5/4/2022 -

The Prysmian Group reports that it is keeping pace with executing its plan to invest some €1 billion by 2024, mainly targeted at developing businesses that support the energy transition.

A press release said that global trends for creating more power through renewable resources were fueling the company’s investment plans. “Development of the trans-European power grid plays a strategic role in decarbonization and in the transition to renewable sources, as well as in improving EU energy autonomy — an urgent need that has returned to the fore with the Russia-Ukraine conflict,” said Prysmian Group CEO Valerio Battista. “As a global leader in the cable industry, we have decided to increase investments chiefly in support of energy interconnection projects and connections for renewable sources.”

The investment plan seeks to consolidate the company’s approximately 35-40% share in the high voltage submarine and underground cable market, which per 2025 forecasts is projected to top  €8 billion a year in terms of projects awarded. In 2021, Prysmian acquired projects worth €4.8 billion.

The Group is accelerating its plan to build the first high-voltage submarine cable facility in Massachusetts, USA, which with an investment of approximately €200 million will be a hub of strategic importance for the development of the offshore wind power industry in the country.

Significant investments will be made in expanding the production capacity and technological equipment of the key excellence centers for power transmission submarine cables. An investment of over €80 million will go to the Arco Felice (Naples) plant, which will be expanded, including in view of the execution of the Tyrrhenian Link interconnection. An investment of over €100 million will go to Pikkala (Finland) center of excellence for Northern Europe, particularly focused on offshore wind farm cabling projects, as well as to the Gron plant in France for the production of the German HVDC cable projects. The current submarine cable production structure is rounded out by the plants in Nordenham, Germany, and Drammen, Norway.

Another investment was in the Leonardo da Vinci, the world’s largest cable-laying vessel, which required an investment exceeding €170 million. Built by the Vard Group (Fincantieri), the vessel will expedite the time needed to complete submarine interconnection projects, while also decreasing their environmental impact. The Group’s fleet of cable-laying vessels also includes in addition to the new barge Barbarossa. Moreover, in addition to the Arco Felice (Naples) base, it can also count on the Middlesbrough operating base in Great Britain.

In terms of technical advances, Prysmian notes that its 525 kV P-Laser cable system, offers unparalleled efficiency in energy transmission and an innovative aramid-armored cable for submarine depths of up to 3,000 meters. Another innovation has been the development of digital devices for power grid monitoring, an area in which Prysmian is on the cutting edge with the PRY-CAM technology. Following the integration of the acquired Omnisens with Prysmian Electronics, the Group created the new EOSS Division with the objective of further developing this promising niche market capacity expansion at the Italian, Finnish and French plants.

5/4/2022 -

Per a report in The Times of India, RR Kable plans to invest more than 1,000 crore (one crore equals approximately $131,000 as of April 16). “We are having major expansion plans at our facility in Vadodara and Silvassa. The manufacturing capacity will be ramped up and new facilities will also be set up,” said Shreegopal Kabra, group president and managing director, RR Kabel. He added that about Rs 650 crore will be invested in wire and cable, Rs 200 crore in lighting and fan, and the rest in the production of switchgear. He said that the company will also increase its employee strength amid the expansion.

“We will hire about 2,500 employees in the next three years. Our current employee strength is 5,000 employees and we plan to take it to 10,000 in the next few years,” Shreegopal told TOI. The company has also set up a new plant in Waghodia where it will manufacture an entire range of switch products. Their exports currently stand at 27% of their production. The management also said that it will increase the number of women employees from the current 9% to 25% in the next five years. Established in 1986, RR Kabel currently has Rs 9,000 crore of annual turnover. They recently announced the acquisition of Luminous Home Electrical business from Schneider.

“This acquisition will further strengthen the company’s consumer electrical business,” said the release. noting that the transaction is expected to close in May this year. RR Kabel is the flagship company of RR Global and it is among the leading wire and cable manufacturers in India.

5/4/2022 -

The Madem Reels Group will open a new plant in North America as part of its expansion plans.

A press release said that shareholders of Madem-Moorecraft Reels USA, Inc., have agreed to open a new manufacturing, assembly and distribution plant in Denton, Texas. This will be the company’s second manufacturing plant in North America, following the opening of its first one in North Carolina. “Madem Group is successfully shaping another important project through excellence in streaming its core competencies,” said Madem Moorecraft Reels USA President Marcos Ramalho.

Plans call for operations to begin in 2022, with assembly and distribution beginning in the second quarter, and manufacturing in the fourth quarter. The company has invested in cutting-edge CNC lines, and expects to create a hundred new jobs. Annual capacity should reach over 1,200 truckloads of KD reel kits per year. “The new Denton plant represents our latest commitment to increase production capacity and expand our North American distribution network,” said Steve Redhage, vice president of sales.

