The U.S. Department of Commerce (DoC) announced that it has made affirmative final determinations in the antidumping duty (AD) investigations of prestressed concrete steel wire strand (PC strand) from Argentina, Colombia, Egypt, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, as well as a countervailing duty (CVD) investigation of PC strand from Turkey.

A press release said that the exporters from the countries listed below have dumped PC strand in the United States at the following rates: Argentina, 60.40%; Colombia, 86.09%; Egypt, 29.72%; the Netherlands, 30.86%; Saudi Arabia, 194.40%; Taiwan, 23.89%; Turkey, 53.65%; and UAE, 170.65%. DoC also determined that exporters from Turkey received countervailable subsidies at rates ranging from 30.78% to 158.44%.

The petitioners were Insteel Wire Products Company, Sumiden Wire Products Corporation and Wire Mesh Corporation.

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) was scheduled to make its final injury determinations on or about Jan. 21, 2021. If it upholds the findings, DoC will issue AD and CVD orders. DoC is also conducting concurrent AD investigations of PC strand from Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, South Africa, Spain, Tunisia, and Ukraine. Final determinations are set for April 6.

Sweden’s Hexatronic Group AB reports that it has won orders for submarine cable with a total value of approximately $8 million.

A press release said that Hexatronic Cables & Interconnect Systems AB, a subsidiary of Hexatronic Group AB, concluded several agreements for fiber optic submarine cable from unnamed new customers in Europe. Deliveries are planned to be completed in 2021. “We are very happy with the agreements, which (are) proof of the market’s confidence in our broad offering in submarine cable,” said Hexatronic Group AB CEO Henrik Larsson Lyon.

The company also recently reported the completion of a majority acquisition of Qubix SpA, an Italian supplier of structured cabling for telecommunication infrastructure in buildings and on campuses. Its products include optical cables for high fire risk environments. It offers structured copper cabling solutions under the CCS^® brand.

A press release said that Euromicron Holding GmbH sold the 90% it owns of Qubix for approximately €14.4 million. Qubix was established in 2001 as a spin-off of a cable manufacturer. Its founder and general manager, Filippo Gnocco, will continue in his current position and remain a minority shareholder with 10% of the shares. Most of Qubix’s sales are in the Italian market, and it generated an EBITDA of €3.8 million in the last 12 months.

Brazil’s Gerdau SA announced through a subsidiary, Gerdau Aços Longos, that it has completed the acquisition of long steel producer Siderúrgica Latino Americana (Silat) from the Spanish group Hierros Añón, securing final approval from Brazil’s Administrative Council for Economic Defence (Cade). The purchase of 96.35% of Silat carried a value of approximately $111 million.

A press release said that the Silat acquisition is part of a long-term effort to define the organization’s strategy in the years ahead, reinforcing its position in the steel value chain through investments and acquisitions. The deal is also a strategic expansion opportunity in the Northeast, since the company already has an industrial unit in Ceará, in the city of Maracanaú.

Silat has 233 employees (its own and third parties), and has an annual installed rolling capacity of 600 thousand tons and an expanded plant capable of producing 100 thousand tons each year. Focused on the civil construction sector, the company has since 2012 been in Ceará, where it produces rebar, welded mesh, steel mesh and trusses.

“This acquisition is a project with good potential for Gerdau, which should contribute to the development of a culture of innovation in the company,” said Marcos Faraco, vice president of Gerdau Aços Brasil, Argentina and Uruguay.

Prysmian SpA and one of its subsidiaries have commenced proceedings for patent infringement in the U.K. High Court against Emtelle UK Limited (Emtelle), claiming it has infringed two of its patents. The action follows prior legal actions.

A press release said that Prysmian, and its U.K. subsidiary, believe that Emtelle’s FibreFlow products infringe the U.K. designations of Prysmian’s European Patents EP (UK) 1,420,279 B1 and EP (UK) 1,668,392B1 patents for fiber optic cables. Emtelle has not issued a response to the claims.

“The Group has undertaken intense R&D activities and major investments over the years, and our telecom cables can now boast the industry record for fibre count and density, with many innovative patents filed in the field of optical cables and related technologies,” said Philippe Vanhille, EVP of Telecom Business at Prysmian Group. “For this reason, we are more and more attentive to protecting our technology and investment against any unauthorized use of our patents.”

Prysmian previously filed a similar action in Germany last July against a competitor company related to the unauthorized use of its European Patents EP1668392 B1 (EP ‘392) and EP 2390700 B1 (EP ‘700).

The EP ‘392 patent relates to telecommunication optical cables, and in particular to a telecommunication optical cable with a highly reduced diameter. The patent relates its 288-fiber ezMICRODUCT cable, which uses a 200-micron fiber, which enables the cable to have an outer diameter of only 8 mm. The cable’s design includes 24 fibers per tube, making the fibers easier to identify and fit into standard splicing trays, according to the company. The fiber cable will operate in the -40°F to 158°F temperature range. A company announcement noted that the technology allowed just 24 fibers to be needed per tube. The second patent, EP ‘700, relates to optical fiber telecommunications cables, particularly an optimized stranded optical cable design using bundled cable units.

NAI, a designer and manufacturer of custom interconnect solutions, announces the opening of a manufacturing plant in Mexico that will produce interconnect devices, including cable assemblies, harnesses, and box builds.

A press release said that the primary purpose of the 38,000-sq-ft plant in Saltillo, Coahuila, is to provide local support to NAI’s existing and new customers in the nearby region, as well as to improve logistics with closer proximity. The investment will also create manufacturing flexibility in Mexico, including the ability to create dual capacity in multiple plant locations. This new-dual sourcing capability offers customers an alternative to maintain continuity of supply during challenges such as the Covid-19 pandemic. The site can also be expanded.

The products to be made serve core markets of industrial, medical and telecom providers. Cable assemblies typically include fiber optic and/or copper cables (and may also include power cables), with connectors attached at one or both ends. They are used to interconnect different types of equipment and instruments. Several hundred SKUs will be initially transferred to this Saltillo plant and set up for immediate production. Operations are scheduled to begin in February 2021.