George Muthalaly has joined MIKROTEK as Director of Products and Markets – Americas. He has diverse international experience in Europe, the Middle East & Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, and the Americas. Before joining Mikrotek, he worked for more than a decade as general manager/director in various roles in sales and marketing at AT&T, where he was recognized as a “Top talent GM.” He holds a B.E. degree in engineering from the University of Bangalore and an MBA from Bauer College of Business, University of Houston. Based in Bangalore, India, and serving more than 30 countries, MIKROTEK supplies a wide range of dies, related equipment and reconditioning and repolishing services.

Andy Lewis has been named commercial manager – wire & tube, for Metalube. He is well known to the wire and cable industry as for the last 11 years he has been executive manager of the U.K.-based the International Wire and Machinery Association, which is the industry’s largest and most influential association for the wire, cable and wire products industries. Prior to that, he worked for 10 years for Hydratight Limited. Based in the U.K., Metalube is part of the Metalube Group, which includes the industrial lubricant brands of Metalube, Molyslip and Vapor-Tek. Metalube exports 95% of its production to over a hundred countries worldwide.

Steve Coker has joined National Standard Co. as a district sales manager for Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana. He will manage distributors and end users for the company’s welding wire portfolio. He has a strong background with experience in welding wire and welding product sales. Most recently, he was a territory manager for Lampton Welding Supply, and has held sales positions with Fastenal Company, Cone Solvent and Praxair. Part of The Heico Companies and based in Stillwater, Oklahoma, the product lines of National Standard include welding wire, tire bead wire and industrial wire.

Chroma Color Corporation has named Gretchen Dragich as vice president of supply chain management & strategic sourcing. She has more than 30 years of experience in the plastics and chemical industry, with past employers including GEON, A. Schulman, LyondellBasell, Goodyear Tire & Rubber, Gates Corporation and Akzo Nobel. She has broad experience in strategic & global sourcing, ERP implementation management, sales, procurement and the supply chain. She holds a B.S. degree in chemical engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and a Master’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Akron. Based in McHenry, Illinois, Chroma Color Corporation is a leading specialty color and additive concentrate supplier.

Times Microwave Systems (TMS) has promoted Global Operations Director Adrian Milne to be the company’s new general manager. He joined the company in 2020, and prior to that held several senior management positions at W.L. Gore & Associates. At TMS, he oversaw the establishment of the company’s India operation and the expansion across all facilities. He succeeds Ben Reed, who has been promoted to the role of group general manager of the Amphenol High Technology Industrial Group (AHTI). He joined TMS in 2016 as deputy general manager and was promoted to general manager in 2017. He holds an MBA from INSEAD, and B.S. and a Master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from UC San Diego. Based in Wallingford, Connecticut, Times Microwave Systems makes high-performance coaxial cables and more.

Optimas Solutions has named Phil Battaglia as its CFO. He has more than 25 years of financial management and reporting expertise, most recently at Caterpillar Inc. He holds a BA degree in economics from Northwestern University. Based in Wood Dale, Illinois, Optimas is a leading global industrial distributor and service provider specializing in fastening and supply chain solutions.

Mike Ritterling has joined Enercon Industries Corporation in the newly created position of technical support & field service manager. The position centralizes leadership and coordination of the company’s field service engineers and technical support departments. He has industry experience that includes globally produced plastics and additive manufacturing machinery. He has led international support teams and also assisted customers with hands-on troubleshooting, repair and field support. He holds a B.B.A. degree in business administration, management and operations from Marian University. Based in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, Enercon Industries Corporation supplies custom built corona and atmospheric plasma treating systems as well as induction cap sealing systems.

Leibinger has named Christophe Lopez as its chief commercial officer, responsible for the company’s overall commercial development, from strategy to implementation, leading the sales and marketing teams. He has more than 15 years of experience in the coding and marking industry, including 12 years at Markem-Imaje, where he held multiple key positions, including overall responsibility for global sales, global marketing. He most recently was president of the main location in France with over 600 employees. He holds an engineering degree from INSA Rennes and an executive MBA with the highest honors from HEC Paris. Based in Germany, Leibinger serves multiple market industries, including inkjet printers for wire and cable manufacturing.

Obituaries

U.K. wire industry veteran who twice served as Clockwinder passed on April 13
Peter Rigby, whose U.K. family ran a venerable wire company for decades and has played a special role with the Association over three generations, died from heart failure on April 13, while visiting family in Nashville, Tennessee.

Born in Leeds in 1940, Rigby grew up in West Yorkshire, the son of John Rigby, principal of John Rigby & Sons., Ltd. In 1948, his father served as the first-ever Clockwinder, traveling to the U.S. on behalf of the British wire industry to wind the stately Grandfather’s Clock that had been sent in appreciation for help provided by U.S. wire manufacturers during World War II.

