5/7/2021: Kinderhook Industries, LLC (Kinderhook) announced that it has acquired Cameron Wire & Cable, Inc., a leading distributor of commercial and industrial wire, cable and related accessories.
A press release said that Robert Cameron, who founded the company and served as president, will continue his involvement and be on the board of directors. Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, Cameron Wire & Cable supplies Cameron-branded copper, aluminum and specialty wire and cable products that are sold to the renewable energy, building wire, industrial and utility end markets. It also provides value-added services that include paralleling, cutting, kitting, harness assembly and development of custom engineered products for unique applications. It serves its customers out of a strategic footprint of distribution centers spanning the continental U.S.
The release did not cite the sales price, but Kinderhook Managing Director Paul Cifelli said that Cameron is “retaining a significant minority stake.” Kinderhook will add two of its operating partners—Ed Flynn, former CEO of International Wire Group, and Craig York, CEO of Kinderhook portfolio company, Copperweld—to Cameron Wire & Cable’s management and board of directors. The two men, who have more than 40 years of collective experience in the wire and cable industry, will provide operational and strategic expertise in support of Kinderhook and management.
Partnering with Kinderhook will allow us to accelerate our growth plan in Cameron’s core and adjacent industry verticals, said Robert Cameron. “In particular, I’m very excited to pursue complementary add-on acquisitions that will help continue to grow our franchise and value-added capabilities.”
“Robert Cameron has successfully led the company to a position of industry leadership in just over a decade, and we look forward to working with him on expanding the Company’s products, services and end markets,” Cifelli said. “Cameron Wire & Cable is a valuable addition to Kinderhook’s rapidly growing wire and cable franchise, and we are excited to help facilitate the acceleration of the company’s already impressive growth.”
Founded in 2003, Kinderhook Industries, LLC, is a private investment firm that manages over $3.3 billion of committed capital. In 2019 it acquired the Copperweld Group, Inc., which last November acquired Copperhead Industries, a Minnesota-based provider of specialty tracer wire products and related equipment.
Industry News
5/7/2021: NKT reports that it has been awarded a long-term frame agreement with French Transmission System Operator, Réseau de Transport d’Electricité (RTE) to supply it high-voltage power cables.
A press release said that the agreement builds upon a decade of successful collaboration between NKT and RTE. “This new frame contract is a testament to NKT’s presence in France and a confirmation of the mutually rewarding business relationship between NKT and RTE.”
NKT will supply 25 kV high-voltage AC XLPE underground power cable systems, and install accessories such as joints and terminations. The contract covers from 2021 through 2023, with an option for one additional year, as RTE furthers its goal to renew and modernize the transmission power grid in France to support energy transition.
“We are fully committed to accelerate the sustainability journey as we are the first major power cable manufacturer to commit to the Science Based Target initiative and to become a net-zero emissions company supporting RTE in their ambition of making ‘the Greener Choice,’” said NKT President and CEO Alexander Kara.
NKT is currently supporting RTE by executing a 225 kV high-voltage retrofitting power cable project in Marseille, where old cables installed in steel pipes are being replaced with new armored extruded XLPE type cables. The power cables for both the retrofitting project and the new frame agreement are to be made at NKT’s factory in Cologne, Germany, which runs on 100% green electricity.
5/7/2021: Italy’s Elettrotek Kabel SpA (EK) announced that it has completed the acquisition of Associated Wire Products (AWP), a Canadian leader in automation cables.
Founded in 1987 with headquarters in Burlington, Ontario (Canada), AWP is specialized in providing special cables for the industries. Elettrotek Kabel Group thus continues its growth in strategic sectors such as the industrial automation. The acquisition of AWP allows the expansion of EK’s presence in these markets by providing customers with excellent technical and commercial support.
Announcing the acquisition, EK President and CEO Roberto Gallingani explained, “The addition of AWP to our group represents an excellent value-add for Elettrotek Kabel Group’s Cables Automation division in the Canadian markets. We believe this is a strategic acquisition that will also allow AWP to continue expanding its capabilities while benefiting from the technical expertise and global footprint of Elettrotek Kabel Group.”
“Elettrotek Kabel established another important milestone,” said Nicola Malaguti, president and CEO of Elettrotek Kabel North America Inc. “We are confident that with this acquisition our presence in North America will continue to grow. AWP perfectly fits with the group, embracing the same business model and goals. This investment is essential to support Canadian customers and it confirms that Elettrotek is a leader in the cable industry.”
