Preformed Line Products Company and its subsidiaries (PLP) is an international designer and manufacturer of products and systems employed in the construction and maintenance of overhead, ground-mounted and underground networks for energy, telecommunication, cable, data communication and other similar industries.
The company’s primary products support, protect, connect, terminate and secure cables and wires. The company provides formed wire solutions, connectors, fiber optic and copper splice cl...
Preformed Line Products Company and its subsidiaries (PLP) is an international designer and manufacturer of products and systems employed in the construction and maintenance of overhead, ground-mounted and underground networks for energy, telecommunication, cable, data communication and other similar industries.
The company’s primary products support, protect, connect, terminate and secure cables and wires. The company provides formed wire solutions, connectors, fiber optic and copper splice closures, solar hardware mounting applications, and electric vehicle charging station foundations.
The company serves a worldwide market through strategically located domestic and international manufacturing facilities. Each of the company’s domestic and international manufacturing facilities have obtained or are actively seeking an International Organization of Standardization (‘ISO’) 9001:2015 Certified Management System Certificate. The ISO 9001:2015 certified management system is a globally recognized certified quality standard for manufacturing and assists the company in marketing its products throughout the world. The company’s customers include public and private energy utilities and communication companies, cable operators, governmental agencies, contractors and subcontractors, distributors and value-added resellers. The company has one customer accounting for 11.1% of the company's consolidated revenues.
Products
The company’s products include Energy Products; Communications Products; and Special Industries Products (Solar Framing and Electric Vehicle Products, and Inspection Services).
Energy Products
Energy Products are used for supporting, protecting, terminating and splicing transmission and distribution lines, as well as bolted, welded, and compressed connectors for substations. PLP offers a full array of products for OPGW (Optical Ground Wire) and ADSS (All Dielectric Self Supporting) fiber optic cables, which are commonly used to monitor and control power networks. Formed wire products are the mainstay of PLP’s product offering and such products enjoy an almost universal acceptance in the company’s markets. Formed wire products are based on the principle of forming a variety of stiff wire materials into a helical (spiral) shape. The advantages of using the company’s helical formed wire products are that they are economical, dependable and easy to use. Additional energy product offerings include a wide array of string hardware products, polymer insulators, wildlife protection, substation fittings and motion control devices like spacer dampers. Energy products were approximately 71% of the company’s revenues in 2024.
Communications Products
Communications Products include rugged outside plant (OSP) closures to protect and support wireline and wireless networks, such as fiber optic cable or copper cable, from moisture, environmental hazards and other potential contaminants. The precision engineered OSP closures support many FTTx (Fiber-to-the-X) and 4G/5G applications and are deployed at various points in the network—deadend, middle-mile and last-mile—but primarily are used in modern FTTH (Fiber-to-the-Home) applications. In addition to the OSP closures, the company supplies demarcation related products that include wall boxes, pre-terminated cabinets, wall plates and passive components that are typically deployed at residences, businesses or MDUs (multi-dwelling units). The company supplies formed wire products, utility pole line hardware, motion control products and cable storage devices used to hold, support, protect and terminate various cable types that are used to transfer voice, video or data signals. These communications products serve all segments of the telecommunications industry, including but not limited to network operators, broadband service providers, wireless internet service providers, enterprise networks, educational institutions, and electric utilities deploying fiber optics. Communications products were approximately 22% of the company’s revenues in 2024.
Special Industries Products
Special Industries Products include hardware assemblies, pole line hardware, plastic products, cable dynamics/vibration solutions, interior/exterior connectors, tools, and urethane solutions. They are used by energy, renewable energy, communications, cable and other industries for specialized applications. Also included in Special Industries is the Inspection Services group which provides safe and reliable drone inspection services for utility assets, including transmission and distribution power lines, substations, generation facilities, and communications assets, as well as solar framing and electric vehicle (EV) offerings, which include mounting solutions for photovoltaic solar applications, including commercial, industrial, utility, and residential applications, as well as pre-fabricated, precision-engineered EV charging station foundations. Special Industries products were approximately 7% of the company’s revenues in 2024.
International Operations
The company’s international operations are essentially the same as its domestic (‘PLP-USA’) business. The company manufactures similar types of products in its international plants as are sold domestically, sells to similar types of customers and faces similar types of competition (and in some cases, the same competitors).
Sales and Marketing
The company markets its products through a direct sales force and manufacturing representatives. The direct sales force is employed by the company and works with manufacturers’ representatives, as well as key direct accounts and distributors who also buy and resell the company’s products. The manufacturers' representatives are independent organizations that represent the company, as well as other complementary product lines.
Patents and Trademarks
The company applies for patents in the U.S. and other countries, as appropriate, to protect its significant patentable developments. As of December 31, 2024, the company had in force 68 U.S. patents and 116 international patents in 21 countries and had 41 pending U.S. patent applications and 114 pending international applications. Additionally, the company owns and uses a substantial body of proprietary information and numerous trademarks. As of December 31, 2024, the company had obtained the U.S. registration on 31 trademarks, and 5 trademark applications remained pending. International registrations amounted to 278 registrations in 47 countries, with 5 pending international registrations.
Seasonality
The company markets products that are used by utility maintenance and construction crews worldwide. The products are marketed through distributors and directly to end users, who maintain stock to ensure adequate supply for their customers or construction crews. As a result, the company does not have a wide variation in sales from quarter to quarter.
History
Preformed Line Products Company was founded in 1947. The company was incorporated in Ohio in 1947.