Based in Brazil, the Madem Group is a leading global manufacturer of nailed wooden reels. It has its own renewable forests, sawmill and manufacturing facilities in Brazil that support the company’s global partners in the U.S., Bahrain, Colombia, Mexico, and Spain. We employ over 700 dedicated associates worldwide. Combined annual production exceeds 6,000 containers of knocked down reels, including customized products, that ship to over 150 wire and cable plants worldwide. 

5/4/2022 -

Google has announced a project to connect Canada and Japan with an undersea fiber optic cable called Topaz, a project that will connect Vancouver and Port Alberni to Mie and Ibaraki prefectures in Japan.

A press release said that Topaz will have 16 fiber pairs that are capable of speeds up to 240 Terabits per second. “We expect the cable to be ready for service in 2023, not only delivering low-latency access to Search, Gmail and YouTube, Google Cloud, and other Google services, but also increasing capacity to the region for a variety of network operators in both Japan and Canada.”

Google is working with local partners in B.C. and Japan to help complete the project, including the Hupacasath, Maa-nulth, and Tseshaht First Nations. This will be the first trans-pacific cable to connect Canada to Japan.

Google noted that with the addition of Topaz, the company has now announced investments in 20 subsea cable projects. These include Curie, Dunant, Equiano, Firmina and Grace Hopper, and consortium cables like Blue, Echo, Havfrue and Raman—all connecting 29 cloud regions, 88 zones, 146 network edge locations across more than 200 countries and territories.

5/4/2022 -

Nexans has been awarded a contract worth around €100m by French grid operator RTE to supply and install cables for the 496 MW Le Treport offshore wind farm.

A press release said that the contract comprises 47 km of offshore and 18 km of onshore export cable for the wind farm, which is located more than 15.5 km from Le Tréport and 17 km from Dieppe.

The consortium Eoliennes en Mer Dieppe Le Treport is developing the offshore wind farm. RTE has been appointed by the French government to connect the wind farm from the offshore substation to the onshore power grid by installing two subsea and onshore links.

For the subsea section, Nexans will supply two 23.5 km lengths of 225 kV three-core cable. The cable has hybrid armoring and incorporates a fiber-optic element to remotely monitor the health of the link and transmit information between the offshore wind farm and the onshore base.

Nexans’ Halden plant in Norway will manufacture the subsea cables, while the land cables will come from the Nexans plant in Charleroi, Belgium. The fiber-optic elements will be supplied from the Norwegian site in Rognan. The installation of the subsea cables should start in the second half of 2024.

The cables will be laid by the CS Skagerrak, one of Nexans’ two cable laying vessels. The onshore link will have 18 km of 225 kV single-core cable, similar to that supplied to RTE by Nexans under the current framework contract for onshore cables. Nexans will also be in charge of the cable burial and protection for the onshore section.

5/4/2022 

It’s time for members of the New England and Southeast chapters to pencil in dates for their upcoming golf tournaments, when they are held in September.

Up first is the New England Chapter, which will stage its 28th Annual Golf Tournament & Dinner on Monday, Sept. 12, at the Tunxis Country Club in Farmington, Connecticut. Contact: John Markowski, 203-458-4044, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

On Thursday, Sept. 22, the Southeast Chapter will hold its annual golf tournament & dinner at the Rock Barn Country Club in Conover, North Carolina. Contact: John Markowski, 203-458-4044, 

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The June issue will have more details.

5/4/2022 

The Midwest Chapter will be the WAI’s first to stage its annual golf tournament, as players will tee off on Wednesday, June 1, at the St. Andrews Golf & Country Club in West Chicago, Illinois. It has been sorely missed as the last two events were not able to be held, “courtesy” of Covid-19, the ultimate scourge and spoilsport.

A look back at who has had de facto extended bragging rights shows that the 2019 winning foursome was Nick Zehr (King Steel), Erik Timpt (King Steel), Mike Shell (King Steel) and Joe Micklin (Jam Industrial), who shot a very respectable 62, 10 under par, to take top honors. It is past time for new winners to emerge.

“Finally, a return to some normalcy is on the horizon!” declared Kevin Sopczak, who once again heads the chapter’s golf planning efforts. “I see it as a triumphant return after two long years due to Covid restrictions. Most players’ skills will be showing rust, and this is the best outing to get back to swinging the sticks. Low pressure, and lots of fun, is what makes this outing enjoyable. Sign up today!”

The good news is that registration for the 19th Annual Midwest Chapter Golf Tournament & Dinner is open, available through WAI’s online registration system at wai.configio.com. A player can register a team of two to four golfers, or sign up individually for the best ball-scramble format event. The $175 registration fee covers the full day including greens fees, cart, breakfast sandwich, and the reception and awards dinner. The day begins with check-in at 8 am, play at 9 am and the reception, dinner and awards presentations at 5 pm.

Sponsorships are available, including Long Drive: $200; Closest to the Pin: $200; Accurate Drive: $200; and Corporate Hole Sponsor: $150. Sponsors are recognized at the tournament, in Wire Journal International and on signage at the course. These can be added during registration, and returning sponsors receive right of first refusal to renew their previous sponsorship.

