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Press Releases

Southwire’s facility in Huntersville, N.C., has again been recognized for its efforts in achieving compliance with air quality permits by receiving the annual Air Compliance Excellence (ACE) Award. This is the fifth consecutive year the Huntersville Plant has received the award and the seventh time overall. 

The Mecklenburg County Air Quality ACE Awards began in 2014 to promote local industries’ efforts that comply with air quality permits within the county. 

To be eligible for the award, facilities are required to meet all terms of their air quality permit for an entire year. This includes submitting reports, notifications, fee payments, emission testing and annual inspection with no violations of nuisance, dust or odor complaints of the site. 

According to Patrick Vaughan, storekeeper attendant at Southwire’s Huntersville Plant, the ACE Award showcases the facility’s efforts to improve the local air quality, aligning with Southwire’s commitment to sustainability and supporting the wellbeing of our communities and the environment.

“We are thrilled to receive the ACE award again this year, and it’s really a testament to the work of our team members and our environmental, health and safety manager, Jamie McGrath,” said Vaughan. “Together, we strive to do what’s best for our environment, and this award shows our commitment to making a difference in the Huntersville community.” 

Last modified on October 6, 2022

After having earlier moved to Richmond, Indiana, a Michigan casket manufacturing company started by Bruce and Suzanne Elder changed its name in 1972 to honor Bruce’s parents Vance and Doris Elder.
Vandor has grown to more than 200 team members, working together to create products that serve funeral professionals as well as automotive, communications, construction, and consumer product industries. The company has garnered nearly 60 patents so far, with many more forthcoming. Its brands include Reel Options, Elderlite and Starmark Funeral Products. The team members’ dedication and affirmative attitude underpinning Vandor’s culture from the beginning remains steadfast to this day.

A Golden Celebration
In celebration of its 50th year, Vandor hosted a companywide congratulatory event on Saturday, September 17, 2022, at the Starr Gennett building in Richmond Indiana. With over 300 past and present team members and their families attending, local favorites Smiley’s Pub Catering, Ullery’s Homemade Ice Cream, and AVI Food Systems served lunch and dessert to the celebration guests. The Northeastern High School Cheer Team supported with activities for the children including inflatables and face painting. Melissa Vance of the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce honored Vandor for its years committed to growth in the Richmond area. A strong sense of friendship and gratitude for one another and a recognition of past accomplishments was shared among team members. Vandor’s team is prepared and looking ahead to its next fifty years!

Last modified on October 5, 2022

Had any personnel changes the last few years? It’s a rare company that hasn’t either lost or added staff during the Covid period, and it’s not a bad idea to make sure that the industry knows who your key people are.
This is an ideal time to take a minute to look at the 2022 edition of the Wire Journal International Reference Guide and see whether you need to make some updates for the 2023 edition. Companies can also make a new entry enter or update their company profiles for the Reference Guide and WAI’s online Industry Search.
New and updated entries will be accepted through Nov. 30, 2022, for the printed publication. An instructional video on submitting a free listing is available www.wirenet.org/industry-search-instructional-video.
The WJI Reference Guide lists contact information for international manufacturers and suppliers to the wire and cable industry. Company listings include more than 1,100 product types.




Last modified on October 5, 2022

The organizers of wire China 2022 report that the event, scheduled for Sept. 26-29 at the Shanghai New International Expo Center, has been postponed due to Covid-related concerns.

 A press release said that online activities, such as matchmaking and webinars, will be continued. “We are actively coordinating and communicating with the relevant parties and will announce (further plans once) confirmed.” For updates, go to the event website: www.wirechina.net/en.

 

Last modified on September 2, 2022

8/2/2022 -  

U.K.-based Cimteq and Swiss-based AESA Cortaillod held the official launch of their partnership at Wire Düsseldorf, where the companies explained how doing so would enable them to offer unrivaled service to manufacturers.

A statement said that Cimteq’s CableBuilder Enterprise and AESA Cortaillod’s quality management software, CIQ, together present a unified cable testing solution from product design direct to cable testing equipment. The partnership of their combined capabilities will enable customers on both sides to attain increased profitability, improved quality and savings in materials. Manufacturers will have greater control of the complex management of cable-design data, from the initial design concept to delivering the full bill-of-materials directly to the ERP system, while having an ongoing understanding of a cable’s performance through accurate testing.

“By seamlessly interconnecting CableBuilder Enterprise and CIQ through a single and universal interface, it is possible to simplify the overall handling of extensive design and production data pools,” said Cimteq Director Amanda Shehab. “This represents a quantum step towards the ‘smart factory,’ with the ultimate goal of closing the loop from the initial cable design concept to production and delivery, resulting in significant raw material savings, improvements in quality, and major productivity gains.”

AESA Cortaillod CEO Vincent Albert-Engels said that the company’s CIQ quality management system supports traceability features as well as extended quality improvement and data management capabilities. “In very real terms, it opens a window on to the shop floor by tracking process and test data, not to mention production history. Its integration with CableBuilder Enterprise will have significant benefits for our clients; not least that automatically pulling data from CableBuilder will mean a lot less data to set up inside CIQ.”

