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Wire Journal News

6/2/2022 -

China’s ZTT Submarine Cable & System (ZTT) has completed the factory acceptance test and cable load out of 60 km of 230 kV subsea cable for the Negros-Panay interconnector project in the Philippines.

At its website, the company reports that it has delivered the marine survey, design, supply, and lay-off of three submarine XLPE cables for the interconnection project. The order, for 2021, includes engineering, procurement, commissioning and installation (EPCI).

The delivery and project execution is on time, and in accordance with the contract schedule. ZTT will commission the whole cable system. That includes associated accessories, such as load prediction systems and other equipment, from Panay Island to Negros Island. The system includes associated accessories such as load prediction systems and other equipment.

The interconnector, a three-stage project developed by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), will interconnect the islands of Cebu, Negros and Panay, as part of the plan to strengthen the overall Philippines power transmission network.

Stage one presents the submarine cable component that increases the transfer capacity of the existing corridor between Negros and Panay islands. Stages two and three of the Cebu-Negros-Panay interconnection project are to establish a 230 kV backbone to accommodate the transmission of excess power from Panay and Negros towards the rest of Visayas.

Last modified on June 2, 2022

6/2/2022 -

NKT reports that it has completed connecting the power cable system that links the Hornsea 2 offshore wind farm to shore in what will be, when fully operational later this year, the world’s largest such energy producer.

A press release said that the Hornsea 2 system, which has capacity of 1.3 GW, required 196 km of 220 kV HVAC. Located 89 km off the English east coast, the wind farm has 165 8 MW turbines. The site was described as “a key to the transition to renewable energy in the U.K.,” designed to provide power to more than 1.3 million households when fully operational. The Hornsea claim to the world’s largest operating offshore wind
farm, will see it take the title from the current holder, Hornsea 1.

The power cables for Hornsea 2 were manufactured at the NKT factory in Karlskrona, Sweden, which runs on 100% green electricity minimizing the carbon footprint of the cable system. As part of the environmental focus of the operation, the installation of the submarine power cable systems was completed by NKT Victoria. The company will install the remaining turbines and continue testing, commissioning, and energizing Hornsea 2.

NKT has extensive experience in connecting offshore wind parks to the U.K. mainland including commissioned projects such as Hornsea 1, Moray East and the Walney Extension. Currently, NKT is involved in ongoing offshore wind projects such as the Dogger Bank offshore wind farm, which will be the first offshore wind farm in the U.K. to be connected to shore with a HVDC power cable link.

Last modified on June 2, 2022

6/2/2022 -

Japan’s Furukawa Electric has won a contract from the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines to deliver cable for a subsea power transmission project.

A press release said that the order is worth approximately €33 million. Furukawa Electric will supply 230 kV AC XLPE-insulated 1600 mm2 triple-core submarine cable— which it notes is the world’s-largest conductor size class submarine cable—and cable temperature and load monitoring system. Delivery and completion of the cable system are scheduled for 2023.

The power transmission project will connect the Cebu Substation and Lapulapu Substation in Visayas. The new submarine power transmission will reinforce power transmission capacity and maintain the continuous transmission of power towards the major load centers in Mandaue and Mactan even during an N-1 contingency condition.

Last modified on June 2, 2022

6/2/2022 -

The Prysmian Group will partner with Telstra, Australia’s largest telecom company, to build a new intercapital dual fiber path network in the country, a project that will require up to 20,000 km of optical fiber terrestrial cable.

A press release said that the national fiber network project, a multi-year project, will see Telstra build a new “state-of-the-art inter-city dual fiber path” to boost inter-capital capacity, as well as capacity for regional areas.

Prysmian and Telstra InfraCo undertook the development of a leading-edge optical cable system, leveraging Prysmian’s local R&D Lab. The Group invested to develop the next generation of high-strength, low-loss optical cable that has a highly ruggedized design, made for direct ploughing enabling long-distance deployment in harsh local conditions. The state-of-the-art cable design is combined with Prysmian’s BendBright® G.657.A2 Low Loss fiber technology. The cable has been developed to Australia’s unique environmental conditions and will be designed and manufactured locally at Prysmian’s factory on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.

Prysmian will support this project through local production of the optical cables in Dee Why, Sydney, which will boost jobs and investment in local high-tech manufacturing. The Group is investing to upgrade the plant’s capacity and capability. The deployment includes up to 20,000 kms of dual high strength optical cables combined with upgrade of the network within the Metro cities.

