The official opening of the first fiber optic cable plant in Nigeria in Ogun State by Coleman Technical Industries Limited (CTIL) was heralded as a major step forward as the country seeks to provide such technology internally.

Per an article in nigeriannewsdirect.com, the opening of the Coleman Wire and Cable fiber optic company, located on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, was deemed by CTIL Managing Director and CEO George Onafowokan as an important achievement. In his remarks, he said that he has a firm belief in local content, and that it was important for Nigeria to grow local capacity. The goal is to build capacity for the country, West Africa, Central Africa and about 50% of the continent, making the operation the biggest fiber optic cable factory in the continent by September 2023.

Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, who also spoke at the inauguration of the Coleman Wire and Cable fiber optic company, said that the new cable capacity is much welcome. The state plans to lay 5,000 km of fiber optic cables across its region, the state would receive the needed boost with the commissioning of the first fiber optic cable factory in West Africa.

The new plant was described as the first one in the West Africa sub-region and the fifth in the African continent.

Cerrowire® has named Randy Clos as vice president of finance. He has led financial teams for more than two decades, primarily in the wire and cable industry, including 10 years within the Marmon Electrical Group, part of Marmon Holdings, a Berkshire Hathaway company. In his most recent position as vice president of finance at Marmon Utility, Clos led teams for brands such as Hendrix and Kerite. He previously worked with Wayne Water Systems, a sister Berkshire Hathaway company. He holds a B.S. degree in accounting from Southern New Hampshire University. A member of the Marmon Electrical Group, Cerrowire manufactures electrical wire at plants in Alabama, Georgia, Indiana and Utah.

Rich Buchicchio has been named business development manager, mil-aero, for Times Microwave Systems. He previously was a regional sales manager for Cicoil Corporation, where he worked for 13 years, and prior to that was a regional sales manager, Northeastern USA, for Leoni. He holds a B.S. degree in marketing from Rutgers University. A subsidiary of Amphenol Corporation, Times Microwave Systems manufactures coaxial cables, connectors and cable assemblies for military, aerospace, telecom, industrial RF and microwave applications.

Ton Koenders has joined M. Holland Company as its inaugural director of sales for Europe to support international growth and address customer needs. Based in the Netherlands, his focus will include advising customers on improving recyclability efforts and using more sustainable materials. He has an extensive background in plastics, having worked for 34 years at SABIC, where he most recently led the company’s American sales organization for polymers. He holds a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Technical College Heerlen and business administration from the University of Maastricht. Based in Northbrook, Illinois, M. Holland Company is a leading international distributor of thermoplastic resins.

Ed Fenton has been named a senior key account manager for Daikin America, Inc. He has held unique positions in the industry, having been the co-founder and co-owner of the Wire & Cable Focus Conference and Exposition, which was sold in 1999 to the International Wire & Cable Symposium, Inc. He most recently was director of North American sales for Ripley Tools LLC. He was the owner of the Wire & Cable Clubs of America, an industrial membership organization for manufacturers of cables, wire and suppliers to these industries—the predecessor to the Wire & Cable Manufacturers Alliance (WCMA)—which he has been executive director since 2004. He will continue to serve in that role. He was the North American business manager for wire and cable publications by CRU International, London, England, and was vice president sales/marketing in 2004, for Fluoropolymer Resources. He holds a degree in English from the University of Vermont. Based in Orangeburg, New York, Daikin America manufactures fluorochemical products for sectors that include wire and cable.

Joe Neely has joined the sales team of Chroma Color, responsible for account sales in the Midwest. An experienced account manager, he has worked in the food/beverage and packaging industries. Previously, he sold color and additives to a wide variety of plastics converters. Before getting involved in color and packaging, He was in IT and wireless communications, working in various roles from inside sales to virtualization sales. He holds a degree in marketing from Southern Illinois University. Based in Lambertville, New Jersey, Chroma Color Corporation supplies specialty color and additive concentrate to markets that include wire and cable

Had any personnel changes the last few years? It’s a rare company that hasn’t either lost or added staff during the Covid period, and it’s not a bad idea to make sure that the industry knows who your key people are.

This is an ideal time to take a minute to look at the 2022 edition of the Wire Journal International Reference Guide and see whether you need to make some updates. Companies can now either enter or update their company profiles for the 2023 edition of the Wire Journal International Reference Guide and WAI’s online Industry Search.

New and updated entries, free, will be accepted until Nov. 30, 2022, for the printed publication. An instructional video on submitting a free listing is at wirenet.org: (www.wirenet.org/industry-search-instructional-video).

The WJI Reference Guide lists contact information for international manufacturers and suppliers to the wire and cable industry. Company listings include more than 1,100 product types.

The WAI is seeking papers for Interwire 2023. Accepted papers will be presented at the event, to be held May 9-11, at the Georgia World Congress Center.

Papers are sought that address advances in the industry that fall under: Industry 4.0 trends, wire and cable making strategies, workforce insights and technical progress in all sectors. Abstracts are due Nov. 18, 2022, notice of acceptance is Dec. 2, 2022, and manuscripts are due March 3, 2023.

Abstracts can be submitted at https://goo.gl/svxgvq. Accepted authors receive a one-year WAI membership and complementary conference registration.

With Interwire 2023 eight months away, the 80,000 sq ft of exhibit space allocated at the Georgia World Congress Center has been fully taken. WAI has established a “wait list” and will assign booths as space allows to accommodate the continuing influx of requests for exhibit space.

“It’s clear 2023 will be a great year for Interwire,” said WAI Sales Director Shannon Timme. “With the current strength of the industry, the reemergence of industry fairs and energy focused on trade events, new and returning Interwire exhibitors were quick to book their exhibit space. We want to accommodate every company that submits a request to exhibit.”

Exhibitors interested in contracting booth space for Interwire should visit this site—https://www.interwire23.com/exhibitor-information/become-an-exhibitor—and submit their contract. Interwire 2023 will be held May 9-11, 2023.

While Interwire 2021 was not able to be held because of Covid, WAI presented a Virtual Industry 4.0 Conference that did not serve as a replacement for the Atlanta show, but offered presentations from three companies (Southwire, Prysmian and Charter Steel) on Industry 4.0, which was to have been a focus at Interwire.