wiredinUSA August 2011

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August 2011 issue - No2

wiredIn USA

New generation 5,200km trans-Atlantic cable

INDEX

#02 EDITOR

WHILST tackling the nation’s debt may be the hot topic across the country, there is plenty of optimism to be found in this second issue of wiredInUSA. A new power plant in Tarboro, North Carolina (p10, 11) starts the good news that continues to expansions (p17) and submarine projects (p22) with more good news through to the latter pages. I know many companies from the US will be making the long journey to Thailand for wire Southeast Asia, 13th-15th September in Bangkok. More than 220 businesses from around the world will be exhibiting at the region’s largest and most recognized wire and cable show. A little nearer home in October will be WiCAB in São Paulo, Brazil, from 4th-6th October, and in November it is the turn of IWCS to take center stage in Charlotte, North Carolina, from 6th-9th November. Keep an eye out for the special sections in the next two issues of wiredInUSA to get your company’s exhibition details in. David Bell Editor

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Picture : Mike Gieson

CONTENT CONTENT CONTENT CONTENT

06 Show Diary From the USA

09 Making the News Industry news from the USA

Europe News The latest news from Europe

Industry Trade Associations Spotlight on awards, education and events 36 Showcase Machinery and technology updates

News Editor David Bell david@wiredinusa.com Features Editor (USA) Dorothy Fabian Features Editor (Europe) Gill Watson Editorial assistant Christian Bradley

Advertisement Coordinator Liz Hughes

USA: Editorial Dorothy Fabian

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August 2011 issue -No2

wiredIn USA

New generation 5,200km trans-Atlantic cable

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Asia & Africa News The latest news from Asia

34 Company Profiles Taking a closer look...

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DIARY SHOW EVENTS

SEPTEMBER 12-15 Sept: wire SE Asia Bangkok, Thailand Exhibition www.wire-southeastasia.com 19-21 Sept: Manufacturing and Coil Winding Expo Nashville, Tennessee, USA Exhibition www.emcwa.org OCTOBER 4-6 Oct: WiCAB 2011 São Paulo, Brazil Exhibition www.cipanet.com.br NOVEMBER 6-9 Nov: IWCS Charlotte, North Carolina, USA Conference www.iwcs.org 7-8 Nov: CabWire World 2011 Düsseldorf, Germany Conference www.cabwire-duesseldorf.com 17-19 Nov: Expocentralasia Almaty, Kazakhstan

MAY 21-22 May: AWPA Conference 22-23 May: Wire Expo Dallas, Texas, USA Exhibition www.wirenet.org 26-30 March: wire 2012 Düsseldorf, Germany Exhibition www.wire.de SEPTEMBER 10-12 : International Manufacturing Technology Show McCormick Place Convention Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA Exhibition www.imts.com OCTOBER 3-5 : Spring World 2012 Chicago, Illinois, USA Exhibition www.wireworld.com/events/ NOVEMBER 4-6 : Specialty Tools & Fasteners Distributors Association Orlando, USA Convention www.stafda.org

2011

2012

Metal and wire exhibition www.expocentralasia.com

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MAKING THENEWS Cable will transform trans-Atlantic link

WORK on building the world’s first 100x100 Gbps multi-million dollar trans-Atlantic submarine fiber optic cable begins next month. The 5,200km cable will transform band width and connectivity and will be a much welcome boost to Iceland’s emerging data center industry. EmeraldAtlantis Limited(EA)andTE SubCom this week announced the finalization of an Instruction to Proceed to build the Emerald Express Trans-Atlantic Cable System, with EA being tasked to design the 100x100Gbps on each of its six fibers. “This will provide Iceland with the required connectivity to support the anticipated explosive growth of low cost, 100% carbon free, renewable energy powered data centers based in Iceland, in which the Wellcome Trust, Emerald Atlantis’ largest shareholder and strategic partner, has a major investment,” said Greg Varisco, EA president. The trans-Atlantic marine cable route survey between UK and Canada starts inearlyAugust and the systemwill enter

serviceinlate2012.Thesystemincludesahigh capacity connection to Iceland allowing data centers to offer ultra-low latency connections to Europe and North America and provide two stubbed Branching Units positioned off Newfoundland and Ireland to support future connectivity.

“This industry shifting commitment to new Trans-Atlantic bandwidth is on the fast track and Subcom is looking forward to working with the Emerald Atlantis team in the US and Iceland, where we have worked before, to deliver this unique IT infrastructure project within budget and on time,” said Michael Rieger, SubCom vice-president of global sales.

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Power cable plant construction begins in Tarboro

In late May 2011 LS Cable & System and Superior Essex Inc held a ceremony to mark the start of construction on a new power cable manufacturing facility in Tarboro, North Carolina, USA. The ground breaking ceremony was attended by over 200 local dignitaries, managers and employees. The $60 million production facility will have 24,000m 2 (250,000 ft²) of floor space and is scheduled to be completed in 2012 for the production of low and medium

voltage power cables. LS Cable & System and Superior Essex plan to offer high voltage cables and other transmission products and services in the future. Through construction of this plant, LS Cable & System aims to establish a local power cable operations base in the North American market. In addition, Superior Essex will be expanding its product portfolio beyond its current winding wire and communications cable product lines.

