wiredinusa July 2011

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wiredIn USA WireCo buys Eastern Europe’s largest steel producer Expansion adds 700 to workforce

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Welcome to the first edition of wiredInUSA – the new online news ezine covering the wire and cable industry in America. We are proud to bring you up-to-date news on a monthly basis from the USA, Europe and Asia, company profiles, a show diary and association news. More importantly, you’ll have that news delivered to your inbox during the first week of each month FREE – along with more than 5,000 other readers and industry professionals. Register at www.wiredinusa.com and you’ll be added to our mailing list. Alternatively, simply click on the download button to access the latest version of wiredInUSA. wiredInUSA is brought to you by INTRAS, producers of EuroWire and Wire & Cable ASIA magazines, a well known and respected international publishing company. This is YOUR news fromYOUR industry, delivered digitally to the American wire and cable network on a monthly basis. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support and good luck wishes, and hope you all enjoy the 4th July celebrations. David Bell Editor

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CONTENT CONTENT CONTENT CONTENT

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06 Show Diary From the USA

09 Making the News Industry news from the USA

Euro News The latest news from Europe

News Editor David Bell

Advertisement Coordinator Liz Hughes

USA: Editorial Dorothy Fabian

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wiredIn USA WireCo buys Eastern Europe’s largest steel producer Expansion adds 700 to workforce

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DIARY SHOW EVENTS

SEPTEMBER 19-21 Sept: T he National Wire Electrical 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 11-13 Oct: wire SE Asia Bangkok, Thailand Exhibition www.wire-southeastasia.com

MARCH 20-23 March: Cabex Moscow, Russia Exhibition www.mvk.ru 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

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 Metal and wire exhibition www.expocentralasia.com

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MAKING THENEWS WireCo’s Polish buy-out “substantial”

WireCo’s expansion into Eastern Europe increased after it bought Drumet Liny i Druty Sp zoo (Drumet) – adding 700 staff to its workforce. The group bought the Polish company for an undisclosed sum. Drumet, based in Wloclawek, Poland, is said to be the largest producer of steel wire, steel wire bands and wire ropes in Eastern Europe, while Kansas City-based WireCo is believed to be the world’s largest producer of braided wire cable. “The acquisition of Drumet...substantially expands our global wire production capabilities and provides excellent synergies in operations and in the international marketplace,” advised WireCo CEO Ira Glazer. “Drumet has over 120,000 tons of steel wire capacity... We plan to maintain Drumet’s manufacturing operations and anticipate the utilization rates of the facility will expand quickly.”

Overall, WireCo now has around 3,300 employees globally. It recorded $447.7 million in revenue in 2010. The facility in Poland adds to a global production network that includes facilities in the United States, Germany, China, Mexico and Portugal.

Drumet today

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Trimble acquires Yamei Electronics

On 14th June, Trimble acquired Yamei Electronics Technology Co Ltd, a Chinese wholly foreign owned entity (WFOE) of Digisec Group of the Caymans. Yamei manufactures automotive electronics products used for anti- theft GPS monitoring and tracking, RFID-based smart key and start and on-board diagnostics systems. Yamei serves large customers such

as SGM China, Geely, KYB (Japan), Shanghai 1Hai Car Rental Company, Toyota Logistics, and Gaungzhou Hino Motors, among others. The acquisition is anticipated to expand Trimble’s solutions for automotive and other markets, and allow the company to better address markets in China, Asia Pacific and India.

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Germany’s decision to shut down its nuclear power plants could be a real boon for many American companies.

Such has been the knock-on effect that, in order to meet demand, the country has to double the amount of generation from fossil fuels. The Wall Street Journal noted Chancellor Angela Merkel’s need of 10 to 20GW of fossil capacity to be built over the next decade. 20GW are roughly equal to the amount of electricity Germany currently generates from its 17 nuclear plants, and these 20GW will be built in addition to 10GW already under development for completion by 2013. Whether Germany builds new fossil fuel plants or new solar or wind plants, the country’s electricity grid will need to be upgraded. Germany is expected to spend at least 9.7 billion euros to build over 2,200 miles of cables to connect new generation capacity with consumers. This project could prove a real boon to US cable providers such as General Cable Corp and American Superconductor Corp, as well as infrastructure providers elsewhere such as ABB, Siemens AG, Schneider Electric SA, Alstom SA and General Electric. German decision could boost US manufacturers

Picture : Mick Munchel

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Argentina aims for further 12,500km of cable in 2012

Copper theft leaves hundreds powerless On 13th June a theft of copper wire left approximately 2,600 homes in Jefferson County without power. According to a representative for American Electric Power, the neutral ground wire was stolen from the Two Ridge Substation just after 6.30pm that evening and the station had to be taken off-line for repairs to be made safely. Power was restored to residents around midnight.

