wiredInUSA October 2018

Americaˊs online magazine for wire and cable

Issue No. 88 - October 2018

www.wiredInUSA.com

America’s online magazine for wire and cable

wiredIn USA

Big win for wind supporters Page 9

Recognizing high standards. Page 10

Cable sets SAIL. Page 29

Steel wire results. Page 35

EDITOR

As well as building new headquarters for its cable business in Charlotte, North Carolina, Corning Inc is pressing ahead with construction of a $60 million plant in southeast Hickory to make cable for its optical communications division. The company, which employs over 4,000 employees in the state, has committed to creating 75 new jobs by the end of 2020, increasing that number to 110 by the end of 2023. Citing growing demand for optical fiber and cable, Corning was given the land and tax incentives as part of the build, with an option to acquire a further 4.4 acres. Full story on page 14. Heading a little further south, the Chilean telecommunications firm GTD is to install an undersea cable along 3,500km of Pacific coastline to improve connectivity with its operations in Colombia and Peru. The cable will be submerged 2,000m belowsea level.Chile is encouragingmajor techcompanies, such as Amazon and Google, to expand operations in the country. This includes a $140 million expansion of the latter’s data center in Chile. Turn to page 17 for full details.

David Bell Editor

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wiredInUSA - October 2018

October 2018 Issue No.88 CONTENTS

06 PAGE

Show Diary 2018/2019

09 PAGE

Making the News Industry news from the USA

28 PAGE

Europe news The latest news from Europe

34 PAGE

Asia & Africa News The latest news from Asia & Africa

40 PAGE

Products, Machines & Technology The latest news from machine industries

44 PAGE

IWCS 2018 Cable & Connectivity Symposium

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wiredIn USA

© 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 Director Jason Smith jason@wiredinusa.com +44 1926 834 684 Accounts Manager Julie Case juliecase@intras.co.uk

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wiredInUSA - October 2018

Diary Shows & Events 2018/2019

november 27-29 November 2018 wire India Mumbai, India www.wire-india.com october 14-17 October 2018 IWCS 2018 Rhode Island, USA www.iwcs.org march 5-7 March 2019 Cables 2019 Düsseldorf, Germany www.ami.international

October 23-26 October 2018 EuroBLECH Hanover, Germany www.euroblech.com

february 28 February to 2 March 2019 Istanbul TEL Fair Istanbul, Turkey www.tel-fair.com

may 13-16 May 2019 Interwire Trade Exposition Atlanta, Georgia, USA www.wirenet.org

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

wiredInUSA - October 2018

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Big win for wind supporters M A K I N G T H E NEWS

New Jersey’s Board of Public Utilities has approved the country’s largest single offshore wind power solicitation, seeking 1,100MW of new offshore wind farm capacity. Since taking office earlier this year, Governor Phil Murphy has made offshore wind development a major priority. “In the span of just nine months, New Jersey has vaulted to the front of the pack in establishing this cutting-edge industry,” he said. “We campaigned on rebuilding New Jersey’s reputation as a clean energy leader, and that involves setting an

aggressive timetable on offshore wind. Thanks to the board, today we took another enormous step toward realizing that goal with the largest single-state solicitation of offshore wind in the country.” Besides clean energy, New Jersey’s move to bring offshore wind energy to its shores also means new jobs for its residents. A recent study found the East Coast’s current offshore wind commitments could create nearly 40,000 full-time jobs by 2028.

Front cover : Photo by Waldemar Brandt on Unsplash

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wiredInUSA - October 2018

The award marking NAI’s zero defects at its Hermosillo, Mexico Plant 2

Recognizing high standards

NAI zero-defect manufacturing in its Hermosillo, Mexico Plant 2 for an entire year. The event also signifies a one-year period without customer returns or complaints. During this period, NAI produced 25,000 fiber optic riser cable assemblies, 200,000 fiber optic jumpers and over three million cable terminations. A total of 2,800km of fiber optic cable was processed in 840,000 man-hours. has achieved

Flores, quality leader, commended employees for their hard work and commitment to excellence. Several shifts of employees in Plant 2 celebrated the event and were awarded. This significant event for NAI was also recognized by several of its customers, including two leading wireless infrastructure OEMs. quality planning and management and Lean Manufacturing in its operations. NAI employs disciplined

In an address to all employees, Ruben Robles, plant manager, and Alejandra

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Reel increase

Madem-Moorecraft Reels USA, located in Tarboro, North Carolina, has announced plans to install its second automated nailed wooden reel production line by June 2019. The $2 million investment will double the current production rate at the Tarboro plant. Both current and future production lines will operate around the clock.

“We’re fortunate that the Tarboro, NC wooden reels plant will be able to double production after the first year of activities.” Stephen Redhage, vice-president and general manager, added: “The additional capacity will support plans to increase our North American network of assembly and distribution centers.”

Leandro Mazzoccato, president and global sales and marketing director, said:

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Secured acquisition

LindstromLLC, a Harbour Group company, has acquired Stelfast Inc.

to partnering with Stelfast to build lasting value for our customers.