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Nexans has announced its intention to build a plant for the manufacture of underground Extra High Voltage (EHV) cables, with possible extension to submarine HV activities, in the United States. Nexans is investing in the new plant to capitalize on the significant investments expected in EHV cables in North America in the coming years. Total investment is expected to be around US$80 million. The plant is expected to begin operation in the summer of 2013. The plant will reinforce Nexans’ current product range in North America, adding to the existing medium voltage, low voltage, overhead transmission, industrial and LAN portfolios. In 2010, North America represented more than 10% of the Group’s total sales with over 1,300 people employed in seven production facilities: four in the US and three in Canada. Nexans plans EHV plant in US

Wind farm chooses copper alternative grounding wire

CommScope Inc will supply the Bishop Hill Wind Farm in Henry County, Illinois, with its GroundSmart™ copper clad steel wire, an alternative to solid and stranded copper that is increasingly in demand, in part for its anti-theft characteristics. CommScope will provide 1.7 million feet of GroundSmart copper clad steel grounding wire to the project during 2011, making it the largest GroundSmart application to date. “Copper clad steel continues to gain in popularity due to the integrity of the material and the suitability of its use in grounding applications as a replacement for copper for wind farms,” said Ric Johnsen, senior vice president, broadband, CommScope.

“Developers and contractors are turning to a practical alternative to solid copper. GroundSmart is the smart alternative to copper, providing high strength and reliability for years. The developers of Bishop Hill see GroundSmart as a simple solution to reducing projects costs without compromising the system’s integrity.” Manufactured by the metallurgical bonding of an outer sleeve of copper to a solid steel core, copper clad steel is specifically designed to disperse fault currents and lightning strikes at a lower total cost of ownership compared to pure copper. With copper theft on the rise, the lower copper content in GroundSmart reduces its attraction for thieves.

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The Communications Cable and Connectivity Association (CCCA) announced the election of new officers at its annual meeting

New officers for CCCA

Elected to officer positions are: Kevin Ressler, TE Connectivity (CCCA chairman of the board); Randy Mortensen, Anixter (secretary), and Rob Wessels, CommScope, (treasurer). Joining the officers on the CCCA’s executive committee are Kevin St Cyr of Berk-Tek, and Gary Stanitis of Daikin America. Mr Ressler said: “I want to congratulate outgoing officers and members of the executive committee for their valuable contributions which guided CCCA’s growth and raised value to members and the structured cabling industry. My goal is to continue a tradition of growth by broadening our membership base and supporting CCCA initiatives that strengthen the quality and integrity of our industry.” “I’m looking forward to working with CCCA’s new officers and governing body who are equally committed to preventing potentially hazardous, non-compliant cable from being imported, distributed and sold in the US market,” Mr Peri, CCCA’s executive director commented, adding: “We still have a long way to go.”

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Rig cable partnership

Extrusion facility expansion

OCC announces dividend

Houston Wire & Cable Company has announced a new partnership agreement with AmerCable to be a master supplier of its GEXOL brand specifically designed for installation and use in power, instrumentation and process and control applications in harsh environments such as offshore and onshore drilling rigs. AmerCable’s GEXOL brand will be a key addition to HWCC’s inventory line of electrical and mechanical wire and cable. The new alliance will broaden HWCC’s inventory position within the Type P drilling rig and marine cable market and expand AmerCable’s sales and support coverage. Type P rig cable. Type P cables are

Reliance Steel and Aluminum Co has reached an agreement to purchase all of the outstanding capital securities of Continental Alloys & Services Inc, headquartered in Houston, Texas, and of certain affiliated companies. Continental is a materials management company focused on steel and alloy pipe, tube and bar products and precision manufacturing of various tools designed for well completion programs of global energy service companies and has 12 locations in seven countries including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Singapore, Malaysia, Dubai andMexico. The transaction was anticipated to be finalized within 30 days, subject to customary closing conditions.

OCC’s board of directors declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.01 per share on the company’s common stock, effective 15th July 2011. The dividend will record on 5th August 2011. The announced dividend implies an annual cash dividend rate of $0.04 per common share. Optical Cable Corporation (OCC) manufactures a broad range of fiber optic and copper cabling and connectors. be paid on or about 15th September 2011 to shareholders on

Copper Canyon mine to go to Steele

A technical report and mineral evaluation, completed by Behre Dolbear & Company in 1979, postulated a body of ore totaling up to 465,000 tons of mineralized material possibly containing around 12 million pounds of copper, 6.4 million pounds of cobalt and 23,000 ounces of both gold and silver. Steele has submitted an application to conduct a 25-hole drill program in the underground workings of the mine with the intent of verifying the findings

of the Behre report and further define the mineralization at the site.

