June 3, 2021 – Nexans announced that it has won two contracts from Equinor, an international energy company present in more than 30 countries worldwide, for two offshore projects.

The first contract, a press release said, calls for Nexans to design, manufacture and supply 44 km of steel tube umbilicals and accessories for an offshore Brazilian project: the Bacalhau ultra-deep water, oil-field development project. It targets pre-salt reservoirs in the Santos Basin estimated to contain up to two billion barrels of oil equivalent (bboe) recoverable reserves.

The order extends Nexans’s long-standing relationship with the Subsea Integration Alliance (SIA) formed between Subsea 7 and OneSubsea. It is responsible for the SURF (subsea, umbilical, risers, and flowlines) front-end engineering and design (FEED) contracts for the Bacalhau project. Nexans’s Halden plant in Norway will provide the SIA with steel tube umbilicals to provide vital services for subsea equipment operating at water depths down to
2,100 m. This includes 2.5 km of gas-lift umbilical, 35 km of static umbilical, 6.9 km of dynamic umbilical and accessories. Nexans is scheduled to deliver the Bacalhau umbilicals in the last quarter of 2022.

The second order was for the fabrication of umbilicals for the Askeladd Vest project, which is in the southern Barents Sea. Nexans will provide static subsea umbilicals with a complex cross-section of power, fiber-optic communications and hydraulic elements for chemical injection, along with a range of connection and termination accessories.

The subsea template on Askeladd Vest will be tied back to the Askeladd field through a pipeline and an umbilical. The distance from the onshore production plant at Melkøya to the subsea field is 195 km, which is the longest distance ever for such a field development.
The main activity of assembling umbilicals and loading them onto installation vessels will be performed at Nexans’ plant in Halden. The control cables will be assembled at Nexans’ plant in Halden and unloaded on installation vessels. Fiber optic cables and power cables will be manufactured in Rognan. The contract value is estimated at nearly $12 million.

June 4, 2021 

The Wire Association International is pleased to announce that on May, 17, 2021, John Markowski officially became the manager for membership and social media.

It’s a familiar role for Markowski as he has been a member of the WAI staff since he joined as an intern in April 2018. He served in that function while attending Albertus Magnus College, where he earned a marketing degree.

“We knew instantly that John would be a great addition to the team, and we had hoped that he would stay with us upon his graduation,” said WAI Executive Director Steve Fetteroll. “His strong skills in social media have been on display for the past three years, and we recognize the critical importance of continuing to evolve and expand our voice. WAI’s already ‘well qualified’ yet lean staff just got stronger.”

In addition to his social media responsibilities, Markowski, an Eagle Scout, will manage the comprehensive membership activities as well as a range of support for the Association’s chapters. Over the past six months, he has been gradually performing more of the responsibilities of the position in anticipation of the planned appointment.

June 4, 2021 

Interwire returns in October as 1st-ever Industry 4.0 pavilion gathers momentum
The show goes on for the Interwire Trade Exposition—the longest running and largest wire and cable industry trade show in the Americas—October 26-27, 2021 at the Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Georgia. Following the event postponement from May to October, positive signs have emerged for the WAI’s biennial event.

The news is that the event, which will remain an in-person event, will showcase the potential of Industry 4.0. That theme will be supported by a full-fledged presentation of how this transformation in manufacturing has arrived and—more importantly—how it works. It will be represented by 12 companies, including four that have never exhibited at Interwire.

Industry 4.0 can be described as a collection of technologies and procedures that combine to support the smart factory concept. The inaugural Industry 4.0 Pavilion at Interwire—a collaboration between the WAI and Messe Düsseldorf North America—will feature displays and educational briefings from ADVARIS, Cimteq, Davis-Standard, 40Factory Srl, InnoVites, MFL Group, MindSphere World Italia, Oden Technologies, Parsable, Rockwell Automation, SIKORA and TROESTER. See following pages for company descriptions.
A key to assembling the exhibitors that will collectively present Industry 4.0 in a unique and comprehensive forum was Willem Sundblad, a WAI board member and the CEO of Oden Technologies.
Interwire will illustrate how machine learning, automation, artificial intelligence, big data, analytics, IoT, predictive maintenance, and other factory and machine enhancements can positively affect the way wire is made and how well manufacturers compete on the world stage.

