Wirenet Image Band
wirenet.org mobile image band

Wire Journal News

Germany’s Kocks Group reports that Yantai Walsin Stainless Steel Co., Ltd., has begun manufacturing with its new RSB® 370++/4 mill whose capacity will be used for multiple products and applications and as a feeder for a wire rod line.

A press release said that the new sizing block represents the latest advancement in long product production technology and is designed to deliver superior surface quality and dimensional accuracy while reducing operating costs over the entire mill line.

Production has begun at Yantai Walsin, which is a subsidiary of Walsin Lihwa, a Taiwanese manufacturer of specialty steel. The corporation has a long customer history, having installed the very first Kocks Reducing & Sizing Block in 1991, as well as a RSB 500 Intermediate Block and a recently installed RB 500++/4 at the company’s rolling mill in Tainan, Taiwan.

The new Kocks RSB 370++/4 sizing block for Yantai Walsin has four 3-roll stand positions for optimal deformation behavior and yield strength and is part of a newly built rolling mill for SBQ products in Yantai, Shandong province. It is positioned after 20 stands in H/V arrangement. The sizing block from Kocks finishes round dimensions from 18 to 100 mm, hexagonal dimensions from 18 to 80 mm and feeders for the wire rod line.

In addition to the machine, Kocks supplied the roll-shop equipment and its proprietary software solutions. The advanced block enables a new level of efficient production at Walsin Yantai. The RSB is equipped with the measuring gauge 4D Eagle® and connected to Kocks’ Size Control System (SCS®) which allows real-time adjustments of the operating parameters of the rolling block. This ensures transparent process monitoring and the quickest possible adjustments whenever necessary.

Last modified on August 5, 2023

Nexans announced an expansion of its presence in the offshore wind and interconnection market by adding a third cable laying vessel to its fleet in 2026.

A press release said the new ship will build on the cutting-edge technology of Nexans’ flagship vessel, the Nexans Aurora. The new ship will have an improved design, comfort and capabilities. Equipped with three turntables, it will have 13,500-metric ton loading capacity, and host subsea tooling such as jetting and ploughing tools.

The vessel will be capable of laying up to four cables simultaneously to meet specific customer requirements, especially on large-scale projects. It will have an advanced hybrid power system and be capable of running on a biodiesel mix.

“This new vessel will be the most technologically advanced cable layer ever deployed” said Nexans COO and Senior Vice President Vincent Dessale. “Fitted with a range of high-tech cable installation and burial equipment, it will enhance the capabilities of our subsea cable operations to tackle projects on an unprecedented scale. This new strategic asset will support the Group’s long-term growth, consolidating its leadership in the interconnection and offshore markets. It perfectly embodies Nexans’ strategy to electrify the future, and its innovative features illustrate our ever-increasing commitment to meeting our partners’ needs.”

Last modified on August 5, 2023

Omar Monajjed was promoted to corporate social responsibility (CSR) manager at Nexans. He joined the company in Lebanon in 2013 as a quality first line manager, then was promoted to quality manager in 2019. He became an industrial performance leader in 2020 in France, where he became group environment manager in 2021. Last year he led sustainability operations for the group while implementing a pilot in Digital Transformation and Industry 4.0 for Sweden and France with Schneider Electric. Prior to Nexans, he had worked for five years for Jeddah Cables Company as a senior projects engineer. He holds degrees from the American University of Beirut where he was an electrical and computer student. Nexans is a global leader in wire and cable production.

Service Wire reported two recent hires. Rich McCathren was named national sales engineer. Previous employers included Irby Co., a distributor of electrical supplies and services, and Prysmian/General Cable, where he was sales director/southwest for eight years. He has more than 30 years of experience in commercial, industrial and utility markets. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in industrial distribution from the College of Engineering at Texas A&M University. Cortney Wesneski was named a regional sales manager. She has more than a decade of industry experience, including sales management at Siemens and Graybar. She will be responsible for accounts in northeast Texas, Kansas, Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, northern Louisiana, and western Tennessee. She holds a B.S. degree from Sam Houston State University. Based in Culloden, West Virginia, Service Wire is a family-owned wire and cable manufacturer.