Steele CEO Scott Dockter said it is a very promising property with enough evidence of mineralization to justify additional exploration efforts. “We believe that our drilling will confirm the figures stated in the Behre Dolbear report and possibly add value by defining additional mineralized targets,” Dockter said.

Steele Resources has executed a definitive mineral lease agreement with the option to buy the Copper Canyon Mine, located near Salmon in the US state of Idaho, from Salmon Canyon Copper Company.

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Rod mill price challenges US wire drawers

Approval for power line route

Montana-Dakota Utilities has received approval

The power line project, which is expected to cost approximately $21m, will connect a proposed 150MW wind farm to the electric grid. The wind farm, called the Merricourt Wind Project, is located in the Dickey and McIntosh counties in North Dakota, and is being developed by enXco, an EDF Energies Nouvelles company. A 230kV power line will extend about 30 miles from Ellendale, North Dakota, to the proposed wind farm and the substation will be located near the wind farm. Construction on the power line project is expected to begin late July, with completion anticipated early in the first quarter of 2012.

from the North Dakota Public

Service Commission for a transmission line route

and substation in southeastern North Dakota.

A $40/short ton increase for Insteel’s welded wire reinforcement products went into effect 18th July. Wire rod price increases have stuck as non-construction demand in the US remains healthy and domestic producers operate with decreased rod-making capacity. Insteel primarily serves the construction sector, which Woltz described as having “anemic demand, rising costs and intense competitive conditions.” The company’s capacity utilization rate crept up to 48 per cent during its fiscal third quarter, up from a fiscal Q2 utilization level of 46 per cent. Despite the difficult market, Insteel reported net earnings of $3.7m on sales of $98.6m for fiscal Q3.

Picture Colin Brough

Construction supplier and major US wire drawer Insteel Industries has reported to Steel Business Briefing that it is experiencing an increasingly difficult time passing on mill wire rod price rises to end users. It is believed this is due to a depressed construction market. “As a general statement it has been a struggle,” Insteel CEO H O Woltz III said in a conference call to disclose company earnings. “There is significant price competition in the market. It’s difficult to collect these (mill) increases.”

About the IWCS For sixty years, the IWCS, a non-profit organization, has presented the latest technologies in wire, cable and connectivity. Now rebranded to reflect its expanded scope the IWCS International Cable-Connectivity Symposium remains the prestige venue for the presentation of peer reviewed work in fields of wire, cable and interconnected technology for the communi- cations, data, electronics, power, industrial, automotive and aerospace industries. In 2009, the topical scope of the symposium program was broadened to include the adjacent manufacturing segments of connectivity and wiring harness products with the inclusion of the IICIT (International Institute of Connector and Interconnection Technology) Symposium with the IWCS conference. Additional conference tracks, professional development offerings, and exhibition spotlights that target the interests and needs of the interconnect community are planned for 2011. For complete connectivity solutions, the International Cable-Connectivity Symposium has no rivals.

Join the industry’s leading companies and technologists for the 60th Symposium that will include :

- New Product Presentations - Networking Opportunities - Professional Development Courses

- Technical Symposium - Executive Track - Suppliers Expo - ...And more

Charlotte Convention Center Charlotte, NC, USA November 6th-9th, 2011 More information on the IWCS can be found at www.iwcs.org or by contacting : John Barteld, CEO/Director of IWCS, at jbarteld@iwcs.org

CHALLENGE wiredInUSA - August

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Mika Seitovirta of Outokumpu

Outokumpu warns of further operating loss

Finnish stainless steel maker Outokumpu reported an operating loss of $239.9 million in the second quarter and warned that weak demand and raw material inventory losses will maintain the situation into the current quarter. The result was heavily influenced by one-off costs, including restructuring costs and raw material-related inventory losses, and Outokumpu was also hard hit by the global downturn as customers halted investment projects. Mika Seitovirta, who took over as chief executive in April, and has since launched a restructuring plan including

cuts of up to 350 jobs this year, said in the earnings statement: “In the stainless business, improving sales, generating cash and reducing costs are part of a never-ending race. Current market circumstances mean that the pressure to move even faster with this work and related actions is higher.” Outokumpu products include corrosion-resistant rebar, and stainless steel rod for wire drawing, bright bar processing, fastener manufacture, and in the production of welding consumables.

EUROPE NEWS

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nkt’s €80 million submarine project

Prysmian has unveiled its new organizational structure to include integration with Draka, following the closing of the acquisition in March. The new organizational structure came into effect in July and the Group has established a new strategy that aims at promoting both the Prysmian and the Draka commercial brands under the new Prysmian Group corporate umbrella. The new Group’s matrix structure organization revolves around two business units: energy cables and systems and telecom cables and systems. Most of the product lines will be managed by both geography and business, from building wires and underground power transmission to distribution, from fiber optic to copper telecom cables and special cables for industrial applications for renewable energy and the oil and gas industry. The more globalized product lines (submarine cables, optical fiber and telecom components, cables for the automotive, transport and aerospace industries) will be managed cross-nationally. Phase One integration completed

