wiredInUSA March 2018

Issue No. 81 - March 2018

www.wiredInUSA.com

America’s online magazine for wire and cable

wiredIn USA

$92m mill sale Page 9

Brazilian boost. Page 10

Copper acquisition. Page 31

Aluminum shift. Page 37

EDITOR

ArcelorMittal is set to become the largest long steel producer in Brazil following its acquisition of Votorantim Siderurgia, a deal which has been rubber-stamped by CADE, the Brazilian antitrust regulation agency. The deal will boost the company’s crude steel production from 5.4 million tonnes per year to 5.6 million. Full details can be found on page 10. Brazil is also in the news as the country is to be connected to Florida after a deal linking up FiberLight with Angola Cables, 10,556km Monet cable. Angola operates two fiber optic pairs with the Monet cable system, one transmitting data from Fortaleza, and the other carrying traffic to São Paulo. Read the full story on page 12. It is time for companies to join the best and head to Düsseldorf, Germany, for the staging of wire and Tube 2018. More than 70,000 visitors are expected in the city for the biennial staging of the exhibition. You can view details about some of the American companies exhibiting at the show by turning to page 42 in this issue of wiredInUSA. And be sure to stop by Stand 11D26 or EN03 and pick up a free CD copy of wiredInUSA and magazines of sister publications EuroWire and Wire & Cable ASIA during the exhibition, which runs from 16 th to 20 th April.

David Bell Editor

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wiredInUSA - March 2018

March 2018 Issue No.81 CONTENTS

06 PAGE

SHOW DIARY 2018

09 PAGE

MAKING THE NEWS Industry news from the USA

30 PAGE

EUROPE NEWS The latest news from Europe

36 PAGE

ASIA & AFRICA NEWS The latest news from Asia & Africa

42 PAGE

wire 2018 Düsseldorf, Germany

82 PAGE

PRODUCTS, MACHINES & TECHNOLOGY The latest news from machine industries

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wiredIn USA

INTRAS INTRAS LIMITED

© 2018 Intras Limited UK ISSN 2046 - 9497 Publishers of EuroWire and Wire & Cable ASIA magazines

INTRAS OFFICES Europe: 46 Holly Walk, Leamington Spa Warwickshire CV32 4HY, UK

Tel: +44 1926 334137 Fax: +44 1926 314755

Email: read@wiredinusa.com Website: www.wiredinusa.com

USA: Danbury Corporate Center, 107 Mill Plain Road, Danbury, CT 06811, USA Tel: +1 203 794 0444 Email: doug@intras.co.uk NEWS Editor David Bell david@wiredinusa.com Features Editor (USA) Dorothy Fabian Features Editor (Europe) Gill Watson Publisher Caroline Sullens

SALES & MARKETING (INTERNATIONAL) Sales Manager Jason Smith jason@wiredinusa.com +44 1926 834 684 Accounts Manager Julie Case juliecase@intras.co.uk

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DIARY Shows & Events 2018

MARCH 6-8 March 2018 AMI Cables 2018 Cologne, Germany www.ami.international

APRIL 16-20 April 2018

wire Düsseldorf Düsseldorf, Germany www.wire-tradefair.com

MAY 16-17 May 2018 WAI Operations Summit & Expo Nashville, Tennessee, USA www.wirenet.org JUNE 11-13 June 2018 Wire & Cable Guangzhou Guangzhou, China www.wire-cable-china.com

JUNE 6-8 June 2018 The 19 th China International Spring Industry Exhibition

Guangzhou, China www.julang.com.cn

SEPTEMBER 26-29 September 2018 wire China 2018 Shanghai, China www.wirechina.net

For more info visit: www.wiredinusa.com/showinfo.php

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

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$92m mill sale M A K I N G T H E NEWS

The Beaumont wire mesh mill will enable WMC to offer mesh products that will complement WMC’s pre- stressed concrete strand operation in Texas. quality, competitively priced wire rod is critical for meeting our customers’ requirements,” WMC said. “We value our existing supplier base and expect to continue to buy from them as we have in the past. However, given increased volatility of supply, the affiliation with Optimus rod production will ensure we can continue to service our customers.” With the sale, Gerdau will no longer operate major wire rod mills in the US. Some of its long product mills formerly made both rebar and rod, but Gerdau agreed to sell off its key US rebar mills to Commercial Metals Co in a deal announced in January. “Consistent supply of

Gerdau SA has agreed to sell its Beaumont wire rod mill, Beaumont Wire Products and Carrollton Wire Products, to Optimus Steel for $92.5 million. The Beaumont steel mill has melt capacity of around 700,000 tons per year and rolling capacity of 800,000 tons per year, producing wire rod and coiled rebar. Beaumont Wire Products and Carrollton Wire Products include a wire mesh mill, while the latter supplies industrial wire into the greater US southern region. Optimus Steel is a newly formed company affiliated with Florida-based Wire Mesh Corp (WMC). WMC and Optimus are “completely separate, independent entities with different management”, though they are also affiliates. WMC will operate the downstream assets, and Optimus Steel will operate the Beaumont rod mill.

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wiredInUSA - March 2018

Brazilian boost

CADE, the Brazilian antitrust regulation agency, has approved ArcelorMittal’s acquisition of steelmaker Votorantim Siderurgia (VSA). The deal will boost ArcelorMittal Brazil’s crude steel production to 5.6 million tonnes per year and rolled steel capacity to 5.4 million tonnes per year. Jefferson De Paula, ArcelorMittal’s president for central and south American longs operations, said that the acquisition will enable ArcelorMittal to become the largest long steel producer in Brazil.