 

Last modified on August 1, 2022

6/2/2022 –

Italy’s Prysmian Group has launched an innovative share-based variable remuneration and profit-sharing plan in company shares, aimed potentially at more than 25,000 employees between blue and white collar workers of the Group, in over 35 countries.

A press release said that the measure was approved at a shareholders meeting. The current plan, to run for 2022 to 2024, provides for the allocation of a maximum of 3,000,000 shares. The goal was to enable a broad base of employees, mainly blue collar workers, to share in the creation of value that the Group hopes to generate in the coming years.

“We are a genuine public company and it is key for us to align the interests of all stakeholders, from employees to shareholders, around the common goal of creating long-term sustainable value,” said Prysmian Group CEO Valerio Battista. “To achieve this goal, it is therefore essential to involve those who are not recipients of share-based incentive plans usually reserved for managers and executives, such as stock options.”

Last modified on June 2, 2022

6/2/2022 –

The 13th edition of Wire & Cable Guangzhou has been put on hold due to Covid-19 containment efforts continuing across various provinces in China.

A press release said that the fair, which had been scheduled to take place June 22-24, 2022, has been pushed back in support of the local government’s virus control measures. The new dates for the rescheduled fair will be announced at the earliest opportunity. 

“The decision to postpone the fair was not easy to make, but it is a necessary step given the evolving situation in China,” said Emeka Hu, general manager of Guangzhou Guangya Messe Frankfurt Co. Ltd. It organizes the event with China Southern Power Grid Media Co. Ltd. and Guangzhou Boyou Exhibition Service Co. Ltd. The ongoing situation led to planning uncertainty for participants, many of whom travel from different provinces. “It is therefore in the best interest of all parties to reschedule the fair to a time when the circumstances are more stable.”

In 2021, the fair brought together 220 exhibitors and 11,824 trade visitors. For more information on Wire & Cable Guangzhou, go to www.wire-cable-china.com.

Last modified on June 2, 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.


Last modified on April 21, 2022

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.

 

 

 

 

Last modified on April 1, 2022

4/1/2022 –  To further Southwire's mission to build a culture that recognizes and celebrates the value of diverse backgrounds, equity in opportunity and inclusivity in action, the company is pleased to announce the launch of its new diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) website.  

Southwire treasures the diversity of its employees and the communities that we represent and serve, and the company’s four key values – trust, empowerment, consistency and inclusion – are the foundation of the organization’s DEI strategy.  

“A focus on diversity, equity and inclusion is mission critical for our organization,” said Cara Herzog, director of DEI. “Over the last several years, we have continued to prioritize and accelerate our internal and external efforts to drive progress. We believe the key to our continued success is our people, and we are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diverse perspectives can thrive.”  

Southwire focuses on fostering an environment that recognizes the value and talent of diverse perspectives regardless of gender and ethnicity. In 2014, the company established its first employee resource group (ERG), and since then, the company has expanded to six ERGs, including the Women’s Network, Spectrum, Nextgen, TEAM, Officium and Allied. These groups actively promote Southwire’s commitment to inclusivity by engaging employees and encouraging participation in events throughout the year.   

“We believe that every person can make a difference from any position, and we are committed to foster an environment where respect and inclusion are at the forefront of everything that we do, an environment where equal access and opportunity to learn, grow and succeed are available to everyone,” said Fernando Esquivel, executive vice president of People & Culture.  

The new DEI site will provide an in-depth look at Southwire as an organization and what the company stands for, including its focus on sustainability and how its five core tenets relate to DEI for the benefit of its workforce.   

“Sustainability is focused on being mindful of our impact on local and global communities and taking actions to create a better world for future generations,” said Burt Fealing, executive vice president, general counsel and chief sustainability officer. “In a very similar way, diversity, equity and inclusion is also focused on sustainable long-term efforts to remove barriers and to create equitable opportunities for everyone as part of a better world.”   

Establishing its brand as an organization dedicated to DEI continues to be an area of focus for Southwire, and with this new external site, the company is communicating openly and remaining transparent about its ongoing efforts — a bold step for a private company that demonstrates its deep commitment to the importance of DEI within the organization and in society at large.  

“We are an organization with a lot to offer, and we are excited for more people to see it. We believe in our people, customers, partners, and communities,” said Herzog. “The opportunity to share and connect in a new way is something that we value, and we welcome the conversations that this will bring internally and externally. We are just getting started.”   

A leader in technology and innovation, Southwire Company, LLC is one of North America’s largest wire and cable producers. Southwire and its subsidiaries manufacture building wire and cable, metal-clad cable, portable and electronic cord products, utility cable products, OEM wire products and engineered products. In addition, Southwire supplies assembled products, contractor equipment and hand tools. For more on Southwire’s products, its community involvement and its vision of sustainability, visit www.southwiresustainability.com.

