Southwire reports that the company has made an investment in HData, a software company that automates regulatory data analysis.

A press release said that HData, based in Birmingham, Alabama, digitizes regulated energy industry data by automating access to critical analytics for electric, oil and gas companies and their regulators. “Our investment in HData gives us a valuable partnership in the rapidly developing world of AI for business intelligence,” said Charles Hume, managing director of Southwire Technology Ventures. “As a leading supplier to the utility industry, we are excited about the insights that our partnership with HData will provide into the industry.”

As a part of this investment, Southwire will join HData’s Advisory Board, represented by Donna Ward, gaining further insights into the utility industry. HData’s proprietary software can scan and extract insights from Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) reports, turning multi-thousand-page PDFs into actionable charts, comparisons and insights.

HData joins a portfolio of investments managed by the Southwire Technology Ventures team. This team collaborates with pioneering startups to build the future of smart power within the realms of smart buildings, electric mobility and the grid of the future.

A press release said that it was scheduled to close the Chinse plant on Dec. 29, 2023, in Langfang, China, that became part of Southwire in 2016 following the company’s acquisition of Sumner. The location produced various lifts, jack stands, welding tools and more allowing Southwire to expand its tools and equipment business. That production will be relocated to third-party manufacturers.

The second plant, in Crestview, Florida, will close this year on Feb. 2. The business, previously known as American Elite Molding and acquired in 2020, produces nylon cable ties. That production will be relocated to Southwire’s facility in San Pedro Sula, Honduras to enable the organization to simplify and streamline similar manufacturing.

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.”

Supporting the company's intent to be a leader in sustainability, Southwire has joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ENERGY STAR® Program.

ENERGY STAR® is a well-recognized and respected voluntary program managed by the U.S. EPA, supported by U.S. Department of Education (DOE) and Natural Resources Canada, that is focused on improving energy efficiency in buildings, plants and homes.

“We’re excited to partner with ENERGY STAR, a brand that is well-recognized for energy efficiency in many of the things we use every day, like some of our Topaz® lights,” said Norman Adkins, Southwire’s Chief Operating Officer (COO). “Through its resources and collaboration with other companies who share the same commitment to proving energy efficiency, ENERGY STAR helps its partners in the industrial space. As a part of this partnership, we plan to improve energy efficiency at a faster pace throughout our company operations.”

In support of the company’s Growing Green initiative, Southwire aims to reduce its environmental footprint and maintains a deep commitment to responsible growth and actively integrating environmental priorities into its core operations.

In July 2020, Southwire announced its Carbon Zero goal to eliminate or offset all of the company’s Scope 1 – associated with fuel combustion – and Scope 2 – associated with electricity consumption – greenhouse gas emissions by 2025.

As part of the program, Southwire will continue its commitment to protect the environment through the continuous improvement of its energy performance.

“At Southwire, our vision is to make our company sustainable for the next 100 years and beyond, and our partnership with ENERGY STAR is a testament to those efforts,” said Burt Fealing, Executive Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer. “Southwire maintains a deep commitment to responsible growth and actively integrating environmental priorities into our core operations, and we look forward to creating a more sustainable planet through our partnership with ENERGY STAR.”

“By making a commitment to improved energy efficiency, Southwire is on the way to enhancing its bottom line while protecting our environment,” said Cindy Jacobs, Chief of EPA’s ENERGY STAR Commercial and Industrial Branch.

Southwire Company, LLC, and Resideo Technologies, Inc., announced that they have entered into an agreement that would see Southwire acquiring Genesis Wire & Cable business, a leading low-voltage wire and cable manufacturer based in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin.

A press release said that the transaction was expected to close in the next 30 days, subject to customary closing conditions. With 187 employees, Genesis manufactures approximately 70% of its products in-house and purchases the remaining 30% as finished goods ready for distribution from other third-party manufacturers.

“We are excited to welcome the Genesis team to Southwire,” said Southwire’s President and CEO Rich Stinson. “The strong brand and quality reputation Genesis has built over the last three decades is a perfect fit for Southwire and our focus on innovation, service and quality. Their product offering provides an opportunity to share our innovative solutions with even more customers, positioning us for success both now and in the future.”

Genesis’s products provide critical connection for a wide range of residential and commercial applications, including comfort, security, network and communications, entertainment, and fire and safety. It serves a broad set of distributors, dealers and professional contractor customers.

