Nexans signs a five–year agreement worth around 60 million euros with one of Canada’s leading utility companies

Nexans’ plant in Weyburn, Saskatchewan, has further extended its strategic long-term business partnership with SaskPower Paris, April 27, 2007 - Nexans, the worldwide leader in the cable industry, and SaskPower, the principal supplier of electricity in Saskatchewan, Canada, have extended their strategic business partnership by signing a five-year agreement worth up to 60 million euros for the supply of wire and cable products manufactured locally in the Nexans Weyburn plant in southeastern Saskatchewan. Under the agreement that took effect on January 1, 2007, Nexans is providing SaskPower with 56 different types of conductor used to distribute electricity throughout Saskatchewan. The products supplied by Nexans include bare copper wire, overhead conductors and underground cables, as well as cables for street lights. “Long-term supply agreements allow SaskPower to obtain stable pricing and a secure supply of conductors,” said John Nilson, Minister Responsible for SaskPower. “This business partnership has brought economic, employment and other benefits to the province, while allowing Nexans to plan its business more efficiently so that they remain a cost-effective supplier.” The Nexans factory in Weyburn celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2006 and throughout its life has always provided SaskPower with cables that help it to achieve its aim of supplying electricity that is safe, reliable and sustainable. “When SaskPower started to electrify rural Saskatchewan in the 1950s the cable came from Weyburn, and today the local community remains the source of most of the conductors needed by the utility,” said Dr. Gordon Thursfield, Nexans’ Executive Vice President of North America. “By expanding its market in Western Canada and the United States, the plant has required several expansions and now employs more than 130 people full-time.” “Having a strategic business relationship with a Saskatchewan supplier provides important benefits,” said Pat Youzwa, President and CEO of SaskPower. “It means that SaskPower is a high-priority customer and receives deliveries when we need them, meanwhile saving money by keeping our inventories and transportation costs low.” Since SaskPower’s Quality Assurance and Supplier Development program began 23 years ago, SaskPower has purchased more than 3.3 billion euros in goods and services in the province.