9/8/21 – Companies can now either enter or update their company profiles for the 2022 edition of the Wire Journal International Reference Guide and WAI’s online Industry Search.
The new and updated entries, free, will be accepted until Nov. 30, 2021, for the printed publication. An instructional video on submitting a free listing is at
wirenet.org: (www.wirenet.org/industry-search-instructional-video)
9/8/21 -
It is with deepest regret that we announce the passing of Ali Shehab, president of Cimteq, on Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, following a battle with cancer.
Ali was a well-known and much-respected individual within the wire and cable industry, and we are certain that his friends and colleagues from across the industry will join the Cimteq family in mourning his loss and extending heartfelt sympathies to Ali's wife Amanda and his wider family. Ali founded Cimteq in 1998 and helped some of the world’s largest wire and cable manufacturers through his dedication, expert knowledge and desire to make a difference in the industry. Ali’s fascination with electricity and his passion for innovation was evident throughout his career. Alongside Amanda, Ali drove Cimteq forward, developing a business that has become one of the industry’s leading suppliers.
Ali will be sorely missed. Those wishing to pay their respects are invited to email their thoughts to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. All messages will be warmly received and will be forwarded to Amanda. The family would prefer not to receive flowers but would rather a donation be made to RNLI (Royal National Lifeboad Institution) A JustGiving page has been set up in memory of Ali. https://www.justgiving.com/a-shehab
Albert “Al” Bavosi, a pioneer in the marking and coding field, died July 13 at age 78.
Bavosi was the co-founder and owner of Wachusett Marking Co., started in 1976, which was later sold to Gem Gravure in the early 2000s. The Massachusetts native was a Vietnam Veteran, having served in the U.S. Air Force as a crew chief stationed at Bien Hoa Air Base in South Vietnam. He returned home to West Boylston, and in 1976, he and his uncle Joe Bacchiocchi and brother Donny started Wachusett Marking Company. He was known for exceptional mechanical skills and strong work ethic in developing and manufacturing metal-marking wheels. Thirty-three years later, he sold the company to a big competitor, Gem Gravure, but even after the sale he continued to work for the company until he retired a few years ago. Gem Gravure Executive Vice President Paul Gemelli said that Bavosi “was a terrific guy with a strong work ethic, a great sense of humor, and an outgoing personality. ... My father (the late David Gemelli) and Al always had a very close relationship. In particular, my father always respected Al for starting and building up his own business, and like everyone he just enjoyed being around him.”
Bavosi is survived by his wife of 52 years, Kathleen Ann (Villnave) Bavosi; four children, Michele DeVillers, Amie Moore, Timothy Bavosi and Jennifer Cadwallader; a brother, Donald Bavosi; 11 grandchildren; and 13 nieces and nephews.
9/8/21 - Molly Hackman has been promoted to new business development manager for Minnesota Wire & Cable. She joined the company five years ago, and has held several different positions, most recently as executive assistant to the president. She holds a degree in communications disorders from the University of Minnesota. Based in St. Paul, Minnesota, Minnesota Wire & Cable specializes in manufacturing wire for sectors that include medical, defense, aerospace and industrial.
Cimteq has promoted James Concannon from technical account manager to commercial account manager, responsible for the company’s European and U.K. sales regions. He joined the company in 2018, and previously worked for Thomson Reuters for more than five years as a client services manager and as the client liaison team lead. He also worked for more than five years for Avox Limited. He holds a degree from Yale College Wrexham. Based in Wrexham, U.K., Cimteq supplies software and services designed to help wire and cable manufacturers optimize their processes.
David Galas was promoted to president of OMCG Inc. He joined the company in 2019 as national sales manager. Prior to OMCG, he served most recently as a regional sales manager for WAFIOS Machinery for five years. Before that, he was a U.S. business development manager for Numalliance North America. Other employers included Pro-Tech Machine Tool, Inc., Ellison Technology and PCC Airfoils, SMP. He holds a B.S. degree in applied science in manufacturing engineering from Miami University. Part of Italy’s OMCG Srl, and based in Bensenville, Illinois, USA, OMCG Inc. supplies wire, tube and strip forming equipment.
Joe Guigli has been promoted to vice president, aftermarket sales–North America for Davis-Standard LLC. He has held various leadership roles in his 13 years with the company, including regional sales manager, inside aftermarket sales and product manager. He will build and manage an expanded aftermarket field sales team. Based in Pawcatuck, Connecticut, Davis-Standard LLC is a global leader in extrusion and converting technology.