Picture : marijn van Braak

Argentina’s government expects to call public tenders to lay 12,500km of cable next year as part of the country’s federal fiber optic network project, telecoms regulator CNC head Ceferino Namuncurá told reporters. This deployment adds to the recently announced deployment of 12,500km of fiber this year, the official said. “During 2011, the government will call for bids for nine fiber optic deployments, totaling 12,500km across the country,” the official said. Once the national fiber optic platform is fully deployed, more than 1,400 cities and localities across Argentina will have connectivity services. “The initiative aims to improve telecoms access in the next five years for services such as broadband, telephony and television. Namuncurá also called on private telecoms operators to work toward expanding connectivity services in certain unattended areas. “In April, local satellite firm ArSat published specifications for two public tenders to lay more than 4,000km of cable from Bariloche to Río Gallegos as part of the country’s federal fiber optic network project. “The official also highlighted the relevance of national connectivity plan Conectar Igualdad. “When the president [Cristina Fernández] talks about three million laptops for students in the country, she is also talking about the necessary connectivity for this project,” he added.

Picture : Alessandro Paiva

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

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Utility-scale grid stabilization trial

Qualcomm Inc has agreed to acquire the assets of Rapid Bridge LLC, a San Diego-based inventor of advanced techniques for the design and development of semiconductor products. The company’s technology reduces complexity in integrated circuit (IC) development at advanced technology nodes to enable greater design flexibility and optimized die size and power consumption. Rapid Bridge’s San Diego design team and San Diego/Bangalore engineering services operations will be integrated into Qualcomm CDMA Technologies. Qualcomm Inc acquires Rapid Bridge LLC

1.8MW solar power system for Bloomberg

Picture : Patrick Moore

Picture : Miguel Saavedra

Canadian hydrogen generation and fuel cell manufacturer Hydrogenics has successfully completed a trial with Ontario’s Independent Electricity System Operator (IESO), to demonstrate the viability of its electrolyzer technology for utility-scale grid stabilization. During the trial period, the load from a Hydrogenics HySTAT™ electrolyzer, installed at the Hydrogenics facility in Mississauga, provided frequency regulation in Ontario by responding to power regulation signals from the IESO on a second-by-second basis. Hydrogenics will now apply this knowledge in the development of MW-scale energy storage applications using hydrogen technology.

Integrys Energy Services subsidiary, Solar Star, will build and own a 1.8MW solar system, to be located at financial information service Bloomberg’s facility in New Jersey. The eight-acre, ground-mounted solar tracking system will be completed by the end of the year. The facility is expected to meet 58% of the facility’s electricity demand, and Bloomberg will buy the power from Solar Star at prices below retail rates. The project is the first renewable energy project undertaken by Bloomberg: the company plans to develop nearly 6MW of solar power in New Jersey within the next three years.

P erseus High-speed to the Amazon telecom

Palladium Energy was looking for an improved connection to increase productivity at its Manaus, Brazil manufacturing site. Manaus is in Amazonia, the largest tropical rainforest on earth, but Perseus Telecom accepted the challenge to deliver high-speed at top speed. Palladium Energy had originally bought an MPLS network from a top-tier carrier but endured poor performance, causing slow access and lost productivity, so contacted BlackWire Consulting Group (BCG) to find a solution to their network troubles. “We thought the only viable solution was satellite, then BCG recommended Perseus Telecom. They have solved our problem and we now have a fast, stable and cost-efficient solution,” says Todd Hawes, IT Director at Palladium Energy.

BCG contacted Perseus Telecom because of its ability to provide global network solutions across multiple fiber asset providers. Perseus Telecomwas able to offer Palladium four times the amount of bandwidth than they originally requested - and at a lower cost. Perseus and BCG managed the provisioning of the circuit and it was installed, tested and in use within 90 days. Palladium Energy’s new network now has dedicated bandwidth enabling them to run Citrix and Lifesize Video Conferencing and manage bandwidth-intensive CAD drawings. “Due to Perseus Telecom’s improved network solution, Palladium Energy is now able to take advantage of new applications and productivity,” says Salvatore Orefiche, CEO of BCG.