Order for rod mill in the pipeline

Aurubis acquisition faces delay

nkt cables has signed a contract worth around around €80million for the supply of high voltage cables, and delivery and installation of accessories for the West of Duddon Sands offshore wind farm, located in the Irish Sea. The wind farm will be constructed in a partnership between DONG Energy and ScottishPower Renewables. nkt’s contract involves the manufacture and delivery of 82km of 155kV export cables integrated with 48-core optical fibers and 22km of 155 kV land cables, together with delivery and installation of 155kV accessories for both the onshore and offshore part of the wind farm. The cables will be produced in Cologne, Germany, during 2012 and 2013, and installation is planned for 2013. West of Duddon Sands will consist of 108 3.6MW turbines and have a total capacity of 389MW. From 2014 the wind farm is expected to deliver electricity equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of approximately 300,000 households - putting it among the largest in the world.

Byelorussian Steel Works (BMZ) of Belarus has advised Steel Business Briefing that it is in final talks with plantmaker Danieli to supply a 700,000 tonnes per year wire rod and rebar rolling mill. If the contract is signed next month

Aurubis AG’s acquisition of the rolled products division of global group Luvata will be delayed until 1st September because collection of data to obtain European Union regulatory approval had taken longer than expected, an Aurubis spokeswoman has revealed. Approval has already been received in the US. Aurubis, one of Europe’s largest copper producers, had expected the takeover to close on 1st August. Other divisions of Luvata produce a wide range of alloy welding products, copper alloy wires for electronic and fastener applications and niobium-titanium based superconductors.

(August) the new mill could be on-stream by mid-2013. When fully operational,

the anticipated mill will increase BMZ’s nameplate capacity for bar and rod products to 1.1mt per year. Crucially, it will also enable the plant to maximize its profit through processing its entire billet output, instead of selling its surplus of less profitable semi-finished product. BMZ currently sells 30,000–35,000t of billet monthly, including to Latvia’s Liepajas.

EUROPE NEWS

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ITC Great Plains gets approval for V-Plan transmission line project in US

ITC Great Plains has received siting approval from the Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) for the V-Plan high-voltage electric transmission line in the US. The V-Plan transmission project is designed to connect eastern and western Kansas, and is being constructed by ITC Great Plains in collaboration with its local utility partners, Sunflower Electric Power Corporation and Mid-Kansas Electric Company. The route approved by the KCC for the 345kV double-circuit line

runs nearly 122 miles through southwestern Kansas from the existing Spearville substation to two new substations. The new substations include Clark County substation, in northern Clark County, and the Thistle substation east of Medicine Lodge in central Barber County. Construction will commence in the September of 2013, and the project is expected to enter service late in 2014 to improve electric reliability and enable energy developers to tap into the transmission grid.

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Extrusion facility expansion

Kaiser Aluminum Corporation has begun the expansion of its Kaiser Alexco hard alloy aerospace extrusion facility in Chandler, Arizona. The investment of approximately $11 million is expected to be completed by the year end and will provide additional extrusion and heat treat capacity to meet growing demand for these products in the marketplace. Jack A Hockema, president, CEO and chairman, said: “Hard alloy extruded shapes represent an important part of our broad product offering for aerospace applications, and the expansion of the facility will further enhance our position as a strategic supplier of aerospace extrusions in addition to value-added plate, sheet, cold finish products and drawn tube.” Kaiser Aluminum Corporation is a producer of semi-fabricated aluminum products, including extrusions, rod, bar, tube and wire products.

Join the industry’s leading companies and technologists for the 60th Symposium that will include : - Technical Symposium - Executive Track - Suppliers Expo - Professional development Courses

- New Product Presentations - Networking Opportunities - ...And more

Charlotte Convention Center Charlotte, NC, USA November 6th-9th, 2011

More information on the IWCS can be found at www.iwcs.org or by contacting John Barteld, CEO/Director of IWCS, by email: jbarteld@iwcs.org

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EASIER QUICKER NOPAPER Unique, original-content news and information for the domestic US wire and cable market

Rinn will be responsible for OmniSource’s ferrous and non-ferrous scrap operations, and fills the vacancy created when Mark D Millett assumed the position of president and chief operating officer of Steel Dynamics in April 2011. Rinn has over 30 years of experience in metals recycling and steel making.

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Steel Dynamics Inc appoints executive vice-president of recycling Fort Worth, US-based Steel Dynamics Inc (SDI) has

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Most recently, he was executive vice president of Commercial Metals Company (CMC) and president of CMC’s Americas division. Steel Dynamics Inc is a large producer of carbon steel products – over 60 per cent of the company’s steel shipments are flat-rolled sheet steel and the

Every month, wiredInUSA will be .... - mailed electronically to a specified wire and cable audience - delivered direct to your email inbox - available to read online

announced the appointment of Russell B Rinn as executive vice president of metals recycling, and president and chief operating officer of OmniSource Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary.

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remainder is long and fabricated products.

