WAI to hold annual meeting at Interwire

At Interwire 2023, the Wire Association International will hold its annual meeting, a requirement of the Association’s bylaws.

WAI President Kurt Breischaft will preside over the meeting in the morning session on Tuesday, May 9. It will follow the Keynote presentation by Srinivas Siripurapu, the Chief Innovation Officer and R&D Officer for Prysmian.

The concise meeting will include a review of past and current activities, including the development of additional training education resources for the industry. The session will also include presentation of awards.

Following the annual meeting, at 10 am there will be a session on Industry 4.0, followed by a workforce session. Of note, the exhibit floor will also open at 10 am, and remain so through 5 pm, and again on Wednesday.

• The Ohio Valley Chapter President, Tom Maxwell, has drafted their scholarship program. The draft was reviewed internally by Association staff. The Chapter’s Board will soon meet to review and vote on this important piece, putting them one step closer to assisting college students. It is unlikely that the Chapter’s new scholarship program will be finalized in time to follow the 2023 timeline. Likely, this program will make its debut in January 2024, now less than a year away. 

• The New England Chapter Annual Dinner took place Jan. 26th at Mohegan Sun. Registration increased from last year (up from 100 to 130). The event is sold out at maximum capacity for the space. Sponsorships increased from last year (up from 22 to 26). The hotel room block was maxed out. The wrap-up will be in the March issue, including the announcement of new board members.

Starting this year, the Association will work closely with each chapter to develop a regional education program.

Currently, only the New England Chapter and Ohio Valley Chapter offer an education program. The plan is to have the other chapters (starting with Midwest and Southeast) establish an education component, in keeping with the Association’s educational mission. This will provide another attractive member benefit on the Chapter level. More details will follow as the Chapter Boards and Association work together on this.

“We’ve seen a lot of success from educational programs, and once members have a chance to go to them, it proves to be very worthwhile,” said WAI’s John Markowski, manager, membership & social media. He explained that while it does take work, the volunteers seem quite pleased with the results.

Kevin Dancy was promoted to executive vice president-operations at Roteq Machinery, Inc. He joined the company as a sales engineer in 2014, and was promoted to sales manager in 2018. Prior to that he worked for 10 years at Southwire Company, including five years as a plant manager. He also worked in engineering and managerial positions at Rexan Circuits, Tyco Thermal Controls, General Cable and Nortel. He holds a BASc degree in mechanical engineering from Queen’s University and is a licensed professional engineer. Kevin has served as an instructor for WAI’s Fundamentals of Wire Manufacturing course for several years. Based in Ontario, Canada, Roteq manufacturers rotating equipment for sectors that include the wire and cable industry. 

Shawn Mahle is director of sales-energy at Marmon Industrial Energy & Infrastructure. He most recently was director of sales-oil rig and industrial products for RSCC Wire & Cable LLC, where over seven years he was also national sales manager and sales & marketing manager. He worked in managerial positions prior to that for 11 years for companies that included Spike Electric Controls, Crawford Electric Supply, Oakwell Inc. and Amphenol ECOSystem. A division of Marmon Electrical, Marmon Industrial Energy & Infrastructure produces wire and cable for industrial, energy and infrastructure markets. 

National Standard has promoted Tom Wehner to vice president of sales and marketing. He joined the company in 2012 as a regional sales manager and was promoted to director of sales in 2020. He previously worked in sales and managing positions going back to 1999 for Pelican Products, LPS Laboratories, Praxair Distribution and ESAB. Based in Stillwater, Oklahoma, and part of the Heico Wire Group, National Standard manufacturers welding wire, tire bead wire, industrial wire and ACSR wire.

The American Wire Group appointed Scott Moore as vice president renewables, Eastern Region. He most recently was director of energy at Cameron Connect. Prior to that, he worked for six years for Prysmian, including one year as market manager, North American Renewable Energy, five years as a technical sales engineer/manager; and before that, 10 years for Draka USA. Based in Miami, Florida, American Wire Group offers a range of wire, cable and accessories for utility and renewable energy applications. 

Rob Caillet has been named vice president, corporate EHS & sustainability director, for Encore Wire. He leads both the EHS and training teams at Encore, where he has more than 25 years of experience building and sustaining successful EHS programs. He also serves as an advisor to the Lone Star Manufacturing Workforce Commission and the Collin County Local Emergency Planning Committee. Based in McKinney, Texas, Encore Wire is a leading manufacturer of copper and aluminum for residential, commercial and industrial wire.

