What Inchalam does

Inchalam (legal name Industrias Chilenas de Alambre S.A.) is a privately held Chilean wire and steel products manufacturer founded in 1947 and headquartered at a 60,000 m2 plant in Talcahuano, Biobío Region. The company transforms 14mm wire rod through drawing, straightening, twisting, and weaving processes down to 0.27mm wire, applying coating technologies including galvanizing, copper plating, and PVC/HDPE plasticization. It is organized into five business segments: Home and Construction (nails, meshes, wires, screws), Industrial (cables, electro-welded products, mattress and furniture wire), Agriculture under the AgroInchalam sub-brand (fencing, forage storage, fasteners, fruit-production trellis systems), Mining and Natural Hazards (MFI 3500 woven mesh, MT 6000/MT 15000 slope control meshes), and Aquaculture (metallic meshes, perimeter security fences, land-based farming ponds, and turnkey engineering services). The company reports a production capacity exceeding 100,000 tons per year and holds ISO 9001, 14001, 45001, and 50001 certifications, plus an EcoVadis Gold Medal in 2025 placing it in the top 5% globally.

Inchalam generates revenue through one-time hardware sales of wire, mesh, fastener, and cable products, supplemented by specialized solution and engineering services in aquaculture. Products are sold domestically through an extensive distribution network of 10+ named partners, including Sodimac, Easy, Construmart, Tattersall, and Prodalam, covering all 16 regions of Chile. International growth is driven through direct export sales, currently targeting 500 tons per month to the United States and Canada by end-2024, with active prospecting in South Africa, England, and Mexico. Marketing is sales-led and event-driven, with social media presence on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook, annual GRI-standard sustainability reports since 2016, and participation in international trade shows such as Nashville Fence Tech 2024, where Inchalam shared a stand with Acmanet. Strategic partners include Nowports (digital freight forwarding for export logistics), UC Davis Chile (agricultural extension programs), and a continuing commercial partnership with Bekaert following Bekaert's 2023 exit from the shareholding.

Name

Inchalam

Legal name

Industrias Chilenas de Alambre S.A.

Website

https://inchalam.cl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1947

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Inchalam is a privately held Chilean wire and steel products manufacturer founded in 1947, serving construction, agriculture, aquaculture, industrial, and mining customers across Chile and selected export markets, with over 100,000 tons of annual production capacity.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wire and Steel Products Manufacturing

NAICS

Other Fabricated Wire Product Manufacturing (332618), Communication and Energy Wire and Cable Manufacturing (33592), Turned Product and Screw, Nut, and Bolt Manufacturing (33272)

SIC

Bolts, Nuts, Screws, Rivets & Washers (3452), Cutlery, Handtools & General Hardware (3420)

akta.pro primary industry

Chains & Wire Manufacturing (CRAKAIAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Industrial Ropes, Cords, Twines & Netting (Mooring/Lifting/Fishing/Load Restraint) (IMAOADAK)

Keywords

• Wire manufacturing
• Galvanized wire products
• Woven steel mesh
• Agricultural fencing systems
• Aquaculture metallic mesh

Headquarters

HQ city

Concepcion

HQ country

Chile

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Wire and Steel Products Manufacturing and Trading: Inchalam generates revenue through the manufacture and trading of wire and steel byproducts, selling directly to distributors and through an extensive network of hardware retailers across Chile. The company serves multiple market segments including home/construction, agriculture, aquaculture, industrial, and mining/natural hazards.
2. Specialized Wire Solutions: Revenue from specialized solutions including mining meshes (MFI 3500), aquaculture meshes and engineering services, and agricultural wire systems. The company differentiates through integrated solutions rather than just products.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels12 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Inchalam manufactures and trades wire and steel wire byproducts, transforming 14mm wire rod into finished products as small as 0.27mm wire through drawing, straightening, twisting, weaving, and coating processes. The company produces nails, meshes, wires, screws, cables, electro-welded products, fencing solutions, and specialized systems serving home/construction, industrial, agriculture, mining, and aquaculture sectors, with integrated engineering services for aquaculture projects.