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Combined effort to replace wire rope assemblies

Houston Structures Inc, a member of the Oregon-based Ulven Companies, has successfully completed a contract from US Army Corps of Engineers to provide tainter gate wire rope assembly replacements for ten dams in Oklahoma and one in Kansas. The $2.96 million contract, awarded through the Corps of Engineers’ Tulsa

District, was fully funded through American Recovery and Reinvest- ment Act. 776 cable assemblies, around 55,000 feet of stainless steel wire rope and nearly 1,550 sockets were produced on the Ulven Companies’ contract to fulfill the needs of the rehabilitated tainter gates, Ulven officials reported.

Smart grid solutions for PECO

PECO, the Pennsylvania- based electric and gas distribution company, has selected Telvent to provide smart grid solutions to upgrade PECO’s electrical network, reduce power losses and operational costs, and improve power quality and reliability. PECO started the smart grid project in May 2011 and expects it to be completed in 2013. Telvent’s advanced distribution management system (ADMS) will be implemented by PECO to monitor and control its

electric network using one integrated system, giving access to real-time information to control load management, fault analysis and network optimization. PECO will also leverage Telvent’s OASyS dynamic network of applications (DNA) supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system to immediately pinpoint potential trouble spots within the network, increasing customer satisfaction by addressing issues, such as service outages, more quickly and efficiently.

NPE to move to Florida for 2012

NPE is a triennial international plastics exposition produced by SPI: The Plastics Industry Trade Association. NPE2012 is anticipated to be the largest plastics industry event in 2012, and is scheduled to take place from 1st – 5th April. The trade show portion will include 2,000 companies exhibiting on 93,000m 2 and is expected to be visited by industry professionals from 120 countries. Co-located events will include SPE ANTEC® 2012, the

world’s largest plastics technical conference; SPI’s Business of Plastics Conference; and the second annual International Plastics Design Competition. The economic and logistical advantages of the new NPE venue in Orlando, Florida will enable exhibitors to have larger booths and operate more equipment than in 2009. More details can be found on the website www.npe.org

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IWMA monthly news It isn’t too late to apply for an IWMA Educational Trust John C Hogg Travel Award ! In addition to the continuous support which the IWMA provides to education within the industry, the association also offers the 2012 Travel Award Scheme for the world’s largest and most prestigious wire exhibition. This award, named after John C Hogg, the IWMA founder, is available to students, apprentices or trainees recommended or sponsored by a member of the IWMA and is funded by the association’s Educational Trust charity. The aim is to help individuals to visit wire Düsseldorf who would not normally have the opportunity to do so. John C Hogg Travel Awards provide: a) Return economy air travel from country of domicile to Düsseldorf, Germany during the period of the trade fair. b) A minimum of 2 nights’ hotel accommodation in Düsseldorf, excluding meals and local travel expenses. c) Free entry and catalogue to wire/Tube Düsseldorf 2012. d) VIP guest ticket for the IWMA Industry Dinner on 27, March 2012 during wire. At the time of going to press the Trust has already approved awards from China (2), India, Malaysia, Taiwan and the UK (2), illustrating perfectly the global influence of the IWMA. There are still some travel awards available, subject to the individual meeting the qualifying criteria. More information including the conditions and an application form can be found on the IWMA website at: www.iwma.org/travelaward.php The deadline for receipt of applications is 19, September 2011. Please help us to educate and develop individuals we hope will be the future of our industry by encouraging someone to apply now.

Free places for students/research students at the IWMA’s CabWire World Conference in Düsseldorf in November 2011 It has been agreed by the trustees of the Educational Trust Fund that support will be provided for the IWMA’s CabWire technical conference with the Fund as themain sponsor. A key part of the sponsorship is the provision of up to 12 free registrations to students engaged in study or research in the metal materials and engineering sectors with an interest in wire and cable processing technology. These free registrations will be made available on a first come first served basis and the Trust is contacting universities and institutions that have departments with students and research students who might be interested in the wire and cable sector. Apart from the scientific interest the event will also offer a great opportunity for students to meet potentially very useful contacts for their future careers. Anyone interested in making an advance application for a free registration should contact the IWMA office for details. The IWMA can provide up to two free registrations per university. If the allocation of 12 free registrations is fully subscribed there will be special low price fees applicable to students and academics. For more information please visit : www.cabwire-duesseldorf.com

The IWMA Educational Trust Fund is a charitable institution established to provide support for education and research in the wire and cable industry.

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The best thing about my job is getting a big order !” Woody Holland

If you weren’t involved in the wire industry what career would you have chosen? Sound technician for live concerts. COMPANY PROFILE

Woody Holland Function: Sales Manager

When was company established? The Clinton Instrument Company was founded in 1952.

The toughest thing about your job? Trying to compete globally and knowing pricing levels of competitors in other countries.

Company: The Clinton Instrument Company Main activity of company: Manufacturer of spark test equipment, cable fault location units and calibration units

Proudest moment for the firm? Our founder, Henry H. Clinton, received the Mordica Award in 1991 in recognition of his contributions to the wire and cable industry, which included the invention of the 3kHz High Frequency Spark Tester and his role in establishing high frequency test standards the industry. Tell us about your role at the company and what you specialize in: Managing sales representatives all over the world. Keeping sales moving and enforcing profit margins through competitive times. Looking for new markets to allow our company to grow in the future.