Tom Artinian has been named president of Proterial Cable America, Inc. (formerly known as Hitachi Cable America Inc.). He will oversee the strategic direction of all North American facilities (performance cable systems and materials, high-performance medical solutions and automotive products). He has three decades of experience with both privately held and publicly traded companies. He joined HCA in 2020, and quickly progressed from executive vice president to COO of the Performance Cable Systems and Materials (PCSM) Division, a role he will continue to serve. He succeeds Lynne Humenik, who previously announced her departure from HCA. Based in Manchester, New Hampshire, Proterial Cable America, Inc., is a leading manufacturer of copper and fiber optic communication cables for the telecom industry.

Manner Polymers recently named Tom Allen as national account manager. The retired electronic technician senior chief for the Navy most recently worked for more than 10 years at Southwire as a senior buyer/commodity manager. Prior to that, he worked for more than four years at Magna International, and another three years at Bradley Morris and OFS. He holds a B.A.Sc degree from Southern Illinois University, Carondale. Based in McKinney, Texas, Manner Plastics is one of the largest U.S. suppliers of PVC compounds

Obituary
Robert E. Delp, 85, of York, Pennsylvania, died Jan. 19, 2023, at York Hospital. Per WCMA and his posted obituary, Delp was the president and CEO of First Capitol Wire and Cable until the company was sold to Coleman Cable in 2011. His career began in 1956 and spanned six decades, during which he held executive level positions at Monroe Wire & Cable and Laribee Wire, as well as technical positions with Anaconda, BICC, Coleman Cable and Southwire. Most recently he continued working as the technical director for Frasier Campbell Wire & Cable, which is run by his son, Dan Delp. He was a WAI Life Member and a 2003 recipient of the Charles Scott Lifetime Achievement Award. Other survivors include his wife, Mildred, who runs York Wire & Cable along with his stepson, Robert Wilson; a second son, Robert Delp; and two sisters, Pat Godrey and Jean Orr.

By Steve Fetteroll, executive director
2022 was a step forward for the industry. In early June, WAI held Wire Expo 2022 in Dallas. It was a joyous return to a live event, and later that same month, WAI was in Germany for wire Dusseldorf. In October, the U.K. Clockwinder was finally at the Madison headquarters after two years of a virtual winder. New staff was added, and volunteers and staff pivoted, working on Wire Expo and Interwire 2023. Now, the 2023 mix will include two international technical conferences in Mexico and Italy. All in all, it was a good year.

The return to a live WAI event
Numbers are only part of a story. When the WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo 2022 (Wire Expo) was held in June, the event did not set records attendance-wise, but it was one of the Association’s most memorable trade shows ever. Attendees were thrilled to be in Dallas, Texas, and the memories of the prior two years that saw cancellations of Wire Expo 2020 and Interwire 2021 were finally able to fade.
It was painful to lose both of those events to Covid, but behind the scenes WAI volunteers and staff were busy. Ably led by 2020 WAI President Jan Sørige and 2021 WAI President Thomas Heberling, the focus was on not just creating virtual programming, but targeting themes that would relate to industry challenges and concerns. That mindset continued with 2022 WAI President James York, who took a very active role throughout the year in developing the content.
Even before York welcomed attendees the opening day, there was a positive buzz. More seats had to be added, and the enthusiasm continued during presentations that featured speakers that included Encore Wire Vice President of Sales Kevin Heffernan and Prysmian Group North America Chief Procurement Officer Brian Schulties.
The opening of the trade show that followed was memorable. It was as if there had never been a two-year gap. Attendees mingled with exhibitors, and engaged conversations ensued. It confirmed once again how and why people talking to people face-to-face matters so much.
There was also a lot to hear. The theme for the event—which started off with WAI’s iconic Fundamentals of Wire Manufacturing program—was Rising to the Challenge. A series of presentations covered the workforce, the supply chain, production solutions and developments.
Wire Expo saw the traditional awarding of prizes, and this time there were three years’ worth as WAI honored the 2022 Mordica, Donnellan and WAI President’s award winners as well as the recipients of those honors in 2020 and 2021. See below list. Virtual recognition is better than none, but seeing the collective winners who were able to attend was a moment of pride.
Much else could also be said about Wire Expo. The event technically is put on by the WAI, but it would not be possible without industry contribution. Even at Wire Expo, WAI’s smaller annual event, more than a hundred volunteers contributed in some way, many behind the scenes. The company that deserves kudos is Encore Wire, which opened its massive McKinney campus for a tour of its expansive operations. The company had recently completed yet another major expansion, which brings its size to some three million sq ft ... and an interior train system. It made for a Texas-sized experience.

