MW Components has acquired Western Wire Products Company (Western Wire), a wire forming manufacturer with a storied history.

A press release said that the acquisition bolsters the scope of MW Components, which is active in the spring and wire forming industry. Its holdings include Century Spring, Fox Valley Spring, Maryland Precision Spring and over a dozen other locations that produce precision metal components. 

The addition of Western Wire will result in an increased selection of stock, standard, and custom wire forms including cotter pins, hitch pins, spring pins and an array of highly engineered precision metal components. “We are thrilled that Western Wire is joining the MW Components portfolio and hope to strengthen Western Wire’s service and 100+ year history of entrepreneurship.”

The Western Wire website spells out the company’s rich history of the business that was owned by members of the Young family for more than a century before being bought out in 2016 by its CFO, Michael Basler. Below are just two innovations it cites.

Western Wire Products Company was a “family business” even before its 1914 incorporation in St. Louis, Missouri. The company’s origins date back to 1907 when the uncle of its founders invented a machine that made woven wire fabric. The patent on this machine is considered by some historians to be the original precursor to today’s chain link fence.

In 1912, family inventor Ira J. Young, under a different company name (Wire Manufacturing Products) applied for a patent on a machine for forming split pins, later to be known as Cotter Pins. That business later became part of Western Wire, which serves customers in all parts of the U.S., and exports to Europe, South America, Mexico, Asia, Australia, and Canada.

Taihan Electric Wire (TEW)N announced that it has won a significant power grid project to boost electricity service to Kuwait City, the capital of Kuwait.

 A press release said that the order from the Kuwait Ministry of Electricity and Water & Renewable Energy (MEW) is for an extra-high voltage power grid turnkey project valued at in excess of $65 million. The order calls for building an underground power grid between existing substations to help meet electricity demand in Kuwait City. TEW will supply materials such as 300 kV extra-high voltage cables and connectors, and perform power grid design, installation, connection and testing all at once.

The release noted that the bidding conditions were very stringent, and for the 300-400 kV EHV power grids, “only a handful of European and Japanese companies are qualified to bid.” It noted that TEW, which has successfully completed a number of ultra-high voltage turnkey projects ordered by the Kuwait Water and Electricity Authority, “won the project through fierce competition with leading global companies based on its project execution capabilities and technological prowess.”

In other news, the company notes that it has started construction of a factory that will be the first optical cable production corporation in Kuwait. The goal is to complete the construction by the end of the year.

Keir International, a Saudi Arabia-based business that serves multiple sectors, reported several orders for its wire and cable business.

A press release said that Keir International has secured two contracts from Saudi Electricity Transmission Company worth approximately $44.2 million for extension of high-voltage underground cables. The projects are scheduled for completion by the first quarter of 2025.

The first contract is for the extension of 110 kV underground cables to connect Al Haram station within the program to strengthen the major cities in Madinah. The second contract calls for extending high-voltage underground cables to connect the West Taiba station within the Haram station as part of the Greater Cities Enhancement Program in Madinah.

In other news, KEIR International reported that it had also signed a contract worth approximately $8 million to provide a fiber optic network. The project, which is expected to take two years, is aimed at expanding the infrastructure of the fiber optic network of the Ministry of Interior by connecting sites belonging to the ministry in the regions of Riyadh and Makkah Al-Mukarramah to the network.

Elsewedy Electric KSA will be a supplier to a very ambitious project, providing low-voltage and medium-voltage cables for two 28 km tunnels that will make up part of “The Line,” part of Saudi Vision 2030.

A press release said that the setting will be Neom Mega City (NEOM), a 170-km belt will become a massive green space, offering unique hyper-connected communities that are free from cars and roads, which contributes to the reduction in carbon emissions. Located in the temperate northwest of Saudi Arabia, NEOM’s diverse climate offers both sun-soaked beaches and snow-capped mountains. Its unique location—a footprint of nearly the size of Belgium—will provide residents with enhanced livability while protecting 95% of the surrounding natural landscape.

NEOM is to be a revolutionary city, designed to inspire an alternative way of living and respond to some of the most critical global challenges urban areas face. It is committed to providing 100% renewable energy, with solar, wind, and hydrogen-based power generation ensuring that the city will be completely carbon-positive, with zero emissions.

The Line will be the world’s first zero-gravity vertical city. There will be a hyper rail line running through the city to boost travel, and these tunnels will be powered through a renewable-powered electric system making transportation far more efficient and reliable. With no roads, cars or emissions, it will run on 100% renewable energy and 95% of land will be preserved for nature. People’s health and wellbeing will be prioritized over transportation and infrastructure, unlike traditional cities.

Only 200 meters wide, but 170 km long and 500 m above sea level, The Line will eventually accommodate nine million people on a yet-to-be built footprint of just 34 sq km. Of note, that population in that space would equal an average population density of 260,000 people per sq km, whereas Manila, the world’s most densely populated city in 2020, had a density of 44,000/sq km.

“This will mean a reduced infrastructure footprint, creating never-before-seen efficiencies in city functions. The ideal (year-round climate) will ensure that residents can enjoy the surrounding nature. Residents will have access to all facilities within a five-minute walk, in addition to high-speed rail, with an end-to-end transit of 20 minutes.”

The concept is fueled by $500 billion from the Public Investment Fund of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and local and international investors. NEOM will become a community powered by talent and diversity across 14 sectors.

Leoni, a global provider of energy and data management solutions in the automotive sector, plans to extend its production capacities in Morocco.

A press release said that the German company will build an additional plant for wiring systems, in Agadir, that will focus on the commercial vehicles segment. The plant should provide 3,000 new jobs. The company recently signed agreements for several investment projects with Moroccan representatives.

In Agadir, Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch presided over the signing ceremony of two memoranda of understanding and a framework agreement for the implementation of six investment projects. Leoni will enlarge its existing nine plants in the Casablanca-Settat region as well as establish a new facility in Agadir, thus creating more than 7,000 new jobs by 2027. The additional wiring systems plant in the Agadir industrial acceleration zone will provide 3,000 jobs in administration, engineering and production.

“I am very pleased about the agreement between our company and the Moroccan government,” said Ingo Spengler, Leoni’s COO and a member of the Executive Board. “Leoni will seize the opportunity to expand its footprint in the county, which provides favorable conditions in terms of availability of skilled workers, competitiveness and logistics. The state of Morocco, in return, is developing the industrial sector being the main pillar of the national economy.”

The new plant will specialize in producing wiring systems for the Commercial Vehicles segment, one of the growth fields of the company’s Wiring Systems Division. Leoni is supplying a growing number of truck and engine manufacturers with harnesses and associated components as well as off-road sector including agricultural, construction and industrial vehicles.