MFL Group, always exploring potential collaborations within the Indian wire and cable industry, is a reliable partner for Indian wire manufacturers, offering high-performance machinery that minimizes waste, ensures cost-effectiveness, and guarantees top-notch quality and safety. Their expertise in extrusion technology sets them apart in the market, particularly with regard to productivity in producing HFFR, XLHFFR, LSOH, and PEEK solutions. MFL Group’s 120 years of experience enables them to apply the industry’s broadest engineering and manufacturing knowledge to the design of drawing, stranding, and extrusion machinery for wire, rope, and cable production. Whether from steel wool wire machinery to cableways rope stranding lines or from building wire drawing lines to submarine cable production lines, MFL GROUP is the one and only fully integrated partner. At MFL X, they empower their customers to harness the full potential of exponential technologies like Industrial IoT, big data, and artificial intelligence. In a recent interaction with Wire & Cable India, Mr. Davide Costabile, Extrusion Sales Manager, MFL Group, shared about the recent developments at MFL and talked about MFL X. He also shared his insights about industry trends and the future plans of MFL Group.
Wire & Cable India: Every wire & cable manufacturer is looking to improve manufacturing efficiency and product quality. How do you help your customers achieve that?
Davide Costabile: Our unwavering dedication to continual improvement has always been the backbone of our design philosophy. We remain vigilant in monitoring evolving market demands and are committed to investing in extensive research and development to promptly respond to new requirements and challenge the status quo. The outcome is a diverse machinery portfolio, capable of meeting the needs of wire, rope, and cable manufacturers, all underscored by elevated productivity, precision, reliability, and minimized maintenance.
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WCI: MFL Group is known for its expertise in wire drawing and extrusion machinery. Can you explain the latest advancements and innovations in these areas?
DC: From its inception, MFL Group has held a prominent position in the field of wire drawing machinery. In recent decades, under the Frigeco brand, the group has extended its expertise to become a leading player in the field of extrusion as well. Our extrusion machinery is highly regarded for its capability to work with innovative and safer materials like HFFR, XLHFFR, LS0H, and XLPE, ensuring enhanced safety, high speed, and high productivity.
Following our success in the field of cables for oil pumps, we are now in the process of developing a new extrusion line for magnet wires using PEEK. Simultaneously, with respect to our drawing lines, we have introduced a furnace for submarine cables capable of annealing up to 7 mm (Af80).
We are also expanding our range of rod breakdown machines with a new compact machine (on two levels), ideal for copper wires. Furthermore, we’ve made substantial advancements in integrating smart technology in our drawing and extrusion lines. This integration bolsters process control, reduces downtime, and optimizes overall efficiency, securing our customers’ competitive edge within the industry.
WCI: How do you envision the future of wire and cable manufacturing, and what role does MFL Group play in shaping that future?
DC: The future of wire and cable manufacturing is evolving towards greater automation, digitalization, and sustainability. MFL Group is committed to shaping this future by continuously developing cutting-edge solutions that align with these trends. With MFL X, our digital division, we are working to deploy exponential technologies and achieve new levels of efficiency, automation, and precision. Regarding sustainability, we are working to make our machines greener, with reduced energy consumption, and looking for new processes to reduce the impact on our planet without influencing the wire quality and process productivity, such as electrolytic phosphating in place of acid pickling.
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WCI: For capital equipment manufacturers & technology providers, human resource and their intellect is one of the most important assets. Please tell us about your human resource strengths and how do you nurture talent at MFL?
DC: At MFL Group, our team is our most valuable asset, and we take great pride in our passionate and dedicated individuals. We invest in cultivating talent through training, and a collaborative work environment. We foster a culture of innovation and offer our employees opportunities for professional growth.
WCI: What is the role of digital technologies in your manufacturing processes? Tell us about MFL X.
DC: Digital technologies are at the core of our offerings to clients, and MFL X is our dedicated division leading the way in this field. At MFL X, we empower our customers to harness the full potential of these technologies, including exponential technologies like industrial IoT, big data, and artificial intelligence. We achieve this by developing intelligent industrial applications that digitally enhance wire, cable, and rope production lines. Within our diverse applications portfolio, MFL X Acumen stands out for enabling wire manufacturers to make better data-driven operational decisions, optimize overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), and receive better customer support by narrowing the information gap between the machine manufacturer (OEM) and the end user.
Additionally, MFL X Wizard, a cloud-based engineering tool, caters to end-users, our engineering team, and technical sales team. This versatile tool enables users to run wire drawing line simulations, calculate line performance for specific wire diameters and materials, and select the most suitable set of dies.
On the other hand, Scout is a cloud-based application that allows you to order spare parts by seamlessly navigating the 3D model of your line. You can also access interactive operation manuals and intuitive maintenance video clips that can help you with the upskilling of your operators. MFL X embodies our unwavering commitment to remaining at the forefront of Industry 4.0 technology, ensuring that our customers benefit from the latest advancements in the field to enhance their production performance and final product quality.
WCI: What are the current trends and challenges in the Indian wire and cable industry, and how is MFL Group addressing them?
DC: India stands as one of the world’s rapidly advancing economies, undergoing transformative shifts in its infrastructure. Fueled by electricity, this evolution, marked by technological advancements and a growing reliance on renewable energy sources like solar and wind, is reshaping the nation’s landscape. The surge in demand for wiring solutions that are not just efficient and durable but also technologically advanced is evident across the region. As the infrastructure changes, regulations are also evolving, placing a heightened emphasis on safety, particularly in the construction sector. The recognition of the significance of fire-retardant and fire-resistant cables is on the rise in India, striking the balance between cost and quality which has constantly challenged wire and cable companies in the country. In this dynamic landscape, MFL Group steps forward as a reliable partner for Indian wire manufacturers, offering high-performance machinery that minimizes waste, ensures cost-effectiveness, and guarantees top-notch quality and safety. Our expertise in extrusion technology sets us apart in the market, particularly with regard to productivity in producing HFFR, XLHFFR, LSOH, and PEEK solutions.
WCI: Can we anticipate some collaboration with Indian wire and cable industry stakeholders in the future?
DC: We’re always exploring potential collaborations within the wire and cable industry, and while we anticipate exciting opportunities on the horizon, we’re not currently in a position to disclose specific details.