Picture : Abdulhamid Al Fadhly

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Thin-film battery revenues set to climb

Industry analyst firm NanoMarkets has issued its latest report on the thin-film battery market, predicting that the business will create almost $900 million in

The report, “Thin-film batteries: a new market opportunity assessment - 2011,” also projects that the value of products containing thin-film batteries will reach approximately $14 billion by 2016. This report is part of NanoMarkets’ ongoing coverage of novel energy storage solutions. In August the company will publish an analysis of the printed battery market and an assessment of new materials developments for Li-ion batteries will follow in September 2011.

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Registration opens for FTTH 2011 The FTTH Council Europe has opened registration for the 9th edition of the FTTH Conference, to be held at the ICM in Munich from 15th–16th February 2012, with pre-conference workshops on 14th February 2012. The FTTH Conference is believed the largest Fiber to the Home event in the world. The 2011 edition, held in Milan, attracted over 3,000 visitors from 85 countries. The Munich event will specifically focus on services and applications enabled by Fibre to the Home and financing fiber networks, with several conference sessions dedicated to those topics.

EUROPE NEWS

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Spain-based Isolux Corsan has secured an engineering, procurement and construction contract worth $205.52m for the construction of a 428km long 400kV electricity transmission line for the Kenya Electricity Transmission Co. The power line will connect to the national grid, transporting the power generated from a 310MW power plant under development by Lake Turkana Wind Power. Various financial institutions will support the construction of the wind power plant estimated to cost about 617 € m ($893m). Construction of the power line, which is supported by various financial institutions led by the African Development Bank, is scheduled to begin later this year and to be operational before the end of 2013. 400kV electricity transmission line in Kenya Picture : Graham Briggs

Carl Modigh has been appointed the new President of Habia Cable AB, one of Europe’s largest manufacturers of custom-designed cables, and a subsidiary of the Beijer Alma Group. During the spring, Carl Modigh has been acting president of Habia Cable, prior to which he was CFO of the company for four years. Earlier, he also worked for Beijer Alma AB as head of business development. New president for Habia Cable

French cablemaker Nexans has revealed it will form a power cable joint venture with Shandong Yanggu. Nexans will hold 75%, with 25% held by Shandong Yanggu. Shandong Yanggu has threemanufacturing facilities producing extra and high voltage, medium voltage, and low voltage power cables and recently completed a major investment program to enhance its industrial capability. Created in 1985, it is one of the largest power cable manufacturers in China. The Chinese firm generated revenue of CNY1.3 billion, or €150 million, in 2010. The goal is to boost revenue to about €200 million within three to five years, Nexans chief executive Frederic Vincent said. “In particular, Nexans expects to double income from high-voltage and ultra-high voltage cables.” The transaction is expected to take six to eight months to complete. The CEO also commented that Nexans, which dropped plans to buy Dutch cable maker Draka in November, remains open to further acquisitions. Nexans forms venture with Shandong Yanggu

Copper theft is nothing new

Copper theft has always been a problem. Perfect for conducting electricity, it was ideally suited to support the telegraph boom of the mid-19th century, but stringing mile after mile of copper wire across open space brought the now inevitable security headaches. Records at the University of Glamorgan, Wales reveal that a report from the British government in the 1860s complained that copper’s “value to marauders renders it inapplicable for open air lines”, so iron wire had to be used instead. It had only one-tenth the conductivity of copper, but its scrap value was far lower. Copper wire was restricted to environments that were especially testing and in which only copper would do. Submarine cables, which had to carry signals across extreme distances under very testing conditions, were of the finest copper. They could be - the ocean depths offered protection against theft.

EUROPE NEWS

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Elster at Grid Modernization Event, by invitation

Allied Wire & Cable welcomes new reps across the US

emerging business models and long-term planning strategies. “Elster was honored to participate in [the] grid modernization event and we are excited about what this next wave of Smart Grid initiatives means for the industry,” Gray said. “We look forward to sharing our unique insights and experiences with the Obama Administration to help continue the successful development of our nation’s electric infrastructure.” The event featured a number of key industry speakers and electric grid stakeholders, including Steven Chu, secretary, Department of Energy; Tom Vilsack, secretary, Department of Agriculture; and Aneesh Chopra, White House chief technology officer. The goals of the session included the fostering of a clean energy economy that integrates renewables, distributed energy, electric vehicles and energy storage into the electric grid, and design and implementation of an electricity infrastructure that provides cost savings and reliable delivery.

