EXIM backs Tele-Fonika's first US cable plant with $547M loan guarantee
What's the deal? The Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM)Dealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has announced a $547 million loan guarantee to support Tele-Fonika Cable Americas' (TFCADealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →) proposed manufacturing facility in Waller, Texas. Santander and Erste Bank PolskaDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → acted as sole arrangers for the financing.
What's the endgame? The plant would be TFCA's inaugural US production of rubber-insulated cables — used in data centers, mines, and industrial facilities. It would be the company's first manufacturing operation in North America.
The expansion: Tele-Fonika Cable GroupDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, the third-largest electrical cable manufacturer in Europe, employs more than 2,500 people and sells in over 80 countries. The Texas facility is expected to employ up to 500 workers, plus several hundred construction jobs.
Why now? The guarantee is the first under EXIM's Make More in America Initiative, which extends financing to export-oriented domestic manufacturing in sectors deemed critical to national security. "This financing will help Tele-Fonika Cable Americas reshore U.S. jobs and put Americans to work building the industries of the future," said EXIM chairman Jovanovic.
What's next? The company cited rising US demand. "We expect continued growth in the U.S. market, particularly in data centers, mining and industrial infrastructure, and we intend to serve that demand with cables made in Texas," said Bartłomiej Zgryzek, chief financial officer of Tele-Fonika Kable Group.
What could go wrong? The investment remains subject to regulatory approvals, permits, securing of financing, and compliance with applicable conditions.
The signal: EXIM's debut use of its Make More in America tool signals a push to reshore manufacturing tied to data center and industrial build-out — financing foreign producers to make export-oriented goods on US soil.
Read more: exim.gov
Image credit: James Loesch
