AZ Wire & Cable, a U.S. master distributor for industrial, commercial and specialty wire and cable, was acquired in October by investment group MFG Partners (MFG).

A press release said that MFG “has completed a strategic investment in AZ (Wire & Cable), which is based in Northbrook, Illinois, and has additional locations in New York, North Carolina, Texas, Colorado, Arizona, Florida and Oregon. As part of the transaction, Executive Vice Presidents Darren, Todd and Eric Anixter have retained significant equity ownership in the business, and will continue to run the day-to-day operations of the business.

“We believe that partnering with MFG, given their expertise and experience investing in middle market industrial companies, is an investment in growth and we are excited for the future,” said Todd Anixter.

Italy’s Acciaierie Venete has chosen Danieli to supply a new wire rod production line to expand capacity at its plant in Sarezzo (Brescia).

A press release said that, fed by the existing Danieli rolling mill that produces straight and coiled quality bars, the new wire rod line will produce special steel smooth rounds from 5.5 to 25 mm, at speeds up to 110 m/s, expanding the company product portfolio.

The mill will start operation in early 2025. It will have three fast-finishing blocks to perform a total of 18 passes. It will include a TMB Twin-Module Block that will guarantee holding a ± 0.1 mm tolerance and 50% ovality to the whole range of products. Danieli Automation’s Hi-Profile Lite gauge measurement system will provide real-time feedback on the rolling operations and certify the quality of the final product, while motorized remote control of the rings will allow prompt adjustments during rolling. A Danieli-patented, high-speed shear will ensure accurate, consistent head-and-tail in-line trimming.

U.S.-based Winchester Interconnect (Winchester) reports that it has opened a new facility in Empalme, Mexico, as part of its expansion in the country.

A press release said that the new 53,000-sq-ft facility will produce wire and cable, cable assembly and coil cord interconnect solutions using cutting-edge manufacturing technologies and a highly skilled workforce. “We are pleased to celebrate another milestone in the continuing evolution of Winchester,” said Winchester COO Steve Ball.

Earlier this year, Winchester opened a new facility in Bangkok, Thailand, that will serve as an additional hub for manufacturing and delivery to customers in the Asia-Pacific region. The plant is strategically located to provide easy access to major transportation routes and ports, making it easier to deliver products to customers in the region. “With the opening of the new facility in Thailand, Winchester is poised to further expand its reach and capabilities while providing exceptional service to customers as they grow and expand in the region.”

VVocus was named a partner of choice for Google to deliver a new submarine cable system—the South Pacific Connect—connecting Australia to the United States via the South Pacific.

A press release said that the planned system would connect Australia to the United States via the South Pacific, uplifting the reliability and resilience of digital infrastructure for both Australia and the region. The subsea cable ring will connect three diverse Australian landings to Fiji and French Polynesia, both of which will then connect directly onto the U.S. via diverse paths. It also includes pre-installed branching units across the system to enable other Pacific nations to connect in future.

The new cables between Australia and the U.S. will be named Honomoana and Tabua. Honomoana will connect the U.S. and Australia to French Polynesia while Tabua will connect the U.S. and Australia to Fiji. French Polynesia and Fiji will also be directly connected with an interlink cable to establish a network loop.

The supplier of the cable for the project was not named, but Alcatel Submarine Networks has supplied past Vocus projects that include the 4,600-km Australia Singapore Cable (ASC) from Perth to Singapore, and the 4,700-km Coral Sea Cable System (CS2) for the Australian Government, connecting Sydney to Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

Danieli Automation will provide hardware and software for an upgrade plant to CMC Poland’s rolling mill in Zawiercie, Poland.

A press release said that the revamp will optimize rolling performance and increase plant uptime. New, low-voltage inverter drives for the mill’s roughing and intermediate sections will be installed to improve operation and plant maintainability. Special attention will be paid to the reheating furnace heating-up billets produced by the local meltshop to accurate rolling temperatures. There, hardware and software for Level 1 automation system will be upgraded. A new process control system for automatic set up of the heating curves of the furnace also will be supplied. The upgrade will be completed by the end of this year.

The mill produces 500,000 metric tons per year of bars and wire rod for construction, agricultural, energy, machinery and consumer goods applications. Some of the products it manufactures include wire rod, ribbed and plain wire in coils and welded mesh for concrete reinforcement.

CMC Poland is part of U.S.-based Commercial Metals Company, which has multiple locations in America, Europe and Asia, including a U.S. plant that makes wire rod in Jacksonville, Florida.