 

 

 

Last modified on April 1, 2022

3/4/2022   The new trade fair dates from June 20 – 24, 2022 promise the greatest possible planning security for exhibitors and significantly better travel conditions for trade visitors from all over the world. After four years without wire - International Wire and Cable Trade Fair - and Tube – International Tube and Pipe Trade Fair - the sectors will finally meet again in person at the fairgrounds in Düsseldorf, Germany to exchange information about innovations from the wire, cable and tube industries.

 

   wire and Tube will feature many innovations - end products in fasteners and springs, an ecoMetals campaign with guided tours to exhibitors such as AMPCO METAL Deutschland GmbH, ARCELOR MITTAL COMMERCIAL SECTIONS S.A., Georgsmarienhütte GmbH, Klöckner & Co SE and SMS group GmbH as well as expert meetings with keynote speeches by key players in the industries.

 

   As the worldwide leading events for their industries, wire and Tube will not only present new machinery and plants but also increasingly sustainable solutions for e-mobility, digitalization and Industry 4.0. Start-ups with their ideas and co-operations in wire, cable, tube and pipe production complement the comprehensive range of products and services in the 13 exhibition halls.

 

   The concurrently (June 21 – 24) held METAV, leading international trade fair for metalworking technologies, offers additional synergy effects for wire and Tube visitors.

 

   Traditionally, wire and Tube are among the most international trade fairs in Messe Düsseldorf's portfolio. More than two thirds of the exhibitors come from outside of Germany - exhibitors from 67 countries took part in the 2018 events. Trade visitors from over 130 countries meet at the Düsseldorf fairgrounds at peak times.

 

   For information about the hygiene and infection control regulations in effect in June 2022 at the Düsseldorf fairgrounds: https://www.wire-tradefair.com/en/Visitor/Hygiene_concept_PROTaction

 

   For further information on visiting or exhibiting at wire or Tube 2022, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America; Telephone: (312) 781-5180; E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; Visit www.wire-tradefair.com, www.tube-tradefair.com and www.mdna.com

Last modified on March 10, 2022

3/4/2022  To further Southwire's mission to build a culture that recognizes and celebrates the value of diverse backgrounds, equity in opportunity and inclusivity in action, the company is pleased to announce the launch of its new diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) website.  

Southwire treasures the diversity of its employees and the communities that we represent and serve, and the company’s four key values – trust, empowerment, consistency and inclusion – are the foundation of the organization’s DEI strategy.  

“A focus on diversity, equity and inclusion is mission critical for our organization,” said Cara Herzog, director of DEI. “Over the last several years, we have continued to prioritize and accelerate our internal and external efforts to drive progress. We believe the key to our continued success is our people, and we are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diverse perspectives can thrive.”  

Southwire focuses on fostering an environment that recognizes the value and talent of diverse perspectives regardless of gender and ethnicity. In 2014, the company established its first employee resource group (ERG), and since then, the company has expanded to six ERGs, including the Women’s Network, Spectrum, Nextgen, TEAM, Officium and Allied. These groups actively promote Southwire’s commitment to inclusivity by engaging employees and encouraging participation in events throughout the year.   

“We believe that every person can make a difference from any position, and we are committed to foster an environment where respect and inclusion are at the forefront of everything that we do, an environment where equal access and opportunity to learn, grow and succeed are available to everyone,” said Fernando Esquivel, executive vice president of People & Culture.  

The new DEI site will provide an in-depth look at Southwire as an organization and what the company stands for, including its focus on sustainability and how its five core tenets relate to DEI for the benefit of its workforce.   

“Sustainability is focused on being mindful of our impact on local and global communities and taking actions to create a better world for future generations,” said Burt Fealing, executive vice president, general counsel and chief sustainability officer. “In a very similar way, diversity, equity and inclusion is also focused on sustainable long-term efforts to remove barriers and to create equitable opportunities for everyone as part of a better world.”   

Establishing its brand as an organization dedicated to DEI continues to be an area of focus for Southwire, and with this new external site, the company is communicating openly and remaining transparent about its ongoing efforts — a bold step for a private company that demonstrates its deep commitment to the importance of DEI within the organization and in society at large.  

“We are an organization with a lot to offer, and we are excited for more people to see it. We believe in our people, customers, partners, and communities,” said Herzog. “The opportunity to share and connect in a new way is something that we value, and we welcome the conversations that this will bring internally and externally. We are just getting started.”   

###

A leader in technology and innovation, Southwire Company, LLC is one of North America’s largest wire and cable producers. Southwire and its subsidiaries manufacture building wire and cable, metal-clad cable, portable and electronic cord products, utility cable products, OEM wire products and engineered products. In addition, Southwire supplies assembled products, contractor equipment and hand tools. For more on Southwire’s products, its community involvement and its vision of sustainability, visit www.southwiresustainability.com.

obal client base in more than 50 countries.

Last modified on March 3, 2022

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The Wire Association Int.

71 Bradley Road, Suite 9

Madison, CT 06443-2662

P: (203) 453-2777