Nexans is a global player in the cable and optical fibre industry headquartered in Paris, France. The group is active in four main business areas: buildings and territories, high voltage and projects, data and telecoms, industry and solutions. It is the world's second largest manufacturer of cables. In 2017, the group had industrial presence in 34 countries with over 26,000 employees and sales of around €6.4 billion. Nexans was founded in 2000 as a business unit of the telecommunications firm Alcatel. It was spun off and listed on the Paris stock exchange the following year.