EoW July 2011

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EuroWire – July 2011 10
corporate news
▲ ▲ Interwire 2011 – roaring success
OVER 4,000 attendees – a rise of 19 per
cent – gave the industry the shot in the
arm it needed at the 81 st Interwire in
Atlanta in May.
The increase from the last Interwire in
Cleveland in 2009 rightly gave the Wire
Association International something to be
proud of with its flagship event.
The four-day conference at the Georgia
World Congress Center, Atlanta, saw
attendees from 53 different countries
converge to witness three new theme
days and more than 400 companies
exhibiting.
“Interwire had tremendous support
from the wire and cable manufacturing
community. More than 750 wire and cable
facilities sent representatives – many
sent multiple attendees – all with action
items to accomplish at Interwire,” said WAI
president Dominique Perroud.
Three new theme days set the tone for
the week with an organisational format
into which a robust offering of nearly 100
technical and operational presentations
were assembled. Themes were metals and
materials; manufacturing best practices;
and green initiatives.
The WAI bestowed its highest honours on
Dr Kazunari Yoshida, Tokai University, Japan,
and Thomas E Moran, National Standard
Co, winners of WAI’s Mordica Memorial
Award and Donnellan Memorial Award,
respectively.
Southwire hosted a tour of two of its
Carrollton facilities, and on the Tuesday
evening more than 1,100 participants
networked at WAI’s annual opening
reception.
The first-time Global Continuous Casting
Forum for copper practitioners, which ran
concurrently with Interwire, exceeded
planning estimates and reached full
capacity at 205 participants from 25
countries. The programme featured 34
industry-leading presenters.
Keynote speaker and astronaut Mike
Mullane encouraged listeners to “Dream
Big” at his presentation on the Wednesday,
when he also shared experiences from
living and working in space.
More than 400 companies were
represented at the three-day exhibition.
Production solution demonstrations, held
through the hall, covered topics ranging
from surface treatment technology and roll
straightening to FEP foaming technology,
wiredrawing lubricants, and wire breaks.
Interwire had the support of exclusive
sponsors: Southwire and ExxonMobil
Chemical; educational sponsors: Sonoco
Products; Gem Gravure Co Inc; and Dow
Wire & Cable Co; Cyber café sponsors:
Chemson Inc and Sonoco Products;
5K sponsor: Leoni Wire Inc; directional
sign sponsors: Sikora International Corp
and Skaltek Inc; lanyard sponsor: Carris
Reels Inc; hospitality suite sponsors: C
H Robinson Worldwide Inc, J B Hunt,
Southeastern Freight Lines, and Tenold
Transportation LP.
The American Wire Producers Association
(AWPA) reported more than 160
attendees at its 2011 Wire Rod Supply
Chain Conference. The 33 sponsoring
organisations included AWPA member
companies, affiliated associations, and
industry press.
Interwire will return to Atlanta, Georgia,
USA, 23rd-25th April 2013.
Wire Association International – USA
Fax: +1 203 453 8384
Email:
Website:
Interwire – a shot in the
arm for the industry