Lincoln Electric reported a number of personnel items, two related to a leadership transition. Christopher L. Mapes, chairman, president and CEO, who has served as president and CEO since 2012, will retire from those roles at year’s end. He will continue after that as executive chairman of the board, effective January 1, 2024. Under his leadership, Lincoln Electric has extended its global base, including more than 20 acquisitions, strong financial results and received multiple awards, including as one of the “World’s Best Employers” by Forbes. Steven B. Hedlund, who has been with the company for 15 years and serves as COO, will be president, CEO, and a member of the Board as of Jan. 1, 2024. He joined the company in 2008 as vice president, strategy and business development, and in 2015, he was promoted to senior vice president, president of global automation. In 2020, he was named executive vice president, president of Americas and international welding, and in 2022 was promoted to COO. He holds a bachelor’s degree and an MBA from Dartmouth College. Jan Deruytter has joined Lincoln Electric as director, manufacturing productivity improvement. His 28-year industry career started at Bekaert where he was in operations and engineering for 12 years, followed by two years as plant manager at Fenix, LLC, eight years as general manager of Solon Specialty Wire Co. & ShapedWire; three years as director, tech services for ASW-Pengg LLC; one year at Heico; and most recently, director, global commodities, for WireCo WorldGroup. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, Lincoln Electric supplies technology and solutions for welding, including wire.

Obituary
John D. Nichols Jr., the former CEO of both Illinois Tool Works and the Marmon Group, died June 14, 2023, at age 92. In 1980, he joined Illinois Tool Works as an executive vice president, was promoted to president and COO in 1981, then CEO and then chairman. During his nearly 14 years as CEO, annual sales grew from $400 million to $4.1 billion. He retired in 1995 and in 2002 he succeeded Marmon co-founder Bob Pritzker as CEO. He played an essential role in Marmon’s development into the company it is today. He formalized Marmon’s operating structure into groups of related businesses, introduced 80/20 business practices that are still applied across Marmon, and prepared Marmon for its acquisition by Berkshire Hathaway Inc. in 2008. He is survived by his wife, son and daughter.

Last modified on September 6, 2023

  • Aug. 24, 2023. The Ohio Valley Chapter’s Golf Tournament will take place at the Kennsington Golf Club, Canfield, Ohio.
  • Sept. 11, 2023. The New England Chapter Golf Tournament will take place at the Tunxis Country Club, Farmington, Connecticut.
  • Sept. 12, 2023. The Southeast Chapter Golf Tournament will take place at the Rock Barn Country Club in Conover, North Carolina.

The collective chapter golf tournaments bring together professionals from the wire and cable industry for a day of camaraderie and sportsmanship. Beyond the obvious attraction of golfing, the events serve as an excellent platform to build new connections, exchange knowledge, and strengthen existing relationships within the industry.

Register online for tournament, sponsorship, and dinner-only participation: wai.configio.com.

Want to become a chapter member?

Add a chapter membership to your existing WAI membership for only $15/year. Unlock additional networking and educational member benefits on the regional level. Contact WAI’s membership department at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.wirenet.org/members/chapter-network to learn more.

Last modified on August 5, 2023

The WAI’s Southeast Chapter Annual Golf Tournament has changed the date. Please update your calendars and mark Tuesday, Sept. 12, as the new date for this highly anticipated event.

Originally scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 28th, the Southeast Chapter Annual Golf Tournament will now take place earlier, ensuring that participants can enjoy the beautiful greens of Rock Barn Country Club in Conover, North Carolina. The venue, known for its stunning landscapes and top-notch facilities, offers the perfect setting for a day of friendly competition and networking with industry professionals.

“The tournament promises to be an exciting day, filled with laughter, friendly competition, and, of course, the chance to win some incredible prizes,” said Chapter President John Dognazzi.

The Southeast Chapter will also use funds raised from the event to support their annual scholarship program. The tournament is open to both members and non-members of WAI. For more information and to sign up, visit WAI’s event registration system that can be found at wai.configio.com.

Get ready to tee off and make lasting memories at the Southeast Chapter Annual Golf Tournament. It’s time to swing into action!

Last modified on December 4, 2023

WAI’s manager of membership & social media, John Markowski, has left the Association after five years for a position with Kubtec Medical Imaging, a Connecticut-based manufacturer in the medical field.