Peter Rigby followed his father’s lead, both in the family wire business as well as the Clockwinding tradition, serving in that role in 1979, as chairman of Rigby Maryland, and again in 1998, as part of Handy & Harman (Europe), Ltd. Further, his son, Jonathan Rigby, served as the Clockwinder in 2013, then employed in the U.S. by Fox Wire Limited. Other Rigby family members who shared those duties were C.P. Rigby, in 1954 and 1988; and Harold Rigby, in 1958, both as directors of John Rigby & Sons.

The 1998 Clockwinding was a special celebration as Rigby noted during his speech at what marked the 50th anniversary of the tradition. “Fighting for liberty had cost a lot of money and a lot of lives. It still does. It is with this background that I think we can safely say why these men gave this clock: in our darkest hour, fighting for our liberty, the United States of America came to our aid, and that is also why it gives the clockwinders so much pleasure to come here every year to wind it.”

John Rigby enjoyed a successful 40-year career building and managing the U.K.’s leading stainless steel wire company. He attained the position of Master Liveryman of The Worshipful Company of Tin Plate Workers alias Wire Workers of the City of London, working hard to grow the organization and deepen its relevancy to industry. He was known for his close ties to his friends and family, his strong sense of civic duty, and boundless enthusiasm.

“It’s an amazing legacy,” said WAI Executive Director Steve Fetteroll. “The Rigby name has meant a lot to the industry over the years. Peter Rigby was dedicated to the wire industry, and he was both a gentleman and genuinely passionate about the wire and cable business. He was also instrumental in continuing the Clockwinding tradition as well as supporting the Wire Link Scholarship program.”

Rigby is survived by his wife, Sue; daughter Clare; son Jonathan; and four granddaughters, Emily, Freya, Boo and Cecily.

Daniel D. Masakowski, a retired technical director for the Marmon Group, died March 25, 2023 at his home in Stonington, Connecticut, at age 77, following a lengthy battle with cancer.

Masakowski was a long-time employee of Rockbestos Suprenant, part of the Marmon Group, where he retired as technical director. He was widely recognized in the wire and cable industry as an innovative, pioneering engineer who received accolades and awards for his accomplishments and contributions. He was a member of the Insulated Cable Engineers Association (ICEA) and the president of the ICEA Control and Instrumentation Division. He held numerous industry patents and presented numerous papers at national and international technical conferences and symposia. He was especially proud of developing and leading an engineering internship program at Ferris College, Michigan and at the University of Connecticut, Storrs in the Material Science and Engineering Department for the development of future engineers.

He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Yvonne R. (Centak); a son, Daniel Masakowski; a daughter, Jennifer Coley; sisters Ladislava Kowalski, Sabina Pietraszko and Joan Jackson; three grandsons and one great-granddaughter; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Plans are still being finalized for the XI International WAI Poland Chapter Seminar, which is scheduled to be held Nov. 23-24, 2023, but some of the details are presented here.

Chapter President Jan Pilarczyk said the seminar is to be held at the METALURGIA Hotel in Radomsko. Notices are just going out for the event, which will see presentations and a discussion panel and dinner the first day, and paper presentations the second day.

Per the tentative schedule, the event begins Thursday, Nov. 23, with lunch, followed by the opening of the seminar that includes a welcome by a city official. Scheduled presenters at this point include: Robert J. Glodowski, The Evolving Technology of Steel Rod Manufacturing- A Personal Perspective, from 1:30 pm to 1:55 pm; Tom Moran, Development of a high-carbon wire that could be drawn to ultra high tensile strength 285, (a joint effort project by National Standard and Southwire), 1:55 pm to 2:20 pm; a presentation by Jan Krnac, 2:20 pm to 2:24 pm; and a coffee break followed by a session on coaching (business topic: leasing, business financing), from 3:15 pm to 3:45 pm.

A discussion panel—The condition of the steel industry in the era of political and economic destabilization in the post-Covid period and in the face of war in Ukraine— will be held from 3:45 pm to 6:30 pm. Subjects will include steel, raw materials, delivery, prices, media, photovoltaics, other RES, development prospects, creating new products, innovative economy, corporate social responsibility, industry 4.0, digitization /automation. Moderators will include Piotr Milewski, Adam Świerczyński and Piotr Pawlak (proposal of further moderators).

Dinner will follow at 7 pm, with awards presented to Krnac and Głodowski. On Friday, papers will be presented from 10 am to noon, followed by lunch. For more details go to www.msc.wip.pcz.pl and look for updates here in future issues.

Southwire’s 12 for Life® is pleased to partner with the Independent Electrical Contractor’s (IEC) Atlanta and Georgia Chapters to provide a Skills-Based Electrical Installer Program to its students. 