Steel industry veteran William “Bill” Jarae retired earlier this year after a career that spanned a half century. His career started at United States Steel Corporation (USS), where he worked for 16 years, holding quality department positions at its Gary Works in steelmaking, and was general supervisor for the bar mills, and the bar rod, wire and semi-finish product metallurgy group. At the USS Lorain Cuyahoga Works, he was the quality superintendent for the primary mills, billet conditioning and bar mills. He later became vice president of quality assurance, technology and customer technical services at Georgetown Steel, where he worked for 24 years. He then went to Charter Steel, where he served as a technical services engineer. His travels took him to many plants, including one in the Ukraine. The WAI Life Member (joined in 1986) authored multiple steelmaking and rod rolling chapters for the WAI Ferrous Wire Handbook, presented various technical papers and technical courses, helped update the Ferrous Wire Pocket Guide and moderated technical sessions and the Wire Fundamental Course. He served on the Board of Directors, the Education Committee and the Ferrous Wire Committee, which he also chaired. He was also active in ASM and AIST. Of note, Jarae was named the recipient of the 2021 WAI President’s Award.
9/8/21 -- Following a recent order for a new wire rod outlet, Primetals Technologies has been contracted by Kaptan Demir Çelik (Kaptan Iron & Steel) to supply the upstream mill for the Marmara Ereğlisi, Turkey production site.
A press release said that the mill will prepare the round feedstocks (intermediate sizes) to be further rolled and finished in the wire rod outlet. It will have a yearly capacity of 650,000 metric tons. High-value products will be processed such as carbon, SBQ and austenitic stainless-steel grades, catering to the engineering and automotive industries in both domestic and export markets. The hot commissioning of the complete installation is expected in mid-2022.
The upstream mill will have a maximum rolling rate of 130 tons per hour, and will process billets with square dimensions of 130, 160 and 200 mm and length of 12 meters. The diameters of the prepared feedstocks will range from 17 mm to 33 mm, as required by the roll pass design of the wire rod outlet. The layout, equipment and process of the new upstream mill will be optimized and compatible with an additional bar outlet to be added later, which will make the installation a modern combined mill of quality and austenitic stainless steel.
In other news, Bosnian steel producer ArcelorMittal Zenica d.o.o. placed an order with Primetals Technologies to replace the vessel of BOF converter #2 and supply associated equipment. An optimized design will increase the vessel volume and make production easier. ArcelorMittal Zenica is the largest producer of long steel products in the Balkans with annual production capacity of nearly one million tons per year. The company’s base product range includes rebar (in bars and coils), wire rod, mesh and lattice girders.
9/8/21 -- Central Wire President Paul From recently announced that all company employees would be required to be vaccinated by Oct. 29, barring an acceptable exemption request. Below, he shares further thoughts on this with WJI.
WJI: Just how many people does this edict cover, and what has the response been so far?
From: It covers everyone, which is approximately 700 people in 13 facilities in the U.S., U.K. and Canada. I have been overwhelmed with the positive response from employees. It surprised me. There have been some negative calls but many more positive ones. My contact info is posted in all the plants, so anyone can call me to discuss this—good, bad or indifferent—and they do. I have had some interesting conversations with people who felt that they could not speak out in favor of the vaccine inside the facility because some people would get angry. They remained uncommitted and confused about what to do. There was a lot of disinformation being pushed around and politicized, and I suspect that’s commonplace in many companies.
WJI: You didn’t have to do this, so why are you?
From: I am treating this as a health and safety threat. As president and CEO, it’s a lot easier if I apply the science and technology we would use to deal with any workplace hazard. As a virus, it can be stopped, and my job is to stop it. I have to provide the safest workplace I can, that’s my role.
WJI: Are you getting any calls from other manufacturers?
From: As of yesterday, 15, and they all are moving in this direction. All were very concerned about the ramifications but feel this is the way to go.
WJI: Could there be a legal challenge to this by employees?
From: That’s a good question. Yes, there could be, but it could be from both sides, the unvaccinated and the vaccinated. Anyone can hire a lawyer. The unvaccinated can fight it, but the courts seem already to have moved in a firm direction on this. The vaccinated can also demand companies take action to guarantee a safe workplace. I think that is just around the corner actually, and I want to be in front of it. If I can’t provide a safe work environment for the vaccinated, they have every right to challenge us. Should the virus have the capacity to mutate again, and it becomes even more transmissible and deadly, then the situation will change again. I would prefer to deal with this entire situation before that can happen.
WJI: Is your edict the same for all your operations?
From: Yes. Rules for Canada and the U.K. are somewhat different than the U.S., but what we are doing is still fine. The Canadian government just mandated vaccines for all federal employees, air travelers, train travelers and over-night vessel travelers.
WJI: What would you like to say to employees who oppose this?
From: Think of your coworkers. I know of six employees undergoing cancer treatment in our company, and I am sure there are others who have family members facing the same thing. I know of employees whose children have either received organ transplants or have disabilities and health challenges that even without Covid must be hard to cope with. We also have employees who have diabetes and other conditions that compromised their immune systems. Do you really want to expose them to this risk?
