Japan’s Kobe Steel, Ltd. and shareholders of Kobe Special Steel Wire Products (Pinghu) Co., Ltd. (KSP), have agreed to invest approximately $8 million increase the production capacity of the Chinese joint venture that processes special steel wire rod into steel wire.

A press release said that the latest announcement marks the fifth time that production will have been increased for the joint venture, which includes partners Shinsho Corporation, Osaka Seiko Limited, Meihoku Kogyo Co., Ltd., Metal One Corporation and Kyodo Shaft Co., Ltd.

KSP was established in 2007 to supply steel cold heading (CH) steel wire to parts manufacturers for use in making products such as automotive bolts, nuts and bearing products, the release said. Full-scale operation began in 2009. Kobe Steel provides all special steel wire rod used by KSP to ensure that the joint venture production has the same high-quality material.

The release said that the latest capacity expansion was needed to help meet the growing needs of KSP’s customers. Approximately $8 million will be spent to install three additional wire drawing machines, for a total of 11, and two more heating furnaces, bringing the total to eight. The new equipment is anticipated to start up in March and June 2020, respectively. Production capacity will increase to 5,500 metric tons per month, it said.

Kobe Steel has positioned Japan, the ASEAN countries, North America and China as four major areas to process special steel wire rods for supply to parts manufacturers who have set up operations in these countries and regions. To date, Kobe Steel has established two plants in Thailand for wire rod processing, one in the U.S., one in Mexico, and four in China. Looking to the future, Kobe Steel will continue to develop its supply network for high-quality special steel wire rods centered on these four areas.

Nexans reports that it has been awarded a turnkey contract worth more than 100 million euros to reinforce the national grid of the Philippines.

A press release said that the order is from the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), which is looking to unify and reinforce the national grid with the launch of the Mindanao Visayas Interconnection Project (MVIP). The goal is connect the three power grids of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao into one unified national grid  by 2020.

The release said that Nexans will provide 350 kV high-voltage direct current (HVDC) mass-impregnated (MI) submarine cable in water depths up to 650 m for the submarine link. To optimize the delivery of the submarine cabling system for the MVIP, Nexans will leverage its global manufacturing footprint. The 350 kV submarine MI cable will be manufactured in Nexans’ Nippon High Voltage Cable Corporation plant in Futtsu, Japan, as well as in its Halden plant in Norway. The installation and protection works will be performed by Nexans’ cable laying vessel C/S Nexans Skagerrak.

“Nexans is delighted to once again be trusted by NGCP, building on a number of projects the Group has successfully completed in the region,” said Vincent Dessale, Senior Executive Vice President Nexans Subsea and Land Systems Business Group.
Per the release, in the last 15 years, power consumption in Philippines has increased by almost 80%, with 2017 use estimated at more than 94,370 GWh.

David J. Gemelli, who was both a successful business man and as kind, caring and generous a person the wire and cable industry has ever seen, died Monday, Dec. 10, at age 71, leaving behind a sterling legacy for Gem Gravure Co., Inc., the family business.

Gemelli worked at American Optical Corporation and Polaroid before joining Gem Gravure, a supplier of marking technology, in 1976. He worked alongside his father and Gem founder, Joseph Gemelli, and took over when his dad died in 1989. Under his direction, the company became an industry leader by its introduction of high speed Teflon bandmarking and winning awards such as top OEM from Domino Inkjet and "The Flame" award from Lucent Technologies for development of patented products. Over the years, he increased revenues by more than 30 times.

Gemelli, who played football at the University of Vermont and earned an MBA from the University of Arizona, stood tall in terms of his accomplishments in the wire and cable industry and the Association. A WAI Life Member, he served in multiple positions, including as president in 1994. In 1999, he won the Association’s Donnellan Memorial Award, which recognizes an individual’s contributions to the industry. That same year, he was a recipient of the Wire and Cable Manufacturers Alliance (WCMA) Distinguished Career Award.

Gemelli was much beloved, well-known for his generosity, kindness and dedication to the industry and his many friends and colleagues. He enjoyed being able to give people opportunities and help them succeed. A huge sports fan, he was very generous with his Boston Red Sox season tickets, which often were prizes in charity raffles. He was very active with the National Italian-American Sports Hall of Fame and was inducted into it in 2004.

Gemelli is survived by his wife, Carol; a daughter, Beth, sons, Paul and Brian, who will continue the family business; a sister, Nancy Dwyer; a brother, Mark; three grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

The January Wire Journal International issue will have an extended obituary.

TPC Wire and Cable Corp. reports that it has completed its acquisition of Canada’s Milrail, Inc., a deal that it said strengthens its position in the high-performance wire and cable market and expands Milrail’s presence in the U.S. and Mexico.

A press release said that Milrail, based in Point-Claire, Quebec, was founded in 1990, and supplies the rail, transit and military markets with wire, cable and interconnect devices. Milrail President Allan LaPlante said that being part of TPC will allow even better service to be provided.

“We’ve seen a shift in our customer’s thinking, a desire to work with larger companies with an extended reach,” LaPlante said in a statement. “Combining Milrail’s exceptional customer service and technical support with TPC’s broader commercial capabilities, allows our two companies to carry this torch into the future and throughout North America in the wire, cable and connectivity market.”

TPC President and CEO Jeff Crane said that TPC is focused on establishing the Milrail products in the U.S. and Mexican markets. “We are excited and committed to expand Milrail’s product and service reach, delivering their great tradition of quality to even more customers throughout North America,” he said in a statement.

This marks the second acquisition that TPC has made in the last two years. In September 2017, the company purchased Massillon, Ohio-based Electa Cord, a maker of of custom-molded cable assemblies, power cords, and cord sets for original equipment manufacturers.

U.K.-based Integer Research (Integer), which supplies subscription-based reports and consultancy and puts on industry events, has been acquired by Argus Media, a commodity price reporting agency.

A press release said that Integer, which was founded in 2003 by Philip Radbourne, Oliver Hatfield and Tim Cheyne, will expand the range and depth of services that U.K.-based Argus Media offers. Integer covers the wire and cable industry as well as industrial chemicals and fertilizers. While based in the U.K., it has offices in Asia and Latin America.

Radbourne, and other representatives from his company, frequently speak at industry events, including Interwire. He has also been part of numerous stories in WJI over the years, including a special joint report with WJI staff that ran in the January 2007 issue on the world’s top 50 cable companies that ran 29 editorial pages, by far the largest-ever feature.

Observed Argus Media Chairman and Chief Executive Adrian Binks, “Integer has a unique product offering and this, combined with Argus’ global reach and scale, will offer users powerful market intelligence and insight.”

“This is a natural cultural and strategic fit for Integer and we are excited to build on Argus’ existing global expertise in commodity markets and leverage its technology and platform strengths to the benefit of our customers,” said Integer Managing Director Tim Cheyne.

Argus is an independent media organization with almost 950 staff. It is headquartered in London and has 21 offices in the world’s principal commodity trading and production centers. Argus produces price assessments and analysis of international energy and other commodity markets, and offers bespoke consulting services and industry-leading conferences.