Stelfast is a stockist and distributor of fasteners and specialty parts, headquartered near Cleveland, Ohio, with ten distribution locations across North America. Founded by Surinder Sakhuja in 1972, it delivered its first fastener products in 1974 and currently serves customers across North America with over 12,000 different products.

“This acquisition expands not only our physical footprint and product offering, but also enhances our service levels and ability to meet all of our customers’ needs.” Simmi Sakhuja, president and second- generation owner of Stelfast, said: “The Lindstrom team and culture are a great fit with Stelfast. These two companies are uniquely suited to serve our customers with an enhanced service capability, and we are eager to demonstrate this to the market.”

The entire Stelfast executive team will remain with the business.

Neil Yeargin, president and CEO of Lindstrom, commented: “We look forward

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Cable developments

Corning Inc has plans for a $60 million plant in southeast Hickory to make cable for its optical communications division. The announcement came after the Hickory City Council and Catawba County Commission approved a series of incentives that include giving Corning the land, valued at $605,000, and granting up to $1.7 million in tax rebates over five years. Corning also was given an option to acquire another 4.4 acres.

Corning has committed to creating 75 new jobs by 31 st December 2020, increasing to 110 by 31 st December 2023. The company says it needs the plant to add manufacturing capacity, to keep pace with growing demand for optical fiber and cable. Corning has over 4,000 employees inNorthCarolina, in both cable manufacturing and life sciences, and is currently building new headquarters for the cable business in northwest Charlotte.

ECC offers a broad portfolio of customized elastomeric or polyolefin based compounds utilized for medium/high voltage as well as certain low voltage flame retardant applications including: • EPR and Polyolefin Compounds • Elastomeric, Crosslinkable, and Thermoplastic Compounds • Flame Retardant and Halogen Free Compounds • Moisture Crosslinkabe Compounds • Specialty/Custom/FR Masterbatches • Insulation, Jacketing, and Bedding Compounds • ISO 9001 certified manufacturing process ensures quality, efficiency and ultimately customer satisfaction. • Non-carbon black product lines produce super-clean, elastomeric high voltage cable compounds. • Personalized customer service and support to customers worldwide. Wire & Cable Customized Compounds

108 Rado Drive, Naugatuck, CT 06770 USA Tel: +1 203-723-2590 www.ElectricCableCompounds.com

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Image: Evo Morales Ayma, Twitter

Power boost for Bolivia

The president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, has officially inaugurated the 60MW Uyuni photovoltaic solar plant. The project, located in the municipality of Uyuni in southern Bolivia, covers a surface area of 105 hectares, with the potential to extend to 180 hectares. The contract for the construction of the plant, worth $62 million, was awarded to a consortium formed by Emias and Elecnor at the beginning of November 2016. The project was tendered by the local state- owned electricity company, Ende, in March 2016. It is the second large-scale solar project carried out under a tender process in Bolivia. Another project, the 50MW Oruro photovoltaic solar plant, was tendered in April 2016, and construction began in August 2018.

America, although hydropower, with an estimated potential of around 7GW, will be the major component. No more solar or other renewable energy projects have been announced. Bolivia has a renewable energy target for 2025 of just 183MW. Currently its energy demand is covered by 2GW of installed power generation capacity, represented by 60 percent thermoelectric energy and 40 percent hydropower. Access to electricity in Bolivia remains among the lowest in Latin America. According to the UN, only 71.5 percent of Bolivia’s population had electricity in 2014. However, the Solon Foundation estimates that Bolivia could exploit a global horizontal irradiation of up to 1,200kWh/ m 2 per year.

The Bolivian government hopes to turn the country into the “energy heart” of South

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Boost for data transmission

The telecommunications company GTD is to install an undersea cable along 3,500km (2,174 miles) of Pacific coastline to improve connectivity with its operations in Colombia and Peru. Chilean

as Google and Amazon, to expand their operations within the country.

Google andChilean officials have already announced a $140 million expansion of the company’s data center in Chile. The undersea cable project will improve the service and operation of GTD’s network of seven data centers in Chile, Peru and Colombia.

The fiber optic cable will be submerged 2,000m (6,561 feet) below sea level.

Chile is making efforts to develop an information-based economy and is encouraging major tech companies, such

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wiredInUSA - October 2018

Image: www.pelicanwire.com

High temperature takeover

Pelican Wire has completed its purchase of a portion of the Serv-Rite insulated thermocouple manufacturing business from Watlow Electric. includes machinery, design and manufacturing process information and customer account data, specifically affects the high-temperature ceramic and vitreous silica (high-temperature glass) constructions. Watlow, based in St Louis, has begun transferringbothdesignandmanufacturing knowledge of the product line to Pelican Wire, which already manufactures its own similar products. All the equipment used The agreement, which

to manufacture Watlow’s wire is included as part of the transfer. Naples-based Pelican Wire was to begin accepting orders on new and existing wire designs by 1 st October. Watlow chief system designer Randy Brown commented: “This is a very natural transition for both companies. Watlow and Pelican Wire have a long history of cooperation to ensure customers can leverage the core capabilities of both to get the best solution.” Pelican Wire is an employee-owned manufacturer of application-driven wire solutions, specializing in the fine gauge and high-temperature wire fields.