That also goes for other company owners: do you want someone inside your factory to become infected and take it home to someone not strong enough to fight this?
Freedom of choice I understand, but it goes hand in hand with a greater responsibility. Thankfully we have a number of vaccine choices. We must protect the integrity of our health care system and the professionals who are fighting a minute-by-minute battle to keep people alive.
WJI: How has this situation affected your business?
From: I was born in 1965, and this is my first pandemic. It is a struggle unlike anything I have ever experienced. There is no playbook for this. The last 18 months have been a huge struggle. I spend little time running the business in the traditional sense, buying equipment, considering acquisitions, seeing customers and suppliers, improving operations and developing a better future. I had expected that once the vaccine came out, it would greatly improve things and allow us to get back to “normal.” Now I feel further from normal than ever, but I also believe that the companies that can get past this will have achieved something great, and by doing so they will have benefitted employees, shareholders and society. I truly believe that.
9/8/21 -- LS Cable & System (LSC&S) announced that the South Korean company will expand its submarine cable capacity at its campus in Donghae City, Gangwon-do.
A press release said that LSC&S will build an additional submarine cable plant in Building No. 2 of the Donghae City campus, which is in the Gangwon Province. The site now has three plants. The fourth plant will feature the tallest power cable production tower in South Korea. When completed, the vertical continuous extraction system tower will be as tall as a 63-story apartment, the tallest structure in Donghae City. Construction will start this October and is expected to be completed by the end of April 2023. The project, estimated to cost more than $161 million, will increase LSC&S’s submarine cable production capacity more than 1.5 times. The 172-m-tall tower is expected to improve cable insulation quality and increase productivity.
LSC&S built Korea’s first submarine cable plant in Donghae City in 2008, and has invested about US$296 million to date. The existing plant, which has a total floor area of 84,000 sq m, will get an additional 31,000 sq m.
“As countries around the world are increasing investments in renewable energy to become carbon neutral, the submarine cable market is also growing,” said LSC&S President & CEO Myung Roe-Hyun. “We will contribute to the national economy by expanding domestic investments.”
9/8/21 -- Eastern Wire Products, Inc., has bought property in Jacksonville, Florida, and plans to invest $1.5 million in renovating it to produce steel wire and other products.
The company, founded in 1972, has operated elsewhere in the city in a leased multitenant building, and it is buying a 78,000-sq-ft structure that needs to be upgraded. Of that space, some 21,000 sq ft is leased to another company, and the goal is to use that space as well until the lease either expires or is terminated.
Eastern Wire Products specializes in baling wire as well as straight-and-cut wire. The family-owned company has 42 full-time employees, and expects that the expansion will eventually result in another 10 jobs.
The total project is expected to cost about $4.4 million, which includes about $3 million for the site acquisition and demolition, $500,000 for infrastructure improvements; $650,000 in building renovations; and $240,000 in machinery and equipment purchases.
“This is a tremendous opportunity to establish a home for our third-generation, wire fabrication company,” said company President Mark Yates. “My father and grandfather were both WAI lifetime members, and this is the culmination of their longtime desire to create a space for us to fabricate our products for generations to come.”
Yates said that, with the aid of grants from the city of Jacksonville, Eastern Wire will be able to create a modern facility that includes state of the art bale tie manufacturing equipment. “This should enable us to be more efficient and effective and allow us to better serve our customers.”
8/9/21
CommScope announced that Tom Cloonan, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the company’s Broadband Networks segment, has been appointed the interim CTO of the company as it evaluates its longer-term strategic requirements. He replaces Morgan Kurk, who stepped down as CTO and segment leader of the Broadband Networks. Cloonan, who joined CommScope through its acquisition of ARRIS acquisition, served as CTO of the Network and Cloud segment, among other positions, since 2002. He holds a BSEE degree from Illinois Institute of Technology, a MSEE degree from Purdue University and a PhD in physics from Heriot-Watt University in Scotland. The company also reported that Ric Johnsen, who served as senior vice president, Converged Network Solutions (CNS), Broadband Networks, will assume leadership of the entire Broadband Networks segment. Previously, he led CommScope’s Network Cable and Connectivity business for nearly 11 years. Past employers included Alcatel, where he was vice president of the optical fiber business for Europe and Asia. The U.S. Army veteran holds a B.S. degree in general engineering from the United States Military Academy, and an MS degree in communications engineering from the United States Naval Postgraduate School. Based in Hickory, North Carolina, CommScope is a global leader in network connectivity.
