EuroWire January 2007

corporate news

at a glance. . . Blistein GmbH & Co’s four stand tandem mill is to be modernised by Germany's SMS Demag during the winter shutdown in 2008. The facility, at Hagen-Hohenlimburg, is used for the roughing and finish- rolling of hot-rolled structural steels, quenched and tempered steel grades and highly work-hardened special sheets. In order to revamp the mill to a standard which exceeds current state-of-the-art levels, new servo- hydraulic control systems will be provided for roll-gap adjustment and roll bending, as well as roll-gap lubrication dependent on strip width and the DS (Dry Strip) system for strip drying, patented by SMS Demag. u u u Altana Electrical Insulation, a Division of Altana Chemie AG, is announcing price increases for its wire enamel product line in Europe of 7-8% from 1 st February 2007, or as contracts allow. The increase is to offset increases in raw material costs and operational costs such as energy, environmental, legal and regulatory compliance. This price adjustment will allow Altana Electrical Insulation and its affiliates to continue to offer the high performance of products and services that the customers expect. u u u Scott Coope has been promoted to senior product manager, wire and cable systems, at US firm Davis-Standard, LLC. He has held a variety of positions within the company since joining them in 1994.

Joining the fleet . . . The C/S Skagerrak - soon to be renamed the C/S Nexans Skagerrak ▲

As part of its submarine energy cables activities, Nexans has bought the C/S Skagerrak – one of the world’s most advanced cable-laying vessels. Nexans, a global leader in the cable industry, purchased the vessel from Bourbon Cable AS, a Norwegian subsidiary of French company Bourbon, after operating her exclusively for a number of years. The ship is also to be re-named C/S Nexans Skagerrak. Nexans’ commitment to the submarine cable and umbilical markets and underlines our strategy to provide our customers with a comprehensive turnkey service from design, development and manufacture to installation,” said Yvon Raak, Nexans’ Executive Vice President Europe. Nexans has retained operational control of the C/S Skagerrak on a long-term ”This purchase confirms

charter basis for many years, during which time she has been involved in a variety of major submarine cable projects such as: both power links between Spain and Morocco (1997 and 2005); the Gemini project in the Gulf of Mexico (1999); the Abu Safah project in Saudi Arabia (2004). C/S Skagerrak is currently involved in the NorNed link between Norway and the Netherlands which, at 580 km, will be the world’s longest high-voltage submarine power link. The C/S Skagerrak – one of only two vessels of this kind in the world – was the first purpose-built ship to be designed specially for the transport and installation of submarine high-voltage power cables and umbilicals. Nexans Deutchland Industries GmbH & Co KG – Germany Fax : +49 511 676 3777

Email : info@nexans.com Website : www.nexans.de

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EuroWire – January 2007