4/6/2021: Eugene “Gino” Valentino Marozzi, Jr., who worked in the wire and cable industry for more than a half-century, died Feb. 17 at his family home in East Windsor, Connecticut, at age 76.

Marozzi worked for Rome Cable in New York; General Cable in Willimantic, Connecticut; was a co-owner of Communications Cable, Inc., in Manchester, Connecticut; and was most recently employed at Wire Tek Inc. in Bloomfield. He held a degree from Pennsylvania State University and a master’s degree from Syracuse University. He is survived by his wife, JoAnn Marozzi; former wife, Lynn Marozzi; daughters Kristine Webb, Julia Garner, Nicole Marozzi and Tori Ash; and grandchildren Adam Webb, Morgan Webb, Jonathan Boushee and Tayla Lupacchino.

4/5/2021: South Korea’s LS Cable & System (LC&S) announced that it will be the sole supplier of magnet wire for the drive motors (enamel wire) of the Hyundai IONIQ 5 and Kia EV6 electric vehicles.

A press release said that LC&S is the first South Korean company to mass-produce magnet wires that can be used at 800 V. Sales are estimated to reach more than KRW200 billion within 6 years. It noted that the company succeeded in using a high-performance insulation material to develop a high-voltage magnet wire with improved efficiency.

As the charging speed competition is intensifying in the electric vehicle industry, development of high-voltage parts supporting this is becoming more important. “We expect that this supply will provide us with an opportunity to preempt the high-voltage electric vehicle wire market, which is still in its early stage,” the release said.

LC&S projects that global demand for environmentally friendly automotive magnet wire market will grow more than six-fold by 2025. It is responding by reinforcing its marketing efforts and increasing investments with regard to global automakers. “The drive motor and the battery are important enough to be called the two hearts of an electric vehicle,” said LC&S President & CEO Myung Roe-Hyun. “We are certain that the wires and parts business, which serves as the blood vessels of the heart, will also grow rapidly, so we are fostering them as new growth engines.”
Since 2016, LC&S has been supplying GM with the magnet wire (400V) for the drive motors of the Chevrolet Bolt EV. It is also discussing development of HV magnet wires that will be used by all EVs produced by GM.

4/5/2021: Radio Frequency Systems (RFS), a global designer and manufacturer of wireless and broadcast infrastructure, announced that it has made “a seven-figure investment” at its manufacturing facility in Meriden, Connecticut.

A press release said that the investment was made to support growing demand for its HYBRIFLEX riser and jumper cables for 4G, 5G products, and beyond. RFS invested in the latest state-of-the-art cable manufacturing equipment that will enable the company “to significantly increase production capability, flexibility, and capacity to meet customer demand.” A company spokesperson said that the new equipment is not replacing existing production.

The investment will help RFS react even more swiftly to requests for new designs and prototypes. “This has reduced new product development lead time by an average of 25%, while doubling production capacity for bulk cables.”

“The recent pandemic has emphasized just how reliant the U.S., and the rest of the world is on telecommunication,” said Matt Gauvin, global product line manager optical fiber and power solutions for RFS. “As a result of this realization, combined with the development of next generation mobile services, we anticipate a huge surge in demand.”

4/5/2021: Champlain Cable announces that it has acquired Umbilicals International (UI), which designs and manufactures complex cable and umbilical products for dynamic and harsh environments at its two U.S. plants in Texas.

A press release said that UI, a business of Scotland’s Seanamic Group, will continue to operate out of their facilities in Stafford, its headquarters, and Channelview, Texas. UI will continue with its present name, managed as a standalone business under General Manager Colin Zak.

The deal expands the scope of Champlain Cable, which is based in Vermont, with operations in El Paso, Texas, and Benton Harbor, Michigan. “The addition of Umbilicals International to the Champlain Cable Group will strengthen our commitment to custom designed cables for harsh and demanding environments,” Champlain Cable President Bill Reichert said. “The entire Champlain Cable Group will now have extensive cable design and manufacturing capability for a broad coverage of markets and applications.”

Reichert commented that all the proper and necessary due diligence was conducted, even though, given the challenging times, it was done under very different circumstances. “We did visit UI’s two plants (Stafford and Channelview) in Texas. We had our El Paso Operations manager handle that part of the process.”

Reichert cited Marty Kenner, Commission Brokers, for alerting him to this opportunity. “Marty knew we were looking for certain acquisitions, and he and I talked about UI.” That led to good discussions with The Seanamic Group, and the process was largely seamless and expedited, he said. “It worked out quite well due to a great team approach.”

Industry veteran Thomas (Tom) Siedlarz, the principal of Plastic Equip LLC, of West Haven, Connecticut, died Feb. 3, 2021 in Yale New Haven Hospital due to Covid-19 at age 73.

Siedlarz worked at Wire Machinery Corporation of America, where he was a machine designer for about 10 years until the company closed around 1980. He then worked for Zumbach, and later became president of Unitek North America, Inc. He worked there from 1989 to 2008 when it was reorganized. That same year he started Plastic Equipment, an industry representation organization. He also worked for Amaral Automation Associates as a manufacturer’s representative from 2012 to 2013.

Siedlarz was a founding member of the WAI’s New England Chapter in 1994, and part of the original Interwire organizing committee in 1981. He was a fixture at Association events, both trade shows and chapter golf tournaments. He was also often at the Association’s Connecticut office, where he helped out at the Interwire and Wire Expo Points Meetings and the annual Clockwinding ceremony. He was known by many for his positive spirit and willingness to help out.

“It is very unfortunate that Tom has left us unexpectedly, but you can believe that his spirit will still be attending wire and cable events,” said John Rivers, Fluorogistx. He estimated that over the years, Tom logged thousands of hours of volunteer time. “I can’t remember Tom not attending a wire and cable event. He will be greatly missed.”

“The Association was extremely fortunate that Tom was a highly active and generous volunteer serving the organization and our industry,” said WAI Executive Director Steve Fetteroll. “His impact spans 40 years as he was instrumental in producing the first Interwire and remained highly engaged until his passing. Because of his generous spirit and that he lived nearby, the entire staff considered him a friend. He always found time to support our activities. His hundreds of friends in the industry will miss his warm presence.”

Siedlarz is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Bednarczyk Siedlarz; a daughter, Kristen Siedlarz; a son, Michael Siedlarz, a step-son, Stephen Lafex; a brother, Teddy (Willie) Siedlarz; and a niece, Lisa; and nephews Brian, Kevin and John.