Allied Wire and Cable has announced the addition of seven new sales representatives to its locations in New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Nevada. Jessica D’Andreamatteo, a recent graduate of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and Blair Dameron, previously employed by Fastenal, will be based at Allied’s headquarters in Pennsylvania. Wisconsin welcomes Cory Kleeba and James Toshner, both alumni of the University

Allied’s New England branch adds Palm Beach Atlantic University graduate Stephanie Whitney, previously a trainee sales manager at Bisco Industries. Completing the intake, Chantay Williams and Michael Galena are set to join Allied’s newest location in Las Vegas, Nevada. Williams has a history with the wire and cable industry, recently employed at Indium Corporation as a worldwide customer support specialist. Galena has over 30 years’ experience in electrical wholesaling, including ten in the wire and cable industry. He comes to Allied from JCH Wire & Cable in Las Vegas.

At the invitation of the White House, Elster Solutions participated in the Obama administration’s Grid Modernization Event, held 13th June in Washington, DC. Ed Gray, vice president, legislative & regulatory affairs at Elster Solutions, contributed to a session that included representatives from technology and meter vendors, leading utilities and others active in the North America Smart Grid market. The event featured three breakout sessions, all designed to advance the current state of the US electric grid, including regulatory reform efforts and

of Wisconsin – Milwaukee with experience in sales and marketing.

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New York Yankees solar powered

The New York Yankees may be known for 27 World Series championships and 40 American League pennants, but a strong commitment to raising environmental awareness may be less familiar. However, this commitment has encouraged Canadian Solar Inc, one of the world’s largest solar companies, to become an official sponsor of Major League Baseball’s possibly most successful franchise. Since its opening in 2009, Yankee Stadium has instituted various waste-reducing activities, including the establishment of the Yankees Sustainability Facility Program, to help promote responsible energy consumption and community improvement. The program ensures the efficiency of all equipment, focusing on reduced energy consumption. During the 2010 season, waste management, composting and recycling helped divert more than 35% of Yankee Stadium’s litter away from landfills, and almost 9,000 gallons of cooking oil, used in the stadium last year, was converted into roughly 7,000 gallons of biodiesel fuel.

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Biomass fuel plant adding solar power Atlantic Wind & Solar

is intended to produce 252,000 tons of European- standard, power-plant grade, wood pellet fuel. The company will also install a 10MW co-generation facility on the site, in line with the province’s green energy initiative program. The energy produced from the solar plant will be sold to the Ontario Power Authority.

is to install a 500kW solar energy system on the rooftop of BioSila Canada Corp’s biomass fuel manufacturing plant in Mattawa, Ontario. The system is expected to generate sufficient solar electricity to power a hundred local homes over the next 20 years, and will offset plant emissions of over 10,350 tons of CO 2 . The BioSila Complex, which will open in 2012,

Dow Wire signs Russian license deal Dow Wire & Cable, a subsidiary of Dow Chemical

Russian Federation. “The Russian Federation is a very important region for growth and innovation in the power industry,” said Filip Tauson, commercial director Europe/Middle East/ Africa, Dow Wire & Cable. “This next stepwith [Sevkabel] will certainly benefit both organizations as well as utilities and consumers that will realizemore reliable power supply from the manufacture of long-life cables that meet strict international quality standards.”

Co., has signed a license agreement with Russian company Sevkabel Holding that will allow Sevkabel to use Dow’s Endurance range insulation, semi-conductive and jacketing materials to manufacture medium and high voltage power cables. In a press release, Midland, Michigan-based Dow described Sevkabel Holding, which is headquartered in St. Petersburg, as a leading cable manufacturer in the

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SEPA

Report shows 100% growth in 2010

Solar Electric Power Association (SEPA), consisting of America’s electric utilities and solar companies, has released a report revealing that utilities are increasingly expanding solar power generation portfolios, and that most of these solar installments are outside of California. SEPA’s fourth annual Top 10 Utility Solar Rankings, that analyzes utility solar electricity markets in the United States, found that utility integrated solar grew 100% in 2010 from 2009 figures. Of the Top 10 ranked utilities, seven are from outside of California and contributing 561MW of solar electric capacity. SEPA’s annual rankings measure a utility’s recently installed solar power and include photovoltaic and concentrating solar power technologies that were incorporated between 1st January and 31st December 2010. The rankings are categorized

into ‘Solar Megawatts’ which measures a utility’s total solar capacities and ‘Solar Watts-per-Customer (w/c)’ which regulates solar capacity by the size of the utility. Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), which installed a further 157MW of solar power capacity in 2010, topped the Solar Megawatt ranking whilst its competitor, Florida Power & Light Company, secured second place with 82MW of added solar capacity. The third spot was held by New Jersey’s Public Service Electric & Gas Co (PSEG), which added 75MW of solar capacity in 2010. The Solar Watts-per-Customer (w/c) was topped by California’s Silicon Valley Power, adding 40-watts per customer.

