On Wednesday, Nov. 5 at 11 am EST, WAI will host a live extrusion webinar led by industry expert Rick Chamberlin of Hawkins Consulting, LLC. The fast-paced, 30-minute session will provide practical takeaways while offering a sneak peek of WAI’s four online extrusion training courses.

Participants will get a teaser of the key concepts and techniques covered in the full courses, enough to spark interest and provide immediate value without getting too deep. The webinar will also feature an interactive knowledge check and a live Q&A, giving attendees a chance to engage directly with the instructor.

Registration is available at the Association’s website at wirenet.org via the calendar of upcoming events. Don’t miss this opportunity to get a firsthand look at WAI’s extrusion training content.

Molex has named Jim Foster as its director of operations at the company’s plant in South Grafton, Massachusetts. He has extensive experience in extrusion, braiding and custom cable manufacturing gained over more than 30 years. That includes working for nearly two decades at JSC Wire & Cable, where he served in roles such as project management, supply chain, plant operations and general management. Prior to that he also worked for Winchester Electronics, Lincoln Electric Products and Spiradrill. A global business based in Lisle, Illinois, with more than 70 plants, Molex manufactures electronic connectors, wire and cable solutions for automotive, medical, industrial and data applications.

Annelise Mackiewicz was named inside sales and marketing manager for Able Coil & Electronics. She most recently was the sales and marketing coordinator for ITEC. Prior to that, she served as marketing and sales coordinator for FENN, where she worked from 2021 to 2024. She holds a degree in communications from the University of Connecticut. Based in Bolton, Connecticut, Able Coil & Electronics supplies custom precision-wound coils, transformers, and integrated electromechanical assemblies for industrial applications.

LindFast Solutions Group (LSG) has named Steven Dean as chief commercial officer (CCO), effective immediately. He has more than three decades of industry experience, with a strong focus on the wire, cable and fastener sectors. That includes more than 20 years at Wesco Anixter and Anixter, where he held numerous key roles, such as senior vice president & general manager, utility; executive vice president, utility power solutions; and senior vice president, global EPC and capital projects. Earlier this year, the company also promoted Mike Spencer from vice president of sales to CEO. He previously served as vice president, construction east at WESCO Distribution from 2021 to 2024. Earlier, he spent over two decades at Anixter in multiple senior leadership roles across New England, Southern California, and New Hampshire. He began his career with Anixter in inside and outside sales. Based in Blaine, Minnesota, LindFast Solutions Group is a global distributor of fastener solutions.

Obituary
Heinrich Weiss, a transformative force in the global steel and metals industry, died on Sept. 8, 2025, in Düsseldorf, Germany, at age 83. Per the company’s website, Weiss took the helm of the SMS Group in 1971 at age 28 and directed the OEM for more than five decades. He led the company from a regional enterprise into a world leader in metallurgical plant engineering, providing systems that include rolling mills, bar and wire rod mills, continuous casting lines, and annealing and galvanizing lines.

Weiss remained closely involved in the company’s development until recently. For more than five decades, he led the family business as its fourth‑generation head. He was praised for his strategic vision and industry stewardship. “Heinrich Weiss was not only a significant entrepreneur but also a person of clarity, integrity and passion ... fostering SMS’s growth while remaining deeply engaged with employees and values, a legacy that endures,” said Johannes Frauendörfer, chairman of the Weiss Family Foundation Board.

NEC, a leading Asian undersea cable manufacturer and installer, may receive hundreds of millions of dollars in subsidies from the Japanese government to acquire specialized cable-laying vessels for digital infrastructure projects.

A government statement said that Japan is considering helping cover up to half the cost—potentially $500 million—for two ships, with each vessel estimated at $300 million. It said that the action was necessary because nearly all of Japan’s communications depend on subsea cables, yet domestic firms currently lack sovereign cable-laying capacity. NEC has relied on leasing a Norwegian vessel and other short-term charters, which officials say has exposed Japan to supply chain vulnerabilities and security risks. With foreign competitors in the U.S., France and China owning dedicated fleets, Japan’s government called its lack of owned ships “very serious.”

If approved, NEC’s first ship could be operational by 2027, strengthening the country’s ability to quickly deploy and repair digital networks. The news was posted by Tech Space 2.0 and reported by the Financial Times.

The final approval for Japan’s planned subsidies to NEC for cable-laying vessels would come from the Japanese Cabinet, specifically through the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), which oversees telecommunications and digital infrastructure policy.

The initiative comes after years of deliberation. In 2023, Tokyo designated subsea cables as “vital infrastructure” and required operators to report suspicious activities but stopped short of deeper support. NEC’s CEO warned earlier this year that the company was “the only one fighting with no support” as rivals benefited from direct government backing. France’s Alcatel unit was nationalized, while China provides heavy subsidies to its telecom firms.

NEC’s cable manufacturing and installation businesses operate as a unified enterprise under the NEC Group umbrella, with the entire group engaged in the submarine cable system business and no separate brand names distinguishing manufacturing from installation.

Manufacturing is conducted primarily through OCC Corporation, a subsidiary of NEC, while installation and systems integration are supported by other NEC divisions such as NEC Networks & System Integration Corporation and NEC Platforms, but all activities are marketed collectively as NEC submarine cable solutions.

The current investigation marks one of the most extensive probes into cartel activity in Slovakia’s cable sector to date, signaling heightened competition enforcement in this critical infrastructure market. 

NKT A/S, via its Czech subsidiary, NKT s.r.o., is part of an ongoing probe by the Antimonopoly Office (AMO) of the Slovak Republic.

In a formal announcement on August 27, NKT confirmed it is part of the investigation into alleged collusion among cable industry players in Slovakia, which the company denies. The AMO’s “Request Before the Issuing of a Decision” alleges possible infringements of Slovak and EU competition law involving a local cable association and 11 cable makers, including NKT s.r.o. Proposed fines are outlined but not finalized, and NKT has contested both the findings and the suggested infringement, stating it will present a reasoned defense.

A final decision from the Slovak authorities is expected within six to 12 months. If upheld, NKT plans to consider all available legal remedies, including appeals in Slovak courts. Meanwhile, NKT s.r.o. is also under investigation by Czech competition authorities, along with five other cable manufacturers, with that review still pending.

Case Recruiting recently took over Wire Resources, Inc., a Connecticut-based specialized wire and cable recruiting firm, owned by Peter Carino, a well-known industry recruiter.

The new owner, Ryan Case, was led by a third party to Carino, who had recently retired. Wire Resources, Inc. was founded in 1967 and Carino bought it in 1982.  The two men met, and the end result was Case transitioning Carino’s business into his: Case Recruiting (www.caserecruiting.com). “I wanted to leave my personal legacy in good hands and Ryan is filling that role,” Carino said.

Carino had participated in multiple WJI features over the years. Fittingly, Case is in the October feature (see p. 52) where he shares his background and his thoughts on the current hiring market.