Wirenet Image Band
wirenet.org mobile image band

Wire Journal News

5/4/2022 -

The Madem Reels Group will open a new plant in North America as part of its expansion plans.

A press release said that shareholders of Madem-Moorecraft Reels USA, Inc., have agreed to open a new manufacturing, assembly and distribution plant in Denton, Texas. This will be the company’s second manufacturing plant in North America, following the opening of its first one in North Carolina. “Madem Group is successfully shaping another important project through excellence in streaming its core competencies,” said Madem Moorecraft Reels USA President Marcos Ramalho.

Plans call for operations to begin in 2022, with assembly and distribution beginning in the second quarter, and manufacturing in the fourth quarter. The company has invested in cutting-edge CNC lines, and expects to create a hundred new jobs. Annual capacity should reach over 1,200 truckloads of KD reel kits per year. “The new Denton plant represents our latest commitment to increase production capacity and expand our North American distribution network,” said Steve Redhage, vice president of sales.

Based in Brazil, the Madem Group is a leading global manufacturer of nailed wooden reels. It has its own renewable forests, sawmill and manufacturing facilities in Brazil that support the company’s global partners in the U.S., Bahrain, Colombia, Mexico, and Spain. We employ over 700 dedicated associates worldwide. Combined annual production exceeds 6,000 containers of knocked down reels, including customized products, that ship to over 150 wire and cable plants worldwide. 

5/4/2022 -

Google has announced a project to connect Canada and Japan with an undersea fiber optic cable called Topaz, a project that will connect Vancouver and Port Alberni to Mie and Ibaraki prefectures in Japan.

A press release said that Topaz will have 16 fiber pairs that are capable of speeds up to 240 Terabits per second. “We expect the cable to be ready for service in 2023, not only delivering low-latency access to Search, Gmail and YouTube, Google Cloud, and other Google services, but also increasing capacity to the region for a variety of network operators in both Japan and Canada.”

Google is working with local partners in B.C. and Japan to help complete the project, including the Hupacasath, Maa-nulth, and Tseshaht First Nations. This will be the first trans-pacific cable to connect Canada to Japan.

Google noted that with the addition of Topaz, the company has now announced investments in 20 subsea cable projects. These include Curie, Dunant, Equiano, Firmina and Grace Hopper, and consortium cables like Blue, Echo, Havfrue and Raman—all connecting 29 cloud regions, 88 zones, 146 network edge locations across more than 200 countries and territories.

5/4/2022 -

Nexans has been awarded a contract worth around €100m by French grid operator RTE to supply and install cables for the 496 MW Le Treport offshore wind farm.

A press release said that the contract comprises 47 km of offshore and 18 km of onshore export cable for the wind farm, which is located more than 15.5 km from Le Tréport and 17 km from Dieppe.

The consortium Eoliennes en Mer Dieppe Le Treport is developing the offshore wind farm. RTE has been appointed by the French government to connect the wind farm from the offshore substation to the onshore power grid by installing two subsea and onshore links.

For the subsea section, Nexans will supply two 23.5 km lengths of 225 kV three-core cable. The cable has hybrid armoring and incorporates a fiber-optic element to remotely monitor the health of the link and transmit information between the offshore wind farm and the onshore base.

Nexans’ Halden plant in Norway will manufacture the subsea cables, while the land cables will come from the Nexans plant in Charleroi, Belgium. The fiber-optic elements will be supplied from the Norwegian site in Rognan. The installation of the subsea cables should start in the second half of 2024.

The cables will be laid by the CS Skagerrak, one of Nexans’ two cable laying vessels. The onshore link will have 18 km of 225 kV single-core cable, similar to that supplied to RTE by Nexans under the current framework contract for onshore cables. Nexans will also be in charge of the cable burial and protection for the onshore section.

5/4/2022 –

Giovanni Spitale, a polymer processing and broader capital equipment industry veteran, has been named CEO of Davis-Standard. He most recently was vice president of commercial parts within Boeing Global Services. Prior to that, he was president of Customer Service and Support at Milacron. He replaces Jim Murphy who has been elected as vice chairman of the board of directors. The company also reported that it has elected to its board of directors Brian Marston, Bill Barker and John McGrath, each of whom has significant experience within Davis-Standard’s markets. Based in Pawcatuck, Connecticut, and a portfolio company of Gamut Capital Management, Davis-Standard is a global supplier of extrusion technology.

Earlier this year, International Wire Group (IWG) announced multiple personnel promotions. Vince Donaldson was named general manager of Owl Wire & Cable. His industry career began in 1985 at Camden Wire. He worked there for nearly 12 years, and was director of sales and marketing when the company was acquired by IWG. He continued as director of North American sales, and in 2004 became vice president of sales before his new assignment. Lenny Argentine was promoted to vice president of sales and marketing. He joined IWG in 1994 and has held various commercial roles across multiple International Wire divisions. He holds a B.A. degree in philosophy from LeMoyne College and an MBA from State University of New York at Oswego. Yulia Leskovets was named director of sales and marketing. She joined the IWG as a senior business development manager. She had previously worked in sales positions for Freeport-McMoRan and 3M. She holds a Master’s degrees in engineering, and in economics and management from Bauman Moscow State Technical University. Jennifer Fox was named director of marketing analytics. She joined IWG in 1994, and during her tenure has held multiple positions in manufacturing, production control, plant operations management and quality assurance. Kerri Grant was named director of customer service. She joined IWG in 1998, and throughout her career she has held various positions in finance, operations, quality, continuous improvement and manufacturing management. Stacey Ingraham was named vice president of human resources. She joined IWG in 2014, and during her tenure with the company, she spent three years in a manufacturing management role. Based in Camden, New York, the International Wire Group is the largest non-vertically integrated copper and alloy wire products manufacturer in the U.S.

