Amokabel’s story began in 1992, with the founding of its first company in Sweden.
Fast forward to today, and the Amokabel Group also has factories in Sweden, the United Kingdom, Spain and India, as well as warehousing and regional offices in Norway, Finland and Germany.
In 2022, Amokabel acquired a 40-year-old cable manufacturing business in Sydney, Euro-Tech Cables, which is now known as Amokabel Australia.
“Amokabel was seeking a manufacturing facility in the region to develop its offshore products and manufacture them in Australia,” said Mark Foster, General Manager and Sales Director at Amokabel Australia.
“The local company had been established by two professional engineers who had extensive experience in the cable industry.
“Amokabel Australia brings those local advantages together with the resources and products of the international Amokabel Group.”
Custom products
Amokabel Australia prides itself on providing both custom and standard cables, which are manufactured at its facility in Western Sydney.
It produces cables for a wide variety of industries, from rail to mining and defence.
For rail industry customers, it manufactures axle counter cables, signalling cables, traction power cables, communication cables, supply cables, bonding cables, overhead line equipment cables, and contact wire.
All of its products meet Australian standards and can be tailored to the customer’s needs.
“We are experts in producing unique, highly specialised cables,” Foster said.
“We’ve got fast turnaround times for custom cable orders – we can supply the order in less than a month, if required.
“Low minimum order quantities are also available as an option for customers, so we can match the needs of the market.”
He shared an example of one customer who required a specific hollow nylon tube to be inserted along the length of the cable, so air could be forced down it if the cable was submerged in water.
“The theory behind that is, if you can pressurise the cable with air and there is ever a leak or break in the cable, water won’t penetrate the cable,” said Foster.
“We work closely with our customers to tailor solutions and find the right cable for the right application or system.”
Amokabel can also customise the labelling on cables.
“Cables have metre marking on them, for counting off lengths. If a customer wants, we can print their website and phone number on the cables, so identification can be attributed back to the customer, rather than the manufacturer. We still maintain traceability back to us, in accordance with Australian Standards and ISO 9001.”
Amokabel can also produce lighter cables due to its innovative construction insulation practices. This brings a multitude of benefits – from lower costs to transport the cables to the customer, to reducing the weight of trains.
“If you have lighter cables on your rolling stock, you’re going to save money,” Foster said. “Less weight means less power is needed to move the train, whether that’s coming from diesel or electricity.”
Local support
Foster said being locally based means Amokabel has strong relationships with its Australian customers.
“We have one Melbourne-based customer in the automotive industry that needs a special cable for his machinery and vehicles,” he said.
“He will come to the factory and watch the cable being manufactured and give feedback on the finish and the sizing. He’s not waiting on an email from another country or trying to call a different time zone.
“We can make adjustments and refine the specifications for his cables in real time, so they suit his plates and connectors perfectly.”
Foster said the Amokabel team is experienced in manufacturing different types of cable and ensuring those cables are protected from the elements.
“They have expertise in cable insulation, steel wire armouring, mechanical protection, and out-of-sheath capabilities to protect against water and rough use.
“The cables can also be insect- and rodent-proofed. Cable armouring and nylon jacketing provide this protection in accordance with Australian Standards.
“Outer sheath additives can now be introduced in the extrusion process to afford insect and rodent proofing by way of one outer sheath.”
Looking to the future
In the future, Amokabel hopes to expand its manufacturing capabilities in Australia.
“At the moment, some of our cables are 100 per cent manufactured in Sydney – our axle counter cables, for example,” Foster said. “Others are only partly made here.
“Within the next two years, we are hoping to open an additional local factory to cater to our growing customer base.
“With a growing emphasis on local content and local jobs, we’ll be there to support Australian projects now and in the future.”
