facilities, Júlio Nunes explained the details of the work that is carried out in the plant, aimed at responding appropriately to the needs of customers at all times. For his part, Rui Pinto explained the manufacturing process applied in the plant and the technological evolution of the machinery that has been installed.

A pride for the country

At the end of the visit the minister, Joaquim David, declared to the press that “we are pleased with what we saw today, as we were able to appreciate the modernization efforts made and its capacity, in the low voltage domain, to produce practically everything that Angola needs. Condel is going to certify its products this year to standard ISO 9001, guaranteeing that it has the same production quality and that it can be compared with any other international quality level”.

The minister likewise considered that “Condel’s example is a cause for pride in our country, as the quality of its equipment is going to contribute to successfully confronting the challenges raised by the government for the restructuring of industry and the development of national production. It is an example to follow”. Joaquim David also stated that “we already have political independence, oil and diamonds to be able to consolidate our strategies in these industrial sectors, and General Cable Condel is an example of how we can create jobs in the country, reducing the weight of imports”.

About General Cable

General Cable is a leading company in the manufacture of cables on an international level. It has modern production facilities worldwide, on the basis of three big geographic regions (North America, Europe and North Africa, and rest of the world), giving direct employment to over 13,000 people. With a hundred-year-old tradition, General Cable is one of the sector’s historical companies, and through its activity it contributes decisively to the progress of society and to improving the quality of life of people.

It has a very broad range of cables, going from energy cables to telecommunications cables, and including electric cables, for construction, data transmission, instrumentation and control, special and high voltage cables. General Cable’s philosophy is based on a series of fundamental pillars: corporate responsibility in relations with customers, suppliers and employees; an absolute commitment to respect the environment; a pledge to innovation; and the “One Company-connecting the world” concept, which summarizes its capacity to become a sole supplier prepared to respond to all the needs of its customers, wherever they are in the world.