JOINT VENTURE BETWEEN BEKAERT
AND DE ANGELI PRODOTTI

Bekaert (Belgium) and De Angeli Prodotti (Italy) have signed an agreement to establish a 50-50 joint venture company that will be named:

“BEDALTEC S.p.A.”

The new company, incorporated in Italy, will produce special aluminium coated steel wires (ACS – Aluminium Clad Steel) for applications in the rapidly growing telecommunication sector and for energy transmission.

Production facilities will be located at Bagnoli di Sopra (Padua, Italy) where ACS Wire and Strands will be produced.  The new joint venture will also offer its customers the armouring of optical fibre core of “Optical Ground Wire Cables” (OPGW).

De Angeli Prodotti, mainly active in copper and aluminium wires, is a well established company in this industry and has developed in recent years extensive know how and technology for special aluminium coatings as a result of a vast investment in R&D. 

Bekaert, a leading world wide manufacturer of a wide variety of steel wires, intends to position itself as a global solutions provider to the telecommunication and energy transmission sector and to the global cable manufacturers.

By joining forces both companies are creating synergies in design, production and marketing enabling them to better servicing these niche markets.

De Angeli Prodotti, with headquarters in Bagnoli di Sopra (Padua, Italy), is a rapidly growing company and one of the leading manufacturers of conductors used in electromechanical applications and power transmission.  Its products include enamelled and wrapped conductors made of copper and aluminium for the motor and transformer industries, the complete range of stranded conductors in copper, aluminium, aluminium alloy and aluminium-steel reinforced (ACSR) - from 54.6 mm² strands in Almelec for cables  up to ACSR of 585 mm² for 380 kV overhead lines, trolley wires according to the standards required by the European Railways  and fine wires in aluminium alloy down to dia. 0.16 mm. for the shielding of coaxial cables.  De Angeli Prodotti is the European leader in enamelled aluminium.  The company turnover for fiscal year ending 31 July 2000 will be approximately EUR 35 million (plus 20% on 1999).