4/6/2021: The Metalworks business of HS Manufacturing, LLC (HS Metalworks), a wholly owned subsidiary of Hickory Springs Manufacturing Company (HSM), has formed a strategic alliance with wire manufacturer OPEX Steel Processing LLC (OPEX) to manufacture induction-tempered spring wire for HS Metalworks at its Bedford Heights, Ohio, facility.

A press release said that along with expanding HS Metalworks’ capacity, the strategic alliance enables the company to better serve its spring-wire customers based in the Midwest. “This new strategic alliance provides us with additional capacity, as well as a major geographical advantage, that will support our customers’ growing demand for this product,” said HS Metalworks President Tim Becker. “It also cements our position as one of the largest producers of induction-tempered spring wire in North America, at a time when there is a real shortage in supply due to the recent spike in demand for home furnishings, products used for housing upgrades and automotive products as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.”

Becker noted that the alliance gives HS Metalworks a “triangle” of manufacturing facilities for spring wire. HS Metalworks also manufactures this product at its facilities in Conover, North Carolina, and Phoenix, Arizona. Production and shipments from the Bedford Heights factory began in late February.

HS Metalworks will be OPEX’s sole and exclusive customer for induction-tempered spring wire, which is used to manufacture overhead springs for garage doors and has applications in the furniture, automotive, agricultural and construction industries in products which require springs that have a large load-bearing capacity.

OPEX is a business formed using some of the wire making assets formerly owned and operated by American Spring Wire Corp. “We are very excited to expand our production capabilities and further service our customers through this strategic alliance,” Becker said. “The OPEX team, from the executive level to the production floor, is one of the most highly respected wire manufacturers in the industry. Dedicated to manufacturing high-quality products with an emphasis on customer service, this collaboration aligns well with both of our companies’ core values and we look forward to continued growth together.”

“I am very pleased to have joined forces with HS Metalworks and to put our wire making assets, and our people, back to work.” said Tim Selhorst, CEO of OPEX. “Demand for induction-tempered spring wire has grown dramatically, and to be part of this alliance is a terrific opportunity for OPEX Steel Processing and, we believe, HS Metalworks.”

4/6/2021: Southwire Canada is proud to announce that it recently became a Great Place to Work® (GPTW) Certified™ organization, showcasing the company’s commitment to its employees, communities and other stakeholders.

“This certification is a great recognition of our employees and our culture,” said Tim King, Southwire’s president in Canada. “It reflects our core beliefs of Southwire’s founder, Roy Richards Sr., who regarded Southwire’s people as our most important and influential asset and, after more than seventy years of successful business, this still remains true.”

GPTW is the world’s leading research and consulting firm dedicated to helping organizations assess and develop their workplaces, cultures and employee engagement. According to GPTW, trust is the main ingredient in building a great place to work for all. Establishing a foundation of trust in the workplace culture is the smartest investment one can make for their organization. The Great Place to Work® Trust Model©, which was a key factor in achieving this certification, outlines the definition of a great workplace, and trust in leadership is at the core.

The Trust Index©, based on the Great Place to Work® Trust Model©, measures the levels of trust in the workplace by focusing on five key dimensions: Credibility, Respect, Fairness, Pride and Camaraderie. GPTW uses this to define a great workplace as one where employees trust the people they work for, have pride in the work they do and enjoy the people with whom they work.

The survey used by this index is the most widely used survey of its kind in the world and is used annually by more than 8,000 organizations employing approximately 12 million employees worldwide. It is a cornerstone of the world’s most respected ongoing study of workplace excellence, leadership and the role of trust and employee relationships in creating great workplaces, cultures and engagement. Great Place to Work® recognizes leading workplaces in 55 countries on six continents through its Best Workplaces lists, which are published annually in prestigious national media outlets, such as the Globe & Mail, FORTUNE Magazine and more. 84% of Southwire employees in Canada participated in this survey, which was open for two weeks, and the organization surpassed the certification threshold by 8%.