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Fasteners will be subject to new tariff

As part of the US response to China’s alleged theft of American intellectual property and forced transfer of American technology, the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has released a list of Chinese imports worth approximately $200 billion that will be subject to additional tariffs. The additional tariffs were imposed at 10 percent from 24 th September 2018, and will increase to 25 percent on 1 st January 2019.

The list of 5,745 tariff lines includes iron and steel coach and wood screws, screw hooks and rings, self-tapping screws, machine screws, spring washers, rivets and cotter pins, as well as copper screws and washers.

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New Jersey power

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 The project, expected to comprise three wind turbines with a combined capacity of up to 25MW, is a step towards implementingtheOffshoreWindEconomic Development Act and meeting Governor Phil Murphy’s statewide goal of 3,500MW of offshore wind generation by 2030. New Jersey residents could expect to receive power generated by the Nautilus offshore project as early as 2021.

The New Jersey Board of Public Utilities has accepted an application from EDF Renewables and Fishermen’s Energy for the development of Nautilus Offshore Wind Project. The agency will review the project over the next few months before reaching a decision. The Nautilus project, located about 2.8 miles east of the coastline of Atlantic City, could be complete as early as 2020.

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Teknor Apex Company has developed four new PVC jacket compounds to meet flame test requirements for power and control tray cables. Apex ® 70018 is a 73 Shore A PVC compound for soft, low gloss, highly flame-retardant jacketing for use over polyethylene, suitable for indoor applications. The material is capable of achieving UL oil resistance I and II ratings, and has a brittle point of -16°C. Apex 70020 is a 79 Shore A PVC compound for outdoor-rated jackets over crosslinked polyethylene. It is capable of Oil I and II ratings and is designed to pass -25°C cold impact and -40°C cold bend tests. Apex P-55007 is an 82 Shore A blend of PVC and thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) formulated for use in appliance wiring and tray cables over polyethylene cores. This is the most flame-retardant of a series of PVC/ TPU blends. Flexalloy ® 9627-79 is a 67 Shore A PVC elastomer developed as a spatter-, oil- and UV-resistant material for welding cable. It meets the UL-62 standard for flexible cable and is for use over PVC or crosslinked polyethylene cores. All four compounds pass requirements for UL-1277 (electrical power and control tray cables with optional optical fiber members) and UL-13 (power-limited circuit cables); meet the CSA FT-4 burn tests with appropriate cores; and have a maximum continuous operating temperature of 105°C.

Compounds to the power of four

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New flare nuts

PEM ® SFN™ spinning flare nuts from PennEngineering become permanently fixed upon installation in thin metal sheets and, when paired with a self-clinching stud or other fixed externally threaded hardware, can eliminate loose fasteners (including flange nuts) in attachment applications. The one-piece, flanged hex nuts will spin freely in a sheet, enabling quick attachment to mating hardware.

thin as 0.04″. They are available in metric thread sizes M5, M6 and 8.

Permanent installation is accomplished by inserting the nut into a properly sized, pre- punched, embossed mounting hole in a metal sheet and then applying sufficient squeezing force to flare the fastener’s shank. When installed, the part will appear identical to a standard flanged hex nut above the sheet while remaining flush on the other side.

The nuts install in steel, stainless steel or aluminum sheets of any hardness and as

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Reducing cable runs

Molex has launched its hybrid FTTA (fiber to the antenna)-PTTA (power to the antenna) optical cable

Molex has launched its hybrid FTTA (fiber to the antenna)-PTTA (power to the antenna) optical cable for cell phone towers. The hybrid FTTA-PTTA optical cable maximizes tower real estate while keeping installation processes low. Molex hybrid cable assemblies include features such as sealed breakout ends, UV-treatedcables, andan armored hybrid cable to withstand demanding weather conditions and potential interference. Custom configurations are available to support base band unit and multiple remote radio head connections using industry-standard connectors, alleviating extensive cable management requirements. “Because these hybrid cable assemblies combine fiber and power in a single sheathing, it creates amore efficient install

within the cell tower,” said Rob Wheeler, global product manager, Molex. “The ability to reduce the number of cable runs in the tower will create cost benefits such as install/maintenance costs.” Compared to current plug-and-play cable solutions that use multiple cables, Molex users can connect several remote radio units and power-to-signal distribution boxes with one assembly, maximizing tower use by freeing up space for additional equipment.