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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IWMA SPOTLIGHT ON AWARDS

“Travel Award Scheme to the world’s largest and most prestigious wire exhibition”

Free Places for Students/ Researchers at CabWire

IWMA Educational Trust Fund supports research in USA Following an application by Research Assistant Professor Emmanuel De Moor at the ASPPRC (Advanced Steel Processing and Products Research Center) at the George S Ansell Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines, the trustees of the IWMA Educational Trust Fund have agreed to provide two years of funding for research projects at the establishment. The funding award is also supported by IWMA member company Bekaert. The two research

projects are “Study of boron and vanadium alloying of high carbon steel wire to improve properties” and “Determination of free nitrogen in wire steels”. Professor De Moor has accepted an invitation from the organizers of the CabWire World Conference 2011 to present a technical paper based on the research: “Effect of boron alloying on microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of high carbon wire”. For more details visit www.iwma.org

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

Applications invited for the John C Hogg Travel Award for wire Düsseldorf 2012 T he IWMA is again able to announce a Travel Award Scheme to the world’s largest and most prestigious wire exhibition. he scheme is available to students, apprentices or trainees recommended or sponsored by a member of the IWMA. The aim is to help individuals who would not normally have the opportunity to visit wire Düsseldorf. The Award provides: 1 . Return economy air travel from country of domicile to Düsseldorf, Germany during the period of the trade fair. excluding meals and local travel expenses. 3 . Free entry and catalogue to wire/Tube Düsseldorf 2012 4 . VIP guest ticket for the IWMA Industry Dinner on 27th March 2012 during wire. All members of the IWMA are invited to in- troduce this scheme to a suitable applicant whom they consider worthy and applicable according to the terms and conditions of the scheme. Full details can be found on the IWMA website, or from the secretary’s office. 2 . A minimum of two nights hotel accommodation in Düsseldorf,

The trustees of the Educational Trust Fund have agreed that the Fund will support the IWMA’s CabWire technical conference as the main 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 wire and cable sectors. These free registrations will be made available on a first come first served basis and the Trust will be contacting universities and institutions with students and research students interested in the wire and cable sector.

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Pioneer Transmission to develop new power line project P ioneer Transmission, a joint venture (JV) between American Electric Power (AEP) and Duke Energy, will develop a 55-mile power transmission project with Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in Indiana and Kentucky. The parties plan to construct a 765kV power line connecting AEP’s Rockport Station, east of Evansville, Indiana, with TVA’s Paradise Station in Drakesboro, Kentucky. The project, which will also include construction of a new 765kV substation at Paradise, is expected to cost about $275m. The Rockport-Paradise proposal, which requires siting approval from the Kentucky Public Service Commission, will be submitted to PJM Interconnection, a US-based power marketer, for consideration in its regional planning process.

Recent additions to CCCA ranks

The Communications Cable and Connectivity Association (CCCA) board of directors installed and welcomed comCables, a structured cabling manufacturer and low-voltage systems distributor, and Panduit as new members during its spring 2011 meeting. Kevin Ressler, CCCA chairman, said: “CCCA’s continued growth and diversity in membership across industry segments is a very gratifying indicator of the broad appeal and value of our association’s initiatives and programs.” Greg Greenwood, CEO of comCables added: “comCables is excited about joining the CCCA because it’s a strong association that represents comCables’ commitment

to quality products and doing business with integrity. We believe that CCCA’s work to preserve the codes and standards of the structured cabling industry is vital to our industry’s future growth and success.” Panduit’s Tom Kelly said: “Panduit has been impressed with CCCA’s initiatives and activity to stem the importation of potentially hazardous, non-compliant cables into North America. We view CCCA as a strong industry association and excellent platform for Panduit, and other members, to address the proliferation of counterfeit products plaguing all levels of the structured cabling industry.”

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Carbon capture technology deployed at power plant

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Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd has announced the successful start of operations of a 25 Megawatt carbon capture facility at Southern Company’s Plant Barry, owned and operated by Alabama Power. This facility utilizes the KM CDR Process ® capture technology jointly developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd and the Kansai Electric Power Co Inc. Built in collaboration with Southern Company it is believed to be the world’s largest carbon capture and sequestration facility attached to a coal-fired

power plant using a proven capture technology. It will capture approximately 150,000 tons of CO2 annually (500 tons/day) for permanent underground storage in a deep saline geologic formation. MHIA president & CEO Mitch Morimoto said: “This is a significant milestone and is part of our strategic effort to commercialize our KM CDR Process ® CO 2 technology. Coal is abundant and relatively cheap, so it is important for world energy security and environmental protection to develop technologies and to find

ways to preserve coal as a fuel source.” Captured CO 2 will be supplied to the Southeast Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership and transported roughly 11 miles by pipeline before injection 9,500 feet below the Citronelle oilfield where it will remain, permanently trapped in the geologic formation.

