2/16/21 -- At the end of 2020, Mayer Braidtech GmbH merged with Mayer & Cie. GmbH & Co. KG, its former parent company.

A press release explained the details as follows. Braiding machine production and sales will be a separate division of the former parent company. With this move, the circular knitting machine manufacturer has formally completed the integration of Mayer Braidtech GmbH at the company’s Albstadt headquarters. It began in January 2019 when the production of braiding machines got under way in Albstadt. Mayer & Cie.’s sister company Mayer Industries had previously manufactured in Orangeburg, South Carolina, the braiding machines that make reinforcements for high-pressure hoses.

“By integrating Mayer Braidtech into Mayer & Cie. GmbH & Co. KG, we have formally completed a process that for us has long been accomplished on a day-to-day work basis,” said Patrick Moser, business unit manager of Mayer Braidtech and future head of Mayer & Cie.’s braiding division. The production of braiding machines in Albstadt has been under way at full capacity since the beginning of 2019; sales of the machines had long been based in Albstadt. “That is why the braiding machines are old friends, as it were, at our main factory,” he said, adding that there had been, as hoped, synergy effects of circular knitting and braiding machine production. “We definitely benefit from one another, be it in manpower, logistics or simply in sharing news and views.”

2/10/21 -- Dr. Horace Pops, the industry guru for fines and wire breaks, destroyed the association record for webinar registration for the first of his three webinars: Annealing, Jan. 27, which had to close on Friday, Jan. 22 because all 500 available slots were filled. Of note, the days that followed brought additional requests.

The two other scheduled Pops’ webinars are Fines, held February 3, and Wire Breaks, to be held today, Feb. 10. The original registration was for all three sessions, so all three are closed.

“Dr. Pops has long been known in the industry for his ability to discuss potential wire problem areas in a way that makes sense, but even we were surprised that we had to shut registration six days before it was to be held,” WAI Executive Director Steve Fetteroll said. He observed that the three webinars will be available later online to WAI members.

A prolific author of technical papers, including multiple award winners, Pops has presented at numerous WAI events over the years. He is a mainstay at WAI’s Fundamentals of Wire & Cable Manufacturing course. A WAI Past President (1992-93), he is the principal of Horace Pops Consulting, Inc.

2/10/21 -- The WAI is seeking technical papers for the Association’s technical program at Interwire 2021, which earlier this year due to Covid-19 was rescheduled from May 10-13 to Oct. 26-27.

The WAI is focusing on Industry 4.0 at Interwire, (more on that in future issues), and technical papers that focus on this are being sought. Abstracts should be sent by March 1 to WAI Executive Director Steve Fetteroll at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Interwire will remain at its longtime location at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia. More information will be presented about the event in future issues, including a “Prequel” of the Atlanta show in the August issue, then the full preview in the September issue.

2/10/21 -- The WAI’s Southeast Chapter was unable to hold its annual golf tournament in 2020, but its board confirmed at a recent meeting that it will issue four scholarships this year, using saved funds.

“As we come out of an uncertain time in 2020, the Southeast Board of Directors is excited to announce that the scholarship program will continue in 2021,” said Chapter President Chris McGill, Southwire. “We know there are deserving students in our community that could use the stability of this program to help them advance to the next level in their educational goals.”

The golf event, a key contributor to the chapter’s college scholarship program, also reflects a team effort. The 2019 event, held at the Rock Barn Country Club in Conover, North Carolina, was declared one of the best ever. Board members served as emcees, placed 40 sponsorship signs, managed the putting contest, photographed the event and made sure that everyone was fed and happy.

2/10/21 -- The board of the directors for the WAI’s New England Chapter met recently to discuss plans for 2021, which included the possibility of holding a technical program. Appropriately, it was a virtual meeting, as the discussion focused on how a program could best be done. The consensus was that, if it deemed possible to do this in spring, it should be similar to the Association’s Streamcast program in July 15, 2020, a WAI online first.

The Streamcast program featured 12 industry speakers. More than 400 people registered for the virtual event, which ran from 8:30 am to 2 pm on Wednesday, July 15. The final “attendee” numbers for individuals that took part was more than 250, which at the time set a record for any WAI online event.

More news will follow in a future issue as to whether there is traction for the chapter’s plans.

In other news, the chapter welcomed the addition of Jessica Foss, market development manager, Electric Cable Compounds, Inc., who will serve as its treasurer.

The chapter also named two new board members: Sean DeZalia, process engineer, EIS Wire & Cable, and Jason Ponce, product development engineer, Harbour Industries. Of note, more than half the board members are younger than 40, which those on the call agreed was a good sign.