“Southwire is an equal opportunity employer, who really cares and invests in its people,” said Maria Sial, Southwire Canada’s manager of communications & digital strategy. “Our company truly understands that people in an organization are important, and fosters a culture where people can learn, grow and develop further. Receiving this certification sets Southwire apart and allows us to benchmark ourselves against the Best Workplaces in the world.”

Southwire has always believed that its employees are The People Behind the Power™. Achieving the Great Place to Work® certification reaffirms this belief, as Southwire achieved this certification based on its employees’ feedback and survey responses. This is a direct reflection of Southwire’s core tenets of Growing Green, Living Well, Giving Back, Doing Right and Building Worth.

To learn more about Southwire’s commitment to sustainability, visit www.southwire.com/sustainability.

4/6/2021: The International Wire and Machinery Association (IWMA), citing its mission to “Connect Expertise Globally,” will hold its first-ever virtual, one day-event from 10 am to 4 pm (BST) on Thursday, April 22.

IWMA reported that it has been working in recent months “with a tried and trusted virtual event platform to bring our members together.” The event, free to IWMA members/£25 per person nonmembers, will provide “real opportunity for networking, building connections, industry insight and more.”
The event will include guest speakers from the CRU Group, Messe Düsseldorf GmbH and Ducab. The Sponsored Speaker Sessions will allow a company to pre-record its own talk or presentation to feature on the virtual event platform for £400. The forum will allow participants “to present their latest company news, products or technology right in front of (attendees) whilst also providing them with the opportunity to network and gain industry insight from our guest speakers.”

All content on the virtual event platform will be available after the event to delegates and can be re-watched at any time. Pre-recorded videos/presentations will be required by Monday, April 19, supplied as an MP4 self-recorded video or zoom video. A limited number of slots are available, and will be scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis. To access the booking form to secure a slot, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For more details, go to www.iwma.org.

4/6/2021: Messe Düsseldorf has appointed Daniel Ryfisch as project director of the Global Portfolio wire, Tube & Flow Technologies, as part of a reorganization of the team in charge of its 15 trade fairs in six countries. He has experience in both international and national trade fair businesses. He started with Messe Düsseldorf as a trainee, and from 2008 he held the position of project manager for the worldwide satellites of the trade fairs wire, Tube and Metec in Russia, India, China and the UAE.

Since 2015, he was also in charge of wire and Tube on the operational level as deputy director. Last September, he became project director for the wire, Tube and VALVE WORLD EXPO events, and their international satellites in China, Thailand, Brazil, Russia and India. He will be responsible for both the strategic orientation of the trade fair themes and the expansion of the exhibition business abroad. He holds a degree in economics from the University of Cologne. He will continue to report to Global Portfolio Director Friedrich-Georg Kehrer, who will change his focus on developing new business in the fields of wire, Tube and Flow Technologies. Based in Düsseldorf, Germany, Messe Düsseldorf is one of the world’s leading organizers of trade shows, including wire Düsseldorf, the industry’s largest such event for the wire and cable industry.

4/6/2021: Larry Lee Finney, an industry veteran whose passion for trouble-shooting production problems transcended his official retirement, died Feb. 28, 2021, at age 82.

Finney, who retired from the Prysmian Group, worked for more than four decades in the wire and cable industry. His career started in the 1960s as a machine operator at Anaconda. He worked at a number of different positions for different companies over the years. In 1966, the same year he got married, he got a call from Wendell Yeager asking him to help start up a plant in Tarboro, North Carolina, which he did. In 1988, he became a general foreman with Pirelli Cable in Abbeville, South Carolina. In 1993, he became a process engineer at the BICC Cable plant in Du Quoin, Illinois, where he stayed until 1998, when he returned to Abbeville for Pirelli. During his career, he traveled to many states and internationally to share his knowledge and help solve production problems. After his 2007 retirement, he worked for three more years as a contractor, although he continued to take calls for help well beyond that from many past co-workers.

He is survived by Karen Lea Donahoo Finney, his wife of 55 years; a son, Jason Finney; a daughter, Jennifer Leigh Donohoe; a brother, Bill Finney; a sister-in-law, Kathy Sweney; and five grandchildren: Taylor Donohoe, Chase Donohoe, Wilson Ehrhardt, Livingston Finney and Jameson Finney.