12 for Life, a collaborative partnership that began between Southwire and Carroll County Schools in 2007, provides classroom instruction, on-the-job training, key work and life skills, mentoring and employment opportunities. Through the program, students are motivated to stay in school, graduate and move ahead to become successful, productive members of the communities in which they live. Due to its growth and success in the west Georgia area, a second site for 12 for Life was added at Southwire’s campus in Florence in 2010.

Students who participate in the IEC Installer program will receive 36 hours of in-person, hands-on training that will prepare them to qualify for employment in an electrical wiring occupation after graduating from high school.

“This partnership is a practical way for us to connect electrical contractors with a trained workforce. According to IEC, there’s a need for at least 10,000 electricians across the United States, and many of those electricians are needed here in west Georgia,” said Joel Grubbs, 12 for Life site supervisor for Carroll County Schools. “Jobs in manufacturing may not be readily available when they graduate, so this training will give them an additional opportunity for employment.”

The certification program consists of nine days of training that are focused on interactive learning and includes hands-on activities. At completion of the training, each student will receive a course completion certificate, an OSHA 10 certification and a first aid card. Students will also qualify for the IEC’s Electrical Apprenticeship Program.

“The IEC’s Atlanta and Georgia Chapters are proud to work with Southwire and the Georgia Industry Foundation for Training (GIFT) to implement our Basic Skills Installer Training in the 12 for Life program through the Carroll County School System,” said Niel Dawson, executive director of IEC Atlanta and Georgia Chapters. “The program will provide ongoing basic skills training in the electrical field and expose them to a high-paying skilled trade that has the potential for a meaningful career. We look forward to this program continuing for years to come and the expansion of it in other school systems.”   

A leader in technology and innovation, Southwire Company, LLC is one of North America’s largest wire and cable producers and an emerging influence in the electrical industry. Southwire and its subsidiaries manufacture building wire and cable, utility products, metal-clad cable, portable and electronic cord products, OEM wire products and engineered products. In addition, Southwire supplies assembled products, components, contractor equipment and hand tools. For more on Southwire’s products, its community involvement and its vision of sustainability, visit www.southwire.com.   

Orion Engineered Carbons (NYSE: OEC), a global specialty chemicals company, announced today it has received a Gold medal rating from EcoVadis, an independent organization that assesses the performance of companies in a wide range of sustainability areas.

Orion improved its score from the previous year, moving up from 72 to 77 points – just one point away from receiving a Platinum medal rating. The company is now in the 99th percentile of companies assessed by EcoVadis.

“The way Orion was able to jump five points in one year and reach the top 1% of companies shows how the many improvements we have made can add up to a big change,” Orion CEO Corning Painter said. “We are so close to Platinum now and will continue to strive for that goal as we deliver sustainable solutions to our customers.”

EcoVadis reviews companies’ performance in the areas of environment, ethics, sustainable procurement, overall sustainability governance, labor and human rights. The organization says it assesses more than 100,000 companies in over 200 industries in more than 175 countries.

Orion’s most recent sustainability initiatives have included installing control equipment at its U.S. plants that is substantially reducing emissions. The company is producing innovative products with pyrolysis oils from end-of-life tires and bio-circular feedstocks. Orion also plans to expand production of acetylene-based conducive additives for lithium-ion batteries used in electric vehicles.

About Orion Engineered Carbons
Orion Engineered Carbons (NYSE: OEC) is a leading global supplier of carbon black, a solid form of carbon produced as powder or pellets.

As part of a company-wide commitment to customer service and environmental sustainability, Davis-Standard’s manufacturing facility in Fulton, N.Y., recently attained ISO 14001 certification. This certification validates processes across the board, internally and externally, and serves as a benchmark for Davis-Standard’s ongoing pursuit of operational excellence, sustainable practices and process improvement. This is the third Davis-Standard facility to become ISO 14001 certified in addition to facilities in Finland and Switzerland. All of Davis-Standard’s global facilities are slated to become ISO 14001 certified by 2025.

“ISO 14001 certification directly aligns with our sustainability efforts concerning safety, quality and productivity to address customer needs while also strengthening internal practices,” said Giovanni Spitale, Davis-Standard CEO. “Every aspect of our business at all Davis-Standard facilities must support industry-wide quality standards in order to fulfill the value proposition we offer customers. This includes focusing on equipment development and manufacturing efforts that reduce waste, improve energy efficiency and recyclability.”

At the core of ISO certification is the ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements. This is achieved by enhancing customer fulfillment through an effective quality management system (www.iso.org). All issues are addressed at the source to support best practices.

Davis-Standard, LLC Davis-Standard, LLC (www.davis-standard.com), headquartered in Pawcatuck, Conn., is a global leader in the design, development and distribution of extrusion and converting technology.