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| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Building materials |
| Founded | 1945 |
| Defunct | 2000 |
| Fate | Renamed |
| Successor | Balfour Beatty |
| Headquarters | Helsby, UK |
| Products | Electrical cable |
British Insulated Callender's Cables (BICC) was a major British cable manufacturer and construction company of the 20th century. It has been renamed after its former subsidiary Balfour Beatty.
BICC was created via the merger of two long established cable firms, Callender's Cable & Construction Company and British Insulated Cables, in 1945. It promptly set about expanding both its product lines and international presence; the latter was augmented by a series of acquisitions, which included the British businesses Pyrotenax Ltd, Power Securities, and Balfour Beatty, along with a variety of interests in Portugal, Spain, East Germany and Russia. During the late 1970s, BICC employed roughly 10,800 staff in manufacturing roles alone; overseas activities had come to comprise roughly half of all turnover generated by this time. Manufacturing sites included Erith, Prescot, Kirkby, Leyton, Helsby, Leigh, Melling, Wrexham, Blackley, Belfast and Huyton.
During the 1980s, the company came under increasing competitive pressure which, despite an intense focus on driving up employee productivity and high workplace standards, eventually resulted in factory closures and job losses. The 1990s led to sweeping changes being enacted, which included the sale of its housebuilding interests and the divestment of its telecommunications and power cables activities onto other parties. In early 2000, in the aftermath of its cable operations being sold, BICC renamed itself Balfour Beatty in early 2000 and has since focused on construction, management, financing and design activities amongst others.