 “There is an ever-growing demand for greater fiber capacity, enabling massive bandwidth and ultrafast data rates with lower latency,” said Philippe Vanhille, executive vice president of the Telecom Division at Prysmian Group.

Last modified on June 2, 2022

6/2/2022 -

U.S.-based Clearfield, which specializes in fiber management and connectivity platforms for communication service providers, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Finnish company Nestor Cables, a leading developer and manufacturer of fiber optic cable solutions.

A press release said that the pending acquisition follows a long-standing, synergistic relationship between Clearfield and Nestor, who have worked together for over a decade. Founded in 2007 in Oulu, Finland, Nestor’s product portfolio includes fiber optic cables, connectivity accessories for fiber optic networks and instrumentation, and the Nestor Optimus product family for microduct networks. Nestor offers complete solutions for fiber optic networks, including FTTH and FTTP.

Nestor has a strong market position in Finland as a supplier of optical fiber cabling. The company also exports many of its products to the European continent, accounting for approximately 30% of its annual revenues. In 2021, Nestor generated EUR €31.7 million in revenue under Finnish Accounting Standards

Nestor operates two production facilities and has customers in more than 50 countries. Since 2012, Nestor has supplied fiber optic cables for Clearfield. The strategic acquisition will enable Clearfield to vertically integrate the supply of its fiber optic cables to meet future customer demand. It also makes it possible for Clearfield to leverage Nestor’s deep technical expertise.

The deal will also enable Clearfield to extend the available supply of FieldShield fiber into the North American market. Clearfield expects to open optical fiber production in its Mexico facility and begin production of optical cable in North America in early calendar year 2023.

Last modified on June 2, 2022

6/2/2022 

Matthew Bedell has been promoted to vice president of the Industrial Specialties business unit for North America for the Prysmian Group, responsible for directing all commercial activities. He has more than 20 years of process engineering, operations management, supply chain, and commercial experience. He began his career with Prysmian Group as part of General Cable in 2002. He was part of the integration of the aluminum building wire business and led the aluminum rod and strip business following the acquisition of Alcan Cable in 2012. After the acquisition of General Cable by the Prysmian Group in 2018, Bedell held leadership responsibilities for all of U.S. inside sales. He most recently was responsible for commercial operations in the Trade & Installers business unit. He replaces Richard Parvesse, who was recently appointed president of Prysmian’s Elevator and Escalator business unit, Draka EHC. The Prysmian Group which operates in more than 50 countries and has 108 plants and approximately 29,000 employees, is a leader in many wire and cable fields.

Chris Blakeman has been promoted to vice president/general manager of Davis Wire. He joined the company in 2018 as director of operations, and has extensive international leadership experience. Prior to that, he was general manager at Insteel Industries and plant manager for Chatsworth Products, with his longest tenure at Bekaert, where he worked for nearly 19 years, mostly in managerial positions, in locations in the U.K., Belgium, Czech Republic, U.S. and Costa Rica. He is certified in Six Sigma and can also speak French, Spanish and Dutch. He holds a B.Sc. degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Wolverhampton, and a M.Sc. degree in advanced materials from Cranfield University. Part of the Heico Group and based in Irwindale, California, Davis Wire specializes in galvanized, brite and reinforcing wire.

LS Cable & System USA reports that Adnan Skopljak is a new regional sales manager. He has more than 15 years of professional experience, most recently serving as a regional sales manager for Southwire Company, where he worked for six years in utility wire and cable. He has a degree in business management from the University of West Georgia. Based in Georgia, LS Cable & System USA manufactures energy wire and cable products serving the commercial, industrial, renewable energy and utility markets.

 Robert Auger was named plant director for the Lincoln, Rhode Island site of the Prysmian Group. He most recently was vice president of operations for Champlain Cable Corporation, which he joined in 2017. Prior to that, he was vice president of operations for Comtran Cable, where he worked for 14 years, and before that he had worked for two years at Alpha Wire and 18 years for C&M Corporation. The Prysmian Group, which operates in more than 50 countries and has 108 plants and approximately 29,000 employees, is a leader in many wire and cable fields.