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Optical cables get tough

The new LS series from Cosemi

Cosemi Technologies Inc has announced the launch of its LS series, a new line of robust, hardened active optical cables (AOCs). The new range features a proprietary shielded cable, hybridized with a metal shell-enclosed opto-electronics engine. The LS series is believed to be an industry first, providing new levels of resistance to electrical magnetic interference (EMI) and radio frequency interference (RFI). automation vision applications, the LS series will initially feature a DisplayPort 1.4 cable, with HDMI 2.0/2.1 and USB 3.1 cables to follow. Adrian Collins, director of product marketing for Cosemi, said: “Our LS series offers a patented, opto-electronic platform alongside a thin and flexible and machine Designed for medical, industrial

shielded hybrid cable. The metal shell enclosure makes them an ideal choice for medical applications requiring EMI/ RFI resistance in 4K/8K high-resolution imaging. The LS series offers the convenience of being a true plug-and- play, 4K/8K video interconnect solution that does not require external power.” Though initially built to address the interconnect needs of medical applications, Cosemi’s LS series has the potential to be deployed in other sensitive environments, such as factories using industrial automation. The hardened nature of the cables enables them to withstand the harsh conditionsofmanufacturingenvironments.

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EUROPE NEWS

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Image: www.nexans.com

Cable sets SAIL

Nexans has manufactured and successfully tested 6,000km of submarine fiber optic cables for the South Atlantic Inter Link (SAIL) project connecting Cameroon to Brazil. The aim of the SAIL project is to develop new direct, low-latency connection across the South Atlantic. The Cameroon to Brazil link is phase two of Cameroon’s National Broadband Network Development (NBNII). Nexans has manufactured the fiber optic cables for the 6,000km link based on its second- generation unrepeatered technology. The link comprises four fiber pairs, each with a bandwidth of 100Gb per second. Delegates from Huawei Marine Networks and the end customer, Camtel and China Unicom, were present when the final

system acceptance test (SAT) for phase two was accomplished at Nexans facilities in Rognan, Norway. “We are very satisfied with Nexans’ performance in the work of SAIL cable manufacturing, as well as integration, and look forward to cooperation with Nexans in [the] near future,” said Kevin Zhang, project director, Huawei Marine Networks. “Producing Nexans’ first transatlantic cable is a significant milestone in our continuous development program to add value for our customers,” said Krister Granlie, executive vice president, submarine telecom and special cables, Nexans. “Weworked closely with Huawei Marine Networks to integrate the optical repeaters with the cables.”

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wiredInUSA - October 2018

Offshore protection

Third furnace order

The signing of the framework agreement. Photograph courtesy of Trelleborg

Image: www.danieli.com

JSW Steel has ordered its third Danieli reheating furnace, a 220 tonne per hour walking beam furnace for its number 2 wire rod mill in Vijayanagar-Tornagallu, Karnataka state, India. The new reheating furnace will mainly process special steels, such as low alloy, high carbon and free-cutting steel, to be transformed into 1.2 million tonnes per year of wire and rods ranging from 5.5mm to 25mm diameter and in coils up to 2.5 tonnes. The furnace will be equipped with L1 and L2 automation systems, and operation will be based on Danieli automation and Danieli Centro combustion furnace thermal process and billet handling, with integration of upstream and downstream facilities. The first hot billet is planned by the third quarter of 2019.

Ørsted has signed a six-year framework agreement with Trelleborg to supply the Trelleborg NjordGuard cable protection system for use on upcoming Ørsted wind farm projects. NjordGuard is a protection system specifically designed and developed to protect offshore wind farm power cables. Manufactured from API 17L certified Uraduct ® material, the NjordGuard system provides resistance to fatigue, impact and abrasion. Designed with a smooth outer surface and minimal outside diameter, the system requires little assembly, is easily extendable, andcanbemanufactured for any diameter cable. NjordGuard is custom-engineered for both array and export cables. Andy Smith, business manager for global developing markets with Trelleborg’s offshore operation, said: “We are honored to be selected as a key supplier of cable protection systemsbyØrsted. Thisprestigious framework agreement will ensure open collaboration between both parties in order to identify, develop, implement and progress initiatives within the agreement’s key focus areas.”

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Offshore connections

Joint-free production

Tennet’s connection project. Photograph courtesy of TenneT

Image: sketvmb.de

Germany’s SKET Verseilmaschinenbau GmbH has installed and commissioned two lines for Hengtong Submarine Power Cable Co Ltd (Hengtong) for the production of long, joint-free offshore cable. SKET supplied a vertical stranding line and an armoring line for high voltage offshore power cable (220kV, 3x500mm², XLPE insulated) up to 27km. SKET equipment included the bearing concept turntable, taping units and bitumen units. The company also supplied a rigid strander for 500mm² copper conductors. A release said that the Hengtong order represents SKET’s first project from a Chinese cable manufacturer: “This project can be seen as a milestone of SKET’s activities in Asia.” High-voltage offshore power cable is a key market for cable manufacturers in China.

Offshore grid operator, TenneT has issued a call for competition for the delivery and installation of submarine power cables to connect offshore AC platforms to the Dutch grid. The scope of the intended contracts includes design, engineering, production, delivery and installation of 220kV AC sea cable and may include 220kV AC land cable. TenneT plans to build several platforms that connect offshore wind farms to the onshore grid using HVAC sea cables. Platforms within one area, as part of redundancy requirements, will be connected using 66kV cable. The platforms will carry high-voltage switching and transformation equipment and auxiliary facilities. Intake power from the wind farms will be 66kV; export power from the platform will be 220kV. Each platform will be connected to the onshore grid using two three-core 220kV AC sea cable circuits and, if appropriate, by single- core 220kV AC land cables.