Among restrictions imposed by CADE, the companies agreed to divest two sets of assets. The first relates to the production of common long rolled products and drawn bars, and the second is related to the wire drawing and wire rod market. Each set must be sold to a single and distinct buyer, neither of whom can have any relation to the companies involved in the transaction or their affiliates, the regulator said.

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Catering to the fiber boom

Furukawa Electric’s subsidiary, OFS, plans to spend $138.9 million on the expansion of two fiber optic cable facilities in Georgia’s Gwinnett and Carroll counties. OFS spokeswoman Sherry Salyer said the breakdown of jobs between the two facilities is “confidential”, but that job numbers in the state have been “steadily increasing with [the] global demand of optical fiber and cable” due to the proliferation of data centers, the prospect of 5G wireless networks,

and more fiber being installed to more homes.

“Furukawa Electric is responding with greater capacity, which you can see with the expansions and employment growth in Norcross and Carrollton. We foresee this demand continuing into the next decade with communication traffic estimated to increase during this period,” said Timothy F Murray, head of the global optical fiber and cable business of Furukawa Electric and CEO of OFS.

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Don MacNeil

Connection partnership

FiberLight backhaul connectivity in the US for Angola Cables, utilizing the 64Tbps 10,556km Monet cable linking Florida and Brazil. Angola Cables operates two fiber optic pairs within the Monet cable system, one transmitting data from Fortaleza, Brazil, to the US and the other carrying traffic to São Paulo, Brazil. “The link-up with FiberLight will allow Angola Cables to deliver reliable, high- graded services beyond the Monet cable termination point of MI3 Equinix and the data center in Boca Raton at Equinix’s MI1 colocation facility in Miami, Florida,” said António Nunes, CEO of Angola Cables. will provide

Equinix’s MI1 is also known as the NAP of the Americas (NOTA) and is a key gateway for Internet traffic between the US and Brazil. “As digital transformation continues to bring the world closer together, FiberLight has made it a priority to partner with international data carriers, and establish presence within world- class subsea landing stations, to ensure [that] global communication and data transport activities benefit from access to reliable, high bandwidth fiber network capabilities,” commented FiberLight’s CEO, Don MacNeil.

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Southwire is to close its customer service center (CSC) in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin Customer service relocation

“To position Southwire for long-term success, we are working to optimize and emphasize service across the entire organization,” said Hennelly. “By leveraging our geographic locations and taking full advantage of our existing distribution network, we will be positioned to more readily and effectively meet our customers’ needs throughout North America.” Eligible employees at the Pleasant Prairie CSC who do not wish to transfer to another Southwire location will receive severance packages. Rich Stinson, Southwire’s president and CEO, added: “We are committed to the well-being of our employees, and we will work to ensure that those affected by this announcement are treated with dignity and respect.”

Southwire is to close its customer service center (CSC) in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin.

“The decision to close our Pleasant Prairie CSC was not made easily nor taken lightly, and it is in no way an indication of the facility’s performance or a reflection on the people at Pleasant Prairie,” said Kurt Hennelly, executive vice president of distribution, sourcing and manufacturing strategy. “As our organization grows in size and complexity, we must continuously reevaluate our operations to ensure that we remain competitive in the marketplace, and deliver value to the customers and communities that depend on us.” Southwireplans to relocate the Pleasant Prairie CSC operations, including equipment and inventory, to its existing distribution facilities in the US and Canada. This transition is expected to be concluded by the end of November.

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Scott H Wasserman

Guy Castonguay

New board appointments

to long-term succession planning and keeping high caliber, capable leaders at the head of the organization. Scott’s service spans more than 15 years and during that time he has had a significant impact. Scott has done an outstanding job as our vice-chairman since 2016 and as a board member since 2010.” Dr Wasserman holds ten granted US patents and most recently was the corresponding author of the “Wire and cable applications of polyethylene” chapter in the SPE-sponsored handbook of industrial polyethylene and technology, published in 2017.

The board of directors of IWCS Inc, organizer of the International Cable Connectivity Symposium, has announced the election of the board’s previous vice-chairman, Scott H Wasserman, PhD, of the Dow Chemical Company, to the position of chairman of the board. Wasserman succeeds Robert Wessels Jr of CommScope, who has served as chairman since 2008 and will continue to serve as a director. Guy Castonguay of Corning Optical Communications LLC was elected vice- chairman and Jeff S Barker of Prysmian Group was re-elected as treasurer. Dr Scott Wasserman is associate R&D director and intellectual capital manager in the packaging and specialty plastics segment of The Dow Chemical Company. Former chairman Mr Wessels commented: “This transition demonstrates IWCS’s commitment

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wiredInUSA - March 2018

South Pacific service

TE SubCom will construct a new depot in Port of Apia, Samoa, from which to service and maintain more than 19 cable systems in the South Pacific region. In 2017 TE SubCom was awarded the South Pacific Marine Maintenance Agreement (SPMMA), a five-year service agreement between SubCom and 14 cable operators in the region. The new maintenance depot in Samoa will help

TE SubCom to support and maintain over 51,000km of telecommunications and power cable systems in the area, as well as supporting regional installation activities.

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wiredInUSA - March 2018

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Promoting fiber skills

Light Brigade, AFL’s education and training division, has trained and licensed TransAfrican Fibre Services (TAFS) to teach its “FTTx for installers and technicians” hands-on training class. TAFS will offer classes in South Africa as well as working with companies and organizations throughout Africa to provide them with fibre optic training.

