Madison, Connecticut, USA – January 2, 2024 – The Wire Association International (WAI), Inc. announces the appointment of Daniel Blais as the 71st president of the association for a one-year term that commenced on January 1, 2024. Blais will chair the Board of Directors of the 94-year-old association, which is headquartered in Madison, Connecticut, USA.

Blais is North America Engineering and Canada Manufacturing Utilities vice president for Prysmian Group, where he has worked since 1987. He is based at the company’s headquarters in Highland Heights, Kentucky, and is responsible for the engineering across the North America manufacturting sites as well as leading the activities of the four Canadian manufacturing facilities. He has held several operational leadership positions of growing responsibilities across the Prysmian North American footprint.

A WAI member since 2011, Blais joined the Board of Directors in 2018 and the Executive Committee in 2019. He was the co-chair of the 2022 Conference Programming Committee, and previously he was a member of the Interwire Industry 4.0 Task Force and the Finance Committee. He holds a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Sherbrooke University, Quebec, Canada.

Commenting on this new appointment, Blais said, “The WAI continues to be the place where members and industry professionals come to find the latest information and educational material related to wire and cable. I look forward to leading the association on a journey to continuously improve its offerings to better support the needs of our members and industry professionals.”

The Wire Association International, Inc. is governed by a network of volunteers from around the globe. Joining Blais for the 2024 term are members of the association’s 2024 Executive Committee: First Vice President Eric Bieberich, Fort Wayne Wire Die; Second Vice President David Fisher, James Monroe Wire & Cable Corp.; Rebecca Cranford, Southwire Co.; and Immediate Past President Kurt F. Breischaft, SDI La Farga COPPERWORKS.

Prysmian Group is a world leader in the energy and telecom cable systems industry. With almost 150 years of experience, sales of around €16 billion, about 30,000 employees in over 50 countries and 108 plants,the Group is strongly positioned in high-tech markets and offers the widest possible range of products, services, technologies and know-how..

WAI, founded in 1930, is a not-for-profit association with more than 2000 individual members in 50 countries. The association serves the educational needs of the wire and cable manufacturing industry through a variety of products and services. WAI manages the Interwire Trade Exhibition and Wire Expo and publishes the Wire Journal International and the Wire Journal International Reference Guide.

Media Contacts: Janice E. Swindells, Director Marketing & Corporate Communications, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Tel.: 001-203-453-2777, x. 117; Steven J. Fetteroll, Executive Director, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Tel.: 001-203-453-1777.

The Wire Association International produced the 2023 International Technical Conference on Nov. 13-14 at the Crowne Plaza in Monterrey, Mexico.

The event attracted 208 participants that represented 70 different organizations. The two-day conference, which included 17 sessions, received strong reviews from all involved, especially for those representing the nonferrous and electrical sectors. The educational content extended into the Suppliers Market that included 33 companies and ran concurrently with sessions.

“It was a good show. The presentations were first class and understandable for all levels, also the table tops with technical people were good,” said Conference Committee Chairman Antonio Ayala. “The dinner on Monday night was perfect. The food was good, the music was good, and all there enjoyed it. The visit to the plant the next day was also very good. In general, the conference was a success for everybody who took part.”

This is the sixth time that the Association has held this event in Mexico and the fourth in Monterrey (2008, 2010, 2016). All of the Monterrey events have been held at the Crowne Plaza, which is convenient for the local attendees and well suited to accommodate the networking and program elements.

The opening session was a panel session that was moderated by WAI president Kurt Breischaft of SDI LaFarga COPPERWORKS and included Felipe Martinez of Kobrex, Wesley Rios of Viakable and Andres Guerra Siller of DeAcero. The attendees heard a range of perspectives on critical factors effecting the industry including nearshoring, geopolitics, AI, environmental responsibility and market conditions. These themes identified by the panel were reinforced in the sessions that followed.

Presentations were made by representatives from Borealis, Condumex, CTC Global, Enkotec, innovAction Srl, Niehoff Endex North America, Química Iberoamericana, Rosendahl Nextrom, Paramount Die Company, Schneider Electric, SDI LaFarga COPPERWORKS, SKET, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Troester and Viakable.
Nearly all of the attendees participated in the reception and dinner on Monday night. It was well placed in the Suppliers’ Market room that was open Monday and Tuesday, giving everyone a chance to visit and learn more about the new and developing manufacturing solutions that are available. The reception featured a five-piece Mexican band that received great reviews and had many attendees singing along, while the last part of the conference—sold-out tours of a Viakable plant on Wednesday—was hailed for being informative and very well run.