“This year we are going to have an Industry 4.0 Pavilion and lots of technical presentations that will showcase the latest technologies of the 4th Industrial Revolution at Interwire,” said WAI Board member Richard Baker, vice president of engineering, Prysmian Group North America. “Companies will demonstrate how Industry 4.0 technologies are applicable to wire and cable manufacturing and how the efficiency of equipment and processes can be significantly enhanced through their use.”
Used to best advantage, this innovative technology can transform data collected from machine sensors into information that can ultimately help improve processes and product quality; reduce scrap; increase productivity; and introduce more flexibility and profitability into the manufacturing plant.
In such an environment the combination of software platforms, time-tested wire making methods, and digital communication allows manufacturers to streamline processes and to conserve resources. Equipment is monitored; machine performance is tracked. The flow of material is followed. Causes of downtime are identified and examined. Changes are detected and adjustments made in real-time. As more data is collected and analyzed, machine learning can take place to improve production.

Below are descriptions from the pavilion participants.
ADVARIS. The company offers a comprehensive ERP and MES industry solution for the wire and cable industry. As a worldwide supplier, ADVARIS Cable takes the “all-in-one” approach instead of “best-of-breed.” Its comprehensive software platform ensures a complete, seamlessly integrated solution from a single source. The ERP system is designed to help in metal billing, shipping, rewinding and cutting orders, drum and tool management and cable design.

Cimteq. The company’s CableBuilder Enterprise and CableBuilder Go software solutions were designed to provide the flexibility needed to meet specific industry and company requirements. CableMES integrates seamlessly into CableBuilder Enterprise and a company’s ERP system, with real-time data transfers in both directions, keeping the business in sync with the shop floor at all times.
Davis-Standard. The company will show both a VR experience into a fiber optic cable factory, and a secondary coating extrusion line that will feature SMART BUFFERING—its AI augmented line control package—designed to find and predict process problems before they lead to out of specification production and present the operator with recommended course corrections.
40Factory Srl. The company specializes in the end-to-end development and delivery of Industrial AIoT (Artificial Intelligence of Things) solutions that range from edge computing applications (data acquisition, pre-processing, on-the-edge storage and data visualization) to cloud web applications for machine efficiency analysis, production traceability, process telemetry, energy consumption and predictive analytics (maintenance and quality). 

InnoVites. The company’s display will feature CableERP, which is based on the innovative and cloud-based Microsoft Dynamics 365 business software. CableERP has been created to solve the unique problems wire and cable manufacturers face, but which are not addressed by standard ERP packages. In addition to CableERP, InnoVites resells and implements CableBuilder Enterprise and CableMES across the wire and cable industry.
MFL Group. The company will demonstrate its proprietary, fully responsive MFL X Industrial IoT App running on MindSphere®, the cloud-based open IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) operating system from Siemens. Now available for steel drawing lines, copper and aluminum rod breakdown lines, multiwire drawing lines and extrusion lines, the MFL X AI Cable Analyzer captures cable images during production and analyzes cable surface roughness and color in real time. The data analyzed by its proprietary Artificial Intelligence (AI) agent completely eliminate the subjective evaluation of the operator.

MindSphere World Italia. The company helps accelerate the adoption of Industrial IoT and drive digital transformation of manufacturing. Its mission is to create an environment in which thought leaders, developers, research institutes and manufacturers can network, develop standards and explore best practices.

Oden Technologies. The company helps manufacturers make different, better and faster decisions through Machine Learning and Applied Analytics. The company’s technology platform is pioneering the use of real-time predictive and prescriptive analytic tools that uncover untapped value to make more, waste less and innovate faster. The company is working to transform the manufacturing industry by digitizing, analyzing and perfecting peak factory performance through automated insights, interactive dashboards and real-time alerts.

Parsable. The company offers Connected Worker®, which consists of modern digital tools that empower frontline workers and improve productivity, safety, and quality. Manufacturers are digitizing SOPs, checklists, and workflows with its Connected Worker solution. The results include reduced unplanned stoppages, waste and paper; increased OEE, throughput and compliance with digital traceability; and faster operator onboarding and certification.
Rockwell Automation. The company offers The Connected Enterprise®, which makes it possible to converge plant-level and enterprise networks, and securely connect people, processes and technologies.