The Beta LaserMike brand has been faithfully serving the wire and cable industry for over 50 years and we have thousands of satisfied customers that rely on our measurement systems every day to improve quality, increase productivity and deliver manufacturing savings. We are committed to your success. Precision Measurement & Control Solutions “FTTx for installers and technicians” is a four-day class with 16 hours of classroom lecture and 16 hours of hands-on sessions to provide the practical understanding and skills required to install and maintain FTTx networks. need,” commented Lee Kellett, general manager of Light Brigade. “We know they will maintain the high quality training standards that Light Brigade customers have come to expect.”

“TransAfrican Fiber Services has a deep understanding of what our students

In-Process Gauging Off-Line Inspection Quality Cable Testing

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Manufacturing is coming home

We are excited to become part of the Gaylord community,” said Jon Jensen, NAI president and CEO. The new manufacturing facility will begin production in June 2018. NAI plans to hire around 40 new employees in 2018, and to reach a total of 125 in 2019. The new plant will produce interconnect assembly solutions, eventually including electro- mechanical assemblies, technology and telecommunications.

NAI, a manufacturer of global connectivity solutions, is to return to manufacturing in the USA with the opening of its new factory in Gaylord, Michigan. NAI moved its manufacturing operations out of the US in 2009, during the telecom market collapse. “Our solutions center in Troy, Michigan, as well as our facilities in Hermosillo, Mexico, Suzhou, China, and Nogales, Arizona, will provide engineering, manufacturing and logistics support to the Gaylord plant.

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Madem-Moorecraft Reels USA Inc is making final preparations for the start of operations at a new factory New facility nears completion

service, and environmental stewardship worldwide,” said Leandro Mazzoccato, corporate sales director for MademGroup and president of Madem-Moorecraft Reels USA Inc. “In addition to our manufacturing operations we intend to establish assembly and distribution warehouses throughout the USA,” added Stephen Redhage, vice-president and general manager of Madem-Moorecraft Reels.

Madem-Moorecraft Reels USA Inc is making final preparations for the start of operations at a new factory, described as “the most modern wooden reel manufacturing plant in the world”. This will be the Brazilian Madem Group’s fourth factory. Globally, the combined operations of Madem supply over 120 cable companies in 40 countries, and the group is recognized as being among market leaders.

Manufacturing at the new Tarboro, North Carolina, plant is scheduled for April 2018.

“Madem Group seeks to maintain the same level of quality, customer

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The Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) has announced its latest new member, Berntsen International Inc. Based in Madison, Wisconsin, Berntsen International is a leader in the design and manufacture of “smart” and traditional infrastructure marking systems. Berntsen’s InfraMarker solution brings digital connectivity to underground infrastructure, providing utilities and telecom companies with powerful new tools for precision locating and asset management. “Berntsen International Inc has been active in the infrastructure space for decades,” said Heather Burnett Gold, CEO and president of the Fiber Broadband Association. “[Its] patented InfraMarker technology locates, monitors and manages underground assets — like fiber — in a more cost-effective and safer way than traditional methods.” “We are passionate about marking and managingtheworld’sinfrastructure,”saidMike Klonsinski, president of Berntsen International Inc. “Everyone at Berntsen is excited to join the Fiber Broadband Association in its work to accelerate the connected future.” The Fiber Broadband Association — formerly the Fiber to the Home Council Americas — is the only trade association in the Americas dedicated to the pursuit of all fiber optic network infrastructure to the home, business, and beyond.

New member

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Birns has announced the addition of a new 1.25mm optical ferrule for its Birns Millennium connector series

For deep connections

Underwater and deep ocean lighting and connector manufacturer Birns Inc has announced the addition of a new 1.25mm optical ferrule for its Birns Millennium™ connector series – a high performance, high density dry-mate connector range suitable for applications at depths up to 6km. The series can be used with molded or oil-filled cables in straight or 90-degree configurations, and is available in high and low voltage, coax, fiber optic, and hybrids of electro-coax, electro-optical and electro-opto-mechanical formats.

with low insertion losses for subsea applications in extremely high density pin configurations, while affording superior precision alignment capabilities. The new ferrule is available in addition to the existing 2.5mm ferrule, with both made of ceramic zirconia. “With the enormous increase in high density connector hybrid configurations from both our military and commercial customers, we are happy to offer yet another high performance option for including the maximum number of contacts in a miniature, deep submergence connector,” said Eric Birns, president and CEO.

The 1.25mm ferrule is designed to provide single-mode and multi-mode options

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Mexichem SAB de CV has acquired Sylvin Technologies Inc, a PVC compounds manufacturer based inDenver, Pennsylvania. Sylvin has a 30-year history of serving a broad range of industries, including wire and cable, electrical, industrial and automotive. Mexichem will consolidate Sylvin under the company’s vinyl business group as part of its compounds business unit. Combining Sylvin’s business model, strong team, and application development capabilities with Mexichem’s global compounds business is expected to allow Mexichem to deliver greater value to its combined US customers. Sylvin’s key raw materials are PVC resin, plasticizers and stabilizers, which should bring synergies to Mexichem’s vinyl operations. “This transaction continues Mexichem’s strategy of completing bolt-on acquisitions that expand its portfolio of specialty products and applications, and give access to new end-markets and customers, driving future growth. These products and applications can be further leveraged globally as we expand in other parts of the world,” said Sameer S Bharadwaj, president of the compounds business unit.

