Representatives of Encore Wire and Prysmian, which acquired Encore Wire in 2024, celebrated the beginning of the expansion project at a June 18 ceremonial groundbreaking event.
The gist
Encore Wire produces a variety of copper and aluminum wire and cable products for a variety of applications. The new state-of-the-art facility will enable the production of medium voltage cables, a June 19 news release states.
At the June 18 event, Prysmian North America CEO Andrea Pirondini said this type of product is often used in data centers.
“There is a very strong growth in demand for medium voltage cable related to data centers,” he said. “Data centers is a segment of the market that is growing at the rate [of] 50%, 60% per year."
The 460-acre campus has 200 remaining acres undeveloped, company officials said, which will be the site of the medium voltage facility expansion. The new plant, which is expected to come online in 2027, will result in 120 new jobs and also increase Prysmian’s overall medium voltage capacity.
“This new plant will be one of the largest standalone facilities on our campus, which is the largest vertically integrated cable factory on the planet and is a major milestone in the Prysmian/Encore Wire growth,” Pirondini said in the release.
The groundbreaking event was held about one month after McKinney City Council members voted unanimously to approve a rezoning request that enabled the expansion project. The facility will be a 55-foot-tall building with two industrial manufacturing towers that reach 105 feet at maximum height, and will be adjacent to McKinney National Airport, according to city documents.
The setup
Encore Wire was founded in McKinney in 1989 by Vincent Rego and Donald Spurgin. The company began with 8 employees in a 68,000-square-foot industrial warehouse, its website states.
More than 35 years since its inception, Encore Wire has grown to over 3.5 million square feet across its East McKinney campus. The company now has 1,700 employees, of which 1,400 of those are production and operations employees.
Through its development, the company has added an on-site distribution center as well as various production plants, a service center, a corporate headquarters, an employee center and more. The expansions have enabled the company to expand its product lines to include circuit wire, armored cable, industrial cable and aluminum building wire, its website states.
The campus also includes an on-site copper rod mill, and as an individual site, the company is the largest buyer of copper scrap in the United States, company officials said. The overwhelming majority of Encore Wire's copper cathode—the beginning shape of copper that Encore Wire needs in their product development process—comes domestically from Arizona.
“I’ve had the opportunity to see more than 100 plants all over the planet, from Australia, Italy, China, Brazil, all over the place. I tell you without any doubt, I've never seen anything like [the] plants in here,” Pirondini said of the McKinney Encore Wire campus.
The context
The expansion project is part of Prysmian’s initiatives to invest $500 million in Encore Wire over the next 4 years, Pirondini said, noting that $250 million is specifically for the facility expansion project.
The funds will be used to support the growing demand for electrification and power grids in the United States, the release states. The Encore Wire campus and business model are considered “essential” in Prysmian’s work to support the development and electrification of major energy priorities, the release states, such as data centers and power grids.
“This has actually been something that Encore Wire has been thinking of for 10, 15 years,” Encore Wire Head of Human Resources Troy Skidmore said at the June 18 event. “Our customers have been wanting for us to get into this type of wire for a long time because of the service that we offer, because of the high quality of product that we put out.”
What they’re saying
The June 18 event featured recognitions from state and federal leaders as well as comments from local leaders, including recently elected McKinney Mayor Bill Cox who noted that the expansion project will bridge the company’s campus across Airport Drive.
“This facility represents [Encore Wire’s] first expansion east of Airport Drive. ... It's exciting to see someone commit, other than the city, this side of town,” Cox said. “This will create 120 new jobs for not only McKinney, but also for the region, and we are appreciative of that. Your investment in McKinney is appreciated. This project reinforces McKinney's position as a place where businesses grow and also thrive.”
Michael Kowski, president and CEO of the McKinney Economic Development Corporation, said the project is “future-focused” and a signal of McKinney’s growth.
“This isn't just about steel and concrete, it's about confidence,” Kowski. “It's about a global company choosing to invest in a community that believes in innovation, resilience and shared prosperity. It's about building something that will power industries, energize our economy, and create opportunities for local families, not just today, but for generations.”
