Wardwell Braiding Company announced that it has acquired Cobra Braiding Machinery (Cobra) and the assets of the U.K. business.

A press release said that Cobra, established in the U.K. in 1981, is a fourth-generation family-run company that has a strong reputation as a manufacturer of wire harness and cable harness braiding machinery. It manufactures and supplies braiding machines and equipment for a wide range of wiring harness markets that include heavy vehicles, agricultural equipment, construction and mining equipment, military and defense vehicles, marine engines and aerospace. Nearly all its braiding machines are exported overseas to countries including the USA, Mexico, Europe, China, Japan and Australia.

“Wardwell and Cobra have been friendly competitors for many years on the global market in wire and cable harnessing,” said Wardwell Vice President John Tomaz. “When this opportunity for acquisition arose, we knew it was a great fit for our company and our customers. I have the highest respect for the Cobra line of braiders and especially the company’s managing director, Neil Hyde.”

Hyde, who will remain active in the company as general manager for a period of time, saw much value in the deal. “Teaming up with Wardwell gives us the confidence that our customers will continue to receive the performance and support they are accustomed to getting from Cobra,” he said.

Wardwell is a member of Germany’s Wilms Group, which includes major equipment manufacturers around the world such as SKET, Henrich and Spirka-Schnellflechter. This global network of suppliers to the industry has improved each member’s market position. The Wardwell braiding machine offerings will now include the Cobra line, including its industry-recognized Cobra 450.

“We see the Cobra line, when joined with ours, creating a positive synergy in sales and marketing for us on a global scale,” Tomaz said.

Telxius, a subsidiary of Telefónica, a Spanish telecom company, announced that it is extending the capacity of the Tikal subsea cable so that it can connect to Mexico.

A press release said that Telxius will be extending its ultrahigh capacity subsea cable Tikal to land in Cancun, Mexico. Tikal was announced jointly with America Movil in January 2023 to connect Puerto Barrios in Guatemala to Boca Raton in the U.S. “Telxius will now lead independently, on its own, the extension project to Cancun and the related supply contract is already in force with ASN.”

Tikal’s main trunk will launch with an initial estimated capacity of 380 Tbps and will serve a key route in the Caribbean with the highest levels of service, reliability and security. The estimated Ready For Service (RFS) date is mid-2026. This next-generation cable will now land in Mexico through the extension to Cancun. There is an option to extend it further to Barranquilla in Colombia.

The Telxius network spans over 100,000 km of terrestrial and subsea fiber including seven next-generation systems: Marea, Brusa, Dunant, Tannat, Junior, Mistral and soon Tikal. Five of these land in Latin America and the other two extend the network across the Atlantic. The Telxius network has been designed to connect the main digital data hubs on both sides of the Atlantic with a multi-Terabit set of new next-generation subsea cables.

The Prysmian Group has signed an agreement worth approximately $952.8 million with Clean Path New York to provide submarine and land power cable systems for one of the largest transmission infrastructure projects in the United States.

A press release said that Clean Path New York is an $11 billion renewable energy project comprising 3,800 MW of wind and solar power from more than 20 new wind and solar generation resources and a new 175-mile, underground and submarine transmission link. These assets will be able to deliver more than 7.5 million megawatt-hours of emissions-free energy every year—enough to power more than 1.5 million New York households.

Clean Path New York is a public-private collaboration between Invenergy, energyRe, and the New York Power Authority. The Prysmian Group will be responsible for the design, manufacture, construction, installation, and commissioning of Clean Path New York’s high-voltage DC current) 400 KV single core cable system with XLPE insulation, conditional upon Clean Path New York issuing its notice to proceed in Spring 2024.

“We are proud to support Clean Path New York in meeting New York State’s ambitious climate goals to be 70% carbon-free by 2030,” said Hakan Ozmen, EVP Projects BU, Prysmian Group. “Clean Path New York is one of the largest transmission infrastructure projects to be executed in New York State and is one the first 400 kV HVDC interconnectors to be built by Prysmian around the world. This agreement reinforces Prysmian Group’s leading position in the submarine and land cable market and underlines both our continued role in and our commitment to the North American energy transition.”