Compounds acquisition

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New route

The global telecommunications and IT provider CenturyLink Inc has announced the launch of its new fiber optic route between Colombia and Ecuador. This infrastructure expansion and network coverage provides enterprise customers with dedicated Internet services, in addition to the portfolio of CenturyLink’s global products, and a diversity of fiber routes for service contingencies. “As technology needs increase for companies in Latin America, CenturyLink is committed to preparing our network… to meet the current and future demands of our customers,” said Hector Alonso, regional Latin America president at CenturyLink. “As a company, we understand how important it is for businesses to have a secure and reliable

network that delivers faster connections to help move their businesses forward. Our expanded network offers companies in the region local network infrastructure and support, together with global connectivity, creating a gateway for the exchange of information in the region and around the world.” The new route between the cities of Cali (Colombia) and Quito (Ecuador) is 585km, with an installed capacity of 400Gb in the transmission layer, and is connected to both the Ring of Alliance in Colombia and the submarine system SAC (South American Crossing). CenturyLink has a network infrastructure of over 26,000km throughout Latin America, andaglobal fiber optic network extending over 720,000km.

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Clean Canada

Canada is the fourth leading country in the world for clean energy adoption, having two-thirds of its electricity generated by renewable resources. To help meet Canadian federal regulations requiring a 50 percent reduction in coal emissions by 2030, and Nova Scotia regulations requiring 40 percent renewable energy by 2020, Nexans has installed North America’s longest submarine electricity cables. The cables are part of the Maritime Link project conducted by NSP Maritime Link Inc (NSPML).

The two 200kV mass impregnated HVDC cables are each 170km long and weigh approximately 5,500 tons. Beginning in April 2017, Nexans installed the submarine cables in the Cabot Strait to a depth of approximately 470m, protecting them on the seabed and electrically interconnecting the provinces of Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador for the first time.

The final high voltage tests were conducted on the link in September 2017.

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EUROPE NEWS

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Deutsche Giessdraht Gmbh

Copper acquisition

Copper smelter Aurubis AG has agreed to take 100 percent control of the German copper wire and rod maker Deutsche Giessdraht. Aurubis will achieve control by acquiring the 40 percent stake held by Chile’s Codelco. Aurubis already held 60 percent of Deutsche Giessdraht, while Codelco held the remainder through its German unit, Codelco Kupferhandel GmbH. Aurubis confirmed that the arrangement will require the approval of German competition authorities.

copper rod annually and has about 110 employees at its plant in Emmerich.

Aurubis announced a strategy in March 2017 which it said could include takeovers and expansion into other metals. “Part of our new strategy is an expansion of our copper product capacity, and [the Deutsche Giessdraht] transaction fits into this,” an Aurubis spokeswoman said. CEO Juergen Schachler said in December that Aurubis is placing a major focus on organic growth in its new corporate strategy, but is still open to acquisitions. Aurubis’s last acquisition was Luvata’s rolled copper operations in 2011.

Deutsche Giessdraht produces around 240,000 tonnes of continuous cast wire rod

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HVDC technology choice

Bar distribution deal

Vattenfall is planning to deploy HVDC technology to connect Norfolk Vanguard and its sister project, Norfolk Boreas, to the UK’s national grid. The company believes it will be cost competitive, largely due to lower losses of transmitted electricity, fewer cables connecting the wind farms to the grid, and lower costs for substations and associated equipment. Compared to HVAC, HVDC will have less impact on the local environment where onshore infrastructure is located. Vattenfall’s 1.8GW Norfolk Vanguard is expected to receive a consent decision from the UK government at the end of 2019 and, if permitted, be in operation by the middle of the 2020s, followed by Norfolk Boreas.

Outokumpu, IMS group and Sidenor have reached an agreement where IMS will act as exclusive distributor of Prodec ® high machinability round bars in key European countries including Germany, Denmark, France, Spain, Portugal and Italy. The companies announced a similar contract last year for Belgium and the Netherlands. With the agreement Outokumpu and Sidenor provide Prodec round bars across the full dimension range from 6 to 230mm. Prodec grades offer high machining speeds. According to tests, Prodec can significantly improve machining speeds, resulting in a double tool life when compared with competing materials in the market. By using Outokumpu Prodec, customers are said to gain significant cost savings per component (up to 50 percent, depending on the application). The Prodec range is available in grades 304L/4307, 316L/4404, 303/4305 and 17- 4PH, suitable for a variety of machining applications such as fasteners, nuts, bolts and screws.

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Ten-year network plan

Aim for sustainable copper market

Laurent Schmitt

In a joint paper, the European Network of Transmission System Operators (ENTSO-E) and Europacable have recognized the overall coherence between the demand for cables by 2030, as identified by the Ten- Year Network Development Plan (TYNDP), and the annual production capacity of cable manufacturers in Europe. They also commit to cooperate and exchange information tomitigate risks of delays to, and reflect possible changes in, the projects. For ENTSO-E’s secretary general, Laurent Schmitt: “Adapting the power system for the coming decades means augmenting and digitizing the network. Hardware is as important as software. Regarding hardware, cables account for over half of the infrastructure identified in the TYNDP.” The joint paper shows that to “go from promise to practice” on interconnecting Europe by 2030, 46,000km of land and submarine cables will be needed – 42,000km of HVDC and 4,000km of HVAC. Since the annual production of HVDC cables is confirmed at 6,500km for the next decade, this covers the needs of the TYNDP projects. In addition, sufficient HVAC cable production capacity is available to accommodate both the TYNDP and national project though the latter, being outside of the TYNDP, was not fully analyzed in the paper.

