KMI Reports on Fiber/Cable Market

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Beginning in mid-2001 and extending through 2002, fiber and cable manufacturers have had to confront the collapse of the telecom market, which has led to a steep decline in fiberoptic cable sales. The industry is meeting this challenge by shutting-down and "moth-balling" factories, consolidating facilities, and reducing staff. The result is a rapidly changing landscape for fiber and cable suppliers. KMI Research has tracked these changes and published them in the latest version of its annual report, Worldwide Markets for Optical Fiber and Fiberoptic Cable: Market Developments and Forecast (released December 2002). For example, the report shows that plant closings have reduced the number of fiber-manufacturing facilities from a peak of 65 in 2000 to 46 that were operational for at least part of 2002. Recent plant closings mean that the number of facilities could decrease again in 2003. Patrick Fay, lead author of the KMI report, noted that it's not just the smaller facilities being closed down. He said, "Some of the larger market participants with fiber plants in different countries have decided to close one or more plants, consolidating company-wide production to fewer facilities. Some of the factories being closed had capacity of several million km." Mr. Fay noted that the recent industry turmoil is revealed not only in capacity and production data, but also in the report's assessment of installations, sales, inventories, prices, net imports and exports, and application and geographic segments. For example, he noted that worldwide fiberoptic cable sales dropped from $8.7 billion in 2001 to $3.5 billion in 2002, a decline he attributed to several factors, chiefly the steep decline in cable demand, and price erosion due to excess capacity as well as competition, and a change in the mix of applications. Mr. Fay said KMI forecasts continued industry restructuring next year as the U.S. remains a weak market and as worldwide installations of fiberoptic cable show only gradual growth. Slower growth means that in 2007, the worldwide fiberoptic cable market will still be well below that of the peak in 2000. But by then, industry participants will have responded to the market changes, and there will be a better balance between the number of suppliers and the demand. KMI Corp.