In 1951, Walter Niehoff founded Maschinenfabrik NIEHOFF, laying the foundation for a brand that to this day stands for expertise, customer focus, and reliability. 

By the early 1960s, the Schwabach facility had reached its physical limits. In 1961, Walter Niehoff took strategic action and acquired the former Streif agricultural machinery factory in Leuterschach in the Allgäu region – a move that opened up new opportunities.

The M 85 became the world‘s best-selling rod breakdown machine for non-ferrous wires.
To this day, it remains synonymous with reliability, engineering excellence, and sustained market success.

With the founding of NIEHOFF Herborn Máquinas Ltd. (NHM) in Brazil in 1975, NIEHOFF began early on to establish its own operations in strategically important growth markets.

Since 1985, NIEHOFF has been setting standards in multiwire drawing technology with its MMH series. The MMH 101 combines multiwire drawing machines with continuous annealing into a compact, efficient line solution for customized production requirements. Since 1985, approximately 2,500 MMH systems have been delivered. The MMH 101 is the world’s best-selling multiwire drawing system.

After NIEHOFF established its U.S. subsidiary, ­NIEHOFF of America (NOA), in Rome, NY, in 1985, ENDEX was bought in 1999. This led to the formation of NIEHOFF ENDEX North America, Inc. (NENA) in Swedesboro, NJ.

The NIEHOFF Packaging System (NPS) introduced a new form of automotive cable packaging that ­quickly established itself on the market. The millionth NPS spool was sold in 2004. To date, several million spools and 860 NPS spoolers have been produced.

NIEHOFF has been active in Japan since 1966; with the founding of Nippon NIEHOFF Co., Ltd. in Tokyo in 1991, the company made a direct entry into a technologically sophisticated key market in Asia. Japan is also home to major NIEHOFF customers, such as Sumitomo, Yazaki, and Furukawa. With its own subsidiary, NIEHOFF strengthened its service and customer proximity.

Customers in the ASEAN countries, Korea, and Taiwan are served by the sales and service office, ­NIEHOFF Singapore Pte. Ltd. Key factors in choosing this location were its central location, well-developed infrastructure, political stability and security, and Singapore’s international airport.

Since acquiring its first Chinese customer in 1970, NIEHOFF has been steadily expanding its presence in China. To further strengthen its ties with wire and cable manufacturers, a sales and service center was opened in Shanghai in 1994, which was ­converted into a representative office in 2000.

Following initial partnerships and a licensing agreement with ASACO beginning in 1986, a joint venture was established with NIEHOFF of India in 1997 – with its own presence in Hyderabad and clear prospects for growth.

Individual drives for each drawing capstan minimize the slip between the wire and the capstan. This significantly reduces energy consumption and ­noise emissions, improves wire surface quality, and reduces wear on tools and components. Since 1998, approximately 550 MSM lines have been sold worldwide.

The economic opening of Eastern Europe created new markets, and NIEHOFF began systematically establishing operations in Eastern Europe starting in 1990. With the founding of NIEHOFF CZ in ­Nymburk in 2001, the company established a long-term presence featuring customer-focused, ­competitive manufacturing.

With the DSI series, NIEHOFF specifically targeted the segment of modern data, LAN, and telecommunications cables. This marked the company’s entry into high-growth high-tech cable markets.

Braiding technology marked another value-added downstream processing step added to the drawing and stranding portfolio.

In cooperation with Steuler Anlagenbau, NIEHOFF expands its portfolio to include electroplating of wire. The systems enable the precise coating of non-ferrous wires.

The further development of the Hacoba systems under the label “Made by NIEHOFF” resulted in a high-performance spooling technology that ­combines high spooling quality, process reliability, and flexible ­application options.

The millionth NPS reel was sold in 2004. To date, several million spools and 860 NPS spoolers have been produced.

The SV 410 D was developed for spooling automotive cables onto NPS spools at speeds of up to 1,500  m/min and, for the first time, offers a freely selectable winding direction.

The next milestone was reached in 2011 with the founding of NIEHOFF Machinery Changzhou (NMC) Co., Ltd. At its Changzhou facility, NMC manufactures wire and cable machines for the Chinese market in its own state-of-the-art production facility. The new plant, which opened in 2021, embodies growth, efficiency, and the highest quality standards – including on-site assembly, testing, and pre-shipment acceptance tests.

At the same time, NMC is responsible for all after-sales service in China and, with its team of qualified engineers, ensures fast response times and a reliable supply of NIEHOFF Original⁺ parts. In 2025, a new plot of land was purchased for an additional expansion in 2027.

Since 2013, the Swedish company H. Folke Sandelin AB (HFSAB) has been a subsidiary of the NIEHOFF Group. The company is a global leader in horizontal lead extruders for cables in the HV/EHV and oil and gas sectors and also manufactures cable stripping machines for repair and recycling. Modernizations and upgrades are also part of its service portfolio.

The MSM 86 R 502 is one of the high-performance rod breakdown lines in the NIEHOFF portfolio and served as a key technological benchmark in the RBD sector. In 2024, it received the ‘Sustainable Total Cost Competitiveness’ award from Nexans, as the line achieved 85 % overall equipment effectiveness at a continuous production speed of 40 m/s.

The MMH 112 with RM 202 continuous annealer draws up to 16  copper or aluminum wires per level and combines high production quality with energy-efficient, user-friendly operation and reduced noise emission.

In 2017, NIEHOFF founded the subsidiary NIEHOFF Stranding Technology S.L. (NST) near Barcelona to expand its stranding machine business. In collaboration with the parent company, NST developed the D 1252, D 1602, and D 2002 double-twist stranders.

As the largest model in the series, the D 2002 processes conductors up to 500 mm² (61 wires) with maximum process stability and performance to meet the demands of modern MV power lines, such as those for AI data centers.

The SV 403 D delivers maximum performance in the NPS packaging systems segment. With production speeds of up to 2,400 m/min, it achieves approximately 30 % higher output than its predecessor.

The new generation of energy-efficient rod breakdown lines. The MSM 88 in combination with the R 503 with the patented HEAT ­system, significantly reduces ­power ­consumption while increasing ­production speed, saving labor and other operating costs.

The new horizontal braiding machines for 16 and 32 spools provide a targeted addition to the product portfolio.

The sales and service center NIEHOFF Mexico S.R.L. in Querétaro has been serving the Mexican market since 2024. The team offers installation, supervision of installation, commissioning of lines, modernization, service, and spare parts supply (NIEHOFF Original⁺).

75 years of NIEHOFF stand for engineering excellence, innovative strength and partnership-based collaboration worldwide.

Markets and technologies are constantly evolving, and so is NIEHOFF. What remains unchanged is our commitment to providing our customers with exactly what they need to succeed: Expertise, Customer Driven, Service. In Good Hands with NIEHOFF.

Since 1985, over 2,500 MMH multiwire drawing machines have been in operation worldwide. Largely shaped by NIEHOFF, multiwire drawing has become the global industry standard in copper and aluminum wire production.

From the MZE 120.4 (1975) to the MZV 120.8 (1983), MMH 101 (1985), and MMH 112 (2016), NIEHOFF has fundamentally transformed wire production and replaced single-wire drawing as early as 1983.