Image: www.nexans.com

Recognizing copper’s vital role in a sustainable future, Nexans is joining forces with Codelco, a major world producer of copper, to help create a more traceable and transparent copper market. A memorandum of understanding is intended to foster the existing commercial relationship between Nexans and Codelco. The main aim is to develop and implement environmental, community- friendlyandethical processes in thecopper industry, promoting sustainable practices. A key element is the joint commitment to environmental and social responsibility standards, along with the creation of mechanisms for reliable performance assessment. Key aims of the project include the evaluation of mechanisms to trace Codelco’s sustainable production to Nexans and to the market, then to develop the production of sustainable cables and cable systems at Nexans’ plants to achieve a fully traceable final product. A major milestone in 2018 will be the delivery of the first carbon neutral shipment of copper cathodes from Codelco to Nexans.

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Cable protection

Loadout success

Image: orsted.com

Image: www.oceanteam.nl

Seaproof Solutions has a contract extension to supply all inter-array cable protection systems (CPS) for the world’s biggest offshore wind farm — Ørsted’s 1.2GW Hornsea Project One. The wind farm, located 120km from England’s Yorkshire coast, will be capable of providing electricity to over one million homes. The initial contract was awarded in 2017, covering the design and supply of 248 cable protection systems for the inner array grid submarine cables. The extension brings 124 additional CPSs to the project, now totaling 372 CPSs, and making it Seaproof’s largest delivery to a single project. Henrik Bang-Andreasen, founder and CEO at Seaproof Solutions, said: “We are honored that Ørsted has chosen Seaproof Solutions’ cable protection systems. Supporting Ørsted in this project, with building our CPS in the UK, is an important step for Seaproof Solutions in supporting UK offshore wind and [the] development of [a] UK supply line.” With over 25 years’ experience, Seaproof Solutions is a specialist in protection systems for subseacable, umbilical andflexiblepipe, dedicated to the offshore wind, oil and gas industries and all offshore applications.

Oceanteam Solutions, working with Blue Offshore, has successfully executed the first cable loadout at client premises, with more loadouts to follow later this year. The cable was transferred from the client’s cable basket to Oceanteam’s storage barge, equipped with a turntable to hold up to 5,300 tonnes of cable, a loading tower, and smaller cable handling equipment. This turnkey cable storage offers many advantages to the client: the barge can be conveniently located at a client’s quayside, instead of taking up onshore space, and Oceanteam Solutions can take responsibility for spooling the cable with its own cable handling crew. The stored cable can be picked up at any convenient time and location by the cable lay vessel. The loadout is part of a recent contract for the supply of a 5,300-tonne turntable, loading tower and auxiliary equipment on a barge for the storage and multiple loadouts of subsea cables in the Netherlands. Oceanteam will use a professional cable handling crew to assist during cable loadouts.

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First heat at second mill

New premises

Image: www.danieli.com

Image: plasmait.com

First heat has been produced at the second MI DA ® micromill supplied to Egypt by Danieli. The mill is located at National Port Said Steel (NPSS) - Egyptian Steel #2 in Al Ain Al Sokhna. The micromill features endless casting and rolling technology to produce commercial steel rebar for construction applications. The new mill is the same model as the first MI DA commissioned in Egypt in 2016 and located in Beni Suef, also belonging to Egyptian Steel. Each plant has a design capacity of 830,000 tonnes per year: 530,000 tonnes per year of rebar in bundles are produced in endless casting and rolling through a single line, and the remaining 300,000 tonnes are cast through two additional casting strands in 130mm 2 billets. The 165mm 2 billet of the endless line is cast at over 6m per minute, in-line rolled, quenched into 10mm to 25mm rebars and finished in perfect bundles. The Danieli direct rolling and bundling system performs direct cutting to final length, which is said to offer additional yield savings of up to 3 percent when compared with conventional technologies.

Plasmait, the Austrian supplier of plasma heat and surface treatment machinery for wire, tube and strip products, has moved to a new factory in Lannach, near Graz, Austria. The new facility includes a large shop floor space, and hosts four heat and surface treatment demonstration and trial lines. Demonstration lines are used for heat treatment trials on ferrous and non-ferrous materials across a wide temperature range, or for surface cleaning, surface activation or coating on client materials. Demonstrations of the PlasmaPreplate process are performed in line with a hot dip tin bath for acid-free and flux- free hot dip tinning of copper, steel and aluminum alloys. The process can perform simultaneous heat treatment of the material, prior to tinning. Demonstration lines are also available for rental, allowing clients to test plasma treatment machinery at their own facilities and integrated into the existing manufacturing process. Plasmait also offers demonstrations and testing on its batch plasma treatment machine, where components and parts can be plasma treated. The batchmachine is designed for a wide temperature range and can be utilized with various process gases including hydrogen. The machine’s cooling system allows adjustable cooling rates.

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ASIA & AFRICA NEWS

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Hamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan inaugurates Ducab Aluminium Company in Khalifa Industrial Zone

Aluminum shift

Ducab Aluminium Company (DAC), the Abu Dhabi-based aluminum rod producer, reports that it plans to export most of its output as it takes advantage of the shift from copper to aluminum for industrial usage. DAC, a joint venturebetweenDubai-based copper and aluminum wire and cable producer Ducab and Abu Dhabi industrial conglomerate Senaat, was inaugurated the in Khalifa Industrial Zone of Abu Dhabi. Ducab is a joint venturebetween sovereign wealth fund Investment Corporation of Dubai and Senaat. Andrew Shaw, managing director of Ducab, said there was room for its production capacity to grow “down the line” because demand is increasing as the cable industry replaces copper with the more affordable aluminum. The shift to aluminum in the GCC has lagged

behind that in Europe and is set to increase.