The return to staging international events
WAI’s mission statement is to disseminate technical information, and one way it does that is through holding International Technical Conferences (ITCs), either alone or in cooperation with other industry groups. Covid has upended those efforts the last few years, but in 2023 the Association will have two ITCs, one in Italy and the other in Mexico.
The WAI’s Board of Directors has given the go-ahead on these efforts, which you will be reading about more in future issues. The Italian ITC, to be called Wire & Cable Milan, will be held this fall in Milan. The date was reached at a recent meeting in Italy, where WAI President James York and WAI Executive Director Steve Fetteroll met with ACIMAF President Ferruccio Bellina at the 35th anniversary of the Italian machinery association. There was agreement that the time was right to once again join forces.
The last WAI collaboration with ACIMAF was for Wire & Cable in Verona in 2017, which attracted 250 delegates from 27 countries. Prior ITCs in Italy had been held in Stresa (2003 and 1997).
The second ITC will see WAI return to Mexico, where it has held four prior ITCs, three in Monterrey (2016, 2010 and 2008) and one in Queretaro (2004). Mexico has consistently proved to be a good location, a key to each of those being the support provided by 2009 WAI President Antonio Ayala. The 2023 ITC will be held Nov. 13-15.
Again, more information on both these events will be presented in future issues and at www.wirenet.org.
WAI Board supports further education
At a recent meeting, WAI’s Board of Directors authorized a fund of $50,000 to go to the creation of more educational products for the wire and cable industry.
The goal of the pilot program is to develop video-based training in different disciplines that would be of value to employees that are either new to the industry or have new responsibility. WAI has already created a number of videos—one of which, on cleaning an extruder screw, has had more than 83,000 viewings online—and will now focus on creating a new training series. This is still in the early stages, and WAI President Kurt Breischaft noted that this will be a long-term project that will serve both the ferrous and nonferrous sectors.

The value of tradition
The saga of Martin Thacker is worth noting. In 2020 and 2021, he served as the virtual Clockwinder, carrying out the annual tradition, from his U.K. home, of winding the Grandfather’s clock presented to the Association by the British wire and cable industry for help provided during World War II.
On Nov. 3, Thacker—who is a Liveryman of the Court of the Worshipful Company of Tinplate Workers Alias Wireworkers (Tinplate Workers) in London—was able to perform the duties, finally, in person. “I felt a fraud since I had fast become king of the virtual clockwinding ceremony. Now, having been here in Madison, I can now wear my tie with pride.”
Of note, only one past Clockwinder has wound the clock more than Thacker, and that is the late Terrence Cahill, Somerset Wire, who performed the tradition in 1979, 1989, 1991 and 1997.

Staffing updates
Change is part of any business, and with the departure of Robert “Bob” Xeller as sales director at the end of 2021, Shannon Timme took over that post, tasked with organizing the Interwire and Wire Expo trade shows. She joined the company in 2017 as sales manager, and has transitioned into her new post. She recently achieved certification for exhibition management.
One of Timme’s key tasks was to replace her former position, and it took several months before she found Gina Guzowski, whose prior experience included working for four years as a representative for RFS, handling cable, wire and antenna deployments for cell tower build ups. Guzowski had quite an industry introduction: in less than two months from her hire date, she had attended both Expo and wire Düsseldorf.
Of note, John Markowski, who became WAI intern in 2018, joined the Association full time in 2021, with responsibility for membership and social media.
It is fair to say that the WAI embodies a lean approach to staffing. As of the end of 2022, WAI had a total of nine full-time employees, and one part-timer, Cindy Kirmms, who is the circulation manager and supports accounting. It also has had different interns, the current one being Corey Flynn, a senior finance student at The University of New Haven.

The industry story includes WJI
Covid and staffing shortages have not been overly kind to wire and cable manufacturers and suppliers, and it seems as if every company has a story to tell. That includes WAI. One story that you did not read about had to do with delays for WJI because of its suppliers.
The magazine itself was able to function throughout the pandemic, as staff can work remotely, but WAI’s printer in New Hampshire depends on employees at their site. The printers have had to deal with Covid disruptions and severe staff shortages. That situation got a lot uglier early in 2022 when a cyber attack brought its systems down. The ensuing chaos added weeks to the dates the completed issues could be mailed. At the same time, truckers contacted to ship WJI preshow issues to Texas for Wire Expo and to Germany for wire Düsseldorf wanted to get those issues even earlier to ensure they arrived on time.
Fortunately, the problems eased some, enough that both preshow issues reached their destinations in time. The memory of that experience has not faded, and WAI staff shares a sincere appreciation for the struggles that so many companies have had to overcome.