UPCAST OY has named Janne Hosio as managing director. He joined the company in 2001 as a project engineer, specialized in electrics and programming, and over the following 21 years served in various roles where he became an expert in UPCAST® products and technology. He most recently had been sales director, responsible for all the global sales and marketing activities and customer relationships of the company. He will continue to be directly involved in sales. He holds an engineering degree from the Central Ostrobothnia University of Applied Sciences. Based in Pori, Finland, UPCAST OY notes that it is the original developer of the upward upcasting technology for making copper rod and tube.

As part of a management reorganization of Hitachi Cable America (HCA), the Performance Cable Systems and Materials Division (PCSMD) of New Hampshire and the High Performance Medical Solutions Division (HPMSD) of Rhode Island/Connecticut, reported the following personnel news. Paula Butkevich is senior vice president of sales and business development of the HPMSD. Robert Overton has been promoted to senior vice president of engineering & operations, a new position for the HPMSD. Jim Stocking has accepted the role of executive director of operations for the PCSMD. He joined HCA in 2010 as purchasing manager. Michelle Ferero has been promoted to vice president of human resources. John DiSalvo is vice president of finance for the (HPMSD) and the (PCSMD). Steve Schaeffer has been promoted to director of logistics. Sherry Moulton has been promoted to purchasing supervisor of PCSMD. Semko Bukvic will assume the interim process engineering manager role for PCSMD. Headquartered in Purchase, New York, Hitachi Cable America Inc. (HCA) is a subsidiary of Hitachi Metals, Ltd., a global manufacturer of cable products for the computer, automotive and aerospace industries.

Alain Lanjard has joined Champlain Cable as European district sales manager, a new direct position. Residing in Spain, he is tri-lingual, and has a B.T.S. degree in international business from the University of Vigo. He has many years of wire and cable experience in sales, marketing and business development roles with various companies. He most recently worked at BizLink. Based in Colchester, Vermont, Champlain Cable Corporation makes electrical wire and cable products.

The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) has named Southwire President and CEO Rich Stinson to the company’s board of directors. He joined the company in 2015. Founded in 1895, the NAM notes that is the largest industrial trade association in the USA, with over 14,000 members, from small businesses to global leaders, in every industrial sector. n

4/21/2022 – The first SteelOrbis & IREPAS Conference of 2022 is returning to its traditional in-person format after two years. The conference will be held at the Four Seasons Hotel Bosphorus on May 29-31 with the many in-person networking opportunities. With the spring sun of Istanbul and the excellent facilities of the conference hotel, there will be many spaces outside - just next to the beautiful Bosphorus - to help attendees enjoy networking with the other attendees in the open air.

While gathering its members and participants together at the world's number one event for long steel products, SteelOrbis and IREPAS Conference will also offer the opportunity to listen to informative presentations about the latest developments in all the major steel markets!

What to expect at this in-person conference:

  • Acquire a better understanding of the global market situation before planning your strategy and gain an accurate picture of supply and demand and steel price levels.
  • Opportunity to hear the plans of major producers and traders.
  • Listen to the latest global economic issues as discussed by renowned economists.
  • Chance to interact and create new business partnerships with the world's major long steel producers, traders and raw material suppliers.

 Speakers:

  • Alexander Gordienko, Export Director, Celsa Group (in-person presentation)
  • Veysel Yayan, Secretary General,Turkish Iron and Steel Producers' Association (TISPA) (in-person presentation)
  • Olivier Francois, President, European Recycling Industries' Confederation (EuRIC) (in-person presentation)
  • Alessandro Sciamarelli, Director of Economic Studies and Market Analysis, European Steel Association (EUROFER) (in-person presentation)
  • Huseyin Ocakci, Middle East General Manager, CIEC (in-person presentation)
  • Roman Perepelytsia, Head of Strategy and Business Development, Metinvest Holding (online presentation)
  • Dr. Ozgur Demirtas, Chair Professor of Finance, Sabanci University (in-person presentation)

 Who attends:

  • Steel producers
  • Raw material suppliers
  • Traders
  • End-users
  • Plant / equipment companies
  • Logistics companies
  • Finance companies
  • Technology and machinery companies

 How to register:

Online: https://www.steelorbis.com/steel-events/

E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Online participation is also available!

If you cannot travel due to travel restrictions, you can still register for the conference by choosing  “online participation” and have the option to follow the conference sessions on May 30-31 on the online  platform. Please visit the website above for detailed information.


Gallery

Contact us

The Wire Association Int.

71 Bradley Road, Suite 9

Madison, CT 06443-2662

P: (203) 453-2777