In an exclusive interaction with Wire & Cable India, Mr. Nisarg Mehta, Assistant Manager – Sales & Marketing, Shakun Polymers, highlights that India’s large-scale investments in cable manufacturing is significantly strengthening the demand for advanced insulation, sheathing and semi-conductive compounds. To align with these evolving requirements, Shakun Polymers has intensified its own capital investments and is targeting a production capacity expansion from 70,000 MT per annum to 100,000 MT per annum by 2030.
Wire & Cable India: Please briefly outline your company’s cable and wire industry product focus, including key technologies, product types, and principal end-use sector.
Nisarg Mehta: Shakun Polymers focuses exclusively on compounding solutions for the global wire and cable industry, spanning thermoplastic and thermoset halogen-free flame-retardant (HFFR/ZHFR) compounds, black polyethylene sheathing compounds, PVC-based insulation and sheathing compounds and TPR/PVC blends for flexible applications. These materials serve low, medium, and high-voltage power cables, building wires, control and instrumentation cables, renewable and solar cables, as well as data and telecom applications. As part of Orbia’s Alphagary business, we also have ESCONTEK semi-conductive compounds, for MV and HV power cable segments that demand highly consistent electrical performance.
WCI: Within your core product segments, how would you characterise current demand conditions and order visibility?
NM: The demand for cable compounds is being supported by strong growth in India’s wire and cable market, which is estimated to grow at double-digit CAGR through the end of this decade on the back of power, infrastructure, and real-estate investments. This is complemented by healthy exports by the Indian subcontinent to Middle East, Southeast Asia, Americas and Africa, where Shakun compounds are well established with a diversified cable-maker base. Order booking and visibility from power, building wire, and infrastructure customers extends across the next couple of months, with particularly good traction in higher value-added segments such as flame-retardant, low-smoke, and semi-conductive compounds aligned to grid strengthening, renewables, and data connectivity projects.
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WCI: Within your manufacturing offerings, how do you currently assess investment sentiment among wire and cable producers, particularly in emerging markets such as India?
NM: Investment sentiment among wire and cable producers, especially in India, is positive, driven by expectations of sustained 10–12 percent CAGR in the broader cables and wires sector through 2030 as the country expands transmission networks, renewables, data centres, and EV infrastructure. Major Indian cable manufacturers are announcing sizable capex programmes for cables, which in turn is reinforcing demand for advanced insulation, sheathing, and semi-conductive compounds. In emerging markets across the Middle East, Africa, and parts of Southeast Asia, investments are closely linked to grid modernization, urbanization, and industrial corridors.
Procurement teams are increasingly prioritizing material reliability, compliance, and supply security over lowest first cost, favouring specialized compounders with a global footprint like Shakun Polymers. To cater these new requirements, we have ramped up capex investments and aim to produce 1,00,000 MT annually by 2030, from the current setup of 70,000 MT annually.
WCI: Which customer or application requirements are currently exerting the greatest pressure to improve productivity and quality within your product range?
NM: Cable manufacturers are pushing for compounds that combine flame retardancy, low smoke, minimal toxicity, and long-term ageing performance without sacrificing line speed, thereby making processability and stable dimensions as important as the underlying formulation properties. At the same time, export-oriented customers require harmonised compliance with IEC, CPR, and regional standards while reducing scrap; this has elevated the importance of tight batch-to-batch control, lower impurity levels in semi-conductive and HFFR compounds, and robust technical support during cable design and qualification.
WCI: Which manufacturing disciplines, automation measures, or quality-assurance practices have delivered the most tangible improvements in your yield or rework reduction?
NM: In partnership with Alphagary, the ESCONTEK semi-conductive line uses automated material handling and accurate raw-material weighing and dispersion to minimise residue and ionic impurities, enabling cleaner extrusion, longer runtimes, and less rework on customers’ cable lines. These investments are complemented by rigorous quality-assurance systems, including standardized test methods that ensure every batch meets stringent cable compound specifications before shipment.
India is viewed as one of the most attractive wire and cable markets globally, combining strong domestic demand with growing export potential as manufacturers benefit from competitive cost structures and “China-plus-one” sourcing strategies.
WCI: How are cost pressures across raw materials, energy, or logistics being managed without compromising product reliability or compliance?
NM: Polymer and additive cost volatility, along with rising energy and logistics expenses, is being managed through a combination of formulation optimisation, global sourcing synergies, and a sharper focus on high-value, performance-critical compounds. By leveraging larger-scale procurement and regionally optimised production, Shakun Polymers can help customers stabilise total cost of ownership while still meeting demanding flame-retardant, electrical, and ageing requirements. Internally, higher-efficiency compounding lines and tighter process control reduce scrap and rework, which improves cost competitiveness without compromising the reliability and compliance that cable makers require for critical grid, building, and industrial applications.
WCI: How has the wire and cable industry benefited, in practical terms, from automation or real-time digital control?
NM: Across the wire and cable industry, automation and real-time digital control are delivering tangible benefits in throughput, scrap reduction, and consistency by coordinating material flow, line speed, and process parameters in an integrated way. In 2024, Shakun invested heavily to make the production fully automated having minimal human intervention. Such endeavours reduce unplanned downtime and quality excursions. Stricter quality control systems and in-line testing are also improving dimensional and electrical quality control, leading to fewer customer complaints, better traceability, and more confidence to run at higher speeds with advanced compounds like HFFR and semi-conductive materials.
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WCI: Looking ahead three to five years, which wire & cable segments or applications are most likely to drive the next investment cycle?
NM: Over the next three to five years, the most dynamic investment is expected in EHV transmission cables, renewable and solar cables, data and communication cables, and EV and rail/metro applications, all of which require more sophisticated compounds. Industry analyses point to particularly strong growth in communication and fibre-optic cables, which are projected to outpace other categories as India pursues nationwide fibre-to-the-home targets and builds out hyperscale data centres. At the same time, continued urbanisation, smart-city programmes, and the push for safer buildings will sustain demand for FR, FRLS, and HFFR building wires and control cables, reinforcing the need for high-performance insulation and sheathing compounds.
WCI: How do you see India as a market?
NM: India is viewed as one of the most attractive wire and cable markets globally, combining strong domestic demand with growing export potential as manufacturers benefit from competitive cost structures and “China-plus-one” sourcing strategies. The sector is expected to deliver double-digit growth over the medium term, fuelled by ambitious public investment in power, railways, housing, and digital infrastructure, alongside rapid expansion of renewables and electric mobility.