Founded in 2001, Elettrotek Kabel is a leading company in the design, manufacture and supply of special electrical cables used in harsh environments with a high cost of failure. It is one of the first companies in the world to manufacture and distribute special cables for the industrial automation, steel, mining, port and crane, marine and oil industries. The rapid expansion of the group has been possible thanks to the competence of the management team and their constant attention to the exclusive use of the highest quality products.
Founded in 1987, AWP is a Canadian leader in automation cables, with the main objective of meeting the customer’s needs by offering technical solutions and excellent service. AWP has never stopped listening to the needs of the market for over 30 years, and today is recognized for the highest guarantee of quality and reliability.
5/7/2021: OmniCable has agreed to buy Houston Wire & Cable Co. (HWCC) in a $91 million deal that would combine their complementary businesses, products and footprint to create a national leader in the redistribution field.
A press release said that the deal was approved by HWCC’s board of directors, and is expected to get approval at a May 25 meeting of HWCC shareholders. The publicly traded company would then become a private entity of Omni Cable.
The deal “will maximize OmniCable’s and HWCC’s highly complementary operations,” the release said. The combined company will also continue HWCC’s fastener redistribution business. Following the close of the transaction, each company will retain its own brands and its existing locations. “Our shared central focus on redistribution, logistical expertise, and unyielding pursuit of perfection for our business partners will drive both businesses to enhance the value that we bring to the marketplace,” said Jeff Siegfried, OmniCable founder and vice chairman.
HWCC, founded 45 years ago, is a large industrial distributor of wire and cable and fastener products in the U.S. market. Based in Houston, Texas, it has sales and distribution facilities strategically located throughout the U.S. OmniCable, a subsidiary of Dot Holdings Co., has 14 regional distribution centers to serve and support electrical distributors nationwide.
4/6/2021: Rosendahl Nextrom reports that it has completed the extension at its site in Pischelsdorf, Austria, which has seen the addition of some 3,000 sq m over two levels.
A press release said that the newly created space was for the mechanical assembly, steel construction and warehouse departments. This warehouse was also partially built with a basement, resulting in a storage height of a good 16 m. The focus was on making work processes and daily work even more efficient. For example, automated parallel vertical storage systems were installed so orders could be processed even faster and more efficiently. Furthermore, the production processes have also been automated and thus improved.
“All in all, a very functional hall is now available,” the release said. The infrastructure design makes the hall future-proof and flexible. “Of course, good building physics is also important in order to be able to operate the hall economically in the future.
4/6/2021: Germany’s Leoni Group announced that it has sold Leoni Studer AG, part of the company’s Wire & Cable Solutions (WCS) division, to a consortium of buyers led by former Board member Bruno Fankhauser and Helvetica Capital.
A press release said that the sale was an important step towards focusing the Group on wiring systems business. The deal saw the Board of Directors and the Supervisory Board sell Leoni Schweiz AG, which is the holding company of Leoni Studer AG, a specialist in high-quality cables and wires for complex applications in the industrial and infrastructure sectors. Both sides signed a corresponding agreement after several months of negotiation. The transaction is expected to be completed before the end of the first quarter of 2021.
Leoni announced that the company will sell the units of the Wire & Cable Solutions (WCS) division to focus on the wiring systems business. In the past financial year, Leoni laid the foundation for the reorganization of WCS into units to be sold. Leoni Schweiz AG is now the first unit being sold.
“The sale of Leoni Schweiz AG shows that besides the sequential improvement of our operating performance, we are also making progress in focusing on the wiring systems business,” said Leoni AG CEO Aldo Kamper. “The market environment for transactions appears to be steadily improving, and we received tangible indications of interest for further WCS units. We will sell further units if we achieve fair value and if buyers present a viable concept.”
The buyer consortium’s business concept for Leoni Schweiz AG envisions that the company will realize its full potential quickly and flexibly on an independent and stand-alone basis. The business will be further developed in the field of special and safety cables, halogen-free, flame-resistant plastics as well as irradiation cross-linking and sterilization.
As a long-standing member of the management of Studer AG and Leoni Schweiz AG, Bruno Fankhauser has been familiar with the business and the market for over 20 years and will contribute this expertise to the further development of the company as the future CEO of the independent Studer Cables. “We intend to further expand Leoni Studer’s leading position and its core technical competencies,” said Fankhauser. “With this step we are also providing stability and continuity for our employees and business partners.”
4/6/2021: The Prysmian Group will supply 770 km of submarine telecom cables for the Norte Conectado project—awarded by RNP, Rede Nacional de Ensino e Pesquisa, a Brazilian Internet provider—that will connect the city of Macapá to Santarém and Alenquer, which are located in the north of the Amazon region.
