Our History

The dawn of the 20th century ushered in an era of unprecedented industrial growth, powered by electrification and a burgeoning demand for sophisticated machinery. It was in this landscape that Charles Maillefer, a visionary Swiss engineer and entrepreneur, was already cultivating the ideas and expertise that would profoundly impact global manufacturing. He opened his workshop in Romainmôtier in 1900, and this is the crucial period when Maillefer's pioneering spirit and commitment to precision engineering were taking shape. His early work and innovative concepts laid the essential groundwork for what would become a world-renowned leader in machinery design and production.

In 1912, the Imperial Senate of Finland licensed Suomen Punomotehdas Osakeyhtiö, founding the nation’s cable industry. As Finland’s first electrical cable material company, it built a 100-square-meter factory on Hernesaarenkatu in Helsinki. This pioneering factory produced electrical, telegraph, and telephone cables. Later, it joined Oy Nokia Ab. The factory proved indispensable post-war, powering Finland’s reconstruction and fulfilling war reparations.  

In 1941, the first plastic-material extruder—an innovative machine capable of continuously insulating or coating wires and cables with plastic —was created. This technical breakthrough not only established the company’s reputation for decades to come but also proved to be a true cornucopia of opportunities.

Maillefer SA built its renown on the exceptional performance of its machines, each one crafted individually. The era that followed marked the company’s entry into manufacturing and selling complete systems and installations for the insulation, sheathing, and assembly of electrical wires and cables.

The Salmisaari factory in Helsinki, completed in 1944, critically expanded Finnish cable manufacturing. This state-of-the-art facility boosted the nation’s capacity for essential electrical and communication cables, securing its place in the Finnish industrial history. As a vital asset within the growing Oy Nokia Ab, Salmisaari embodied Finnish cable production’s technological advancement and scale. 

The extrusion industry’s first barrier screw
design - a breakthrough soon adopted by every leading extrusion brand worldwide - was introduced in 1967. The innovation was known as BM, short for Brevet Maillefer (Patent Maillefer).Filed in 1960 by its inventor, Charles-Edmond Maillefer — member of the founding family — the BM patent marked a turning point in extrusion technology. Over the decades, countless versions of the Elise screw have followed. Yet the essence of the barrier design remains, continually refined by our R&D experts to meet the demands of each new era.

Nokia-Maillefer was born.

Maillefer’s operations in Finland had been part of Nokia’s industrial machinery division since its acquisition in 1987. Maillefer established its modern headquarters and primary manufacturing facility in Vantaa. This location has since remained its global center for the development and production of cable and wire machinery.

R&D centers founded in 2014 in Vantaa and in 2015 in Ecublens form the backbone of our technological leadership, bringing together top-tier expertise in extrusion technology, material science, and advanced production processes. 

A significant milestone in Maillefer's history occurred in 2017 when we strategically joined Davis-Standard, a leading global provider of extrusion and converting technology. This integration brought together Maillefer’s well-established leadership in wire, cable, pipe, and tube production solutions and Davis-Standard's comprehensive range of extrusion systems. We expanded our global reach, enhanced our collective technological offerings, and solidified our position as an innovation and service partner globally.

Building on a long legacy of engineering excellence, Maillefer continues to drive industry advancement with its latest technology innovations and end-to-end know-how. We have grown into the industry-leading House of Experts walking every step with our customers to create value together. As strategic partners, we turn investments into achievements and reach common goals. Our innovation capabilities are seen, for example, in the Topography Scanner delivering real-time cable core geometry insights and AI-powered defect detection, that ensure optimal production stability. For optical cables, Smart Buffering enables higher line speeds with intelligent process control, pushing productivity to new levels.