Superior Essex Communications expands fibre facility to meet U.S. demand

Fibre cable manufacturer Superior Essex Communications is investing in its manufacturing capacity and equipment at its Brownwood, Texas, plant to help meet demand for outside plant (OSP) fibre optic cables, drop fibre and hybrid cables.

As the fibre and hybrid markets continue to grow, the overall $73m plant expansion investments are designed to create 170 new U.S. manufacturing jobs and support broadband buildouts nationwide to bring high-speed internet and 5G service to Americans.

The investment will go towards improving manufacturing equipment and building an additional 90,000 square feet adjacent to the current plant, expanding the facility to more than 500,000 total square feet of production. It aims to support new jobs as well as convert some existing jobs from legacy OSP copper cable manufacturing to focus on optical fibre cables.

The company says that the expansion will also incorporate green building practices – such as Power over Ethernet (PoE) lighting and the use of repurposed equipment – and explore the use of solar and battery power sources for the plant. Superior Essex Communications President Brad Johnson explains: “The Brownwood plant improvements are not only an investment in our company, but also an investment in U.S. manufacturing and in communities across America. This expansion will create manufacturing jobs right here in America, which will bring more employment opportunities to the Brownwood region and boost production of American-made broadband products. In doing so, we’re demonstrating our commitment to providing ‘Build America, Buy America’ products that help deliver high-speed broadband services to communities across the nation.”

The news follows the announcement earlier this year that fibre cable providers CommScope and Corning are expanding their U.S. production facilities to help accelerate the rollout of fibre technology in underserved areas.