A press release said that Prysmian will provide its widely used MINISUB of repeaterless, optic submarine cables. They have a high fiber count that will be deployed in four separated links, enabling a reliable flow of data traffic to 9.2 million households. The project will enable connectivity cross 59 municipalities in northern Brazil, and makes it possible to extend it to other Amazonian countries. The cables will be produced at Prysmian’s plant in Nordenham, Germany, and delivered in the second half of 2021.
“We are honored to contribute to this valuable project and support sustainable development by improving the data connectivity for the local communities and public institutions,” said Prysmian Group Submarine Telecom BU Director Ashutosh Bhargavas. “Prysmian has been operating in Brazil for more than 90 years and is in the unique position to serve its customers directly from there.”
4/6/2021: The Metalworks business of HS Manufacturing, LLC (HS Metalworks), a wholly owned subsidiary of Hickory Springs Manufacturing Company (HSM), has formed a strategic alliance with wire manufacturer OPEX Steel Processing LLC (OPEX) to manufacture induction-tempered spring wire for HS Metalworks at its Bedford Heights, Ohio, facility.
A press release said that along with expanding HS Metalworks’ capacity, the strategic alliance enables the company to better serve its spring-wire customers based in the Midwest. “This new strategic alliance provides us with additional capacity, as well as a major geographical advantage, that will support our customers’ growing demand for this product,” said HS Metalworks President Tim Becker. “It also cements our position as one of the largest producers of induction-tempered spring wire in North America, at a time when there is a real shortage in supply due to the recent spike in demand for home furnishings, products used for housing upgrades and automotive products as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Becker noted that the alliance gives HS Metalworks a “triangle” of manufacturing facilities for spring wire. HS Metalworks also manufactures this product at its facilities in Conover, North Carolina, and Phoenix, Arizona. Production and shipments from the Bedford Heights factory began in late February.
HS Metalworks will be OPEX’s sole and exclusive customer for induction-tempered spring wire, which is used to manufacture overhead springs for garage doors and has applications in the furniture, automotive, agricultural and construction industries in products which require springs that have a large load-bearing capacity.
OPEX is a business formed using some of the wire making assets formerly owned and operated by American Spring Wire Corp. “We are very excited to expand our production capabilities and further service our customers through this strategic alliance,” Becker said. “The OPEX team, from the executive level to the production floor, is one of the most highly respected wire manufacturers in the industry. Dedicated to manufacturing high-quality products with an emphasis on customer service, this collaboration aligns well with both of our companies’ core values and we look forward to continued growth together.”
“I am very pleased to have joined forces with HS Metalworks and to put our wire making assets, and our people, back to work.” said Tim Selhorst, CEO of OPEX. “Demand for induction-tempered spring wire has grown dramatically, and to be part of this alliance is a terrific opportunity for OPEX Steel Processing and, we believe, HS Metalworks.”
4/6/2021: Southwire Canada is proud to announce that it recently became a Great Place to Work® (GPTW) Certified™ organization, showcasing the company’s commitment to its employees, communities and other stakeholders.
“This certification is a great recognition of our employees and our culture,” said Tim King, Southwire’s president in Canada. “It reflects our core beliefs of Southwire’s founder, Roy Richards Sr., who regarded Southwire’s people as our most important and influential asset and, after more than seventy years of successful business, this still remains true.”
GPTW is the world’s leading research and consulting firm dedicated to helping organizations assess and develop their workplaces, cultures and employee engagement. According to GPTW, trust is the main ingredient in building a great place to work for all. Establishing a foundation of trust in the workplace culture is the smartest investment one can make for their organization. The Great Place to Work® Trust Model©, which was a key factor in achieving this certification, outlines the definition of a great workplace, and trust in leadership is at the core.
The Trust Index©, based on the Great Place to Work® Trust Model©, measures the levels of trust in the workplace by focusing on five key dimensions: Credibility, Respect, Fairness, Pride and Camaraderie. GPTW uses this to define a great workplace as one where employees trust the people they work for, have pride in the work they do and enjoy the people with whom they work.
The survey used by this index is the most widely used survey of its kind in the world and is used annually by more than 8,000 organizations employing approximately 12 million employees worldwide. It is a cornerstone of the world’s most respected ongoing study of workplace excellence, leadership and the role of trust and employee relationships in creating great workplaces, cultures and engagement. Great Place to Work® recognizes leading workplaces in 55 countries on six continents through its Best Workplaces lists, which are published annually in prestigious national media outlets, such as the Globe & Mail, FORTUNE Magazine and more. 84% of Southwire employees in Canada participated in this survey, which was open for two weeks, and the organization surpassed the certification threshold by 8%.