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BEFUT International Co Ltd, a developer, manufacturer and distributor of wire and cable products in China, has been selected as an anchor client in the Puwan New Area development zone, where it will build a new facility to develop carbon fiber composite materials. Puwan New Area, a 1045.6-kilometer economic zone, was created for the purpose of fostering research and development projects and to serve as a headquarters for technology innovation within China. The economic zone is located near the major port of Dalian. Mr Hongbao Cao, chairman and CEO, said: “We are pleased to enter this agreement with the Puwan New Area government and to situate development of our carbon fiber composite material project within this economic zone. The carbon fiber project will occupy a 300,000 square meter facility and ultimately we believe this facility will be able to produce 100,000 kilometers per year of high-pressure carbon fiber composite wire. This would equate to over $1.5 billion US (10.3 billion RMB) per year, once this facility is operating at full capacity.” Mr Hongbao Cao continued: “We have a very strong research and development team in place to support our new project. With increased demand in China for carbon fiber, and with its inherent benefits as a lighter material that offers better electrical conductivity, we believe this project will significantly expand our operations.” Plant to produce carbon fiber composite wire

Picture : Alessandro Paiva

Japanese copper wire and cable shipments inched up for the first time in three months in May, but the level stayed at the third-lowest for the month in 35 years as exports declined. Data from the Japanese Electric Wire and Cable Makers’ Association showed May shipments totaled an estimated 51,200 tonnes, down from revised April shipments of 56,172 tonnes. It was the first year-on-year gain since the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami and ensuing nuclear crisis stalled manufacturing output. Demand for copper, used in a wide range of products from utensils and construction materials to computer chips, is often seen as a gauge of economic activity. Exports of copper wire and cables fell 2% in May from a year earlier to 1,700 tonnes, reflecting a slowdown in demand in emerging markets, notably China. In the domestic market, demand from the telecoms sector jumped 48.3% to 1,000 tonnes, while demand from the construction sector rose 17.5% to 21,500 tonnes as the Japanese government actioned plans to build over 30,000 temporary houses for those made homeless by the March disaster. Japan copper cable shipments up 3% in May

ASIA NEWS

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The first-quarter report shows continued growth in Asia Pacific Wire & Cable Corporation’s revenue and gross profit. The company’s solid results are said to reflect a sustained customer demand for its principal manufactured products, particularly for power cable, enameled wire, and telecommunications cable, across the company’s major geographic markets. Revenues were $121.8 million, an increase of 16.1% from $104.8 million in the same period in 2010. Gross profit increased to $13.0 million, an increase of 13.5% from $11.4 million from the first quarter of 2010, though gross profit margin was 10.6%, compared with 10.9% a year ago. Net income attributable to APWC shareholders was $2.7 million, compared with $3.7 million in the same period in 2010, with basic and diluted earnings per share of $0.20, compared with $0.27 in the first quarter of 2010. www.apwcc.com Q1 2011 results from Asia Pacific Wire & Cable Picture : Pascal Thauvin

PolyOne moves into Asia

Beijing may need to cut power load to parts of the city by up to 1.02 gigawatts (GW) at some point in the summer months due to fast rising demand and limited supply capacity, the State Grid Corp of China (SGCC) has revealed. However, the latest forecast was smaller than earlier estimates of a maximum deficit of 3GW in the Chinese capital reported by local media in late April. Maximum power load in Beijing is expected to reach 19.1GW in summer, up 14.65% from last year’s peak of 16.66GW, SGCC said in a report on its website. Electricity consumed by air conditioners alone could top 8GW at some point in summer, or more than 40% of power load in the city. Improved outlook for Beijing power shortfalls

Kazakhmys the world’s tenth-largest copper miner, has secured a $1.5 billion loan from China to develop one of its most promising copper fields and to increase supplies of the metal to its largest market. Kazakhmys expects to conclude the full loan agreement with state-run China Development Bank this year, allowing it to develop its Aktogay field in Kazakhstan without selling a stake in the deposit to China’s Jinchuan Group Ltd. The Aktogay deposit contains an estimated 5 million tonnes of copper. Kazakhmys has said investment of around $2 billion will be required to bring the field into operation at an annual rate of 100,000 tonnes of copper-in-concentrate from 2015. The loan would be disbursed at close to market rates, chief executive Oleg Novachuk said, after signing amemorandum of understanding with China Development Bank vice-president Gao Jian. “Today, Kazakhmys supplies around 60 percent of its entire production to China,” Novachuk told reporters. “We are working on increasing our supplies to China.” Kazakhmys secures $1.5 bn China copper loan