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wiredInUSA - October 2018

Floating PV project wins wide support

Wind finds a market

Google has signed a ten-year agreement to buy renewable energy from three new wind farms, currently under construction in Finland. Google said that the Finnish deal is the first where it will buy power from a European project not receiving government subsidies. “In a growing number of locations, the cost of new renewable energy is competitive with the cost of power from the grid,” said Marc Oman, Google’s head of EU energy. The three farms are being built by developers Neoen of France and Germany’s CPC and WPD, and will have a combined capacity of 190MW.

Image: www.akuoenergy.com

French independent power producer Akuo Energy is planning to deploy a 17MW floating PV power plant near Piolenc, in the Vaucluse department of the Provence- Alpes-Côte d’Azur region of southern France. The company says that, once completed, the O’MEGA 1 project will be the largest floating PV facility in Europe, and that it will use the Hydrelio technology of French floating PV specialist Ciel&Terre on a water surface at a former quarry. The project, part-financed through crowdfunding, is being developed under the framework of France’s tender scheme for large-scale solar. Investment bank Natixis’s renewable energy financing subsidiary, Natixis Energeco, has agreed to part-finance the project with around $14 million. Akuo has a renewables asset portfolio of around 1GW. Most of its projects are in France, although its largest PV facility is the 50MW Kita plant in Mali.

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Cable commissioned

Cable cooperation

Image: www.nkt.com

Image: www.europacable.eu

NKT has successfully commissioned the 220kV HVAC cable system for the 659MW offshore wind park Walney Extension, in the Irish Sea. NKT supplied over 139km of submarine cable for what will be the world’s largest wind farm. NKT has designed, manufactured and commissioned the two 220kV extruded export cable systems as well as an underground cable system to connect the wind farm to the onshore power grid. All 220kV joints and terminations were also supplied and installed by NKT. “We are proud to be part of the ambitious project generating renewable energy in UK and we have seen great collaboration with Ørsted and other suppliers to the Walney Extension,” said executive vice president Andreas Berthou, who is responsible for high-voltage cable solutions in NKT. NKT has extensive experience in the UK, having supplied cables for projects such as Galloper wind farm, Hornsea One and the newly opened Race Bank wind farm.

The association Europacable, together with its member company NKT, welcomed a delegationof ENTSO-EandRGI (Renewables Grid Initiative) representatives at the NKT F2C cable plant in Cologne, Germany. The purpose of the visit was to provide insight into the production of submarine and land cables. Dr Volker Wendt, director public affairs at Europacable, said: “Land and submarine cables will ever more become the key backstay of Europe’s high voltage power transmission networks. Europe’s cable industry is ready to deliver high quality products. “This said, as an industry, we call upon all stakeholders to streamline permitting procedures to increase planning security. Delays in grid roll-out not only are a huge financial burden to society, they also put at risk our manufacturing basis in Europe.” The cooperation between Europacable and ENTSO-E has resulted in a series of technical studies on cable technology, including a joint paper on demand and manufacturing capacity for high voltage alternate current and direct current underground and submarine cables.

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ASIA & AFRICA NEWS

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Steel wire results

SteelAsia Manufacturing Corp reports that its output of steel bars increased 11 percent, year-on-year, to over a million metric tons in the first half of 2018. “We are fortunate to be able to ride on the current infrastructure boom. With sustained economic growth we believe that SteelAsia, along with the whole steel industry, will also continue to grow and serve more customers,” said SteelAsia chairman and CEO Benjamin O Yao in the statement. In the next five years SteelAsia plans to more than double its capacity, through more upstream facilities, and to establish three new integrated steelmaking plants.

plant in Compostela, Cebu, primarily to manufacture wire rods.

“We are deliberately bringing our plants closer to our customers. That way we can giveour customers thebest priceandservice with just-in-time delivery and, at the same time, help create more jobs for our people in the countryside,” Mr Yao said, adding that the company hopes to break ground for two more plants this year, including a wire rod plant with a capacity of 1.2 million tons in Concepcion, Tarlac. SteelAsia estimates local demand for rebars will hit 4.5 million tons by 2021, with demand for wire rods and sections expected to reach about 600,000 tons and 700,000 tons, respectively.

The company currently has six operating plants and is constructing a seventh

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wiredInUSA - October 2018

High fiber increase

Partner boost for manufacturer

Sterlite Tech has announced the addition of 15,000,000 fiber kilometers to its optical fiber cabling capacity, which will increase total capacity to 33 million. The expansion places the company among the top integrated optical fiber and cabling technology providers in the world. The company’s board of directors has approved a $44 million capital expenditure for the expansion, which will be financed through internal accruals and debt. The enhanced capacity is expected to be phased in by June 2020. As global markets invest in deep fiberization for hyper-scale network applications such as 5G, FTTx and data center connectivity, this expansion will reinforce Sterlite Tech’s position as a provider of fiber and software- based networking solutions. Sterlite recently announced a 100 percent acquisition of Metallurgica Bresciana in Italy for cable expansion, having previously announced an expansion of its optical fiber capacity via a greenfield investment.

