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Wire Journal News

April 2022

4/21/2022 – The first SteelOrbis & IREPAS Conference of 2022 is returning to its traditional in-person format after two years. The conference will be held at the Four Seasons Hotel Bosphorus on May 29-31 with the many in-person networking opportunities. With the spring sun of Istanbul and the excellent facilities of the conference hotel, there will be many spaces outside - just next to the beautiful Bosphorus - to help attendees enjoy networking with the other attendees in the open air.

While gathering its members and participants together at the world's number one event for long steel products, SteelOrbis and IREPAS Conference will also offer the opportunity to listen to informative presentations about the latest developments in all the major steel markets!

What to expect at this in-person conference:

  • Acquire a better understanding of the global market situation before planning your strategy and gain an accurate picture of supply and demand and steel price levels.
  • Opportunity to hear the plans of major producers and traders.
  • Listen to the latest global economic issues as discussed by renowned economists.
  • Chance to interact and create new business partnerships with the world's major long steel producers, traders and raw material suppliers.

 Speakers:

  • Alexander Gordienko, Export Director, Celsa Group (in-person presentation)
  • Veysel Yayan, Secretary General,Turkish Iron and Steel Producers' Association (TISPA) (in-person presentation)
  • Olivier Francois, President, European Recycling Industries' Confederation (EuRIC) (in-person presentation)
  • Alessandro Sciamarelli, Director of Economic Studies and Market Analysis, European Steel Association (EUROFER) (in-person presentation)
  • Huseyin Ocakci, Middle East General Manager, CIEC (in-person presentation)
  • Roman Perepelytsia, Head of Strategy and Business Development, Metinvest Holding (online presentation)
  • Dr. Ozgur Demirtas, Chair Professor of Finance, Sabanci University (in-person presentation)

 Who attends:

  • Steel producers
  • Raw material suppliers
  • Traders
  • End-users
  • Plant / equipment companies
  • Logistics companies
  • Finance companies
  • Technology and machinery companies

 How to register:

Online: https://www.steelorbis.com/steel-events/

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Online participation is also available!

If you cannot travel due to travel restrictions, you can still register for the conference by choosing  “online participation” and have the option to follow the conference sessions on May 30-31 on the online  platform. Please visit the website above for detailed information.


Published in Press Releases

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.

Published in Industry News

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.

Published in People

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.

Published in Industry News

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.

Published in Industry News

4/3/2022 - Egypt’s Elsewedy Cables has won a six-year contract for the supply of 66kV rated XLPE underground cables for Nexel Denmark.

A press release said that the cables will be manufactured at one of the company’s production facilities in the manufacturing zone of the 10th of Ramadan City in Cairo. They will then be transported to NEXEL sites and storage locations around Denmark as and when required by the customer. The contract also provides an option to deliver associated cable network design services.

Nexel Denmark is part of Andel group, the largest energy supplier and grid operator in Denmark, managing and operating the Cerius and Radius Elnet grids covering 1.4 million customers.

“This prominent contract is a significant milestone for Elsewedy Cables in its drive to become a major supplier of complex medium and high voltage cables in Europe,” the release said. The award is a testimony to our manufacturing capability, quality products and engineering expertise. Elsewedy Cables continuously invests in the latest machinery, technology, and testing facilities to enable the production of cables and accessories that are compliant with stringent European standards.

Elsewedy Cables is a subsidiary of Elsewedy Electric Group which has 15 manufacturing facilities worldwide that produce cables, overhead lines, transformers, and smart meters.

Published in Industry News

4/3/2022 - Sequel Wire and Cable reports that, since launching the business in Argos, Indiana, in January 2020, it has been successful despite global economic challenges. Those results led to a need for more capacity, and the insulated copper wire manufacturer recently completed an expansion and has hired a new sales manager.

A press release said that in July 2021, after six months of insulating products, Sequel needed to expand production to meet demand. A year later, the Phase 1 production expansion to the 162,000-sq-ft greenfield site has been completed, and is fully operational. The facility expansion has doubled internal wire drawing capabilities, and raised PVC wire output by a third.

The company said that the investments have made for more flexibility and shorter lead times for customers. It has also provided enhanced control since the need to source uninsulated wire externally was significantly reduced. Sequel Wire and Cable also hired Todd Eagan as its new sales manager. See

Published in Industry News

4/3/2022 - Hellenic Cables, a business of Cenergy Holdings, was recently awarded a turn-key project from HEDNO—a regulated entity that is the sole active distributor of electricity throughout Greece—to supply some 19 km of submarine cable to interconnect several new interconnections.

