Company history

It all started in 1969 at AEI Cables with the installation of a converted rubber continuous vulcanization line, making AEI one of the first cable companies in the UK to manufacture steam cured crosslinked polyethylene cores.  It was in the same pioneering spirit, that, in 1973 AEI acquired a licence for a new method of chemically crosslinked polyethylene known as Sioplas.

By 1975 sufficient development work had been undertaken with Sioplas to give the confidence to start full scale production.  Two compounding units were installed in 1976; one for unfilled products and one for filled flame retardant and semi-conducting materials – one could say this was the real birth of AEI Compounds. 

1977 saw the first full year of production with 300 tonnes being used internally and 138 tonnes sold to other cable companies in Europe.  The business went from strength to strength over the next few years with increasing amounts of compound being sold to external companies.  In 1983 the decison was made to separate from the cables manufacturing business to become a stand alone operation called AEI Compounds.

In 1997, both AEI Cables Ltd and AEI Compounds Ltd were purchased by TT Electronics PLC. 

Today we are making 14,000 tonnes of compound per year; the customer base has broadened to include the heatshrink, pipe and injection moulding markets and our products are sold in over 30 countries worldwide. 

In 2007 AEI Cables was sold to Paramount Cables of India and we now have no connection to any cable company.  However, being allied to a cable manufacturing company in the past has meant that our products have been well tried and tested.

At the start of 2010 we moved our factory 80 km to our new location in Sandwich, Kent.  This move was accompanied by the installation of a new machine to produce halogen free cable compounds.  This extra capacity and the possibility to streamline production flows has enabled us to significantly improve our efficiency and flexibility.

In July 2011 AEI compounds was purchased by Saco Polymers, the leading company in the USA for the manufacture of compounds for wire, cable and water pipes. This has significantly strengthened our position, providing access to the North American market and exciting new technologies.