Lori Parent has been named business development manager for both Cable Components Group (CCG) and Gendon Polymer Services (Gendon). She has some 30 years of experience in colorants and masterbatches, most recently serving as director of sales USA/Canada for Spain’s Delta Tecnic, which she joined as a sales specialist in 2020. Prior past employers include Breen Color Concentrates and Chroma Color Corporation. Well known in the industry and a past president of the WAI’s New England Chapter, she was recognized by Plastics News (Women Breaking the Mold). She joins a sales team that includes Lynne Russell, who was promoted in June to vice president, sales and marketing; Sales Manager, Strategic Accounts Shawn Staveley, Gendon, who has been with the company for 15 years; and Technical Sales Manager Kevin DeLauriers, CCG/Gendon, who previously had 10 years of experience working at Hueson Wire and General Cable. Based in Pawcatuck, Connecticut, Cable Components Group supplies components and compounds for the wire, cable and optical fiber industries, as well as yarn and nonwovens. Based in Ontario, Canada, sister company Gendon Polymer Services supplies compounds for challenging wire and cable uses.

Magnetic Analysis Corp. (MAC) has named Daniel Lawrence as president/CEO. He most recently was general manager of the optical components business of MKS Instruments, and before that was a vice president and general manager of the Stellite, Conforma Clad and Advanced Materials Systems units of Kennametal. He was a division vice president and business unit manager for two units within AMETEK. He holds BS and MS degrees in chemical engineering from Clarkson University, and an MBA from Southern New Hampshire University. He succeeds Dudley Boden, who remains a company director and will retire in June 2024. Based in Elmsford, New York, Magnetic Analysis Corporation supplies non-destructive testing equipment.

Bessie Williams has been named chief procurement officer for Prysmian Group North America. She has 17 years of experience in the global supply chain and procurement sectors, with experience both in raw and non-raw procurement with an extensive background in metals. She most recently worked for Moog Inc., where she served as director of strategic sourcing for its Moog Aircraft Group, and prior to that was Global Director of Procurement at Howmet, where she oversaw the procurement function for two business segments. She also served as the global director of procurement for Arconic Engineered Structure. She holds a B.S. degree in business administration and an MBA from the University of Arkansas. The Prysmian Group is a global leader in the energy, telecom cables, and systems industry.

Jim Grimley was promoted to president of OTEC Compounds. He became part of the company in 2008 and prior to being appointed to his current position, he had been serving as vice president of sales and marketing. He has more than 30 years of experience in the thermoplastic compound and manufacturing industry and is well versed on the technical side as well as sales. He holds a degree in biology from McDaniel College. Based in Rolling Prairie, Indiana, OTEC Compounds develops, designs and custom manufactures specialty PVC compounds, thermoplastic elastomers for the electrical wire and cable industry.

Marc Richling was named extrusion director at Rosendahl Nextrom. He studied polymer science and technology at the Montanuniversität Leoben, and collaborated with Rosendahl Nextrom for his studies. He played a key role in developing the RX25 liquid-temperature crosshead for foaming. After graduating in 2009, he joined the company, working in process engineering and R&D. He assumed his new role in August. Rosendahl Nextrom is a global supplier of extrusion technology.

Mike Pascino was named director of operations engineering North America for the Prysmian Group. He joined the company in 2007 as facility maintenance manager, was engineering manager from 2011, added engineering team leader ICS in 2017, and in August assumed his new position. Prior to Prysmian, he worked for three years at General Cable as a process engineer and as a project engineer. A Six Sigma Black Belt, he holds a B.S. degree in mechanical/electrical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. The Prysmian Group is a global leader in the energy, telecom cables, and systems industry.

Obituaries

David Edward Shockley, an executive at Marmon Utility LLC, 66, died at home in McKinney, Texas, on Nov. 14 after a long battle with cancer, with his wife by his side. He joined the company in 2014 as Southwest regional sales manager and was promoted to director of sales aerial cable systems in 2017, then was promoted in December 2022 to his latest position, regional vice president of Western, Southern and Latin America Sales Marmon Utility LLC. Before joining the company, he was a business consultant for GLG for five years, and prior to that worked 11 years for PPC Insulators Group, where he was national sales manager for two of its divisions. He held a business degree from The Ohio State University.

