Southwire announced that it is partnering with READY Robotics, a pioneer in cutting-edge automation solutions, to deploy automation at five of the company’s facilities.

A press release said that Southwire will use the technology at two Georgia sites: its Retail East Customer Service Center (CSC) in Villa Rica and the utility products plant in Carrollton; its plants in Hawesville, Kentucky, and Florence, Alabama; and its Bremen campus in Bremen, Indiana.

“Partnering with READY Robotics provides us with an opportunity to leverage their expertise, as we continue to deploy cutting-edge technology within our operations,” said Alex Thomas, chief engineer at Southwire. “Continuous improvement is critical to assuring that we safely service our customers, and this partnership helps us accelerate those efforts by using smart solutions that fit nicely with our history as an innovation leader in the industry.”

The Prysmian Group announced a new organizational structure to allow the group to pursue its mid-term ambitions and to sustain the long-term leadership.

A press release said that four new business segments will be in place: Transmission, led by Hakan Ozmen; Power Grids, led by Cinzia Farisè; Electrification, led by Cristiana Scelza; and Digital Solutions, led by Frederick Persson.

The Group matrix organization will continue to stay in place to guarantee the company’s ability to be very close to the local markets and customers (through regions and countries) while reinforcing the continental and global synergies, acting as a major partner through the business segments. A strong focus on the “one company governance” will be assured by the Group functions.

Regional leadership changes were also reported. Sezgin Islamoglu will be CEO of Central East Europe; Erkan Aydogdu will lead the Middle East, Turkey, India, Africa and Russia as well as serve as CEO of Oman Cables Industries (OCI) Group; Hamavand Shroff will be appointed CEO of Oceania and South East Asia; Raul Gil will take over the responsibility for Latin America. Also, Maria Cristina Bifulco will be promoted to Chief Investor Relations, Sustainability and Communication Officer.

“Good, authentic and passionate people make the difference and build companies solid and successful” said designated CEO Massimo Battaini. “We can count on a very strong pipeline of talents which will make our growth very sustainable and our company even a more sound and strong community.”

South Korea’s LS Cable & System announced that it has signed a contract with TenneT Offshore to supply high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cables worth about

1.5 trillion won ($1.2 bil1ion).

A press release said that LS Cable & System, in a consortium with Belgian construction companies Jan De Nul and Denys, has won a total of four projects connecting the North Sea to Germany. Under two of the contracts, LS Cable & System will supply submarine and underground cables starting in 2026. The remaining two contracts are expected to be awarded sequentially through 2026.

The projects stem from a 2022 agreement by Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany to jointly install 65 gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind power by 2030. TenneT will participate in the project, which will supply up to 35 million homes with green wind energy.

“Although power grid construction projects are becoming more active around the world, HVDC cables require large-scale investment and high technical skills, so a small number of global wire companies such as LS Cable & System occupy most of the market,” said an official from LS Cable & System.

Prysmian plans to add two cutting-edge cable-laying vessels to further expand its cable-laying vessel fleet to support the company’s ability to ship and deliver the energy-demand capacity needs.

A press release said that the investment of approximately €350 million for the two new vessels will reinforce Prysmian’s submarine project execution capabilities. “The market is tremendously growing, and we are facing an increasing demand for submarine cable systems for interconnections and offshore wind farm projects both in Europe and in the U.S.,” said Hakan Ozmen, EVP Projects BU, Prysmian Group.

The first vessel will be an evolution of the Monna Lisa class, with a length of about 185 m and a breadth of about 34 m. Its advanced cable installation solutions will include three carousels with total capacity of 19,000 metric tons, among the highest cable-loading capacity vessels in the market. A bollard pull in excess of 180 metric tons will allow the vessel to perform complex installation operations of simultaneous cable lay and burial (up to four cables) with a variety of ploughs. It will have state-of-the-art DP3 positioning and seakeeping systems and will be operational by the beginning of 2027. It will be built by the VARD Group (a subsidiary of the Fincantieri Group), one of the world leaders in the design and construction of specialized vessels for the offshore market.

The other vessel will be the evolution of the Ulisse class, with a length of about 167 m and width of about 40 m. It will have two carousels—one split in two concentric sections—for a total cable loading capacity of 10,000 m tons. The ship will have DP2 positioning and seakeeping systems and an eight-point mooring system will enable the ship to work in shallow-water cable laying and burial installation, even in harsh environmental conditions. The vessel will be operational by the first half of 2025.

Both vessels will have outstanding green credentials: they will be equipped with high-voltage shore connection systems to power them with clean energy during loading operations, diesel generators suitable for biodiesel blends and battery hybrid systems only for the deep-water-vessel, due to its specific activity.

Hengtong, one of China’s largest fiber optic cable manufacturers, recently announced plans to expand its factory in the China-Egypt TEDA zone.

Per multiple news reports, the company plans to invest $18 million to enable it to produce two million km of optic cables annually. The deal was created by an agreement with the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZONE), a government body that oversees such development.

The pact calls for Hengtong to add 21,000 sq m to its factory in the Sokhna Industrial Zone, which is part of SCZONE. The designated zone supports light, medium and heavy manufacturing activities as well as commercial and business activities over an area of 210 km.

The new output will supply cables to Egyptian national projects such as the Decent Life Initiative, as well as the state-owned telecommunication giant, Telecom Egypt. The first phase of Hengtong’s factory in the SCZONE opened in March 2023 with $6 million in investments.