Electrifying Yorkshire and beyond, Doncaster Cables celebrates its 40th anniversary with a major investment
Championing great British manufacturing for over four decades, Doncaster Cables is committed to making a true difference in the world of wiring. Founded in 1984, the company has remained at the forefront of innovation, proudly designing and developing a vast range of cables that continue to exceed the expectations of electricians across the globe and push the boundaries of what’s possible.
Last year, Manufacturing Today sat down with Aaron Walstow, Director at Doncaster Cables, to discuss the history and evolution of the business, as well as its wide scope of capabilities and expertise. With Doncaster Cables celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2025, we reconnect with Aaron to gain insight into the company’s progression over the past year as it embarks on one of its largest investments yet.
“The last 12 months have been really good for us. We’re showing growth and strength in new markets, despite the current industry challenges,” Aaron affirms. “We’ve brought out some new innovative products that have been quite successful, and we’ve decided to invest heavily into British manufacturing and the future ahead. We’re expanding our facility, taking on a new warehouse, restructuring how we store material, and we’ve also invested around £4 million into new machinery.”
This ongoing expansion marks one of Doncaster Cables’ biggest investments to date, signifying a new chapter as it continues upon a path of strategic growth. The new machinery is set to further increase Doncaster Cables’ efficiency and capacity, paving the way for innovation and even greater recognition across the global market.
“We’re currently investing in various processes in our factory. We’re installing a new layup machine, which will allow us to process certain products three times faster in linear output than we can now. We’ve also invested in two new extrusion lines, which will be coming within the next 12 months, one of which will be new whilst the other will be replacing an old machine that’s coming to the end of its life. The new machine is more efficient; it offers a tandem extrusion process, allowing us to do two layers of extrusion in one pass for the cable, so it will help to bring more capacity,” Aaron explains. “All of that new output, of course, gives us the problem with how to wind all of that cable into reels to be sold to the marketplace, so we’ll also be getting a new automated winding machine, which will be arriving in November. All these investments will speed up our entire process, from extrusion to assembly, to sheathing to final winding. We’re also investing in the new warehouse; there’s going to be a massive extension in our cutting facilities and our wrapping space.
“Additionally, we’re investing in some new sales offices to provide a better working environment and more modern infrastructure,” he continues. “We hope that this will help us attract new people into the industry, as well as benefitting the people we already have. It’s the biggest investment we’ve made in over a decade. Now is the right time to do it; we’re showing sustainable growth, brand recognition and positive feedback, so we want to futureproof the business.”
Throughout its 40 years, the company has garnered a stellar reputation for its extensive portfolio and pervasive track record of manufacturing excellence. From wire drawing to compounding, bunching, stranding and insulation to assembly, sheathing and more, Doncaster Cables prides itself on being an end-to-end solutions provider, keeping the end user in mind throughout every process. Its catalogue boasts a wide variety of different cable types; all manufactured to a range of specifications for numerous applications. Similarly, Doncaster Cables’ newest innovation – the Earthsure® cable – has been a great success. 
“The launch of our Earthsure® cable has gone well. It’s an innovation piece that we created to honor our 40th anniversary year,” Aaron shares. “The Earthsure® cable is comprised of general twin and earth wiring, and we’ve pre-identified the bare copper earth wire and eliminated the need for a CPC sleeve, so the product is a great time saver for electricians at every single terminal. The product has gained third party approvals and acceptance within the market, and it’s been exciting to give something back to the electricians.”
Since its launch, the Earthsure® cable has taken the sector by storm, with many electricians crediting its ease and efficiency. Towards the end of last year, the Earthsure cable was nominated for ‘Cable Product of the Year’ at the ECN Awards 2024, though it wasn’t the only Doncaster Cables’ product to be presented. Enter: PV Ultra® – which actually won ‘Cable Product of the Year’!
“PV Ultra® is designed for the PV solar market and offers a solution that negates all of the issues involved in the traditional installation method of solar panel wiring,” Aaron details. “PV Ultra® will go from the solar panel to the inverter every time, without the need to worry about cable management conduits. The outside of the cable incorporates a yellow warning message to highlight that the cable is live during daylight hours, and the cable design makes it less intrusive and more aesthetically pleasing to homeowners. The cable also looks less industrial, saves time on installation and reduces the cost of the procurement of materials.”
Expertly designed for DC interconnections in solar panels, PV Ultra® not only won ‘Cable Product of the Year’ at the ECN Awards, but also won ‘Product Innovation of the Year’ at the Solar and Storage Live Awards. Driven by innovation and family spirit, such achievements don’t just reflect Doncaster Cables’ past legacies but also foreshadow its continued success into the future. Optimistic for the journey ahead, Aaron concludes our conversation by revealing what lies in the years ahead for Doncaster Cables.
“Our priority for 2025 is to get all our new machinery installed into the factory. We’re hoping to have the new winding machine, warehouse and cutting system installed, and we’re aiming to have the sales team in their new offices by the end of the year,” he finishes. “In the next three to five years’ time, I’d like to see us grow in both sales and market share. Our goal is to set the standard in cable manufacturing and fly the flag for British cable manufacturing, and we want to achieve that by bringing more innovation and value into the electrical industry. There hasn’t been any innovation within the industry for many years because everyone’s now focused on selling imported goods at the cheapest price, but we want to do something different and show people that they can still find value in what can often be incorrectly described as commodity products. We aim to continue our journey of being ‘The Electricians Cable of Choice’ by adding value to the electrician at every stage of the manufacturing process.”