The magnet wire plant in Torreón, Mexico of Essex Solutions, formerly Essex Furukawa Magnet Wire, has become the company’s fourth facility to achieve sustainability certification in the U.S. as part an ongoing dedication to achieve new levels of environmental stewardship. Meanwhile, the company continues its rebranding to the Essex Solutions identity following the recent buyout by Atlanta-based Superior Essex of the global joint venture Essex Furukawa Magnet Wire.
The plant in Torreon joins other sites in Fort Wayne and Franklin, Indiana as well as the copper rod manufacturing plant in Columbia City, Indiana to have completed The Copper Mark Assurance Process, an internationally recognized framework that promotes responsible copper production and ethical practices.
“We are extremely proud of our Torreón team,” said Jared Rowntree, President North America for Essex Solutions. “Success is not just built on the work we do today, but on the relentless pursuit of bettering ourselves every single day. It’s the dedication to continuous improvement, the small steps we take together, that create the momentum to achieve extraordinary results. As the only magnet wire producer in North America with The Copper Mark accredited facilities, this accomplishment underscores the focus we place on responsible copper production and ESG initiatives.”
Rebranding to Essex Solutions
According to Daniel Choi, CEO of Superior Essex, under the new name, Essex Solutions will encompass all previous Essex Furukawa Magnet Wire locations worldwide. This includes the magnet wire facilities in Japan and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia that were contributed by Furukawa Electric in October 2020. Additionally, Essex Energy in Italy will now be included, further reinforcing the company’s global reach and capabilities. This integration will enable Essex Solutions to leverage the expertise and resources of all its locations. Additionally, the related businesses Lacroix + Kress, IVA Insulations, and Hi-Wire will join the Essex Solutions organization, while continuing to operate under their existing brand identity.
The acquisition of Furukawa Electric’s minority stake in Essex Furukawa took place in April 2024. Neither party disclosed the amount but analysts estimated the transaction to be about $200 million, ending their joint venture begun in 2020. Now, Essex Solutions has more than 2,500 employees in 18 facilities globally with a production capacity of 402,000 metric tons. Superior Essex has over 3,000 employees in 11 countries, providing magnet wire and, through Essex Brownell, communications fiber cable and Power over Ethernet (PoE) technology.
Superior Essex is a subsidiary of LS Cable & System based in Seoul, Korea which operates a global network of about 100 subsidiaries and branches in 25 countries that are active in electric power, automation, machinery, materials and energy. Included in the holdings are other operations that have been involved in magnetics technology that include superconducting wire, magnet wire and EMI technology:
- A leader in developing superconducting cable, in 2021 with partners it successfully developed a 3-phase coaxial cable featuring improved structural design of the superconducting layer that reduced production costs by more than 10% and increased the power transfer rate by more than 20%, and with aims to commercialize the product for large-capacity energy transmission. Since then it has been working with Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute to jointly research advancements in superconducting transmission and distribution power devices.
- LS Cable & System is a major producer of magnet wire, particularly for the Korean automotive market, and has supplied its products to Hyundai, Kia and General Motors electric vehicles. As the first company in Korea to mass product 800V magnet wires, in 2021, it became the sole supplier of magnet wire for the drive motors of the Hyundai IONIQ 5 and Kia EV6 electric vehicles.
- Last year, subsidiary LS Mtron, a developer of electronic parts and machinery, unveiled new products at DesignCon 2024 which included new advancement in EMI connectivity. The complete 3-layer shielding structure allows it to stably transmit 5G mmWave antenna module data, and it can also resolve the noise issues that can occur during transmission of high-definition data from high-pixel cameras.
For more info, see www.essexsolutions.com, www.superioressex.com, and www.lsholdings.com.
