3/4/2022   The new trade fair dates from June 20 – 24, 2022 promise the greatest possible planning security for exhibitors and significantly better travel conditions for trade visitors from all over the world. After four years without wire - International Wire and Cable Trade Fair - and Tube – International Tube and Pipe Trade Fair - the sectors will finally meet again in person at the fairgrounds in Düsseldorf, Germany to exchange information about innovations from the wire, cable and tube industries.

   wire and Tube will feature many innovations - end products in fasteners and springs, an ecoMetals campaign with guided tours to exhibitors such as AMPCO METAL Deutschland GmbH, ARCELOR MITTAL COMMERCIAL SECTIONS S.A., Georgsmarienhütte GmbH, Klöckner & Co SE and SMS group GmbH as well as expert meetings with keynote speeches by key players in the industries.

   As the worldwide leading events for their industries, wire and Tube will not only present new machinery and plants but also increasingly sustainable solutions for e-mobility, digitalization and Industry 4.0. Start-ups with their ideas and co-operations in wire, cable, tube and pipe production complement the comprehensive range of products and services in the 13 exhibition halls.

   The concurrently (June 21 – 24) held METAV, leading international trade fair for metalworking technologies, offers additional synergy effects for wire and Tube visitors.

   Traditionally, wire and Tube are among the most international trade fairs in Messe Düsseldorf's portfolio. More than two thirds of the exhibitors come from outside of Germany - exhibitors from 67 countries took part in the 2018 events. Trade visitors from over 130 countries meet at the Düsseldorf fairgrounds at peak times.

   For information about the hygiene and infection control regulations in effect in June 2022 at the Düsseldorf fairgrounds: https://www.wire-tradefair.com/en/Visitor/Hygiene_concept_PROTaction

   For further information on visiting or exhibiting at wire or Tube 2022, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America; Telephone: (312) 781-5180; E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; Visit www.wire-tradefair.com, www.tube-tradefair.com and www.mdna.com

3/4/2022  To further Southwire's mission to build a culture that recognizes and celebrates the value of diverse backgrounds, equity in opportunity and inclusivity in action, the company is pleased to announce the launch of its new diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) website.  

Southwire treasures the diversity of its employees and the communities that we represent and serve, and the company’s four key values – trust, empowerment, consistency and inclusion – are the foundation of the organization’s DEI strategy.  

“A focus on diversity, equity and inclusion is mission critical for our organization,” said Cara Herzog, director of DEI. “Over the last several years, we have continued to prioritize and accelerate our internal and external efforts to drive progress. We believe the key to our continued success is our people, and we are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diverse perspectives can thrive.”  

Southwire focuses on fostering an environment that recognizes the value and talent of diverse perspectives regardless of gender and ethnicity. In 2014, the company established its first employee resource group (ERG), and since then, the company has expanded to six ERGs, including the Women’s Network, Spectrum, Nextgen, TEAM, Officium and Allied. These groups actively promote Southwire’s commitment to inclusivity by engaging employees and encouraging participation in events throughout the year.   

“We believe that every person can make a difference from any position, and we are committed to foster an environment where respect and inclusion are at the forefront of everything that we do, an environment where equal access and opportunity to learn, grow and succeed are available to everyone,” said Fernando Esquivel, executive vice president of People & Culture.  

The new DEI site will provide an in-depth look at Southwire as an organization and what the company stands for, including its focus on sustainability and how its five core tenets relate to DEI for the benefit of its workforce.   

“Sustainability is focused on being mindful of our impact on local and global communities and taking actions to create a better world for future generations,” said Burt Fealing, executive vice president, general counsel and chief sustainability officer. “In a very similar way, diversity, equity and inclusion is also focused on sustainable long-term efforts to remove barriers and to create equitable opportunities for everyone as part of a better world.”   

Establishing its brand as an organization dedicated to DEI continues to be an area of focus for Southwire, and with this new external site, the company is communicating openly and remaining transparent about its ongoing efforts — a bold step for a private company that demonstrates its deep commitment to the importance of DEI within the organization and in society at large.  

“We are an organization with a lot to offer, and we are excited for more people to see it. We believe in our people, customers, partners, and communities,” said Herzog. “The opportunity to share and connect in a new way is something that we value, and we welcome the conversations that this will bring internally and externally. We are just getting started.”   

###

A leader in technology and innovation, Southwire Company, LLC is one of North America’s largest wire and cable producers. Southwire and its subsidiaries manufacture building wire and cable, metal-clad cable, portable and electronic cord products, utility cable products, OEM wire products and engineered products. In addition, Southwire supplies assembled products, contractor equipment and hand tools. For more on Southwire’s products, its community involvement and its vision of sustainability, visit www.southwiresustainability.com.

obal client base in more than 50 countries.

4/1/2022 –  To further Southwire's mission to build a culture that recognizes and celebrates the value of diverse backgrounds, equity in opportunity and inclusivity in action, the company is pleased to announce the launch of its new diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) website.  

Southwire treasures the diversity of its employees and the communities that we represent and serve, and the company’s four key values – trust, empowerment, consistency and inclusion – are the foundation of the organization’s DEI strategy.  