WAI’s Steve Fetteroll recognized the key role that Viakable’s Raúl Garcia played in producing the event with the support of his small yet capable committee that included WAI Past President Antonio Ayala and Eurgenio Urbina of Troester. “Garcia’s understanding of the key issues and his extensive contacts were key factors in the success of the event.”
Tabletop companies include: Balloffet Die Corporation; Calmec Precision Limited; Cemanco LC; Esteves Group; Fine International Corporation; Fort Wayne Wire Die; Interequip SA de CV; Kobrex; LaserLinc; Lubrimetal; Madem Carretes de Mexico, S de RL de CV; Marex; Mathiasen Machinery, Inc.; Metalube Ltd.; Mikrotek Machines Limited; and Niehoff Endex North America Inc.

Also, Nordson BETA LaserMike; Paramount Die Mexico; Pan Chemicals Americas; Proton Products LATAM; Quaker Houghton; Química Iberoamericana (Blachford distributor); Rainbow Rubber and Plastic; RichardsApex Inc.; SKET; Rosendahl Nextrom GmbH; Roteq Machinery; Taymer International Inc.; Thermoplastics Engineering Corp.; WAI/Wire Journal International; Troester GmbH & Co. KG.; WiTechs B.V.; and Zumbach Electronics Corp.

Wire Expo 2024: why attend?
As of press time, some two months after the Points Meeting for Wire Expo, nearly 70% of the floor space has been reserved. Of note, 10% of the exhibitors are new to Wire Expo. Below, WAI Sales Director Shannon Timme shares thoughts on why attending Wire Expo makes sense.

A lack of resources is a harsh reality for some manufacturers in the industry that want to send staff to industry events but have to evaluate which ones to pick from the oversaturated tradeshow landscape. I believe that Wire Expo should remain on top of the list because it is too important to miss.

The history of Wire Expo spans more than three decades and the event attracts overseas interest, draws new exhibitors, and hosts face-to-face deal making with company leaders and decision makers. Wire Expo offers a tradeshow floor packed with suppliers who represent nearly every sector that services the wire and cable industry. But just as importantly, WAI’s history of delivering exceptional educational programs to attendees continues to confirm the value of the event.

I saw that firsthand at the recent staging of WAI & ACIMAF conference in Italy. I sat in on presentations by many exceptional industry executives and researchers. I was impressed by how solid those programs were. I heard attendees talking about topics in breaks, at lunch and at dinner. That part of the experience has always existed at Wire Expo and Interwire.

Sending key employees to Wire Expo to hear about concepts and trends which educate, inspire, and motivate while providing them the opportunity to walk the show floor and network and interact directly is valuable and makes Wire Expo 2024 a superb two-fold investment.

The deadline is getting closer for sending in a nomination for WAI’s 2024 Wire Link Traveling Scholarship, a program that sends a wire professional to Europe where he or she can see how different companies operate as well as attend the wire Düsseldorf show in Germany in April 15-19, 2024. Applications need to be received by Jan. 1.

The Association is looking for ambitious wire professionals who have been employed for at least two years in the wire and cable (or related) industries, including manufacturers and suppliers. The program alternates between a U.S. representative going to Europe, and a U.K. representative going to the U.S. through the program’s co-sponsor, the Worshipful Company of Tin Plate Workers alias Wire Workers of England.

The scholarship will be awarded to the candidate who best demonstrates to the judges how the award will help him or her grow professionally, gain a broadened knowledge of the industry and share those benefits with his or her company. All expenses will be met by the sponsors during the trip to the U.K. and Germany. The only employer cost is the employee’s time, and travel to and from the departure airport.

There is a list of requirements to be a candidate, the key ones being that the applicant must have been employed full-time in the wire and cable industry for at least two years at the time of travel; be a WAI member in good standing at the time of application and travel; be available for an interview; be able to travel to England and wire Düsseldorf for two weeks that same spring; be employed by his/her nominating company at the time of travel; and have a signed letter of recommendation from an appropriate company official.

Submissions/questions can be sent to the WAI’s Wire Foundation via wirenet.org. Questions can also be sent by applicants and employers to WAI Member Services Manager Corey Flynn at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..