Madison, Connecticut, USA  4/14/2022 - The conference and exhibits open at the Hyatt Regency Dallas, Dallas, Texas, USA, June 7-8, 2022. WAI’s popular Fundamentals of Wire Manufacturing Course precedes the activities on June 6, which is the first in-person offering of the program in two years.

 The exhibit includes a full complement of products and supplies from 125 participating companies. A tour to Encore Wire plant in McKinney, Texas, is planned on June 8 when the manufacturer of copper and aluminum residential, commercial, and industrial building wire hosts Wire Expo guests.

 Describing the event in the April issue of Wire Journal International, WAI 2022 President James York wrote: "We believe that there is great value in being together “in person.” This is the reason WAI was formed in 1930, and why we continue to take time to gather even with our demanding schedules. …The program elements were assembled by the Board {of Directors} to address today’s evolving challenges. These include the supply chain, workforce and continuous improvement of manufacturing. The theme ‘Rising to the Challenges’ speaks to the intestinal fortitude of the members of our industry.”

 Keynote Speakers:

 Tuesday, June 7 - “The new normal in raw material procurement for the wire and cable industry”
Keynote speaker Brian Schulties, the Chief Procurement Officer for Prysmian Group North America, will share his insights into the opportunities and challenges facing supply chain in the wire and cable industry in this era of tight supplies.

 Wednesday, June 8 - “Leadership in a volatile world”
Keynote speaker Ty Garrison, Senior Vice President of Operations, at Commercial Metals Company, will discuss how the last few years have strained businesses across the globe as Covid forced companies to deal with events like virtual work, burn out, unprecedented supply chain disruptions and volatile markets. The need to successfully navigate these situations puts immense pressure on leadership at every level of an organization. When we shift our mindset and view the pressures of leading a team as a privilege rather than a burden, leaders rise to the occasion and companies thrive.  

 Added Highlights:

Overall, 32 subject matter experts address the following and related topics:

“Partner-centered business: Encore’s long-term approach,” by Kevin Heffernan, Encore Wire Co.
“Today’s hourly workforce,” by Chuck McLendon, Southwire Co.                                                         
“Improving hiring practices to stand out in today’s challenging job market,” by Pati Kelly, Egret Consulting Group
“Opportunities for the wire and cable market in a post-pandemic world," by Michael Finch, CRU International

Advance registration savings are in effect through June 1, 2022.  The rates for WAI members and New WAI members are $75, and $140, respectively; the non-WAI member rate is $175. Onsite rates apply after June 1.                                                                                                                                                                            
The full program details, and registration information can be accessed at the event website: www.wireexpo22.com

WAI has the generous support of the following sponsors:

Platinum: Carris Reels Inc.; Encore Wire; Gem Gravure Co. Inc.; James Monroe Wire & Cable Corp., Prysmian Group; SDI LaFarga Inc.; Southwire Co.; and Wire & Plastic Machinery Corp; Gold: Insteel Industries Inc.; and Lloyd & Bouvier Inc.; Silver: Niehoff Endex; and Sikora International Corp.; Bronze: Baum’s Castorine; Fort Wayne Wire Die; NDC Technologies; Precision Payoff Systems; RichardsApex Inc.; and Sonoco Reels & Spools.

The Wire and Cable Industry Suppliers Association (WCISA) is an industry partner with WAI.

About the Organizer:
WAI, founded in 1930, is a not-for-profit association with nearly 2,000 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 the WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo and publishes the Wire Journal International and the Wire Journal International Reference Guide.

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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.: +1-203-453-2777 x. 117; Steven J. Fetteroll, Executive Director, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Tel.: +1-203-453-1777.

4/4/2022 -  Sequel Wire & Cable has named Todd Eagan as sales manager. He most recently had worked for two years for Lake Copper Conductors, and prior to that held key sales and manager roles at SDI LaFarga, Manner Plastics and PVC Compounders. He was lauded for the scope of his industry experience gained over his 30-plus year career, that saw him master the interrelation of purchasing, manufacturing and selling the raw materials necessary to make insulated wire. Based in Argos, Indiana, Sequel Wire & Cable manufacturers copper-fabricated and insulated wire and cable products for use in a variety of markets. 

Mark Gatewood has joined Service Wire as director - business development, a new position. He has 15 years of various business development and operational leadership experience. He holds an MBA from Marshall University and a degree in marketing from West Virginia University. Kerith Richards was named a regional sales manager, responsible for commercial and industrial sales in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and New York. She will continue to serve in that role for Canadian provinces. She has more than 10 years of experience, including seven years at Service Wire. Emily Wotring has been promoted to inside sales representative. She will serve the Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island markets, as well as customers in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia. She joined the company a year ago as a customer service representative. Based in Culloden, West Virginia, Service Wire is a second-generation, family-owned wire and cable manufacturer.