“The cable market is still dominated by copper, but aluminum usage has increased in the GCC,” Mr Shaw said. “In Europe and the US that shift has already happened.” The executive said DAC had already signed rod supply contracts with customers across the GCC, India, Lebanon, North America and Africa and that it was also planning to export to Latin America and Europe. The UAE is developing its downstream industry to help diversify revenue away from hydrocarbons. EGA, one of the world’s largest aluminum producers, is contributing to the diversification efforts by providing raw materials for downstream industries like DAC.

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Cable nears completion

Japanese spooler first

Image: www.danieli.com

Hawaiki Submarine Cable LP and TE SubCom have announced that over half of the 15,000km of the Hawaiki Transpacific Cable system’s undersea fiber optic cable has been implemented by TE SubCom. TE SubCom’s cable-laying vessel, CS Responder , berthed in Auckland in February with several thousands of kilometers of undersea fiber optic cable on board, ready to begin marine activities for the New Zealand leg of the trans-oceanic cable system. The operation will include the landing of the Hawaiki cable in Mangawhai Heads. The US domestic segment of the cable, between Oregon and Hawaii, was completed in the last quarter of 2017, with cable landings successfully completed in Pacific City, Oregon; Oahu, Hawaii; and Sydney, Australia. Cable landing in American Samoa is scheduled for March 2018, and the Hawaiki cable system is expected to be ready for service in June 2018.

Topy Industries has chosen Danieli K-Spool technology to produce hot rolled, compact coils to serve its demanding downstream market. Topy Industries is the first Japanese steelmaker to operate spooler technology. The line, to be installed at Toyohashi rolling mill, Aichi prefecture, Japan, will produce 240,000 tons per year of spooled bar coils weighing between 1 and 3.5 tons at a maximum coiling speed of 35m per second. Perfectly shaped, no-twist spooled bars will be wound into compact coils by two K-Spool stations, independently served by separate lifting forks, by means of two Danieli horizontal spooler stations. Danieli Automation will provide automation and control systems, while strapping and labeling equipment will be manufactured by Swedish Sund Birsta, part of the Danieli group. In addition a two-pass fast finishing block, supplied with a Hi-Profile measuring system and a Danieli QTS quenching and tempering system, will upgrade the existing finishing mill. The project will be coordinated by Danieli Engineering Japan in Yokohama, and the line is planned to start production in summer 2018.

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Domestic producer with international standards

New plant for cable material

UC Rusal’s Achinsk alumina refinery

M A Hashem

UC Rusal is mastering fine precipitated aluminum hydroxide (FPAH) at its Achinsk alumina refinery. The company expects its proprietary technology to keep the production cost of the FPAH below the world’s average price for this product, and anticipates investing around $4.43 million in the construction of the pilot plant. Fine precipitated aluminum hydroxide is a powder with particles of less than 3μm — a hundred times thinner than a human hair. Its physical and chemical properties make aluminum hydroxide an excellent fire retardant, in wide use in the production of silicate wool for cables for the nuclear, ship building, aviation and automotive industries. It is also used in the production of paints and lacquers, high quality paper, and polymer compounds. Global consumption of FPAH exceeds 800,000 tonnes per annum and grows by over 4 percent per year. Russia’s FPAH demand exceeds 30,000 tonnes per annum. Design of the FPAH pilot plant will begin during 2018.

Partex Cables Ltd, a member of one of the largest conglomerates in Bangladesh, Partex Star Group, is to make international standard cables in the country for the first time. M A Hashem, founder chairman of Partex, launched the operations of Partex Cables Ltd in February at the plant’s premises at Bandar, Narayanganj. The commerce minister, Tofail Ahmed, was present as the chief guest. “The government has a plan to generate 40,000MW power by 2030. Now the country imports cable that costs millions. If we can make international standard cables then we can meet this need locally,” said Mr Hashem. “The cable industry here is growing rapidly. We plan to make fiber optic cable in the future,” he said. Tofail Ahmed added: “Once, Narayanganj [was] limited to a handful of businesses like jute. Now the place is filled with different industries. The country’s development is unprecedented. Now we earn $35 billion dollars from export. We hope to export $60 billion in 2021.”

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Call-off contracts Partners in development

Essa bin Hilal Al-Kuwari Qatar General Electricity and Water Corporation (Kahramaa) has signed two call-off agreements for the supply of low voltage, 11kV, and pilot power cables with Doha Cables and Qatar International Cables Company (QICC). The total length of the cables is 10,000km. The two-year agreements were signed for a total cost of $521.83 million, the Gulf Times reported. The newspaper continued that the signing ceremony was attended by Kahramaa president and senior engineer Essa bin Hilal Al Kuwari; Doha Cables chairman Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al Thani; QICC’s Sheikh Fahd bin Hamad bin Jassim Al Thani; and a number of officials. The value of Doha Cables’ contract with Kahramaa is over $340.56 million, with the QICC contract worth $175.7 million. Under the call-off agreement, the supplier provides materials to Kahramaa within two days of receiving the order.

Image: UC Rusal - IrkAZ smelter

UC Rusal has signed a cooperation agreement with SMS group of Germany. The agreement foresees the companies’ cooperation in the development and construction of continuous casting equipment to produce wire rods, based on Rusal’s continuous casting, rolling and extrusion technology. According to the agreement, a pilot equipment line, installed and field tested at IrkAZ smelter, will be developed by the parties, with subsequent commercial sales of the equipment through SMS group’s network. “Partnership with one of the largest industrial concerns in Europe is an important step for the development of the engineering and technological potential of both UC Rusal and Russian intellectual developments in general. I am sure that cooperation with SMS group will become a powerful incentive for the popularization of Russian technologies abroad,” said Victor Mann, Rusal’s technical director.