“We’re excited to welcome the Genesis Cable team to Southwire,” said Norman Adkins, COO at Southwire. “The company’s expertise in low-voltage wire and cable production will be instrumental as we continue to expand into new and emerging markets, especially within the Security and HVAC sales channels.”

Southwire has entered into a partnership with NKT to supply underground cables for the Champlain Hudson Power Express Project (CHPE).

A press release said that Southwire will supply a portion of the underground power cables for the CHPE project for NKT, the project’s turnkey cable supplier and cable system technology owner. CHPE will require roughly 546-km fully buried, high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission system using a combination of submarine and underground cables. Southwire will manufacture the cables at its Huntersville Plant in North Carolina.

“As I have said many times, it is a great time to be in our industry and an even better time to be at Southwire,” said Rich Stinson, Southwire’s president and CEO. “We are honored and excited to enter a partnership with NKT and support one of the largest renewable projects in the nation.”

“The award to Southwire is an important element for securing sufficient manufacturing capacity for a project of this size and combines our HVDC cable system technology and design with Southwire’s manufacturing expertise,” said Mika Makela, managing director, NKT North America.

The transmission project is designed to deliver 1,250 megawatts of clean, renewable hydropower from the U.S.-Canadian border to Queens, New York, enough power for more than one million New York homes.

As part of its ongoing modernization efforts, Southwire announced an expansion at its campus in Florence, Alabama, that is designed to increase production capacity at the plant it acquired from Essex in 2006.

A press release said that the existing 300,000-sq-ft plant, which produces commercial and residential building wire, will more than double in size. The expansion plans call for some 340,000 sq feet of added space for new equipment and the creation of approximately 120 jobs. Construction is expected to begin this quarter and should be completed in 2025.
The investments and upgrades will effectively streamline Southwire’s commercial and residential building wire efforts, complement existing products and emphasize the facility’s culture and labor pool. The project will also include renovating the existing building to enhance the team member experience, including locker rooms, training space and an outdoor picnic and activity area.

“Southwire is committed to remain generationally sustainable for the next 100 years and beyond and be an employer of choice, and we look forward to the growth opportunities that this expansion will bring to our company,” said Norman Adkins, president of wire and cable and COO.

“At Southwire, we’re making a multi-year investment of more than a billion dollars to integrate newer and better equipment, systems and technology into our operations to increase efficiency, enhance competitiveness and ensure the operational capability and capacity to support our strategic growth,” said Rich Stinson, Southwire’s president and CEO. “The Florence expansion is a testament to those efforts.”

LS Cable & System announced in Korea IT Times that it has signed an MOU with the Korea Photonics Technology Institute (KOPTI) for cooperation in next-generation optical communication technology for advanced communication systems such as 5G and 6G. The two companies plan to expand optical communication technology cooperation and human exchange, starting with the development of multi-core optical fiber. “Multicore optical fiber is so difficult that only a few European and Japanese companies have succeeded in developing it. ... We have an ability to overcome the technical challenges associated with multi-core optical fiber development.”

... Southwire’s President and CEO Rich Stinson added to his long string of industry accolades, being named the 2023 Most Respected Business Leader by Georgia Trend!, a monthly magazine covering business and finance in Georgia. The publication did a lengthy piece outlining the company’s accomplishments under his leadership, both financially as well as its approach to sustainability and employee diversity.

... Chroma Color Corporation announced that it was recently awarded a Silver rating from EcoVadis for 2023. “After receiving the Bronze award last year ... we implemented programs to become more cognizant of the use of our resources such as reduction of water usage, improving air quality, reuse of scrap materials, and reduction of electricity usage. We will continue to identify additional areas where we can reduce our carbon footprint and become more socially mindful and responsible as it is the right and good thing to do for all of us and our future,” said Chroma Color’s Corporate Quality & Regulatory Manager Jennifer Presnell.

... SIKORA AG reports that it was named a “Germany’s innovation leader 2023” by the F.A.Z.-Institut, which analyzes worldwide patent applications from over 500 technology and knowledge areas. It evaluates the number of patents submitted in the last 10 years and their relevance. Last year, SIKORA, which annually invests about 10% of its revenue in R&D, was named an innovation leader for “Measuring, testing.” It was cited again in 2023, for the category for “Processing of plastics.”

... The Prysmian Group announced the availability of its Lifeline® RC90 fire resistive cables in Canada. The cables officially received its ULC-S139 listing and meet all the requirements of the Canadian National Building and Electrical Safety Codes and is now available for immediate implementation across the country within a variety of industries, including healthcare facilities, transportation networks and more