Christchurch Becomes Asia/Pacific Base

21 April 2006

Christchurch Becomes Asia/Pacific Base for Global Manufacturer

American publicly listed company General Cable Corporation has completed a significant reorganisation which will see its Christchurch based subsidiary General Cable New Zealand Ltd become its base for developing new business opportunities in some of the world’s fastest growing economies.

The company has created a new regional entity, General Cable Asia Pacific, to drive the company’s presence into the region’s high growth economies, including China and India.

General Cable Corporation, based in Kentucky, has two other regional operations – one servicing the Americas, from the US, and another in Spain servicing Europe.

The changes reflect the company’s strategy to enter the fast growing emerging economies worldwide through its global product strategies for speciality segments of the cable industry. These include Extra-High Voltage, Aluminium Conductor Composite Cores (ACCC), aerial cables and products for the oil, gas and petroleum sector.

General Cable New Zealand Ltd will continue to trade in its current form under new General Manager Andy Lester, who joins the company from 1 May 2006. Lester was formerly General Manager Operations for Christchurch manufacturer Dynamic Controls.

General Cable Asia Pacific will be headed by Campbell Whyte, President and Chief Executive Officer for General Cable Oceania since April 2001. Whyte says the creation of a regional operation is a vote of confidence for the New Zealand-based business and its management team.

General Cable Asia Pacific has appointed Aviral Garg, formerly General Manager, Utilities and International business for General Cable New Zealand, as Vice President Market Development for General Cable Asia Pacific. The company will commence an immediate search to appoint a successor for Garg’s responsibilities for New Zealand energy and utility business.

The reorganisation includes the creation of a position based in China to lead the company’s entry into the fast growing Chinese wire and cable market. Xubing Xia, formerly Quality Manager for General Cable in Marshall Texas, will be the company’s Country Manager for China.

Chris Birkett, Chief Financial Officer for General Cable Oceania, and Chris Selbie, Director Human Resources, have been appointed to the senior financial and HR roles for General Cable Asia Pacific.

Whyte says the new regional growth strategy also includes a strong focus on its current business and customers in New Zealand and Australia.

Whyte says the re-organisation is an exciting time for General Cable. “We have become well known for high levels of service and a depth of experience, and we are delighted to be taking a key role in the company’s global strategy for growth.”

About General Cable

General Cable (NYSE: BGC), headquartered in Highland Heights, Kentucky, is a leader in the development, design, manufacture, marketing, and distribution of copper, aluminium, and fibre optic wire and cable products for the communications, energy, and specialty markets.

The Company offers competitive strengths in such areas as breadth of product line, brand recognition, distribution and logistics, sales and service, and operating efficiency. Communications wire and cable products transmit low-voltage signals for voice, data, video and control applications.

Energy cables include low-, medium-, and high-voltage power distribution and power transmission products. The Specialty segment is comprised of application-specific cables for uses such as electrical power generation (traditional fuels, alternative and renewable sources, and distributed generation), the oil, gas and petrochemical industries, mining, industrial automation, automotive, marine, military, and aerospace applications, power applications in the telecommunications industry, and other key industrial segments. Visit our website at www.GeneralCable.com.

ENDS

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