Items for raffle prize drawings are also encouraged. Please remember to attach your business card so that your contribution can be recognized during the drawing. For more details, contact: WAI’s John Markowski, tel. 203-458-4044, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Participation in the tournament helps the WAI Midwest Chapter Scholarship Fund provide financial assistance to graduating high school seniors and enrolled college students who are children or dependents of WAI Midwest Chapter members in good standing. The program, which is operated in conjunction with The Wire Foundation Inc., was started in 2008.

5/4/2022 –

Giovanni Spitale, a polymer processing and broader capital equipment industry veteran, has been named CEO of Davis-Standard. He most recently was vice president of commercial parts within Boeing Global Services. Prior to that, he was president of Customer Service and Support at Milacron. He replaces Jim Murphy who has been elected as vice chairman of the board of directors. The company also reported that it has elected to its board of directors Brian Marston, Bill Barker and John McGrath, each of whom has significant experience within Davis-Standard’s markets. Based in Pawcatuck, Connecticut, and a portfolio company of Gamut Capital Management, Davis-Standard is a global supplier of extrusion technology.

Earlier this year, International Wire Group (IWG) announced multiple personnel promotions. Vince Donaldson was named general manager of Owl Wire & Cable. His industry career began in 1985 at Camden Wire. He worked there for nearly 12 years, and was director of sales and marketing when the company was acquired by IWG. He continued as director of North American sales, and in 2004 became vice president of sales before his new assignment. Lenny Argentine was promoted to vice president of sales and marketing. He joined IWG in 1994 and has held various commercial roles across multiple International Wire divisions. He holds a B.A. degree in philosophy from LeMoyne College and an MBA from State University of New York at Oswego. Yulia Leskovets was named director of sales and marketing. She joined the IWG as a senior business development manager. She had previously worked in sales positions for Freeport-McMoRan and 3M. She holds a Master’s degrees in engineering, and in economics and management from Bauman Moscow State Technical University. Jennifer Fox was named director of marketing analytics. She joined IWG in 1994, and during her tenure has held multiple positions in manufacturing, production control, plant operations management and quality assurance. Kerri Grant was named director of customer service. She joined IWG in 1998, and throughout her career she has held various positions in finance, operations, quality, continuous improvement and manufacturing management. Stacey Ingraham was named vice president of human resources. She joined IWG in 2014, and during her tenure with the company, she spent three years in a manufacturing management role. Based in Camden, New York, the International Wire Group is the largest non-vertically integrated copper and alloy wire products manufacturer in the U.S.

UPCAST OY has named Janne Hosio as managing director. He joined the company in 2001 as a project engineer, specialized in electrics and programming, and over the following 21 years served in various roles where he became an expert in UPCAST® products and technology. He most recently had been sales director, responsible for all the global sales and marketing activities and customer relationships of the company. He will continue to be directly involved in sales. He holds an engineering degree from the Central Ostrobothnia University of Applied Sciences. Based in Pori, Finland, UPCAST OY notes that it is the original developer of the upward upcasting technology for making copper rod and tube.

As part of a management reorganization of Hitachi Cable America (HCA), the Performance Cable Systems and Materials Division (PCSMD) of New Hampshire and the High Performance Medical Solutions Division (HPMSD) of Rhode Island/Connecticut, reported the following personnel news. Paula Butkevich is senior vice president of sales and business development of the HPMSD. Robert Overton has been promoted to senior vice president of engineering & operations, a new position for the HPMSD. Jim Stocking has accepted the role of executive director of operations for the PCSMD. He joined HCA in 2010 as purchasing manager. Michelle Ferero has been promoted to vice president of human resources. John DiSalvo is vice president of finance for the (HPMSD) and the (PCSMD). Steve Schaeffer has been promoted to director of logistics. Sherry Moulton has been promoted to purchasing supervisor of PCSMD. Semko Bukvic will assume the interim process engineering manager role for PCSMD. Headquartered in Purchase, New York, Hitachi Cable America Inc. (HCA) is a subsidiary of Hitachi Metals, Ltd., a global manufacturer of cable products for the computer, automotive and aerospace industries.

Alain Lanjard has joined Champlain Cable as European district sales manager, a new direct position. Residing in Spain, he is tri-lingual, and has a B.T.S. degree in international business from the University of Vigo. He has many years of wire and cable experience in sales, marketing and business development roles with various companies. He most recently worked at BizLink. Based in Colchester, Vermont, Champlain Cable Corporation makes electrical wire and cable products.

The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) has named Southwire President and CEO Rich Stinson to the company’s board of directors. He joined the company in 2015. Founded in 1895, the NAM notes that is the largest industrial trade association in the USA, with over 14,000 members, from small businesses to global leaders, in every industrial sector. n