Image: www.rrkabel.com

TPG, a global alternative asset firm, has acquired a significant minority stake in R R Kabel Ltd, a building wires and low-voltage cable manufacturer in India. TPG and Mumbai-based RR Kabel will work to advance the company’s growth by widening its product portfolio and furthering its market position in new and existing geographies. Founded in 1999, R R Kabel was the first company in India to introduce fire-retardant and unilay conductor technology, and recently launched a consumer appliances business. “In TPG we have found the right partner to help R R Kabel reach the next level, as we look to strengthen our brand, expand our product offering, and develop our presence in more markets across India,” said Shreegopal Kabra, managing director of R R Kabel.

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New route offers faster connections

Network changes hands

In a deal worth around $4.2 billion, the Indian telecommunications firm Reliance Communications (RCom) has completed the sale of its fiber optic network to Reliance Jio. RCom has been looking to sell its telecoms assets to alleviate increasing debt. “With the successful completion of the fiber monetization transaction, 178,000km [of] fiber stand transferred to Reliance Jio,” wrote The Economic Times of India, quoting an RCom spokesperson. RCom is said to be still considering two other bids for the remaining telecoms architecture (excluding the fiber optic network), with both bids reported to be in excess of $1.1 billion. Reliance Jio has pledged to roll out full fiber- to-the-home services across 1,100 Indian towns and cities.

Photo by Marc Sendra martorell on Unsplash

A fiber optic cable project under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will begin commercial operations by the end of 2018. Chinese companies, including China Telecom, have expressed interest in diverting their telecom traffic away from an undersea cable, through India, to the new fiber optic cable between China and Pakistan. The project is owned by the military-run Special Communications Organization (SCO) with engineering, procurement and construction carried out by Huawei. “Phone calls will come from China to Pakistan through the fiber optic cable and then they will be routed to Middle Eastern countries, Europe, Africa, Iran and Afghanistan,” said Huawei project director Ashraf Malik. He said coordination with some Chinese companies, such as China Telecom, was ongoing to put traffic on the new cable network, which would build trust among other Chinese companies and encourage them to use the new route.

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wiredInUSA - October 2018

Offshore contract

Offshore China

Image: www.ecidi.com

The Chinese cable manufacturer ZTT has won a contract to supply the export cable system for the China Energy Conservation and Environmental Protection group’s (CECEP) 300MW Yangjiang Nanpeng Island offshore wind farm, located 30km off China’s mainland. ZTT will manufacture and deliver a 45km, 220kV export cable system to connect the wind farm’s offshore booster station to an onshore centralized control center in Yangjiang City, Guangdong province. The wind farm covers an area of around 58km 2 in the South China Sea and will comprise 55 wind turbines installed in water depths of between 23m and 32m.

Huadong Engineering Corporation is planning a 1.1GW offshore wind farm, 90km off the coast of Jiangsu Province in eastern China, using a submarine high-voltage direct current transmission system. This is expected tobeChina’s first offshorevoltage source converter HVDC system. Huadong has employed experts from the certification body DNV GL to supply technical training, advice and support for a feasibility study on aspects of the conceptual design and risk assessment. “[The] offshore HVDC transmission system is a new business for DNV GL China and the Asia Pacific region,” said Haifeng Qi of Huadong Engineering. China is committed to developing its offshore wind power capacity and plans to have 5GW installed by 2020. With all potential wind sites within 10km offshore already fully exploited, sites further afield will be essential to meet the 2020 target.

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Power link

Call to come clean on clean energy

Mirko Düsel

Siemens has commissioned the second block of an HVDC back-to-back link in Bheramara, Bangladesh, part of a new 500MW transmission capacity between India and Bangladesh. The first block of HVDC has been operational since 2013. With block 1 and 2 operating in parallel, the Bheramara HVDC link has attained nearly 1,000MW power transmission capacity and is reported to be the highest reliable power capacity in Bangladesh. Electricity will be supplied to India from Bheramara through a 230V grid connected to India’s 400V grid. Siemens energy management transmission solutions CEO Mirko Düsel said: “The availability of reliable power transmission is crucial for emerging countries like Bangladesh. Therefore, we’re especially pleased to hand over block 2 of the Bheramara HVDC back-to-back link to PGCB. “The HVDC link enables a constant, affordable and reliable power supply for the people and economy in Bangladesh, and helps in consolidating the grid stability of the densely populated state.”

Angus Taylor MP

Friends of the Earth Australia is calling on Angus Taylor, Australia’s energy minister, to support the country’s first offshore wind project, the proposed Star of the South in Victoria. According to Friends of the Earth, the 2GW project requires state and federal planning approval, but is being delayed by the government for “unknown reasons”. Taylor is seen as against wind power. He has spoken at anti-wind rallies, called for the national renewable energy target to be dismissed, opposed emission reduction targets andwas part of an investigation that suggested Victoria should allow fracking. Friends of the Earth Australia is asking the energy minister to provide a status update on the project, to approve the requisite exploration license so that ecological, social and economic assessment can be carried out, and to clarify his position on the role of wind energy technology in Australia’s electricity grid. The organization has launched a petition in support of its request.