Jerry M. Taylor, a retired veteran metallurgist and WAI Life Member, died at his home in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 2, at age 90. A graduate of Carnegie Institute of Technology, he was employed as a metallurgist for Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation, from which he retired in 1988. He then worked for Bethlehem Steel Corporation as a metallurgical service engineer for seven years, and for Johnstown Wire Technologies for 10 years before finally retiring in 2003. He then worked as a metallurgical consultant up until the time of his death. A U.S. Navy veteran, he served in the U.S. Navy from 1955 through 1957. He was also a lifetime member of the American Society for Metals. He is survived by stepsons Carl and Dominic Parise; six grandchildren; and many great grandchildren, nieces and nephews.

The Wire Association International produced the 2023 International Technical Conference on Nov. 13-14 at the Crowne Plaza in Monterrey, Mexico.

The event attracted 208 participants that represented 70 different organizations. The two-day conference, which included 17 sessions, received strong reviews from all involved, especially for those representing the nonferrous and electrical sectors. The educational content extended into the Suppliers Market that included 33 companies and ran concurrently with sessions.

“It was a good show. The presentations were first class and understandable for all levels, also the table tops with technical people were good,” said Conference Committee Chairman Antonio Ayala. “The dinner on Monday night was perfect. The food was good, the music was good, and all there enjoyed it. The visit to the plant the next day was also very good. In general, the conference was a success for everybody who took part.”

This is the sixth time that the Association has held this event in Mexico and the fourth in Monterrey (2008, 2010, 2016). All of the Monterrey events have been held at the Crowne Plaza, which is convenient for the local attendees and well suited to accommodate the networking and program elements.

The opening session was a panel session that was moderated by WAI president Kurt Breischaft of SDI LaFarga COPPERWORKS and included Felipe Martinez of Kobrex, Wesley Rios of Viakable and Andres Guerra Siller of DeAcero. The attendees heard a range of perspectives on critical factors effecting the industry including nearshoring, geopolitics, AI, environmental responsibility and market conditions. These themes identified by the panel were reinforced in the sessions that followed.

Presentations were made by representatives from Borealis, Condumex, CTC Global, Enkotec, innovAction Srl, Niehoff Endex North America, Química Iberoamericana, Rosendahl Nextrom, Paramount Die Company, Schneider Electric, SDI LaFarga COPPERWORKS, SKET, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Troester and Viakable.
Nearly all of the attendees participated in the reception and dinner on Monday night. It was well placed in the Suppliers’ Market room that was open Monday and Tuesday, giving everyone a chance to visit and learn more about the new and developing manufacturing solutions that are available. The reception featured a five-piece Mexican band that received great reviews and had many attendees singing along, while the last part of the conference—sold-out tours of a Viakable plant on Wednesday—was hailed for being informative and very well run.

WAI’s Steve Fetteroll recognized the key role that Viakable’s Raúl Garcia played in producing the event with the support of his small yet capable committee that included WAI Past President Antonio Ayala and Eurgenio Urbina of Troester. “Garcia’s understanding of the key issues and his extensive contacts were key factors in the success of the event.”
Tabletop companies include: Balloffet Die Corporation; Calmec Precision Limited; Cemanco LC; Esteves Group; Fine International Corporation; Fort Wayne Wire Die; Interequip SA de CV; Kobrex; LaserLinc; Lubrimetal; Madem Carretes de Mexico, S de RL de CV; Marex; Mathiasen Machinery, Inc.; Metalube Ltd.; Mikrotek Machines Limited; and Niehoff Endex North America Inc.

Also, Nordson BETA LaserMike; Paramount Die Mexico; Pan Chemicals Americas; Proton Products LATAM; Quaker Houghton; Química Iberoamericana (Blachford distributor); Rainbow Rubber and Plastic; RichardsApex Inc.; SKET; Rosendahl Nextrom GmbH; Roteq Machinery; Taymer International Inc.; Thermoplastics Engineering Corp.; WAI/Wire Journal International; Troester GmbH & Co. KG.; WiTechs B.V.; and Zumbach Electronics Corp.