Product overview

Inchalam is a leading Chilean manufacturer and trader of wire and steel wire byproducts with over 70 years of history. The company operates as a unified product portfolio organized into five main business segments: Home and Construction (nails, meshes, wires, screws for building applications), Industrial (cables, electro-welded products, household and furniture industry solutions), Agriculture/AgroInchalam (fences, forage storage, fasteners, and fruit production solutions including cherry trellis systems), Mining and Natural Hazards (MFI 3500 woven meshes for tunnel reinforcement, MT 6000/15000 meshes for slope control), and Aquaculture (metallic meshes, perimeter security fences, land-based farming ponds, and engineering services for fish farming). The products range from standard wire rods to highly specialized solutions, with core competencies in wire transformation (producing wires from 14mm rod down to 0.27mm), coating technologies (galvanizing, copper-plating, plasticizing), and business development for end-to-end solutions across all segments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Clavos (Nails) Wire nails for home and construction applications, available in various sizes and configurations for different building needs.
• Mallas (Meshes) Wire meshes for construction, agriculture, and industrial applications, including standard meshes and electro-welded variants.
• Alambres (Wires) Galvanized and specialty wires for home, construction, agriculture, and industrial uses, including various gauges and coatings.
• Tornillos (Screws) Construction screws for various building applications.
• Cables Industrial cables for various applications including household, cleaning products, and specialized industrial uses.
• Electrosoldados Electro-welded wire products for industrial applications.
• Cercos (Fences) Fencing solutions for livestock, agriculture, and security applications including perimeter fencing.
• Forraje (Forage Storage) Forage storage solutions including bunkers and storage systems for agricultural operations.
• Fijaciones (Fasteners) Fastening solutions for agricultural and construction applications.
• Soluciones Fruticultura (Fruit Production Solutions) Wire and structural solutions for fruit production including cherry orchard trellis systems, vineyard support structures, and training wires.
• MFI 3500-100 Woven Mesh Woven mesh designed to withstand a load of 3,500 kg/m2, manufactured with special galvanized steel for reinforcement of mining tunnels and recommended for use with Shotcrete.
• MFI 3500-75 Woven Mesh Woven mesh solution for mining applications with high load-bearing capacity.
• MT 6000 Mesh High supporting capacity woven mesh with edge termination for secure roll bonding, used for rock slide and rock fall control.
• MT 15000 Mesh High capacity woven mesh for slope control applications with perimeter cable and anchor bolt attachment systems.
• Redes Metálicas (Metallic Mesh for Aquaculture) Metal meshes for fish farming providing simultaneous fish farming and fish protection functions, including anti-predator protection against sea lions and sharks, suitable for salmon, Cobia, Seriola, Dorado, Sea Bass, Barramundi, Tilapia and Grouper.
• Cerco Perimetral (Perimeter Security Fence) Perimeter security fence for aquaculture providing protection against surface predators such as sea lions while limiting unauthorized human access to fish farms.
• Estanques de Cultivo (Land-based Farming Ponds) Land-based aquaculture production units for open flow and recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS), featuring transportability, anti-seismic design, low maintenance, and long useful life.
• Servicios de Ingeniería (Engineering Services) Engineering services for design and implementation of fish production units including rafts, meshes and mooring systems, with dynamic modeling tools and turnkey project delivery.
• Control de Taludes (Slope Control) Solutions for controlling rock slides and rock falls using high supporting capacity woven meshes with perimeter cable and anchor bolt attachment systems.
• Productos Domésticos y Limpieza (Household and Cleaning Products) Household and cleaning products industry solutions including wire-based products.
• Colchones y Mueblería (Mattress and Furniture) Wire products for mattress and furniture manufacturing.
• AgroInchalam (Agricultural Solutions Brand) Agricultural solutions brand offering integrated wire and fence solutions for agriculture, including the field day extension program with UC Davis Chile.