Metalube Ltd. has appointed Steve Hart as finance director, with duties that will also include commercial management responsibilities at the company’s Irlam manufacturing site. He has 14 years of experience in financial control, financial and management reporting along with providing commercial support. Based in Manchester, U.K., Metalube is part of the Bishopdale Group, a private holding company for a group of industrial lubricants brands (Metalube, Molyslip and UOP) that exports 95% of its lubrication production to more than 90 countries.

Daniel Choi has been named CEO of Essex Furukawa Magnet Wire as well as CEO of parent company Superior Essex Inc. and its subsidiaries. He has decades of experience, having been associated with LS Cable and System, the parent company of Superior Essex Inc., since 1999, when he was general manager. He most recently served as regional president, North and South Americas, for LS Cable and System, and prior to that was president, LS Cable and System USA for MV and LV Power Cable Systems. He has long been associated with Superior Essex, including serving as president, Cyprus Investments from 2008–2014, and as the SVP, PMO Europe and China in 2015. He holds a PhD in Material Science Engineering from Seoul National University and MBA from Helsinki Business School. He replaces Brian Kim, who led the Superior Essex and recent Essex Furukawa teams for nearly seven years. His legacy includes launching the strategic Essex Furukawa Magnet Wire joint venture. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Essex Furukawa Magnet Wire LLC is a global provider of magnet wire.

Don Neville has been named chairman of the International Wire and Machinery Association (IWMA). He is the managing director of RichardsApex Europe Ltd., the U.K. subsidiary of RichardsApex Inc., in the USA. The U.S. native has been in the wire and cable industry since 1990. He succeeds Martin van der Zwan, who has extended his term due to the pandemic. Based in the U.K., IWMA is the world’s largest and most influential corporate association for the wire and cable industries.

4/3/2022 - Earlier this year, LS Group’s cable manufacturing unit, LS Cable & System (LSCS), officially opened its new power cable plant in Indonesia, a joint venture.

A press release said that the new plant, called LSAGI, is a joint venture between LSCS and Artha Graha Network, Indonesia’s 10th-largest conglomerate. The Korean firm owns a 75% stake in the entity.

The plant, located on a 64,000-square-meter site in the Artha Industrial Complex near Jakarta, will mainly produce overhead wires for power transmission and distribution and low-voltage cables for buildings and plants.

LSCS said it aims to expand its presence in the Southeast Asian country by taking advantage of its local partnership business experience and sales networks ranging from banks to hotels. “In the cable industry, each country is strengthening policies to protect its own companies,” an LS official said. “We will pursue different strategies for different markets to better meet the local demands.”

The firm also expected a quick recovery of the pandemic-hit cable market, citing Indonesia’s planned relocation of its capital from Jakarta to a jungled area of Kalimantan on Borneo island, which involves a $32 billion mega development project. LSCS now operates a total of 12 production facilities around the world, including in the U.S., Poland, Vietnam and China.

4/3/2022 - Egypt and Greece have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to partner further growth of their cable infrastructure.

Per multiple media reports, Telecom Egypt, Egypt’s first integrated telecom operator and one of the leading subsea cables operators in the region, and GRID Telecom, subsidiary of the Independent Power Transmission Operator (IPTO) in Greece, will seek future directions.

The MoU does not spell out a finalized submarine cable system plan, although Egypt plans to spend $60 million to put a fiber-optic cable under the Mediterranean Sea to Greece for data transmission. Egyptian Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat said that technical studies will help determine the most feasible route for the project. He said that Egypt’s strategic location allows it to play a vital role in transferring data from the Middle East to Europe, and a key would be more service paths.

“Egypt and Greece have deep rooted economic, political, and cultural ties, which have united the two countries for over thousands of years given that they are among the oldest civilizations known to humanity,” Talaat said. “The MoU signed between the two companies will contribute to strengthening bilateral cooperation in the field of communications and information technology by maximizing data traffic that crosses the Mediterranean Sea, through Egypt and Greece.”

The strategic agreement allows for exploration of different connectivity options between Greece and Egypt, as well as the optimal use of Telecom Egypt’s and Grid Telecom’s networks and international reach, through their existing and future interconnectivity to neighboring countries.

Telecom Egypt’s international network extends to over 140 landing points in more than 60 countries, while Grid Telecom’s domestic fiber optic network exceeds 4,000 km.

Of note, Egypt’s distinct geographic location makes it a regional data hub, as it transfers traffic to Asia, Africa, and Europe through more than 13 submarine cables, which are scheduled to increase to 18 cables within three years.

“IPTO’s agreement to work with one of the world’s leading subsea cables operators further advances our international growth strategy and can actively contribute to Greece’s emergence as a key telecommunication hub in the broader Mediterranean region,” said IPTO Chairman and CEO Manos Manousakis.