Nexans has been chosen by Swissgrid to supply and bury 30 km of Very-High-Voltage (VHV) underground cables to replace overhead power lines along the southern side of the Geneva-Cointrin airport in Switzerland.

A press release said that Swissgrid, the national company in charge of Switzerland’s electricity transmission grid, chose Nexans for the project that will see the 220 kV underground cables replace the existing overhead power lines between the electrical stations of Foretaille and Renfil. The €25 million turnkey contract also calls for it to install two 144-strand fiber optic links and embed a temperature monitoring feature in the cable system.

The Swissgrid project is part of the “Axe Stratégique Réseau” development programs in the canton of Geneva and the Federal Roads Office’s “Redevelopment of the Grand-Saconnex motorway junction.” The overhead power line burial project was described as being exceptional due to its complex nature, both technically and organizationally. Nexans will be in charge of certain engineering services, including taking down and replacing the existing gas-insulated extra high voltage link (GIL).

“We welcome the opportunity to continue our work with Swissgrid on this ambitious and prestigious project, relying on the many and varied skills of the Nexans teams, from engineering to civil works, but also including the production and installation of very high voltage networks,” said Nexans Switzerland CEO Marco Spinelli.

The release said that Nexans has been active in such complex very-high-voltage cable projects in Switzerland before, including the connection of the Nant de Drance (2018), the Linth-Limmern (2016) pumped storage power plants to the national grid, and the underground cable connection of La Bâtiaz – Le Verney (2022).

CommScope announced that it is expanding its fiber-optic cable production to help feed an accelerated rollout of broadband Internet in the U.S.

A press release said that the capacity expansion at two production facilities in North Carolina—projected to cost $47 million—will increase employment by at least 250 jobs over five years. The capital expenditures include new lines of production for its HeliARC cable, a smaller and lighter-weight cable optimized for rural deployment and allowing for faster installation at lower cost.

“This increase in fiber-optic cable production is a great step forward for our ‘Broadband for Everyone’ program, furthering our commitment to serve the fiber optic cable market,” said CEO/President Chuck Treadway. “We will produce more cost-effective and easier-to-deploy fiber-optic cable, add new jobs and simultaneously strengthen the supply chain in America.”

United Wire Company (UWC) has partnered with OEM FENN LLC to enable it to manufacture small wire sizes with exacting tolerances, such as medical grade stainless steel wire.

A press release said that UWC, a manufacturer of flat, square, and custom-shaped wire based in North Haven, Connecticut, saw demand for small wire that holds tight tolerances as well as the need for another supplier. “We reached out to FENN, a metal-forming machinery manufacturer based in East Berlin, Connecticut, and after collaborating with their team, they put together a custom two-stand wire flattening mill line to meet our specifications,” said UWC President Bob Swanson, Jr.

The line includes a horizontal spool payoff, two rolling mills, three dancers, a high-precision Turks head with motorized adjustment, a double drum capstan, and a traversing spool take-up. It can produce wire sizes as small as .005 in. x .010 in. and can hold a +/- 0.0001 in. tolerance. “With this new machinery, we will be able to support the medical industry, as well as supply smaller wire to spring and wire form manufacturers,” Swanson said. “Soon, we will offer 304 V and 316 LVM medical grades of stainless-steel product and precision layer wound packaging.”

ETNA Products, Inc., has acquired the metalworking fluids line of JTM Products, which is based in Solon, Ohio.

A press release said that the deal will bolster ETNA’s business focus, which is based in organic growth and strategic acquisitions. “The JTM metalworking product line brings state of the art technology to ETNA as well as a world class distribution network,” said ETNA President Mike Washington. “We believe that these core competencies are a great fit with ETNA’s state of the art manufacturing and R&D center. We will continue to evaluate additional strategic acquisitions.”

The company fully intends to continue its expansion, ETNA CEO Catharine Golden noted that the company plans to break ground on phase two of its plant expansion this spring to accommodate future growth moves.

Established in 1943, ETNA Products, Inc., located in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, is a leading supplier of lubricants for nonferrous drawing and stamping.

Teknor Apex has bought Nu-Pro Polymers, a manufacturer and supplier of reprocessed and recycled flexible PVC pellet compounds that seeks to convert PWVC waste streams into products that perform for customers.

A press release said that Nu-Pro, based in Wheeling, Illinois, works with clean post-industrial (PIR) streams and converts them into new PVC compounds which perform equivalently to prime compounds. Nu-Pro specializes in clear, natural and black reprocessed compounds in a range of durometers. Per company’s co-owner Don Brown, the flexible, reprocessed and recycled PVC compounds incorporate up to 90% post-industrial recycled content.

Under the acquisition, Nu-Pro will continue to produce products for Teknor Apex at this time, under the Cycle-Tek brand as a subsidiary of Teknor Apex. “We are very excited about this acquisition that will further enable us to develop innovative compounds that meet the performance and sustainability requirements of our customers,” said Teknor Apex Executive Vice President Lou Cappucci.

“The acquisition of the Nu-Pro business is another step in ensuring vinyl continues to be a sustainable option in the plastics manufacturing market,” said Sunny Mahajan, Sr., technical manager, Teknor Apex, and business manager, Cycle-Tek. Based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, Teknor operates 14 manufacturing facilities worldwide.