PolyOne Corporation will open a new polymer distribution warehouse and sales facility in Shanghai, China on 1st July; the first entry point for PolyOne Distribution into Asia. “PolyOne Distribution [has] a backlog of customer requests to expand our distribution services globally,” said Stephen D Newlin, chairman, president and chief executive officer. “With our most recent investment in Asia, PolyOne Distribution is accelerating the globalization PolyOne has emerged as an important supplier of polymer materials, services and solutions in the healthcare industry and the initial focus of PolyOne’s investment in Asia will be servicing healthcare customers. However, the company plans to broaden its Asia distribution service to customers in other industries over the next year. and customer service offerings of this very important platform.”

ASIA NEWS

wiredInUSA July

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Everyday, there are many reasons to be proud of the firm” Battista Faraotti

If you weren’t involved in the wire industry what career would you have chosen? I always wanted to work in this field, so I wouldn’t have chosen anything different. COMPAN PROFIL

Battista Faraotti Function: Founder and president of Fainplast S.r.l.

Current projects of note (large contracts etc): Certainly the development of the last products that we launched on the market, in particular halogen-free compounds (XLPO – HFFR), which are designed for the production of cables for solar panels.

What’s the best thing about your job? The best thing about my job is that every day you can see the development of new projects, the satisfaction of our customers, their constant loyalty and, last but not least, the satisfaction and well-being of the entire team and all our employees. And the worst? I can’t really think of a “worst” thing in my job. Negative elements are always considered as starting points for new challenges and opportunities. The toughest thing about your job? In the very rare cases when it happened, it was tough to decide not to avail myself of the collaboration of some employees. What’s the most exciting project you’ve worked on and why? Development of new products is always very exciting for us. What’s the longest you’ve worked without sleep? Especially at the beginning, when I was doing the whole work myself, my working days were never-ending. In this respect, another tough moment was when the company was relocated from Assisi to Ascoli Piceno.

Company: Fainplast S.r.l.

Main activity of company: Production of plastic compounds

When was company established? Fainplast S.r.l was founded in 1993 by Battista Faraotti.

Number of employees: 85

Address: Zona Industriale Campolungo, II Fase, 63100 Ascoli Piceno (Italy)

Proudest moment for the firm? Everyday there are many reasons

Any other information you would like to submit? This year we have developed the new XLPO - HFFR products, intended for the production of cables for solar panels. These are halogen-free compounds characterized by excellent flame and weathering resistance and thermosetting according to the “Sioplas” process.

to be proud of the firm: the results obtained so far, the growth trend, the satisfaction of all our team and employees.

Other sites: none

Tel: + 39 0736-403605

Largest contract in the company’s history? Fainplast bases its activity on a great number of contracts. Some of them are made with large companies of the sector, others with small and medium-sized companies. All of them are equally important for our growth. Tell us about your role at the company and what you specialize in: I am the founder and president of the company. I have a chemical background but for my company I have followed several areas, from purchases to sales.

Fax: + 39 0736-403807

Email: info@fainplast.com www.fainplast.com

If you would like to be interviewed a nd tell our readers your story about you and your company, please email Jason at Jason@intras.co.uk

wiredInUSA July

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Beta LaserMike receives Silver Certificate

Ethem Erdas, product manager for wire and cable applications at Beta LaserMike, has received the Silver Certificate award from the Wire Association International (WAI). The prestigious award was given for Erdas’ technical paper entitled “An in-process SRL predictor system for data cable manufacturing.” The award was presented during the Interwire 2011 Trade Exposition and WAI’s 81st Annual Convention in Atlanta in May. The paper illustrates the important role an in-process structural return loss (SRL) predictor system plays in data communication and the coaxial cable manufacturing process. It covers various prediction and analysis methods currently in use in the industry and, using actual field data recorded by SRL Pro predictor, the paper illustrates the time and cost savings realized by various manufacturers.

wiredInUSA July

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Strength of Steel Challenge Nucor Corporation, the largest producer of steel and steel products in the US and North America’s largest recycler, recently concluded its Strength of Steel Challenge with an awards ceremony at Nucor’s headquarters in Charlotte, NC.