“Southwire is an equal opportunity employer, who really cares and invests in its people,” said Maria Sial, Southwire Canada’s manager of communications & digital strategy. “Our company truly understands that people in an organization are important, and fosters a culture where people can learn, grow and develop further. Receiving this certification sets Southwire apart and allows us to benchmark ourselves against the Best Workplaces in the world.”
Southwire has always believed that its employees are The People Behind the Power™. Achieving the Great Place to Work® certification reaffirms this belief, as Southwire achieved this certification based on its employees’ feedback and survey responses. This is a direct reflection of Southwire’s core tenets of Growing Green, Living Well, Giving Back, Doing Right and Building Worth.
To learn more about Southwire’s commitment to sustainability, visit www.southwire.com/sustainability.
4/6/2021: The International Wire and Machinery Association (IWMA), citing its mission to “Connect Expertise Globally,” will hold its first-ever virtual, one day-event from 10 am to 4 pm (BST) on Thursday, April 22.
IWMA reported that it has been working in recent months “with a tried and trusted virtual event platform to bring our members together.” The event, free to IWMA members/£25 per person nonmembers, will provide “real opportunity for networking, building connections, industry insight and more.”
The event will include guest speakers from the CRU Group, Messe Düsseldorf GmbH and Ducab. The Sponsored Speaker Sessions will allow a company to pre-record its own talk or presentation to feature on the virtual event platform for £400. The forum will allow participants “to present their latest company news, products or technology right in front of (attendees) whilst also providing them with the opportunity to network and gain industry insight from our guest speakers.”
All content on the virtual event platform will be available after the event to delegates and can be re-watched at any time. Pre-recorded videos/presentations will be required by Monday, April 19, supplied as an MP4 self-recorded video or zoom video. A limited number of slots are available, and will be scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. To access the booking form to secure a slot, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For more details, go to www.iwma.org.
4/5/2021: South Korea’s LS Cable & System (LC&S) announced that it will be the sole supplier of magnet wire for the drive motors (enamel wire) of the Hyundai IONIQ 5 and Kia EV6 electric vehicles.
A press release said that LC&S is the first South Korean company to mass-produce magnet wires that can be used at 800 V. Sales are estimated to reach more than KRW200 billion within 6 years. It noted that the company succeeded in using a high-performance insulation material to develop a high-voltage magnet wire with improved efficiency.
As the charging speed competition is intensifying in the electric vehicle industry, development of high-voltage parts supporting this is becoming more important. “We expect that this supply will provide us with an opportunity to preempt the high-voltage electric vehicle wire market, which is still in its early stage,” the release said.
LC&S projects that global demand for environmentally friendly automotive magnet wire market will grow more than six-fold by 2025. It is responding by reinforcing its marketing efforts and increasing investments with regard to global automakers. “The drive motor and the battery are important enough to be called the two hearts of an electric vehicle,” said LC&S President & CEO Myung Roe-Hyun. “We are certain that the wires and parts business, which serves as the blood vessels of the heart, will also grow rapidly, so we are fostering them as new growth engines.”
Since 2016, LC&S has been supplying GM with the magnet wire (400V) for the drive motors of the Chevrolet Bolt EV. It is also discussing development of HV magnet wires that will be used by all EVs produced by GM.
4/5/2021: Radio Frequency Systems (RFS), a global designer and manufacturer of wireless and broadcast infrastructure, announced that it has made “a seven-figure investment” at its manufacturing facility in Meriden, Connecticut.
A press release said that the investment was made to support growing demand for its HYBRIFLEX riser and jumper cables for 4G, 5G products, and beyond. RFS invested in the latest state-of-the-art cable manufacturing equipment that will enable the company “to significantly increase production capability, flexibility, and capacity to meet customer demand.” A company spokesperson said that the new equipment is not replacing existing production.
The investment will help RFS react even more swiftly to requests for new designs and prototypes. “This has reduced new product development lead time by an average of 25%, while doubling production capacity for bulk cables.”
“The recent pandemic has emphasized just how reliant the U.S., and the rest of the world is on telecommunication,” said Matt Gauvin, global product line manager optical fiber and power solutions for RFS. “As a result of this realization, combined with the development of next generation mobile services, we anticipate a huge surge in demand.”
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