Quantifiable outcome

• Top 5% ranking in EcoVadis 2025 with 77 points, six points improvement from 2024
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NowportscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerInchalam partnered with Nowports, a Latin America-focused digital freight forwarder, to support its expansion into Brazil, the U.S., and the U.K. markets. Nowports provides integrated cargo insurance and inventory financing services, supporting Inchalam's international growth strategy.
• AcmanetminorGTM or Marketing PartnerShared exhibition stand with Acmanet at the Nashville Fence Tech and Metal fan 2024 trade show in the United States, connecting with potential customers from South Africa, Canada, England, and Mexico.
• UC Davis ChilecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInchalam collaborates with UC Davis Chile on an agricultural extension program, conducting 'Field Days' for agricultural decision-makers. The partnership involves technical workshops on cherry orchard trellis systems and other fruit production solutions, led by UC Davis advisors and Inchalam's Agricultural Development team.
• InspiringirlsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInchalam partnered with Inspiringirls on the 'Voces que Impactan 2023' program, providing resources to young people from educational institutions in Talcahuano to implement community projects addressing environmental and social sustainability issues.
• ALIANZADOS Program PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerALIANZADOS is Inchalam's strategic sustainability program for suppliers and contractors, aimed at building a more sustainable, innovative, and resilient supply chain. The program strengthens capabilities of strategic partners with median or low sustainability alignment through training, support, and best practice sharing.
• BekaertcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeon Bekaert Wire Drawing Company joined Inchalam in 1950, providing world leadership in wire market expertise and enabling major advances in infrastructure and technology. Bekaert gave up its shareholding in 2023 but maintains a commercial partnership with Inchalam.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Bekaert: Bekaert is a Belgian global leader in steel wire transformation and coating technologies, and was Inchalam's strategic shareholder from 1950 to 2023. It operates the same wire drawing, galvanizing, and specialized mesh product lines and remains a commercial partner, making it the most directly comparable peer.
• Tree Island Steel: Tree Island Steel is a Canadian manufacturer of wire products for construction, agriculture, and industrial applications. It is the closest direct peer for Inchalam's Canadian expansion strategy and a comparable for nails, fences, and galvanized wire.
• Insteel Industries: Insteel is the largest US manufacturer of steel wire reinforcing products for concrete construction, including welded wire mesh and engineered structural mesh. It is a direct competitor for Inchalam's MFI/MT mining meshes and construction wire products in the US export market.
• Deacero: Deacero is one of the largest wire and steel producers in Latin America, headquartered in Mexico with operations across North and Central America. Its product portfolio (nails, mesh, wire rod, fences) overlaps almost exactly with Inchalam's, and it competes head-to-head in fencing and construction end-markets.
• Davis Wire: Davis Wire is a US-based manufacturer of welded wire mesh, woven wire mesh, and fencing products serving construction, agricultural, and industrial markets. It is one of the principal local competitors Inchalam would face in pursuing the 500 tons/month US export target.

Broad incumbents

• Gerdau: Gerdau is the largest long-steel producer in the Americas, operating wire rod mills and downstream wire product facilities across Brazil, the US, and Latin America. It supplies much of the wire rod that feeds the regional wire-drawing industry, including Inchalam, and competes at the steel long-products level.
• Ternium: Ternium is a Latin American flat and long steel producer serving construction, agriculture, and industrial markets across Mexico, Argentina, and Central America. It is a relevant broad incumbent competing for similar downstream customers in the region.

Regional players

• Productos Metalúrgicos (Prometal): Prometal is a Chilean manufacturer of welded wire mesh and steel products for construction and mining. As a domestic competitor, it offers a comparable product set in electro-welded meshes and reinforcement products.
• CAP Acero (Compañía Siderúrgica Huachipato): CAP Acero is the Chilean steel producer historically linked to Inchalam through a 1949 partnership and the source of much of its domestic wire rod supply. It is a relevant regional player given its role as both potential supplier and competitor in Chilean steel long products.
• CINTAC: CINTAC is a Chilean processor and distributor of steel products for construction and industrial applications, including tubes, meshes, and structural products. It competes with Inchalam in the Chilean construction and infrastructure markets, particularly in rebar-mesh and tube categories.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/InchalamSA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/inchalam
• Instagraminstagram.com/inchalam.chile

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Inchalam