6/2/2022 -

Japan’s Furukawa Electric has won a contract from the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines to deliver cable for a subsea power transmission project.

A press release said that the order is worth approximately €33 million. Furukawa Electric will supply 230 kV AC XLPE-insulated 1600 mm² triple-core submarine cable— which it notes is the world’s-largest conductor size class submarine cable—and cable temperature and load monitoring system. Delivery and completion of the cable system are scheduled for 2023.

The power transmission project will connect the Cebu Substation and Lapulapu Substation in Visayas. The new submarine power transmission will reinforce power transmission capacity and maintain the continuous transmission of power towards the major load centers in Mandaue and Mactan even during an N-1 contingency condition.

6/2/2022 -

The Prysmian Group will partner with Telstra, Australia’s largest telecom company, to build a new intercapital dual fiber path network in the country, a project that will require up to 20,000 km of optical fiber terrestrial cable.

A press release said that the national fiber network project, a multi-year project, will see Telstra build a new “state-of-the-art inter-city dual fiber path” to boost inter-capital capacity, as well as capacity for regional areas.

Prysmian and Telstra InfraCo undertook the development of a leading-edge optical cable system, leveraging Prysmian’s local R&D Lab. The Group invested to develop the next generation of high-strength, low-loss optical cable that has a highly ruggedized design, made for direct ploughing enabling long-distance deployment in harsh local conditions. The state-of-the-art cable design is combined with Prysmian’s BendBright^® G.657.A2 Low Loss fiber technology. The cable has been developed to Australia’s unique environmental conditions and will be designed and manufactured locally at Prysmian’s factory on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.

Prysmian will support this project through local production of the optical cables in Dee Why, Sydney, which will boost jobs and investment in local high-tech manufacturing. The Group is investing to upgrade the plant’s capacity and capability. The deployment includes up to 20,000 kms of dual high strength optical cables combined with upgrade of the network within the Metro cities.

 “There is an ever-growing demand for greater fiber capacity, enabling massive bandwidth and ultrafast data rates with lower latency,” said Philippe Vanhille, executive vice president of the Telecom Division at Prysmian Group.

6/2/2022 -

U.S.-based Clearfield, which specializes in fiber management and connectivity platforms for communication service providers, has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Finnish company Nestor Cables, a leading developer and manufacturer of fiber optic cable solutions.

A press release said that the pending acquisition follows a long-standing, synergistic relationship between Clearfield and Nestor, who have worked together for over a decade. Founded in 2007 in Oulu, Finland, Nestor’s product portfolio includes fiber optic cables, connectivity accessories for fiber optic networks and instrumentation, and the Nestor Optimus product family for microduct networks. Nestor offers complete solutions for fiber optic networks, including FTTH and FTTP.

Nestor has a strong market position in Finland as a supplier of optical fiber cabling. The company also exports many of its products to the European continent, accounting for approximately 30% of its annual revenues. In 2021, Nestor generated EUR €31.7 million in revenue under Finnish Accounting Standards

Nestor operates two production facilities and has customers in more than 50 countries. Since 2012, Nestor has supplied fiber optic cables for Clearfield. The strategic acquisition will enable Clearfield to vertically integrate the supply of its fiber optic cables to meet future customer demand. It also makes it possible for Clearfield to leverage Nestor’s deep technical expertise.

The deal will also enable Clearfield to extend the available supply of FieldShield fiber into the North American market. Clearfield expects to open optical fiber production in its Mexico facility and begin production of optical cable in North America in early calendar year 2023.

6/2/2022 

Matthew Bedell has been promoted to vice president of the Industrial Specialties business unit for North America for the Prysmian Group, responsible for directing all commercial activities. He has more than 20 years of process engineering, operations management, supply chain, and commercial experience. He began his career with Prysmian Group as part of General Cable in 2002. He was part of the integration of the aluminum building wire business and led the aluminum rod and strip business following the acquisition of Alcan Cable in 2012. After the acquisition of General Cable by the Prysmian Group in 2018, Bedell held leadership responsibilities for all of U.S. inside sales. He most recently was responsible for commercial operations in the Trade & Installers business unit. He replaces Richard Parvesse, who was recently appointed president of Prysmian’s Elevator and Escalator business unit, Draka EHC. The Prysmian Group which operates in more than 50 countries and has 108 plants and approximately 29,000 employees, is a leader in many wire and cable fields.

Chris Blakeman has been promoted to vice president/general manager of Davis Wire. He joined the company in 2018 as director of operations, and has extensive international leadership experience. Prior to that, he was general manager at Insteel Industries and plant manager for Chatsworth Products, with his longest tenure at Bekaert, where he worked for nearly 19 years, mostly in managerial positions, in locations in the U.K., Belgium, Czech Republic, U.S. and Costa Rica. He is certified in Six Sigma and can also speak French, Spanish and Dutch. He holds a B.Sc. degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Wolverhampton, and a M.Sc. degree in advanced materials from Cranfield University. Part of the Heico Group and based in Irwindale, California, Davis Wire specializes in galvanized, brite and reinforcing wire.

LS Cable & System USA reports that Adnan Skopljak is a new regional sales manager. He has more than 15 years of professional experience, most recently serving as a regional sales manager for Southwire Company, where he worked for six years in utility wire and cable. He has a degree in business management from the University of West Georgia. Based in Georgia, LS Cable & System USA manufactures energy wire and cable products serving the commercial, industrial, renewable energy and utility markets.

 Robert Auger was named plant director for the Lincoln, Rhode Island site of the Prysmian Group. He most recently was vice president of operations for Champlain Cable Corporation, which he joined in 2017. Prior to that, he was vice president of operations for Comtran Cable, where he worked for 14 years, and before that he had worked for two years at Alpha Wire and 18 years for C&M Corporation. The Prysmian Group, which operates in more than 50 countries and has 108 plants and approximately 29,000 employees, is a leader in many wire and cable fields.

Luvata Senior Vice President and CFO Pekka Kleemola has been promoted to president. He has worked for the company and its predecessors for nearly 20 years. He replaces Jussi Helavirta, who joined Luvata in 2000 and was the president of Luvata Special Products division when it was acquired by Mitsubishi Materials Corporation in 2017. Kleemola said that Helavirta was a highly valued and respected leader, and under his leadership the company had moved toward a more modern and open corporate culture, developing processes, operations and global presence. Based in Finland, Luvata has a diversified product portfolio that includes wire. It has operations in seven countries, which includes Accurate Wire in Branford, Connecticut.