MWS, which notes at its website that it offers the world’s largest selection of magnet wire, has completed construction of its new 30,000-sq-ft site in Oxnard, California, which it described as “an agile production facility for drawing, shaping, serving, twisting and insulating of wire for high-technology users worldwide.”

A letter from MWS President Benjamin Konrad said that the company has “invested significantly into a building that mirrors the ambition and commitment that MWS has towards its employees and customers.” The new building houses the latest equipment for fine wire production, and there are plans to expand the building by another 50,000 sq ft. The site has a 40,000-sq-ft warehouse that more than doubles the space available in its former facility in Westlake Village, California. Over the next year, MWS will add significant manufacturing capacity with new machines that will create new wire manufacturing capabilities and value-added services.

“Our goal is to build upon the formula of the last 50 years: customer service, quality, lead times and broad availability of precision fine wire, and meet the evolving and increasing demands of the next 50 years,” Konrad wrote. He noted that MWS Medical Wire has added five new sales organizations serving three continents, achieved certification to ISO 13485:2016 and purchased strategic equipment for precious metal drawing and laser ablation. MWS, which has a new medical website, “has also entered an exciting marketplace targeting early-stage development of medical devices.” It notes that it is also the first wire company to feature products on www.chamfr.com.

“We are excited for the future and look forward to getting down to the wire on new and existing projects,” Konrad wrote.

In 2014, MWS became a part of The Elektrisola Group, an international producer of fine and ultra-fine magnet wire that has eight manufacturing plants in Europe (Germany, two in Italy, Switzerland), North America (U.S. and Mexico) and Asia (Malaysia and China).

Nexans has strengthened its industrial presence in Morocco with the inauguration of a new plant in the Nouaceur industrial acceleration zone known as Midparc.

A press release said that the plant, to be part of the company’s telecom systems business unit, will produce fiber optic cable connectorization accessories for FTTH (Fiber to the Home), 5G, data center and LAN (Local Area Network) applications. The new site was built on 6,000 sq m of land, half for production, and will employ between 250 and 300 people by 2022. The Nexans Group currently has five sites in Morocco.

“The initiative will enable the Nexans Group to increase its production capacity, while expanding its product range and offering new services to better satisfy its customers: supply chain optimization services, component pre-wiring and cable connectorization services,” the release said. It will serve the European market, as well as the North African market.

The inauguration was chaired by Moulay Hafid Elalamy, Morocco’s minister of industry, trade, green and digital economy, who welcomed the latest expansion. “This new investment in Morocco of the industrial leader Nexans, in line with the European strategy of rationalization of the supply chain, demonstrates the competitiveness of Morocco and the resilience of the national industrial sector in this context of crisis.”

“This investment enables us to pursue our development strategy in this high-growth region and to have a stronger local presence in the North West African market,” said Julien Hueber, executive vice president of Nexans’ Industry Solutions & Projects Business Group.

Japan’s NEC Corporation has signed a contract with the National Submarine Cable Utility Belau Submarine Cable Corporation (BSCC) of the Palau Republic (Palau) for the Palau Cable 2 (PC2) cable construction project.

A press release said that PC2, with a total length of approximately 110 km, will connect Palau with the Southeast Asia–United States (SEA–US) cable that connects Southeast Asia and the U.S. mainland. BSCC, a state-owned public corporation, owns and manages a submarine fiber optic cable network for Palau. This cable is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2022.

PC2 adopts the latest optical wavelength multiplexing transmission system of 100 gigabits per second (100 Gbps). An addition to the first optical submarine cable laid by NEC in Palau in 2017, it ensures the redundancy of Palau’s network, reliable communications and the increasing demands for communications.

The Republic of Palau consists of eight principal islands and more than 250 smaller ones lying roughly 500 miles southeast of the Philippines, in Oceania. The islands of Palau constitute the westernmost part of the Caroline Islands chain. Its total land area is 177 sq mi.

Per a report in Total Telecom, in 2017, NEC began construction of three submarine cables in Micronesia, to connect the islands of Palau, Yap, and Chuuk with the SEA–US cable. NEC notes that its OCC Corporation subsidiary makes submarine optical cables able to withstand water pressure 8,000 meters beneath the sea.

On Dec. 3, the Wire & Cable Manufacturers Alliance (WCMA), hosted its first Virtual Presentation and Annual Meeting, with the below wrapup provided by Executive Director Ed Fenton.

The event included a presentation by John Traynor, executive vice president and chief investment officer, Peoples Bank Wealth Management. A frequent WCMA speaker, he returned to cover key economic, political, and manufacturing topics that will impact the industry during 2021. That included expectations for business growth drivers and what to expect from Washington and from the private equity community. He confirmed what WCMA has reported during the Covid-19 crisis: manufacturing segments, other than the significantly impacted oil/gas and commercial aerospace industries, will finish the year somewhat better than expected. That should be followed by a healthy recovery over the next year, or two, assuming vaccines are in place and effective.

Two individual management presentations were also made. “Cycles in Metal Market Prices,” by John Gross, JE Gross Consulting/The Copper Journal, and “Simplifying Supply Chains: More Important Now Than Ever,” by Mike Kelley, Kelley Productivity Partners. WCMA will schedule a specific follow up by Kelley during Q1 2021 for more details about his topic.

Participants who were able to take part in the virtual event considered the content valuable for their 2021 planning. WCMA has lost revenue dues to events not being able to be held, but dues from members has made it possible for the organization to continue to send charity donations to Toys for Tots and UCONN Health Center Cancer research, as well as scholarship donations to WAI’s Wire Foundation, IWCS and the Copper Club.

WCMA welcomed four new members: Encore Wire, Electrolock, Trans Cable Internatoional, and Quantum Design. The WCMA’s board of directors also approved an extension of Director and Officer terms through 2021 because of the pandemic.

Finally, WCMA is still hoping to be able to hold its Distinguished Career Awards dinner on April 17, and its Annual Golf Outing and Fundraiser (date TBD). Visit www.wcmainc.org, where details will be provided as soon as they become available.