Any other information you would like to submit? Clinton Instrument is looking for new ways to bring the latest technology to our customers. Our units utilize the most modern components to accomplish the testing in a faster, more reliable, safer and competitive manner. We are always looking to use our expertise in high voltage generation and fault detection to test things other than wire and cable. There are exciting new markets that offer new opportunities for growth. It is difficult to find the right need on industries that we do not fully understand. It keeps us busy learning the processes that are quite different from wire and cable.

Number of employees: 20

Address: 295 East Main Street, Clinton, CT 06413 USA

Other sites: none

Tel: + 1 860 669 7548

What’s the most exciting project you’ve worked on and why? A large American company was relocating back to The US from China. We were able to supply all new spark test units specifically designed for their use in tiny specialty wire. What’s the longest you’ve worked without sleep? Never, I have to have some rest, too old to go without it.

Fax: + 1 860 660 3825

Email: support@clintoninstrument.com www.clintoninstrument.com

What’s the best thing about your job? Getting the big order!

And the worst? Long trips visiting customers in foreign countries. Being away from home.

If you would like to be interviewed and tell our readers your story about you and your company, please email Jason at Jason@wiredinusa.com

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Fully integrated production

Roblon develops and manufactures high-tech industrial fibers such as glass and aramid strength members, binder yarns and ripcords (standard and water-blocking) used in fiber optic cables and is ISO 9001 and 14001 certified. Roblon produces a range of composite glass strength members and offers specialized hotmelt formulations. One example is an extra-adhesive version that transmits the force of the strength members to the jacketing

Showcase

material, making it ideal for short-span aerial cables. Roblon has also developed a formulation particularly suitable for direct buried cables or for cables placed in extreme environments such as sewer systems. Roblon servers SE-18 or SE-24 apply yarns to a cable winding off the material, making them suitable for yarn types such as the Roblon composite glass. Tension is individually controlled during production by means of hysteresis brakes. Roblon servers can be easily integrated in both existing and new production lines.

Powder coating Hamburg/Germany situated Rolf Schlicht’s electrostatic powder coating machine model RSC was designed for an even, accurately dosed and dust-free powdering of cables and wires with powders such as talc, stearate and lac powder. Depending on extrusion speed and product diameter one to four powder guns are used, of 100kV each. In the machine there is a fluidized powder hopper out of which the powder is sucked by pneumatic venturi pumps and blown to the guns. The power of the electrostatic charge can be adjusted from 0-100kV. Depending on the product the powder gun can be equipped with different powder nozzles. A fully automatic and maintenance-free filter system ensures a strong and constant vacuum is generated in the machine, so that no powder will escape into the environment. Where space is limited, a free standing dusting chamber, connected to the machine by hoses, is available.

Used and new equipment from one source

Flymca is an experienced rotating machinery manufacturer building equipment for the wire and cable industry. The range of production includes all rotating machinery such as tubulars, skips, rigids, planetary stranders as well as bow cablers, drum twisting lines, double and simple twist bunchers and all ancillary equipment necessary to complete the lines for production of electrical, submarine and off-shore cables and steel ropes. Flymca production also includes lines for production of CTC transposed cables. Flymca’s sister company, Flyro, deals with used machinery for all areas of cable production - drawing, extrusion,cabling and jacketing - with a dedicated team to deal with dismantling, renovation, or to quote for individual requirements or adapt existing facilities to the new standards and market requirements. Mixed solutions can be proposed with lines composed of Flyro used equipment and Flymca new machines.

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India has signed a $280m deal with The Democratic Republic of Congo for the construction of a 65MW hydroelectric plant in the Kasai Occidental province of Congo. Construction of the plant is slated to begin this November and is expected to take four years to complete. Congolese finance minister Matata Ponyo Mapon said that, under the terms of the agreement, India will contribute $168m to the construction, while Congo will contribute the remaining $112m. Congo energy minister Gilbert Tshiongo said that the construction of the plant is a part of the government’s plan to address the power shortages in the country and to overhaul the electric infrastructure of the country. Reuters reports that Congo has signed a similar deal worth $367m with China for the construction of another hydroelectric plant. India signs agreement with Congo for a 65MW hydroelectric plant

Picture : Alessandro Paiva

US$107m Saudi fiber-optic contract

ASIA & AFRICA NEWS

A $107m contract to install fiber-optic networks in Saudi Arabia has been awarded to four international firms. The aim of the Bayanat Al Oula Company, a subsidiary of Ittehad-Ittesalat (Mobily), is to strengthen the ‘smart’ services the company intends to provide its subscribers, and to keep in line with the changes expected to occur in communication services over the short- and medium-term. The initial phase of the project will see the installation of fiber-optic networks in four main cities, namely Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Al Khobar. The overall length of the networks in these four cities will be approximately 4,000km and will serve over 70,000 households. MD and CEO of Mobily, Eng. Khalid Al Kaf, said the communication sector is composed of a number of sectors that are experiencing accelerated development, as well as huge growth in the number of users, both individuals and businesses.