The Nucor Strength of Steel Challenge was launched on 22nd February 2011, during National Engineers Week. The Challenge is an effort to encourage middle and high school students to consider STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) disciplines as a course of study and career choice. Currently, students in the United States perform below students from other international tests of math and science. This presents serious challenges to future economic growth and employment since jobs requiring STEM degrees are projected to increase four times as fast as industrialized countries on

overall job growth. Nucor recognizes the need for STEM curriculum and associated skills in order to build the talent required to rebuild America’s manufacturing base. “Nucor has long tradition of supporting educational initiatives. We firmly believe that having a strong educational system around science and engineering is good for the future of our country, our economy and our company,” said Dan DiMicco, Nucor Corporation chairman and CEO.

wiredInUSA July

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“Cables Unlimited’s product line adds high value fiber-optic cabling and connector products to our own interconnect and wiring products. As a Corning Connections ‘Gold’ supplier, CUI’s warranted fiber-optic products will be in high demand from our distributors and customers who are very interested in adding fiber-optic products to their said Howard Hill, president and CEO of RF Industries. “Cables Unlimited’s connector, cable, and wire harness product lines complements, adds geographic diversity and custom OEM accounts to RFI’s customer base. Their modern facilities will provide RFI with an East Coast presence, enabling improved services to our largest customers.” RF Industries to acquire Cables Unlimited MILLION Picture : Sarah Dawn Nichols wiredInUSA July Picture : Sufi Nawaz 48 enterprise and carrier network customers,” RF Industries Ltd has reached a definitive agreement to acquire the privately owned Cables Unlimited Inc (CUI) for cash and equity worth approximately $5.6 million. Founded in 1992, CUI manufacturers interconnect cable and wire harnesses for OEM customers in the United States and Canada. Cable products include computer, networking, audio, coaxial, fiber-optic, and specialty application. The company is a Corning Connections “Gold” supplier of fiber-optic cabling products to carriers and enterprises.

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Our firm’s proudest moment was winning a multi-million dollar contract”

Main activity of company: Dealer of second-hand wire, cable, and optical fiber manufacturing equipment Wire & Plastic Machinery Corp. is a global equipment supplier offering high quality solutions for wire, cable, and optical fiber manufacturing. We have a comprehensive selection of second-hand and reconditioned machines from the industry’s most respected manufacturers. COMPAN PROFIL

Rahul Sachdev

Rahul Sachdev Function: Executive Vice President Company: Wire & Plastic Machinery Corp.

Current projects of note (large contracts etc): 1. Installing a complete sheathing line for optical fiber cable in the US. This line features Davis–Standard 115mm 24D extruder, 1.2m MGS-Hall caterpullers, 2.2m Skaltek Portal traversing pay-off and Take-up with the latest technology in extrusion line controls. 2. Rebuilding a Vaughn Rod Breakdown machine for aluminum and aluminum alloys 3. Rebuilding a Watson planetary strander for cabling superconducting wires. Proudest moment for the firm? Our firm’s proudest moment was winning a multi-million dollar contract to supply several OPGW (optical ground wire) lines to a company in Southeast United States in the 1990s. We partnered with the clients engineering teams to develop a technological process that provided the highest efficiency for mass production of their product. Largest contract in the company’s history? Winning a 1.6 Million USD contract to supply a complete optical fiber plant to a division of SACOM Vietnam. The deal was signed in When was company established? It was founded in 1981.

New York City in the presence of Mr Nguyên Tân Dũng, Prime Minister of Vietnam, during a historic first visit to the United States.

What’s the best thing about your job? The best thing about my job is that I don’t do the same thing everyday. We are always working on new and different projects which present a great opportunity to interact and get to know people from all over the world.

Number of employees: 50

Address: 100 Franklin Street Bristol, CT 06010 USA

And the worst? Telling customers when their order will be late.

Other sites: New Haven, CT Wadesboro, NC Monroe, NC Bonham, TX Pawtucket, RI Attleboro, MA

What’s the most exciting project you’ve worked on and why? OPGW related equipment since it involved using emerging and new technologies for that time What’s the longest you’ve worked without sleep? Two days If you weren’t involved in the wire industry what career would you have chosen? B-to-B Advertising and Management Consulting

With our extensive industry knowledge and vast inventory, we are able to satisfy wire and cable equipment needs, affordably and efficiently. Our equipment selection is wide and varied with over 20,000 machines available from eight North American loca- tions. We are a one-stop destination to sell your idle wire and cable equipment and are always looking to expand our inventory. We offer a complete array of buying options for single machines, complete lines, and entire manufacturing facilities.

Tel: + 1 860.583.4646

Fax: +1 860.589.5707

Email address: info@wireandplastic.com www.wireandplastic.com

If you would like to be interviewed a nd tell our readers your story about you and your company, please email Jason at Jason@intras.co.uk

wiredInUSA July

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