SIKORA. The company will show a laser gauge head which generates measured values of a cable and provides this data via an interface. The data processing will be visualized schematically as a number matrix. Additionally, the company will show an animated cable production line with its measuring technology and a control center where, besides general production data, the measured value of its LASER gauge is displayed.

TROESTER. The company will showcase its Industry 4.0 solutions with an emphasis on their proven Maintenance Advisor with Augmented Reality features. Attendees will see first-hand the value of the product relative to data acquisition and analysis as well as preventive maintenance and machine control. The main benefits are generated in reduced downtimes, production transparence, increased flexibility and quality control. TROESTER is well known for its cable production technology that includes CV-, silane-, jacketing- and insulation lines.

Details are available at www.interwire21.com.

June 3, 2021. 

Allied Wire and Cable has named Glenn Liacouras as its new chief commercial officer, overseeing sales and marketing. He has extensive sales, marketing and customer engagement experience. He started his career as a sales representative in the specialty chemical industry, and over 12 years rose to a business management position overseeing a manufacturing plant in Houston, Texas. He later worked at VWR International (now Avantor), a global distributor of laboratory supplies, starting as a sales manager. He worked his way up to vice president of portfolio management for the industrial market segment. He then became managing director for Germany’s Miele’s NAN Region, which includes the U.S., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. He holds a B.S. degree in business from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and an MBA from St. Joseph’s University. Based in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, Allied Wire & Cable is a specialty manufacturer and distributor of electrical wire and cable.

Nick Avise was promoted to director of sales for Leggett & Platt, where he has worked for 16 years. He started out with the company as a sales representative in 2005, and was named marketing/sales development manager in 2014, then became national sales manager in 2017. He holds a B.S. degree in science and chemistry from Missouri Southern State University, and an MBA from Georgia College & State University. Based in Carthage, Missouri, Leggett & Platt is a diversified manufacturer whose products include annealed, bright high-carbon and bright low-carbon wire.

John Markowski is now manager for membership and social media for Wire Association International. It’s a familiar role for Markowski, as he has been a member of the WAI staff since he joined as an intern in April 2018. He served in that function while attending Albertus Magnus College, where he earned a marketing degree. “We knew instantly that John would be a great addition to the team, and we had hoped that he would stay with us upon his graduation,” said WAI Executive Director Steve Fetteroll. “His strong skills in social media have been on display for the past three years, and we recognize the critical importance of continuing to evolve and expand our voice. WAI’s already ‘well qualified’ yet lean staff just got stronger.” In addition to his social media responsibilities, Markowski, an Eagle Scout, will manage the comprehensive membership activities as well as a range of support for the Association’s chapters. Over the past six months, he has been gradually performing more of the responsibilities of the position in anticipation of the planned appointment.

5/19/2021: The Chicago Association of Spring Manufacturers, Inc. (CASMI) is re-scheduling SpringWorld 2022 so that it will not conflict with Yom Kippur, announced Tony Pesaresi, CASMI President. The event, which was scheduled to take place Oct. 5-7, 2022, will now take place Oct. 12-14, 2022 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois.

According to Pesaresi, “SpringWorld taking place during Yom Kippur could have a negative impact on the event in terms of exhibiting company participation and attendance. CASMI strives to provide the best possible business atmosphere for buyers and suppliers at SpringWorld. Therefore, we decided to move the show to the second week in October.”

SpringWorld is renowned for bringing spring-related businesspeople together. In 2018, nearly 2,200 attendees and exhibitors from around the world participated. The event is conveniently located at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois - just five minutes from O’Hare International Airport. Attendance is free and is limited to spring, stamping, fastener, wire form manufacturers, and OEMs.

Companies planning to exhibit will find information on the CASMI web site, www.casmi-springworld.org, or they can contact the organization’s office at 630.359.4273, or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

CASMI was founded in 1944 as a not-for-profit trade association dedicated to the development of good business practices and sharing of technical information through ongoing communications among the job-shop spring manufacturers in the Greater Chicago area. Membership now includes spring companies and industry suppliers from the mid-west and throughout the U.S.