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Partners in China

Energy mix on track

Dr Anthony Lynham

Tekmar and SBSS have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate as each other’s preferred partner in offering export and inter-array cable protection to the Chinese offshore wind market. Under the terms of the MoU the two companies will jointly promote their services in cable protection systems and subsea cable installation, respectively. Besides being the installation partner of choice for Tekmar products in China, SBSS will have access to the installation and vessel engineering analysis capabilities of AgileTek, a Tekmar group subsidiary. In return, SBSS will utilize the wider range of Tekmar products across other sectors such as subsea oil, gas and telecommunications. “We’re truly excited to be partnering with such a well respected company as Tekmar. On the back of our first offshore wind farm project in 2017 this MoU reinforces SBSS’s strategy of deploying our international experience into the domestic market, and offering high quality subsea power cable installations to Chinese developers,” said Tom Manning, SBSS’s commercial director.

Work has begun on a transmission line to connect APA Group’s $220 million Darling Downs solar farm in south-west Queensland, Australia to the state’s electricity network. Energy minister Dr Anthony Lynham said Powerlink had started construction for APA on a new 350m transmission line on three new transmission poles, linking the existing Braemar to Darling Downs transmission line. The farm, about 45km west of Dalby, will be one of Australia’s largest when it starts operations later this year. It will have approximately 400,000 solar panels installed over 250 hectares, generating enough renewable energy to power up to 32,000 homes. “This important project is part of the renewable energy boom we’re currently seeing across the state, including in south- west Queensland,” Dr Lynham said. “APA’s project is part of our $3.6 billion pipeline of committed renewable energy projects. We are right on track to deliver on our 50 percent renewable energy target by 2030, with the rightmixof coal, gasand renewable generation to maintain reliability and put downward pressure on electricity prices.”

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wire 2018 The Fairgrounds, Düsseldorf, Germany Monday 16 th to Friday 20 th April Opening times: Monday to Thursday: 9.00am to 6.00pm Friday: 9.00am to 4.30pm Organizers: Messe Düsseldorf GmbH Website: www.wire.de

image: Messe Düsseldorf

Exhibitor Hall/Booth Exhibitor Hall/Booth

3View Com Inc A-TECH Co Ltd

15H33 13E43 11G32 13A71 13E87 11A21 11G04 14D17 13C60 15C36 14D15 14E06 12D59 14A06 12C60 12C40 12E43 11A52 11E32 9C02 11D51 14C23 10A38 12A50 13E34 10G56 10C31 10A32 15C39 11A21 11C03 14C42 9F40 9B54 11D14 9B53

Aksh Optifibre Limited

14B10 9A11 11J60 12A24 11E26 11J68 14C45 14B11 12A51 11A42 15H55 14B34 11H31 10H22 11A02 9E14-03

Alecosa

A Appiani Srl

Alfred Wertli AG

A Finkl & Son Inc

All Steels Trading Ltd

ACT Otomotiv MÜH Dan San ve TIC

Alloy Wire International Ltd

AIM

Almetha GmbH

Ampere Deutschland GmbH

Alok Ingots (Mumbai) Pvt Ltd

ATR Srl

ALP Celik San Ve Tic AS

AWM SpA

Alroc SAS Altec Srl

Aachener Maschinenbau GmbH

Aamor Inox Limited

Altman Technologies Inc

Abhar Polymer Compounds Acciai Speciali Zorzetto Srl Acciaierie Bertoli Safau SpA Acciaierie Valbruna SpA

Altrimex Packaging Equipment BV

Ambica Steels Limited

Ambrell BV Amic Sarl

Acciaierie Venete SpA

AMPAC International Inc

Acenta Steel Ltd

Anand Arc Ltd 11D30 Anbao Qinhuangdao International Corp 14E44 Anglia Metal Limited 12B10 Ann-Chain Enterprise Co Ltd 16H54-1 Anordica AB 12E25 Anu Extrusions Pvt Ltd 15D35 API Servizi SRL 13E09 AQP International Enterprise Co Ltd 15D12 Ara Makina Imalat Sanayi ve 11B73 ArcelorMittal Commercial 12D34 Area Sistemi srl 10H08 Arma-Plus SAS 13F73 Artofil BV 11B02 ASA-RT Srl 9C21 Asahi Sunac Corporation Co Ltd 15C53 Asahi-Seiki Manufacturing Co Ltd 13D21 Ascometal GmbH 12E38 Ascotex Limited 11B60 ASEL 13F12 Asil Celik San ve Tic AS 12E56

ACIMAF ACM A/B

Acoteq GmbH

ADC Sarl

Addev Materials Insulation and Films SAS

Advaris

AEI Machines

Aeroel Srl

Aeron Composite Pvt Ltd

AESA SA

AFH-Antriebstechnik GmbH

Agibi Progetti srl

Agir Technologies SAS Agro Steel Wire GmbH

AGST Draht- & Biegetechnik GmbH

Aichelin Holding GmbH

AIM Inc

Ajex & Turner Wire Dies Co Akcelik Demir Celik Sanayi

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Exhibitor Hall/Booth Exhibitor Hall/Booth

Aslani Tel Sanayi

14B24 9C06 14C09 11B17 13E86 11J74 11C77 12E71 10A21 10F67 12C34 13E03 9F56

Beijing Orient PengSheng Tech Co Ltd

16K4

ASMAG

Beijing Tongdaxinming

16K46 10E60 9A77 13F58 12C72 12D13 14A11 14E51 12A12 15D06 12C60 15C26 10H56 14A24 10H67 12E29 12D04 14G23 12A32 11B25 9C34 10D72 14D33 14B23 10C51 11J31 14E18 12A40 12B34 13F86 15H31 9B11 9E02 9E01 9A59

