Recently, China's wire and cable as well as power cord industry has ushered in a new wave of technological innovation and industrial upgrading. The "2025 Wire and Cable Industry Development White Paper" jointly released by multiple industry institutions shows that with the surging demand from downstream sectors such as new energy, data centers, and smart grids, the industry is accelerating its transformation toward green, low-carbon, and intelligent efficiency, achieving a significant improvement in overall industrial competitiveness.

In the field of material innovation, the popularity of environmentally friendly low-smoke halogen-free flame-retardant cable materials has increased by 22% compared with the same period last year. Some leading enterprises have realized large-scale application of degradable insulating materials in low-voltage power cord products. Such new materials can not only greatly reduce the release of toxic gases in fire scenarios but also cut carbon emissions during production and disposal, complying with China's "dual carbon" strategy and international environmental standards such as EU RoHS and REACH, providing technical support for export-oriented enterprises to expand overseas markets.

Intelligent production has become a key grasp for the industry to reduce costs and increase efficiency. In cable industry clusters in the Yangtze River Delta, Pearl River Delta and other regions, more than 30% of enterprises have introduced digital production lines and quality traceability systems. Real-time monitoring of cable conductor drawing, insulation extrusion, finished product testing and other links through Internet of Things technology has reduced the average product defect rate by more than 15% and increased production efficiency by nearly 30%. A person in charge of an industry technology research institute said that the popularization of intelligent testing equipment has enabled the detection accuracy of core indicators such as conductivity and insulation withstand voltage of power cords to reach the micron level, ensuring the electricity safety of key scenarios such as new energy vehicle charging piles and photovoltaic power stations.

In terms of market demand, the growth of segmented categories such as new energy vehicle on-board power cords, photovoltaic power station DC cables, and data center high-flexibility power cords is prominent. According to statistics from industry associations, in the first three quarters of this year, the market size of new energy supporting cables increased by 38% year-on-year, among which the order volume of customized power cord products with high and low temperature resistance and anti-electromagnetic interference increased by more than 50%. At the same time, the demand for high-quality power cords in overseas markets continues to rise. The proportion of export volume in emerging markets such as Southeast Asia and the Middle East has increased from 18% last year to 25%. Industry enterprises are strengthening their international layout through overseas factories and localized services.

Industry experts pointed out that the current wire and cable and power cord industry is in a critical period of transformation from "scale expansion" to "quality improvement". Enterprises need to further tackle core technologies such as high-end cable materials and ultra-high voltage transmission, and strengthen industrial chain collaboration to gain an advantage in global market competition. In the future, with the in-depth development of the new power system and digital economy, cable products with safety, environmental protection and intelligent attributes will usher in a broader market space.