“A focus on diversity, equity and inclusion is mission critical for our organization,” said Cara Herzog, director of DEI. “Over the last several years, we have continued to prioritize and accelerate our internal and external efforts to drive progress. We believe the key to our continued success is our people, and we are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diverse perspectives can thrive.”  

Southwire focuses on fostering an environment that recognizes the value and talent of diverse perspectives regardless of gender and ethnicity. In 2014, the company established its first employee resource group (ERG), and since then, the company has expanded to six ERGs, including the Women’s Network, Spectrum, Nextgen, TEAM, Officium and Allied. These groups actively promote Southwire’s commitment to inclusivity by engaging employees and encouraging participation in events throughout the year.   

“We believe that every person can make a difference from any position, and we are committed to foster an environment where respect and inclusion are at the forefront of everything that we do, an environment where equal access and opportunity to learn, grow and succeed are available to everyone,” said Fernando Esquivel, executive vice president of People & Culture.  

The new DEI site will provide an in-depth look at Southwire as an organization and what the company stands for, including its focus on sustainability and how its five core tenets relate to DEI for the benefit of its workforce.   

“Sustainability is focused on being mindful of our impact on local and global communities and taking actions to create a better world for future generations,” said Burt Fealing, executive vice president, general counsel and chief sustainability officer. “In a very similar way, diversity, equity and inclusion is also focused on sustainable long-term efforts to remove barriers and to create equitable opportunities for everyone as part of a better world.”   

Establishing its brand as an organization dedicated to DEI continues to be an area of focus for Southwire, and with this new external site, the company is communicating openly and remaining transparent about its ongoing efforts — a bold step for a private company that demonstrates its deep commitment to the importance of DEI within the organization and in society at large.  

“We are an organization with a lot to offer, and we are excited for more people to see it. We believe in our people, customers, partners, and communities,” said Herzog. “The opportunity to share and connect in a new way is something that we value, and we welcome the conversations that this will bring internally and externally. We are just getting started.”   

A leader in technology and innovation, Southwire Company, LLC is one of North America’s largest wire and cable producers. Southwire and its subsidiaries manufacture building wire and cable, metal-clad cable, portable and electronic cord products, utility cable products, OEM wire products and engineered products. In addition, Southwire supplies assembled products, contractor equipment and hand tools. For more on Southwire’s products, its community involvement and its vision of sustainability, visit www.southwiresustainability.com.

3/4/2022 –

In January, WJI presented the 10 Stage 1 winners in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Conductivity-enhanced materials for Affordable, Breakthrough Leapfrog Electric applications (CABLE) conductor manufacturing initiative. Below, Francisco Flores, senior materials engineer, NanoAL, LLC, discusses the focus of his team’s winning entry. For more about the company, go to www.nanoalllc.com.

WJI: How did your team form?
Flores: NanoAL is a materials research and technology company that designs, develops, and commercializes high-performance aluminum alloys. The company was founded by two Northwestern University professors and a post-doc in 2013 after 17 years of research on advanced aluminum alloys.

WJI: What is your contest focus?
Flores: Our contest focus is designing and developing a new conductive aluminum alloy with specific strength equal to that of high-strength steel. This advanced aluminum alloy would potentially be a direct substitution for the typical high-strength steel used in applications carrying heavy loads. In the case of traditional steel-reinforced conductors for power transmission, this substitution would significantly boost the overall conductivity of the power lines.

WJI: How did the collaboration with the Prysmian Group help?
Flores: Through its subsidiary company, General Cable, Prysmian Group has been one of our long-term R&D partners. NanoAL and Prysmian Group have jointly developed multiple advanced aluminum alloys and conductors for overhead cable, automotive and industrial applications. The people we have worked with from Prysmian understand both the science and the applications, and have been a champion of research and innovation in the wire and cable industry. They have helped us define customer and application requirements for a new product, evaluate performances of lab-scale and prototype samples, and implement scale-up processes.

WJI: Where do you see your CNTs most benefiting wire and cable?
Flores: We see this technology playing an essential role in improving the efficiency of electrical energy transmission and distribution systems. Our ultra-high-strength, highly conductive aluminum alloy achieves a tensile strength of 500 MPa and electrical conductivity of approximately 48% of standard annealed copper. Its specific strength is higher than the traditional steel core, while its conductivity is nearly eight times greater than steel. The potential aluminum/steel substitution in a transmission cable’s core can significantly increase the conductor’s efficiency. As a result, it saves money and reduces carbon footprint by reducing energy loss from the power grids.

WJI: Can your process be commercialized on a large scale?
Flores: Our aluminum alloys and processes are highly scalable. However, since replacing steel with a high-strength aluminum alloy in a traditionally steel-enforced conductor is highly disruptive, we need to achieve several more product development and application milestones to achieve commercial success. This is why the CABLE competition is such a good opportunity for us to advance and mature this technology further toward commercialization.

Prysmian Group perspective
Aluminum is ideal for electricity transmission/distribution, but its inherent low emissivity retains heat, leading to energy losses and conductor sag. The U.S. has more than 450,000 miles of active overhead transmission lines, most over 50 years old. The Prysmian Group supports innovative materials to enhance transmission efficiency. NanoAL’s development through the CABLE prize has the potential to create a sustainable and high-performance solution for energy products. Dr. Sathish Ranganathan, North America R&D Director, Prysmian Group.