ASIA / AFRICA NEWS

wiredInUSA - August

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Power unit awaiting transmission lines

Reuters reports that the Japanese utility company, Shikoku Electric Power Co, has delayed the maintenance shutdown of its 350-megawatt No 2 unit at the Sakaide fossil fuel plant to Fall or later as an emergency measure to help ensure stable summer power supplies in Japan. This is a direct result of the damage caused to Japan’s power supply by the earthquake and tsunami earlier this year. The inspection of the No 2 unit, which runs on oil and coke-oven gas, was originally scheduled for this summer. Shikoku Electric also said it would receive 100 MW of power from in-house power generators. As a result of these two steps, the company raised its summer power supply outlook by 440 MW to 6,210 MW, which is 8.9 per cent above expected peak demand of 5,700 MW. Utilities generally aim to have 8 to 10 per cent of surplus power to ensure steady power supplies. Plant shutdown to boost Japan’s supply

Kenya seeks transmission lines

Leader Universal stays optimistic

Power Grid Corp is racing to build transmission lines for Tata Power’s ultra mega power plant in Mundra, whose first unit is ready to start generation ahead of the planned start-up date in the middle of September. Power Grid normally builds transmission lines on schedule and often has to wait for the power plant to begin generating. Work on transmission lines was earlier delayed while the company waited for forest clearances, but now it has secured all approvals to build the lines, officials said. Tata Power’s 4,000MW power project at Mundra is amongst the first of several that have been planned as part of India’s large power capacity addition program. The first unit ready to begin its test runs will generate 830MW at once, fired by coal imported from Indonesia.

Leader Universal Holdings Bhd expects its cable and wire business to fare better this year, given the number of infrastructure jobs being created locally and abroad. The company’s group managing director and chief executive officer Datuk Sean H’ng Chun Hsiang said that besides the government’s Economic Transformation Program and the 10th Malaysia Plan, more enquiries were also coming in from abroad. “Apart from Asian countries and Australia, where we expect demand from, there have also been queries for reconstruction projects in New Zealand and Japan following the disasters these two countries experienced,” he told reporters after the company’s annual shareholders’ meeting in Penang recently. H’ng said Leader Universal’s order book for its cable and wire division currently is RM800 million with one-third coming from the export market. “We also are seeing strong demand from the Middle East,” he added. For the 2010 financial year ending 31st December, the company stated revenue of RM2.49 billion, an increase of 27.6 per cent compared to RM1.95 billion for 2009. Profit before tax was lower at RM66.99 million, dropping by 12.88 per cent compared to RM76.85 million achieved in 2009.

Kenya Power Ltd, the East African nation’s sole power distributor, is looking for companies to build 224km (139 miles) of 132-kilovolt lines. Interested companies had until 8th August to express interest in the construction of the single transmission line from the existing Kindaruma power station to the new proposed Mwingi facility, and onward to the proposed Garissa substation. The project, which is expected to be complete in 24 months, will be funded by a loan Kenya received from the World Bank’s International Development Association. In March, Kenya Power said it would spend 1.4 billion shillings ($15.6 million) to improve voltage quality in Nairobi and the surrounding areas.

ASIA / AFRICA NEWS

wiredInUSA - August

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Transmission lines in Poland

On 22nd June, Composite Technology Corporation completed a 110kV line, using ACCC® conduc- tor, for PGE Dystrybucja Bialystok in Poland. The composite conductor was supplied by Lamifil using ACCC core supplied by CTC Cable Corporation. The 2km line, part of a line that runs between Bielsk Podlaski and Hajnowka (an urbanized area in

Eastern Poland), was strung with ACCC Helsinki conductor on existing steel towers. This conductor was selected in preference to a larger ACSR conductor due to the superior sag characteristics and higher capacity of the smaller ACCC conductor which allowed the existing towers to be used. ACSR would have required new, higher towers to be constructed.

IEWC steps into Brazil

First Wind completes 60MW power project in Maine

Wire, cable, and wire management products supplier IEWC has revealed plans to expand its international distribution services with the opening of a sales office and stocking facility near São Paulo, Brazil. The new facility will allow IEWC to more efficiently support its customers in the South American marketplace. “Brazil’s largest city, São Paulo, is a vibrant and modern metropolitan area of 20 million people, and it is the manufacturing center for all of South America,” commented IEWC CEO David Nestingen. “We already have strong partnerships with our suppliers

in this region, and we look forward to bringing our supply chain solutions to the Brazilian marketplace.” Ricardo Garcia, president of IEWC Mexico, will be responsible for overseeing the Brazil distribution initiative that is expected to be complete by the end of the year. Garcia has been with IEWC for more than seven years and was responsible for championing IEWC’s greenfield startup in Aguascalientes and, more recently, Monterrey, Mexico. “This move will be the fourth continent in which IEWC now does business,” confirmed Nestingen.