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Products, Machines & Technology

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Name that cable Brady Corporation’s new Wraptor A6500 wire identification printer applicator automatically prints and applies wrap- around labels on a wide range of insertable cables. It identifiescables infiveseconds, eliminating the need to print labels in advance and the time needed to apply them by hand. The Wraptor prints at 300dpi for barcodes, logos and diagrams, and applies a tight label wrap around the wire, with minimal bubbling or wrinkling. Without adjustment the Wraptor A6500 can identify cables from 1.52mm to 15.24mm in diameter, and apply labels with widths up to 50.8mm, and of lengths between 19.05mm and 76.2mm. The unit can be coupled with Brady Workstation apps for easy label design, barcoding and serialization, and can be integrated with Schleuniger cut and strip machines. Cable handling onboard Swan Hunter has completed mobilization and commissioning of its new modular offshore carousel and associated equipmentforCWind’smulti-purposebarge, ASV Pioneer . The new basket carousel has

been mobilized at 2,000t capacity, the smallest of four configurations, but can be extended up to 7,000t. Besides the carousel, Swan Hunter provided a loading tower combined with 10t tensioner, which has been integrated with the client-specific cable highway.

S S Swan Hunter’s new modular offshore carousel. Photograph courtesy of Swan Hunter

Completing the cable handling spread is a 15t deck-mounted tensioner.

The works were done in support of CWind’s complete cable care services package, which ASV Pioneer joined in April this year. Securing fire safety AEI Cables’ new generation of fire safety products for the built environment has

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power and Firetec impact power, together with a full range of accessories.

been launched amid increasing concerns regarding the quality of cabling in the marketplace. Stuart Dover, commercial manager for AEI Cables, said: “The market has responded quickly and positively to this new development of technology. “We are hearing more cases of inferior quality cabling leading to problems for installers, particularly those installing fire alarms. “In a real fire situation, the cables powering these circuits will allow fire and rescue services to understand what is happening and ensure a safe evacuation of people.” The new fire performance cabling ensures critical fire-safety circuits can continue to operate for up to 120 minutes in the event of a fire. Calls have been made by the approved cables initiative for all cable used in the UK to conform to relevant British, European or international standards. At the same time, the number of fires in high-rise buildings in Europe and the Middle East have heightened attention to the quality issue of products intended for fire performance circuits. AEI’s Firetec total fire solutions package offers mineral insulated cables (MIC), Firetec standard, Firetec enhanced, Firetec

Applications for Firetec include residential and commercial buildings, shopping malls, airports and protected heritage buildings.

Automatic crimping Schleuniger’s new CrimpCenter 36 SP offers reduced setup time with improved performance. With an average increase in performance of 13 percent, and a reduction of up to 11 percent in the cost per lead, the CrimpCenter 36 SP offers a significant increase in output. Manual setup steps are automated, enabling the machine to adjust itself optimally to the material. In addition to optimized process parameters, CrimpCenter 36 SP features precise cable routing and quick-change mechanism. The CrimpCenter 36 SP owes its improved performance to a new, highly dynamic drive and control concept, a newly developed deposit gripper system, improved cable routing, 25 percent higher feeding speed and improved synchronization of the feeding unit and conveyor belt speed.

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corrosion-resistant aluminum and designed to withstand high loads from acceleration, speed and wear, the carriers are said to be quiet, with low vibration running.

An icon-based user interface with touchscreen, EASY software, and integrated technical documents allow quick and easy access, even for inexperienced operators. A quick-change mechanism with new guides for an easier and faster insertion of the crimp applicators, additional switches for the opening and closing of the safety cover, as well as automatic pressure adjustment, minimize setup time and improve setup quality.

S S Alu Guide system from Tsubaki Kabelschlepp

The channel profiles are 2,000mm long and can be individually tailored to the required width for the cable carrier. A high strength, temperature-resistant stainless steel gliding layer supports speeds up to 25m per second. New gliding bars reduce wear and increase the service life of the carrier. “Our customers can use this system to configure their individual solution with a modular kit,” explained Werner Eul, product manager cable carrier systems at Tsubaki Kabelschlepp. “Damping strips, which can be ordered as an option, can additionally reduce noise emissions in the guide channel. In addition to fixing sets for the cable carrier in the channel, we also offer a lift-off protection as a step-on guard for the cable carrier, fixing elements for cables and hoses on the outside of the cable carrier as well as connecting elements for parallel positioning of the channels.”

S S The new CrimpCenter 36 SP from Schleuniger

CrimpCenter 36 SP can be combined with up to six processing stations, and a wide variety of accessories guarantees flexibility in the application range. Quiet running for cable carriers The Alu Guide system from Tsubaki Kabelschlepp is a modular guide channel system on gliding cable carriers. Made from

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IWCS 2018 Cable & Connectivity Symposium

October 14–17, 2018 Rhode Island Convention Center, Providence, USA

Exhibitor Listing

3N International Inc.

