From a 2012 Start to 120 Export Markets
The company's own timeline starts with a first factory in December 2012 and ends with customers in more than 120 countries, and every step between the two is dated. KUKA CABLE, a solar cable manufacturer based in Jinshan District, Shanghai, publishes a laboratory in December 2015, an independent PV division in August 2018, a wire harness base in June 2021 and national high-tech enterprise status in March 2023.
Key takeaways
- First factory built in December 2012; the company was founded in August 2012.
- Speciality cable laboratory established December 2015; sold to over 70 countries by March 2016.
- PV division became independent in August 2018; wire harness processing base established June 2021.
- National high-tech enterprise since March 2023, with a new factory completed in May 2023.
The dated steps on the company page
The company page sets out the sequence without commentary. August 2012 is the founding date, December 2012 the first factory, December 2015 the speciality cable laboratory, March 2016 the point at which sales had reached over 70 countries, August 2018 the independent PV division, June 2021 the wire harness processing base, March 2023 national high-tech enterprise status, and May 2023 the completion of a new factory.
Read as a whole the list has a shape. The first three steps build capacity and testing, the middle two split the business into specialist units, and the last two are recognitions and buildings rather than new categories of work.
Where the growth went: from cable to a PV system
August 2018 is the pivot. The PV division, operating under the KUKA SOLAR sub-brand, covers the DC cables, AC cables, inverter plug wires, connectors and wiring harnesses that make up a photovoltaic installation rather than the cable alone, and its material names TUV, SAA and CPR among its certifications.
That scope is visible in the solar cable section and the wider product list today: solar cable and solar connectors sit beside robot cable, battery cable, welding cable, marine cable, submersible cable, energy storage cable and medium-voltage cable, with PUR, PVC, LSZH and rubber versions and power cords for the EU, UK, US and AU markets.
What the reach figure rests on
More than 120 countries is the published reach, and the company page shows the footprint that supports it: a UK warehouse in Blackley, Manchester; a Spain warehouse on Avenida de La Rioja in Logroño; the Shanghai head office on Tingwei Road; an Indonesia office and warehouse in Tangerang; and an Australia office and warehouse across QLD, VIC, NSW, WA and SA.
The facility in Jinshan District covers more than 7,000 m², with production and laboratories in the same place. That combination of a test laboratory and an export footprint is what the 120-country figure is built on rather than a single market.
The laboratory and the quality model behind it
The speciality cable laboratory has been running since December 2015 and is described as an ISO/IEC 17025 laboratory where cables are tested for mechanical and electrical properties. It is the oldest technical asset in the timeline, older than the independent PV division by nearly three years.
The quality framework the site calls the SIF quality model runs in four stages: raw material checked against several international benchmarks, digital control during manufacture, 100% inspection of finished products for electrical, mechanical and environmental performance, and retained samples for traceability.
The team and the facility
The published description of the team is specific about experience rather than size: high-level R&D staff and product consultants, with core team members all holding more than 10 years in cable manufacturing and international trade, and a stated ten-year focus on cable manufacturing. Headcount is not published.
National high-tech enterprise status came in March 2023, and the company also describes itself as a Shanghai enterprise in the specialised, refinement, differential and innovation category. A new factory was completed in May 2023, which is the last dated step on the page. Ask for the certificate copy that belongs to the construction being quoted: the certificate list states more than 30 types of certificate such as TUV, IEC, CE, SAA and UL, with UL described as in the process of updating, and the standards themselves are printed for the 1500 V build rather than left to the buyer to infer.
What the timeline does not say
There is no annual capacity figure in kilometres, no revenue, no staff count and no customer names on the pages, and no warranty terms. A buyer comparing manufacturers on those measures will not find them here, and should not read the absence as a negative; the published record is about dates, tests, certificates and locations.
What can be compared is the technical history: when the laboratory was established, which certifications are named, and how long the PV division has operated independently since 2018.
| Date published | Milestone | Elapsed since August 2012 (author's calculation) |
|---|---|---|
| December 2012 | First factory built | 4 months, about 0.3 years |
| December 2015 | Speciality cable laboratory established | 3 years 4 months |
| March 2016 | Sales reached over 70 countries | 3 years 7 months |
| August 2018 | PV division becomes independent | 6 years |
| June 2021 | Wire harness processing base established | 8 years 10 months |
| March 2023 | National high-tech enterprise | 10 years 7 months |
Worked example
The timeline covers August 2012 to May 2023, which is 10 years and 9 months of dated steps, the author's own subtraction. The reach figure is stated as more than 120 countries at the time this article was written, 24 Sept 2026.
From the August 2012 founding to that read date is about 14 years, so 120 ÷ 14 ≈ 8.6 new markets a year on average, the author's arithmetic from two published figures. The site does not claim that the count grew evenly, and the March 2016 milestone of over 70 countries suggests a faster early phase, but the division gives a buyer a sense of scale rather than a rate.
Frequently asked questions
How long has the company been manufacturing cable?
The company page dates the founding to August 2012 and the first factory to December 2012, which is about 14 years to the 24 Sept 2026 read date, the author's subtraction from published dates. The site also states that the team has focused on cable manufacturing for over ten years, and that core team members each have more than 10 years in the industry.
Where is the manufacturer based and where does it hold stock?
The facility and head office are in Jinshan District, Shanghai, on Tingwei Highway, covering more than 7,000 m² of production and laboratory space. The company page also lists a UK warehouse in Blackley, Manchester, a Spain warehouse in Logroño, an Indonesia office and warehouse in Tangerang, and an Australia office and warehouse across QLD, VIC, NSW, WA and SA.
How to read a manufacturer's timeline
Use the dates as a checklist rather than a story. Ask when the laboratory was established, since a testing capability older than a product line says something about how the cable is developed. Ask which certifications are named for the construction being quoted. Ask which locations hold stock for the destination market. The manufacturer publishes no capacity, headcount, revenue or price figures, so those questions belong in the enquiry, while the dated record above can be verified from the company page before the first email is sent.
The 2012 start and the 120-market count are the manufacturer's own website figures; the date on them is 24 Sept 2026[1].