“It has been an honor to serve this incredible community, and I am immensely proud of the bonds we’ve forged and the growth we’ve achieved together,” said Markowski, who started out with WAI in 2018 as an intern while attending Albertus Magnus College. “Working at WAI was an incredible learning experience, and while I’ll miss the daily interactions, I leave with a heart full of cherished memories and deep appreciation for every individual I had the privilege to collaborate with.”

During his time with WAI, Markowski propelled the organization’s digital presence through social media and fostered a vibrant and engaged member base, growing membership by 30% over the past two and a half years. He was also responsible for managing five chapter boards, the Member Relations Committee, the company’s internship program, and event planning.

In other personnel news, Gina Guzowski left her position earlier this year as sales manager of WAI. She joined the company in 2022, and in her first two months worked at both Wire Expo 2022 in Dallas and at wire Düsseldorf 2022.

“Like any business, WAI has to adjust to changes in personnel,” said WAI Executive Director Steve Fetteroll. “While we’re sad to lose John, who has done a lot for us, we wish him and Gina the best.”

Last modified on August 5, 2023

Wire Journal International is pleased to announce that Anna Bzowski has returned to WAI in a new role: director of international sales & business development. She joins Shannon Timme, director of sales, as the other half of the two-person department.

Bzowski is well known to the industry as she worked in the sales department for 17 years, including 15 years as sales manager. She returned in May to assist WAI in the production of Interwire. “We were pleased that she was able and willing to assist with the significant activities associated with the successful production of the show,” said Steve Fetteroll, WAI’s executive director. “We were even happier, when she agreed to rejoin in this full-time capacity.”

The sales team will be responsible for customers along geographic lines, with Timme being the point person for U.S. based customers, and Bzowski responsible for companies with headquarters outside of the U.S.

“I’m pleased to be back because I have always enjoyed interacting with customers in our industry,” Bzowski said. “Understanding their needs and challenges allows me to introduce, develop, and implement partnership-based solutions that support their business objectives.”

As a dual citizen (Polish/American), Bzowski said that she enjoys exploring different cultures and finding ways to promote mindful communication and professional business exchange. “I’m hopeful our in-person and real engagement driven events will attract more clients from all over the world and our advertising channels will continue to support marketing efforts and branding opportunities for domestic and international clients.”

Aside from WAI’s Interwire and Wire Expo trade shows, Bzowski has marketed International Technical Conferences, golf tournaments, webinars, educational and networking events. From 2010-2017, she also served as the membership liaison for the Association’s New England Chapter, which saw much growth during that period. She holds a degree in teaching from Jagiellonian University in Poland, and attended the University of New Haven.

Last modified on August 5, 2023

The Prysmian Group is investing approximately €120 million in its strategic plant in Pikkala, Finland, that produces high-tech cables for land and submarine interconnections and for both onshore and offshore wind farms all over the world.

A press release said that the investment—in addition to the €100 million already provided in 2022—is aimed at further increasing the production capacity of the 525 kV HVDC submarine cable systems, supporting the growing market demand driven by the need to develop and upgrade power transmission grids for the energy transition. It calls for new Vertical Continuous Vulcanization (VCV) lines that will more than double the Pikkala plant’s existing production capacity of 525 kV extruded submarine cables and 400 kV AC cables by 2026.

“The investment is part of the around €500 million capex per year that the Group is implementing to support the energy transition, electrification and digitalization processes, which require the upgrade of power grids and telecom networks,” said Prysmian Group COO Massimo Battaini. He noted that the massive investment plan was made possible thanks to the Group’s financial solidity and proven cash generation capability.

The release said that the global power transmission cable market is expected to grow to €15 billion by 2030 from around €8 billion reported in 2022.

“Our global strategy is to rely on three state-of-the-art power transmission cable hubs: one in Northern Europe, thanks to the increasing investments in the Pikkala plant in Finland, another one in the Mediterranean area, where we are investing around €100 million in the existing plant in Arco Felice, Italy, and the third one is the completely new submarine cable plant in the U.S., Massachusetts, serving the very high potential North American market,” said EVP Projects BU Hakan Ozmen. “This will allow us to support our customers’ needs, while also continuing to pursue our own climate change commitments,” commented Hakan Ozmen, EVP Projects BU.

The release said that Prysmian’s 525 kV submarine cable technology is specifically designed to support the energy transition thanks to its key features that enable a massive increase in transmission capacity to 2 GW, which is more than double the value achieved with the 320 kV DC systems currently in service.