A press release said that the contract also calls for the supply and installation of accessories, as well as “the implementation of all relevant works” for the connection of the submarine cables to HEDNO’s land network. The contract was signed by HEDNO and Fulgor, which is a 100% subsidiary of Hellenic Cables.

Cable production and installation is expected to be completed by May 2023. All cables will be manufactured at the Hellenic Cables plant in Corinth, Greece.

“We are happy to support HEDNO’s development program for the modernization of Distribution Grids in order to ensure uninterrupted and reliable supply to the country’s islands and we thank them for trusting us again,” said Alexis Alexiou, CEO of Cenergy Holdings and Hellenic Cables.

Published in Industry News

4/3/2022 - Earlier this year, WireMasters announced that it has entered into a partnership with Turkish manufacturer AC Tasarım to represent the company’s VG 96936-10:2007-10 and JOSCAR-accredited braid products.

A press release said that the collaboration allows WireMaster to offer the EMI/EMC (Electromagnetic Interference/Electromagnetic Compatibility) solutions to its global network of customers and partners. “Partnering with AC Tasarım allows us to continue our global expansion and better serve our thousands of customers in the aerospace, defense, aviation, and a variety of other industries by ensuring that we indeed supply everything in their harness, including braid products like those from AC Tasarım,” said WireMasters Vice President of Global Sales Jimmy Ballard.

AC Tasarım, established in 2003, offers professional EMI/EMC solutions to Turkish industrialists, also exports to many countries. WireMasters supplies Mil-Spec and EN wire and cable; specialty and data cables; connectors and accessories; and harness management products like tubing, sleeving, braid, molded shapes and identification.

Published in Industry News

4/1/2022 – Last month, in celebration of Women’s History Month, IWCS announced plans to recognize our female colleagues at the 2022 Cable & Connectivity Industry Forum. The 71st IWCS Cable & Connectivity Industry Forum, taking place October 10–13, 2022 in Providence Rhode Island, USA, will feature several new event components that recognize the plethora of contributions women have made to advance our industries. An example of one of the new event components is a Technical Symposium session that features papers contributed by women. When submitting a technical paper abstract, authors have the option for their paper presentation to be included in this distinguished session. This year’s Technical Paper Abstract Deadline has been extended until April 15, 2022.

In a historically male-dominated industry, many IWCS stakeholders—authors, presenters, students, event attendees, sponsors, and exhibitors—are women. As we look through the IWCS Technical Paper archives, we are proud to see a sizable amount of papers from female authors; and we are committed to continuing to increase female participation. According to the most recent occupation report published by National Science Foundation/National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES), we learn that only 29% of Science and Engineering (S&T) jobs are occupied by women. A common theme of striving to balance the employment gender gap is prominent throughout the world, and influencers specific to science and technology industries, including IWCS, are hyper-focused on this initiative. 

 A scholarly article regarding equality for women in STEM fields notes the importance of education, “Research has highlighted the importance of the educational process in increasing the representation of women and URM [underrepresented minorities] in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).” Part of IWCS’s mission is to develop industry professionals through education and scholarships, and we recognize the importance of doing our part to help young women pursue technical degree programs to prepare themselves for successful careers. In fact, in the two most recent years IWCS scholarships have been awarded, women have represented 46% of IWCS scholarship recipients.

 IWCS is committed to doing its part to encourage the upward trajectory of female representation in Cable, Connectivity, Telecom, Chemicals, and Materials industries. Help us to empower and celebrate our female colleagues by sharing the following opportunities to get involved:

 

 About IWCS

IWCS is a not-for-profit organization that has hosted the premier event for new technologies in cable and connectivity products, processes, and applications for the past 70 years. The Cable & Connectivity Industry Forum is the leading worldwide event to explore topical issues, learn about new technologies, and network with colleagues from the communications, data, electronics, power, industrial, automotive, and aerospace industries. In addition to the Forum, IWCS is committed to the development of industry professionals and scholars by hosting educational webinars, publishing research, and awarding scholarships.

 The IWCS Technical Symposium Committee generates an extremely high-caliber program for each year’s Forum. Peer-reviewed papers presented during the Technical Symposium and recordings from the IWCS Webinar series remain publicly archived for ongoing research and education.

 IWCS, Inc. is headquartered at 9618 Villagesmith Way, Burke, VA 22015-4170 USA. For further information, visit the IWCS website at www.iwcs.org or contact David B. Kiddoo, CEO, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Follow IWCS on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.

 

 

 

 

Published in Press Releases
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