401 207 300 301 230 130 411 125 200 135 127 420 306 300 204 208 400 235 312 212 414 201 100 203 412 110 113 335 307 328 434 107 129

Advaris GmbH

AESA S.A.

AGC Chemicals Americas, Inc. Amaral Automation Associates, LLC

American Kuhne (a brand of Graham Engineering Corp)

Arkema Inc.

Artofil

ASI/Silica Machinery, LLC Aversion Technologies, Inc.

AW Machinery

Bartell Machinery Systems

BASF Corporation

Bedea Berkenhoff & Drebes GmbH

Beta LaserMike Products (An NDC Technologies Brand)

Borealis Compounds Inc.

Breyden Products / Saylor Technical Products

BSE Exhibition

Cable Components Group

Carris Reels

Century Fiber Optics

CERSA-MCI Chase Corp.

Chengdu Centran Industrial Co., Ltd.

Clinton Instrument Company Commission Brokers, Inc. Conneaut Industries, Inc.

Davis-Standard

DeWAL Industries, Inc. (Part of Rogers Corp)

EMD Performance Materials Corp.

EuroWire Magazine

EverFLON Fluoropolymers Excelitas Technologies

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Details correct as at 6 th August 2018

Farbwerke Herkula SA

320 407 118 231 405 430 435 109 119 403 105 434 408 425 206 305 334 114 128 224 131 335 324 417 101 112 137 202 236 319 303 415 428

Fiber Optic Center, Inc / Technical Horsepower Consulting LLC

Fiber-Line, LLC

Fil-Tec, Inc.

Gem Gravure

Great Lakes Polymer Technologies

Hengtong Group

Heraeus Noblelight America LLC Huber Engineered Materials

Huestis Machine Corp

Info-Gel, LLC (The Stewart Group)

Intras Ltd

Isabellenhütte Co. (Isotek)

Jiangsu Etern Company Limited

Jinhua Yonghe Fluorochemical Co Ltd

Kinrei of America, LLC

KN Manufacturing Solutions

Leoni Wire Inc.

Lloyd & Bouvier, Inc. M Engineering, Inc.

Madem-Moorecraft Reels USA, Inc.

Maillefer Extrusion Oy

Medek & Schörner GmbH Melos GmbH / Inhol B.V.

Mexichem Specialty Compounds

MGS Group, The

Microdia SA

Miltec UV

Modern Dispersions Inc

Nabaltec AG

Oden Technologies Inc Otonom Machina, Inc.

PE.fiberoptics Ltd

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Exhibitor Listing

Details correct as at 6 th August 2018

Photon Kinetics, Inc.

209 404 227 326 418 225 329 419 325 205 308 431 226 124 402 213 116 318 304 424 406 302 218 104 127 434 219 426 434 330 234

Pittsfield Plastics PolyOne Corp.

Pourtier & Setic of America

Roblon US, Inc.

Rosendahl Nextrom Technologies

RSD Group (W. Gillies Technologies, LLC)

SACO AEI Polymers

Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Corp.

Service Thread Manufacturing

Shenzhen Delifeng Trading Company Ltd

Sikora

SONGWON Management AG T&T Marketing, an M. Holland Co. Technetics PTFE & Polymer Solutions

Teknor Apex Co.

Tektapes

Tensor Machinery, Ltd. Toner Plastics Group

Vandor

Verichek Technical Services, Inc.

Wardwell Braiding Co.

Web Industries Weber & Scher

Windak Inc. / Axjo America Inc. Wire & Cable Asia Magazine Wire & Plastic Machinery Corp. Wire Association Int / Wire Journal Intl

wiredInUSA Magazine

Zhejiang Baichuan Conductor Technology Co.Ltd.

Zumbach Electronics Corp.

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Exhibitors’ Products

AESA-Cortaillod Booth: 300

new Cobalt DT offers identical benefits (compact solution) for the balunless measurement of cables up to Cat 8 • Large section conductors can be accurately measured. ResTest 210 allows linear resistance measurements of copper and aluminum samples in the laboratory, while the patented ResTest 813x cross section measurer continues to be efficient directly on the production line • Industry 4.0 is not new, but AESA continuously expends its contribution through CIQ, its quality data management solution Beta LaserMike (An NDC Technologies brand) Booth: 204 The Beta LaserMike products team from NDC Technologies will talk about several new gauging solutions with modern styling and expanded capabilities in connectivity, communication and control consistent with Industry 4.0. “Our new LaserSpeed Pro non-contact length and speed gauge, UltraScan Pro wall thickness and concentricity gauge, and

AESA, a Swiss company that continuously innovates in cable quality metrology, is celebrating its 40 th anniversary in 2018. During its four decades, AESA has demonstrated itsexpertise, itsunderstanding of test equipment per-formance, and how it relates to the measurement of electrical parameters.

The company constantly strives to leverage its know-how to pioneer innovative and cost-effective solutions that provide its clients with an advantage in terms of quality and process improvements. The company will be showcasing: • Coaxial cables: These can now be measured with a compact system. Scorpius DT is new desktop equipment integrating embedded VNA and PC • LAN cables: with a similar approach, the

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