“This investment confirms the strategic importance of the Pikkala plant, which is already considered the Group’s energy transition flagship factory,” said Prysmian Group Finland CEO Ferdinando Quartuccio. “Thanks to its switch to green energy sources, this plant is to date the first cable plant in the world to have achieved the net-zero goal.”

Last modified on June 30, 2023

NEC Corp. has signed a contract with the consortium behind the East Micronesia Cable System (EMCS) to construct, supply, and install a 2,250 km submarine cable network that will connect four islands within the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Kiribati and Nauru.

Per multiple media reports, the undersea cable—estimated to cost US$95 million—will connect the state of Kosrae in the Federated States of Micronesia, Tarawa in Kiribati and Nauru to the existing cable landing point located in Pohnpei in Micronesia. The cable consortium comprises FSM Telecommunications Cable Corp. (FSMTCC) in the FSM, BwebwerikiNet Ltd. of the Republic of Kiribati, and Nauru Fibre Cable Corp. of the Republic of Nauru.

The governments of Australia, Japan, and the U.S. will provide grant funding for the submarine cable project. The goal is to connect the East Micronesia island nations to improve networks in the Indo-Pacific region where China is increasingly expanding its influence. In a joint statement, the parties said the next steps involve a final survey and design and manufacturing of the cable. The project is scheduled for completion in 2025.

The announcement came a few weeks after leaders of the Quad, a security alliance of Japan, the United States, Australia and India, emphasized the importance of undersea cables as a critical component of communications infrastructure and the foundation for internet connectivity.“Secure and resilient digital connectivity has never been more important,” said a statement from the U.S. State Department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs. “The United States is delighted to be part of this project bringing our region closer together.”

The cable will connect more than 100,000 people across the three Pacific countries, according to Kazuya Endo, director general of the international cooperation bureau at the Japanese Foreign Ministry. 

“Kosrae is the only state in FSM that remains without a submarine cable connection,” said Gordon Segal, CEO of FSMTCC and chairman of the EMCS management committee. “This project will support equal access to digital connectivity across all four states of FSM and greatly enhance our ability to access information and essential services. We thank all our project partners for their support and collaboration.”

“With the recent progress of digitalization, internet connectivity and access to digital technologies ... it is a great honor that the NEC Group can use its many years of experience in
optical submarine cable technology to contribute to the access to information and communications for residents, businesses, and governments of Pacific Island countries,” said Atsushi Kuwahara, managing director of the Submarine Network Division at NEC.

Last modified on June 30, 2023

LS Cable & System (LS C&S) announced that it has been selected as the preferred bidder for subsea cables for the Shinanwui (Sinan Ui) offshore wind farm project that will be the largest such one in South Korea.

Per multiple reports, including the Korea Herald and offshorewind.bz, LS C&S will supply subsea cables for the country’s 400 MW Shinanwui offshore wind project being developed by Hanwha Engineering & Construction (HEC). The Sinan Ui wind farm will be built in the southeastern sea area of the Ui-Do island, in Sinan County, South Jeolla Province. It is projected that the farm will produce more than three times the wind energy currently produced by all Korean offshore wind power farms each year.

The contract for LS Cable & System, to be negotiated, is expected to be worth about US$79 million. LS C&S will deliver all the required subsea cables necessary for the construction of the wind farm and its connection to land in the second half of 2025, with the offshore wind project scheduled to be completed in 2026.

An official from LS Cable & System said in one of the reports that foreign companies such as those from China had taken over the domestic solar power market and that they were also targeting the South Korean offshore wind power market. They noted that the contract was important as it protects the domestic industrial ecosystem.

“Foreign companies, such as Chinese companies, have dominated the domestic solar market and are foraying into the (domestic) offshore wind energy market as well,” an LS C&S official said. “This cooperation is significant in that Hanwha Corp. E&C, the leader of the offshore wind energy business, and a submarine communication cable company cooperate to protect the domestic industry ecosystem.”

LS C&S, which last year launched South Korea’s first subsea power cable laying vessel, has won several cable supply contracts in both Asia and Europe the past year.

Last modified on June 30, 2023

Contact us

The Wire Association Int.

71 Bradley Road, Suite 9

Madison, CT 06443-2662

P: (203) 453-2777