Luvata Senior Vice President and CFO Pekka Kleemola has been promoted to president. He has worked for the company and its predecessors for nearly 20 years. He replaces Jussi Helavirta, who joined Luvata in 2000 and was the president of Luvata Special Products division when it was acquired by Mitsubishi Materials Corporation in 2017. Kleemola said that Helavirta was a highly valued and respected leader, and under his leadership the company had moved toward a more modern and open corporate culture, developing processes, operations and global presence. Based in Finland, Luvata has a diversified product portfolio that includes wire. It has operations in seven countries, which includes Accurate Wire in Branford, Connecticut.

Last modified on June 2, 2022

6/2/2022 -

Gina Guzowski has joined Wire Association International as sales manager. She most recently worked at Sargent Manufacturing, where she was a customer support specialist.

Prior to that, Guzowski worked for four years as a customer account representative for RFS, where she handled all the cable, wire and antenna deployments for cell tower build ups. She collaborated with engineering, applications engineers, technical services, teams, project managers, product managers, supply chain, vendors, shipping and logistics until the products were delivered to the site. She holds a degree in international business from Marymount College.

She will report to Shannon Timme, who was promoted to director of sales at the beginning of the year. The two-person sales team will serve the marketing interests of the wire and cable industry by connecting suppliers and customers through the Association’s Interwire and Wire Expo events as well as the Association’s official publication, the Wire Journal International.

“We are excited to have Gina join the team,” said WAI Executive Director Steve Fetteroll. “She has a great background, including her wire and cable experience at RFS. She joined the organization at an ideal point as she will be supporting the organization at Wire Expo and at the Association’s booth in wire Düsseldorf.”

Last modified on June 2, 2022

6/2/2022 -

From last May to this May, the WAI has added a total of 26 new companies to the Association’s Platinum portfolio. The gain is impressive as in 2021 WAI was not able to stage Interwire, which is a strong event for adding members as well as Platinum Members.

Per the Association’s bylaws, WAI membership operates on an individual basis, so the Platinum membership works a bit differently. The Platinum option is a good incentive for companies to register a group of up to five individuals with a slight savings and some additional perks (such as their logo on the homepage of the Association’s website). There is no limit as to how many Platinum groups a company could have. However, the memberships still work as individual ones.

WAI’s total member base now tops 2,000, and is expected to see further growth thanks to the return of in-person events. That number now includes 271 individuals who fall into the Platinum Member category.

One of the new Platinum Member companies—Kimber Kable, a specialist in high-end audio cables owned by WAI Life Member Ray Kimber—described the Association as a dependable resource in professional development and networking. “With the ongoing workforce challenges coupled with the disruptive Covid environment, companies recognize that membership provides high value educational services and a connection to the broader profession. Seeing more companies sign up for Platinum Memberships confirms that we are following a direction that the industry needs and appreciates.”

Last modified on June 2, 2022

6/2/2022 -

In just a few days, Wire Expo 2022 will be held in Dallas, but coming up quickly is an important meeting that is essential to Interwire 2023.

The WAI will hold the points meeting for Interwire 2023 on Wednesday, June 15, at its headquarters in Madison, Connecticut. The process determines how booths are assigned based on the WAI’s established priority point program. For more details, contact the WAI sales team of Shannon Timme and Gina Guzowski.

Last modified on June 2, 2022

5/4/2022 -

Annual Meeting in Dallas to offer a return to sorely missed live gathering

On-line meetings were certainly better than no event, but it is safe say that the WAI welcomes the return to a live format for the annual meeting on Wednesday, June 8, which will honor the winners of three awards as well as present a timely keynote presentation.

The meeting element itself is brief as it is procedural, but the breakfast session will see the presentations of the Mordica Memorial Award to Anand Bhagwat, manager, quality and technology at Minova USA; the Donnellan Memorial Award to Richard Wagner, the senior vice president and COO of Insteel Industries; and the President’s Award to Joe Downes, a long-time Leggett & Platt executive who retired as senior v.p. in 2015.

The gathering will also include comments from Keynote speaker Ty Garrison, senior vice president of operations, Commercial Metals Co., whose theme feels very appropriate: “Leadership in a Volatile World.” He will discuss how the last few years have strained businesses across the globe as Covid forced companies to deal with events like virtual work, burn out, unprecedented supply chain disruptions and volatile markets. Such challenges test the leadership at every level of an organization, and are essential to master for companies to thrive.

The annual meeting will, as ever, serve as a good place for WAI members to gather.

Last modified on May 4, 2022

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