Cimteq has promoted James Concannon from technical account manager to commercial account manager, responsible for the company’s European and U.K. sales regions. He joined the company in 2018, and was lauded for being a well-established and productive member of the sales team. Prior to joining Cimteq, he worked for Thomson Reuters for more than five years as a client services manager and as the client liaison team lead. He also worked for more than five years for Avox Limited. He holds a degree from Yale College Wrexham. Based in Wrexham, U.S., Cimteq supplies software and services designed to help wire and cable manufacturers optimize their processes.
Earlier this year, David Galas was promoted to president of OMCG Inc. He joined the company in 2019 as national sales manager with considerable industry experience. Prior to OMCG, he served most recently as a regional sales manager for WAFIOS Machinery for five years. Before that, he was a U.S. business development manager for Numalliance North America for more than four years. Other employers included Pro-Tech Machine Tool, Inc., where he was a territory sales manager for more than 14 years; Ellison Technology; and PCC Airfoils, SMP. He holds a B.S. degree in applied science in manufacturing engineering from Miami University. Part of Italy’s OMCG Srl, and based in Bensenville, Illinois, USA, OMCG Inc. supplies wire, tube and strip forming equipment.
Obituary
Albert “Al” Bavosi, a pioneer in the marking and coding field, died July 13 at age 78.
Bavosi was the co-founder and owner of Wachusett Marking Co., started in 1976, which was later sold to Gem Gravure in the early 2000s. The Massachusetts native was a Vietnam Veteran, having served in the U.S. Air Force as a crew chief stationed at Bien Hoa Air Base in South Vietnam. He returned home to West Boylston, and in 1976, he and his uncle Joe Bacchiocchi and brother Donny started Wachusett Marking Company. He was known for exceptional mechanical skills and strong work ethic in developing and manufacturing metal-marking wheels. Thirty-three years later, he sold the company to a big competitor, Gem Gravure, but even after the sale he continued to work for the company until he retired a few years ago.
Gem Gravure Executive Vice President Paul Gemelli said that Bavosi “was a terrific guy with a strong work ethic, a great sense of humor, and an outgoing personality. ... My father (the late David Gemelli) and Al always had a very close relationship. In particular, my father always respected Al for starting and building up his own business, and like everyone he just enjoyed being around him.
Bavosi is survived by his wife of 52 years, Kathleen Ann (Villnave) Bavosi; four children, Michele DeVillers, Amie Moore, Timothy Bavosi and Jennifer Cadwallader; a brother, Donald Bavosi; 11 grandchildren; and 13 nieces and nephews.
8/6/21 India’s Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) has recommended the imposition of countervailing duties on certain types of aluminum wires from Malaysia for five years.
Per a report in the India’s Economic Times, the DGTR concluded that imposition of definitive countervailing duty is required to offset subsidization. “The authority recommends imposition of definitive countervailing duty...for a period of five years,” it said. The finance ministry must approve the DGTR’s finding for it to be imposed. The probe was launched based on complaints from Vedanta Ltd and Bharat Aluminium Company Ltd. DGTR recommended a rate of 6.87% and 16.5%.
The DGTR also has begin an anti-dumping (AD) duty sunset review to determine whether existing measures set in 2016 should be continued for steel wire rod imported from China. Per an online report from India’s Economic Times, the investigation is supported by the Indian Steel Association on behalf of Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited, Steel Authority of India Limited and JSW Steel. The three companies “have supported the application,” the DGTR said in a notification. In it, it said that ending the duties would harm domestic wire rod producers. The period of investigation is Oct. 1, 2019 to March 31, 2021.
Per a report in the newindianexpress.com, in 2016, an AD duty equivalent to the difference between the landed value of steel products and US$499 per metric ton was to be imposed on products exported by Minmetals Yingkou Medium Plate Co., and $538 for all other producers.
8/3/21 LS Cable & System (LSC&S) President & CEO Myung Roe-Hyun announced that the South Korean company will expand its submarine cable capacity at its campus in Donghae City, Gangwon-do.
A press release said that LSC&S will build an additional submarine cable plant in Building No. 2 of the Donghae City campus, which is in the Gangwon Province. The site now has three plants. The fourth plant will feature the tallest power cable production tower in South Korea. When completed, the vertical continuous extraction system (VCV) tower will be as tall as a 63-story apartment, the tallest structure in Donghae City. Construction will start this October and is expected to be completed by the end of April 2023. The project, which will cost more than $161 million, will increase LSC&S’s submarine cable production capacity more than 1.5 times. The 172-m-tall VCV Tower is designed to improve cable insulation quality and increase productivity.
LS Cable & System built Korea’s first submarine cable plant in Donghae City in 2008, and has invested about US$296 million to date. The existing plant, which has a total floor area of 84,000 sq m, when have an additional 31,000 sq m.
“As countries around the world are increasing investments in renewable energy to become carbon neutral, the submarine cable market is also growing,” said Myung Roe-Hyun, President & CEO of LS Cable & System. “We will contribute to the national economy by expanding domestic investments.”
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