The beginning...

Clarke Cable is established on 15th March 1972. Eric Clarke seizes an opportunity to improve the quality and service of cable assembly manufacturing in the UK and sets up a factory floor above a mill on the river Dane in Congleton, Cheshire.

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New premises

The company first moves into the building that will go on to become our current 25,000 sq. ft. headquarters and production site, just a stone’s throw from the old mill of our formative years.

Kettle domination

Clarke Cable is now the UK’s largest supplier of electric kettle leads, manufacturing over 4 million units per year. If you had a cup of tea in the 80’s then the chances are that the power to boil your water was delivered by a Clarke Cable!

Global reach

The company begins to export product overseas to manufacturers in Europe and the USA. Today we supply to 20 different countries around the world, and act as a single source supplier to manufacturers who themselves export into global markets, requiring a variety of different technical specifications.

Acquisition

Clarke Cable is acquired by Earlex Group, a major UK manufacturer of small domestic appliances and DIY equipment.

Major investment

Substantial investment in our production facility gears Clarke Cable up for the 21st Century, as we expand and diversify our products and services. Our factory now boasts over 20 injection moulders and 30 crimping machines, as well as a tool room with over 300 different tool heads for moulding and crimping. We also house several cable cutting machines, stripping machines, air press machines, ultrasonic welders, tape winders, soldering & electric screwdriver stations, plus a Quality Control & Testing room with an array of test equipment.

Product innovation

Cable splitting becomes an area of expertise with innovative new designs allowing us to split cables firstly into 3, and now into 9 from a single source. An example application for our cable splitting technology is by the MoD to distribute power, data and lighting across vast military installations and tented cities, with numerous breakouts at various points.

Established specialists

Our specialist cable solutions are now used in a wide range of industries, including Healthcare, Defence, Events, Water Treatment, Renewable Energy, Automotive, Construction, Manufacturing, Heating and Catering. We are proud to be a key supplier of antimicrobial cable and critical device connections to the NHS and hospitals throughout Europe.

Adding value

With Earlex Ltd sold to German multinational Wagner Group, Clarke Cable is acquired by former Earlex Group directors Julian Baseley and Tim Hopper, with an increased focus on developing new, high quality and high value-added products.

Company expansion

The acquisition of part of Stacey (Europe) Ltd adds a wiring loom and harness division to the company, with over 30 years of experience in the field. Our product offering is expanded to include wiring looms, control panels, distribution boxes, battery cable solutions, and other specialist cable assemblies. The company now supplies an almost limitless range of industries with thousands of different cable solutions.

To be continued...

Clarke Cable continues to invest in innovative and sustainable solutions to power and connect the technology of the future. We look forward to our 50th year with great excitement, continuing to build on our success, with a range of new product designs in the pipeline. Investment at the start of the year in 2 new injection moulders, a new super-efficient compressor system and large chiller set-up, plus 3 further cable cutting and winding machines and a raft of new electrical test equipment, has expanded production capacity and allowed greater flexibility in our service and support to customers.