The Prysmian Group announced that it has been selected as one of the preferred bidders for the Biscay Gulf interconnection project by INELFE, a joint venture between the Spanish grid operator, Red Eléctrica, and the French grid operator Réseau de Transport d’Électricité (RTE).

A press release said that Biscay Gulf will be the first fundamentally submarine interconnection between Spain (Gatika) and France (Cubnezais). It will have two high-voltage direct current (HVDC) links, each with a capacity of 1000 MW, and almost 800 km of HVDC submarine and land cables. The two links will increase in

2 GW the exchange capacity, improving the safety, stability and quality of electricity supply between the two countries and also with the rest of Europe.
Prysmian Group continues contract negotiations, with expectations of finalizing the contract in a few months.

The Wire and Cable Industry Suppliers Association® (WCISA®) and the Wire Association International are pleased to cooperate as Industry Partners at Interwire 2023, supporting the activities of each other’s association on behalf of the wire and cable industry.

Of note, the Industry Partnership agreement was reached five years ago. Its practical deployment, however, was sidelined at Interwire 2021 by Covid-19. Being able to fully resume that relationship at Interwire 2023 is a positive step. 

The agreement relates to how the two associations can support each other’s efforts. It also is quite fitting, as WCISA serves member companies that are essential suppliers to the wire and cable industry. Many WCISA company employees are also members of the WAI.

“We are pleased to cooperate with the WAI as Industry Partners with the shared goals of supporting the wire and cable industry and our common members,” said WCISA President Drew Richards, CEO of RichardsApex, Inc. “Many WCISA companies are regular participants in WAI-produced exhibitions, Interwire and Wire Expo, and we look forward to supporting these events and networking with WAI leadership at our ‘WCISA Night Out’ gatherings.”

The 2023 WCISA Night Out for members will be held from 6 pm to 8 pm on Monday, May 8, at the Der Biergarten at 300 Marietta Street Northeast.

The WAI has honorary membership in WCISA, and among those looking forward to the event is WAI Executive Director Steve Fetteroll. As he explains, a gathering of wire and cable professionals is always interesting. “I always see a lot
of familiar faces, and it almost feels like I’m at a WAI event. We both exist to further the wire and cable industry, and we do that in different ways, but it’s the same field, and the ability to hold a get-together like this to thank everyone for their participation, for helping make it all work, is a good way for everyone.”

Sam Otter, wire rope global procurement manager at Gripple Limited, said that his company was well aware of the scholarship as James Curry, a production team leader, served as the 2019 Wire Link Scholar. Also, the company has hosted visits from the U.S. Wire Link Scholar at its Sheffield plant that manufactures wire joining and tensioning devices.
A Gripple management team selected four employees who were involved with wire in their day-to-day job roles, and Otter, who joined the company 15 years ago, was chosen. “I felt on top of the world, and it’s given me a huge confidence boost. I feel honored that my colleagues put me forward for this award, and also that an external judge could see my passion and enthusiasm for Gripple, wire rope and my desire to get as much as possible from this great experience.”
Otter, age 33, said that he never attended an industry event like Interwire before, and looks forward to that experience as well as visiting industry companies. “I am looking forward to expanding my knowledge with the different seminars and also meeting new contacts that hopefully will turn into new suppliers for Gripple.”

Southwire Named Top Diversity Employer by DiversityJobs.com DEI, Recruiting Efforts Recognized Four Years in a Row

Carrollton, Ga. – March 13, 2023: For the fourth consecutive year, Southwire has been recognized as a Top Diversity Employer by DiversityJobs.com.

The mission of DiversityJobs is to promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace by creating a space for diversity-minded employers to engage the best and brightest diverse talent, and the company’s annual Top Diversity Employers list seeks to recognize organizations that are taking active steps to build a diverse and inclusive workforce.

“At Southwire, we value each of our team members — The People Behind the Power™ — and recognize the importance of diverse perspectives, beliefs, skill sets and ideas,” said Fernando Esquivel, executive vice president and Chief People & Culture Officer. “Our four key values are empowerment, trust, consistency and inclusion; to uphold these values and achieve our organizational goals, we must attract and retain diverse talent, embrace our differences and work together.”

Southwire is one of only 34 companies in the Manufacturing and R&D category to top the list in 2023. This achievement is made possible through the company’s ongoing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts and inclusive recruitment practices, which combine to create a workplace where different backgrounds and perspectives support positive relationships and collective success.

“Being named a Top Diversity Employer aligns greatly with Southwire’s recruitment efforts, as we continue to mature and accelerate our DEI strategy,” said Sharita Spruill, director of Talent Acquisition. “Southwire continues to increase efforts to become an employer of choice through a variety of activities, including external partnerships, Giving Back, talent development and increasing investments within our Employee Resource Groups.”

Dating back to 2014, Southwire’s six Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) — Women’s Network, Spectrum, NEXTgen, T.E.A.M., Veterans Network and ALLIED — provide opportunities for team members to connect and drive Southwire’s DEI mission forward. This empowers the company to build a culture that recognizes and celebrates the value of diverse backgrounds, equity in opportunity and inclusivity in action.

“This recognition is a testament to Southwire’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion,” said Cara Herzog, vice president of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. “Our team members are the foundation of our culture, and we believe an inclusive and diverse workforce strengthens our ability to be generationally sustainable for the next 100 years and beyond.”

Nexans has entered into exclusive negotiations with Syntagma Capital, a Belgium-based private equity fund, for the sale of its Telecom and Data business.

A press release said that the proposed transaction “marks Nexans’ exit from the telecom and data activity in line with its strategy to simplify its activities and amplify its impact in electrification markets.” The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of the first half of 2023.

The sale would include eight sites spread across France, Belgium, Germany, Greece, Morocco, China and Singapore that design, produce and commercialize advanced solutions for telecom, LAN networks as well as data centers. These operations constitute the main remaining part of the Telecom & Data division after the sale of Berk-Tek in 2020.

The proposed sale furthers the choice by Nexans to focus on electrification markets. In the company’s 2022 earnings report, CEO Christopher Guérin said that the numbers support that decision. “We were, yet again, proven right in reaffirming our choice: ‘Striving to champion a global sustainable electrification.’ As global grid investments soar, our Electrification businesses are up +12.9% organically, with record EBITDA performance, and all-time high adjusted Generation & Transmission backlog.”

S&P Global Ratings revised its outlook for Nexans from stable to positive and confirmed its ‘BB+’ rating. “Nexans’ operating performance has improved, thanks to progress made in its transformation plan, which focuses on electrification and achieving higher and more stable cash flows.”

At its website, Syntagma notes that the company, established in 2009, invests in businesses that can benefit from its hands-on operational expertise to accelerate growth and improve performance. It has deployed €1.1 billion in over 40 companies with revenues in excess of €4 billion and employing over 11,000 people worldwide.

The team has successfully carved-out businesses from public and private companies, among others, Solvay, Tessenderlo, Ashland, Clariant, Tyco International, Smurfit Kappa, ADT and Getronics.