Wind energy company First Wind has completed its 60MW Rollins Wind project in Penobscot County in the US state of Maine. Situated in the towns of Lincoln, Burlington, Lee and Winn, the wind farm is equipped with 40 units of GE 1.5MW wind turbine and is expected to generate enough energy to power nearly 23,000 Maine homes every year. Electricity generated from the facility will be sold to Bangor Hydro and Central

Maine Power under long-term power supply contracts. First Wind said this power project will contribute to the local economy by delivering an estimated $24m in tax revenues to the four neighboring communities over a 30-year period. With the completion of the Rollins Wind project, First Wind now has four projects in Maine with a total gener- ating capacity of 185MW.

wiredInUSA - August

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Delivery system for aluminum wire drums AlcoTec Wire Company’s aluminum wire is now available in high quantity for production use with its new Powered Pak-Trak (PPT) for drum applications.

Street light

This latest development pushes welding wire from a drum package to any existing wire feeder. The PPT reduces the downtime caused by spool changeover because one drum contains as much wire as 20 spools. The PPT also improves the quality of the welds by modifying the cast of the wire to eliminate defects such as wire wander. The PPT converts the typical sine wave shape of drum wire to a circular cast to allow long, continuous seam welds without arc

wander. The case diameter is adjustable. This air-driven system provides delivery of wire to a feeder up to 100ft (33m) away and requires to the feeder. It is said to be compatible with all aluminum alloys. Based in Traverse City, Michigan, AlcoTec is among the world’s largest producers As a fully integrated aluminum welding and brazing wire producer, the company has the capabilities to shave, draw, spool, cut, test and distribute its products. no electrical connections of aluminum welding wire.

US Lighting Tech (USLT) has been selected to deliver Phase One of a new energy efficient street lighting installation for the city of Tempe, Arizona. The project is to replace the city’s existing older street lighting units with new energy efficient lighting units. Once complete, the new installation will save the city about 40 per cent in energy costs and will eliminate the need for continual street lamp maintenance over the next decade. USLT will start installation of 1,000 of its proprietary Cobra 100 Series Induction Streetlights during July. The 70W Cobra 100 Series Induction Streetlight will replace Tempe’s outdated 125W high pressure sodium and metal halide systems to provide improved and more efficient light output. USLT operations vice president Alexander Ham said Tempe had ruled out using LED due to its high equipment cost and performance volatility in the temperature extremes of southern Arizona.

wiredInUSA - August

INDEX

ABC Plastics...................................................................................................................................... 11 BroadbandWorld Forum 2011.................................................................................................. 15 Casmi.................................................................................................................................................... 7 Cemanco........................................................................................................................................... 10 Cersa-MCI............................................................................................................................................ 2 IWCS.................................................................................................................................................... 18 IWCS.................................................................................................................................................... 27 Messe Düsseldorf ............................................................................................................................ 8 wiCAB................................................................................................................................................. 24

AlcoTec Wire Company ............................................................................................................... 45 Aurubis AG .................................................................................................................................... 23 Bayanat Al Oula Company......................................................................................................... 39 Byelorussian Steel Works............................................................................................................ 22 CommScope Inc ........................................................................................................................... 13 Communications Cable and Connectivity Association (CCCA) .................................... 14 Composite Technology Corporation ..................................................................................... 42 Emerald Atlantis Limited (EA) .................................................................................................... 9 First Wind ........................................................................................................................................ 42 Flymca............................................................................................................................................... 37 Houston Structures Inc ............................................................................................................. 31 Houston Wire Cable Company ................................................................................................. 17 IEWC .................................................................................................................................................. 42 Insteel Industries Inc.................................................................................................................... 19 ITC Great Plains ............................................................................................................................. 25 IWMA................................................................................................................................................. 32 Kaiser Aluminum Corporation ................................................................................................ 26 Kenya Power Ltd ........................................................................................................................... 41 Leader Universal Holdings Bhd................................................................................................ 41 LS Cable & System and Superior Essex Inc ......................................................................... 11 Nexans ............................................................................................................................................. 12 Montana - Dakota Utilities.......................................................................................................... 18 nkt cable .......................................................................................................................................... 22 NPE .................................................................................................................................................... 31 OCC .................................................................................................................................................... 17 Outokumpu ................................................................................................................................... 21 PECO.................................................................................................................................................. 30 Prysmian.......................................................................................................................................... 23 Reliance Steel and Aluminum Co ............................................................................................ 17 Roblon............................................................................................................................................... 37 Rolf Schlicht GmbH ..................................................................................................................... 36 Shikoku Electric Power Co ........................................................................................................ 40 Steel Dynamics Inc ...................................................................................................................... 28 Steele Resources Corporation .................................................................................................. 16 Tata Power ...................................................................................................................................... 40 The Clinton Instrument Company (Company profile).............................................. 34/35 US Lighting Tech (USLT) ............................................................................................................. 44

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