Associated Machinery Corp Ltd

Bekaert NV/SA

Assomac Machines Ltd

Beneke Wire Company

Asteq Srl AstroPlast

Bennett Mahler Ltd

Bergandi Machinery Co Inc

AT Wire GmbH & Co KG

Berkenhoff GmbH

ATE Applicazioni

Besel Basim San Tic ve Tic AS Beta Control Systems Inc Beyazit tel Sanayi Ve Tic Ltd Sti BGH Edelstahlwerke GmbH

August Hildebrandt GmbH

August Strecker GmbH & Co KG

Aumann GmbH

Aurubis AG

Bharat Wire Ropes Ltd BHH Mikrohuta Sp z oo

Auto Link (Shenzhen) Technology Co Ltd

Avar Composite Products INC Aversion Technologies Inc

9B60

Bilwinco A/S

14F09 14B25

Blachford Corporation

Avtar Steel Limited AW Machinery LLC

BLM SpA

9E10-05

BMS Birlesik Metal San ve Tic AS

Aydın Endüstri San ve Tic AS

14D58 11H78

Boffi SpA

Aymak Makine

Bogdany Petrol Kft

Aztech Lubricants LLC

9F06-02 12C04 14B17 14F51 10A12 14C53 11F05 11J09

bogimac nv-sa

B + B Eisen- und Stahlhandel GmbH

BÖHL

B S Shakti Steel Pvt Ltd

Bojin Cable Drum Manufacturer

B2K Wire Co Ltd

Böllinghaus Steel GmbH

Balloffet SAS

Bongard Trading GmbH & Co KG Boockmann Engineering GmbH

Bansal Wire Industries Ltd BAR Products & Services Ltd

Borealis AG

Baremo GmbH

Borkener Kistenfabrik GmbH

Bartell Machinery Systems LLC BASF Polyurethanes GmbH

9B74 9C22 9C22

BorsodChem Zrt

Bottaro Srl Boxy SpA

BASF SE

Bass GmbH & Co KG

15G15 13F57 13E11 12A16 14C54 12A60

Bozalioglu Insaat Taah Muh ve

Baudrand New Tech Europe EURL

Bozdemir Makina Bright Steels Limited British Steel Limited Brouwer Metaal BV

BB Spring Technology Srl

bedea Berkenhoff & Drebes GmbH Bedmutha Industries Limited Begra Granulate GmbH & Co KG

Brüder Neumeister GmbH

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Exhibitor Hall/Booth Exhibitor Hall/Booth

Bruker-Spaleck GmbH

10B68 15C63 14B59 11A22 12E10 11F03 11G26 14A46 14B16 14F10 14E48 11H10 10A22 11C51 14C25 12E47 12C59 13F34 15B52 10B72 15B08 15C44 14G12 11D58 13A66 14C06 14E41 14A36 11B52 10F21 9C50 9E25 9F42

Cerrini srl

10C41 10C36 15B54 15C60

Brune GmbH

Cersa-MCI SAS

BS Stainless Limited Bühler Redex GmbH

Ceviz Pres Dokum Sanayi ve Ticaret AS

Champs Technologies srl

Burk

Chase Neptco Inc

9E41

burster cable measurement GmbH

Chemours International Operations Sarl Cheng I Drawing Machinery Co Ltd Cheng I Wire Machinery Co Ltd Chengdu Centran Industrial Co Ltd Chhaperia International Company

14G16

Buss AG BWE Ltd

11C06-05 11C06-04

Byelorussian Steel Works

9F77

C D Wälzholz KG Cable Tapes UK Ltd

16K74 15A47

Chi Ning Co Ltd

Cable Tubing Solutions GmbH

Chien Tsai Machinery Enterprise Co Ltd 15C61 Ching Chan Optical Technology Co Ltd 15E59 Chuan Yi Machinery Co Ltd 16K53 Chum Yuan Co Ltd 15D05-2 Chun Zu 15E53 Cimteq Ltd 11D15 Cipriani Srl 13E33 Claus Bender 9B78 Clifford 13F60 Clinton Instrument Company 9E40 CM Manzoni SpA 14A17 CMC Poland Sp z oo 13E32 CMEC 16E40\K21 Coemo Ocmea Spa 11D67 Cogebi as 10H38 Cogeim Europe Srl 11D57 Cogne Acciai Speciali SpA 11H22 Cokyasar Halat Makina 14A48 Collari snc 11J64 Colmec SpA 11D16 Colorant Chromatics BV 9B50 Cometo Srl 9C54 Comsuc Technology Development Ltd 16K55 Condat Lubrifiants SAS 15B43 Condat Lubrifiants SAS 10A52

Câbleries Namuroises SA

Cabopol - Polymer Compounds SA

Caccia Engineering Srl Caesa Special Profiles

CAG Celik Endüstri Anonim Sirketi

Caleotto Spa

Calmec Precision Limited

9D06-03

Calvi SpA

Camfart Mole Abrasive Srl

Can-Eng Furnaces International Ltd

Candor Sweden A/B Carl Bechem GmbH Carl Bechem GmbH

Carlo Salvi SpA

Cartiera di Nebbiuno srl CB Trafilati Acciai SpA

CCPIT Machinery Sub-Council

16E22\K33

CEA Costruzioni

CEIA SpA

Cel-Mer Celik Endustrisi AS Celik Halat Ve Tel Sanayii AS Central Wire Industries UK Ltd

CeramTec GmbH

Ceratizit SA

9C53

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