wiredinUSA December 2011

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December 2011 issue - No 6

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New law to beat the thieves p9

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Three million square feet of space. Over twenty thousand machines.

We either built the world’s largest inventory, or one hell of a museum

Wire & Plastic Machinery Corp is the world’s leading reseller of high quality wire, cable, and optical fiber manufacturing equipment. we have the most comprehensive range of equipment on the planet and can provide on-demand or re-conditioned solutions for any need whether it’s a single macine or an entire plant. We’sre also the largest procurer of surplus machinery for cash or trade. Visit wirandplastic.com , or contact us at sales@wireandplastic.com.

wiredInUSA - December 2011

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#06 EDITOR

Theft of copper and cable is, of course, nothing new. But it has only been during the last recession that this and thefts of other valuable metals has been in the public eye quite so much. Lead stolen from church roofs has been severe throughout the UK, as has cables being taken from railway lines, much to the risk of the thief and causing problems to commuters. This has led to a number of initiatives by the relevant authorities and in this issue we report on the efforts to introduce a new Bill where people selling high value metals will have their information shared with police. This, alongwithanyothermethodof clamping down on theft, should be applauded and is the first of its kind in Canada. It will be interesting to see how long it takes before this catches on in other countries. It would be wrong of me not to take this opportunity on behalf of everyone at wiredInUSA of thanking you all for your support during our first six months, and to wish you and your families a healthy and Happy Christmas and a prosperous

New Year. David Bell Editor

wiredInUSA - December 2011

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USA: Editorial Dorothy Fabian

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New law to beat the thieves p9

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06 Show Diary From the USA

09 Making the News Industry news from the USA

20 Europe News The latest news from Europe 28 Asia & Africa News The latest news from Asia & Africa

34 Industry Trade Association Spotlight on awards, education and events

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wiredInUSA - December 2011

DIARY SHOW EVENTS

2012 MARCH 6-8 March: AMI Cables Conference Cologne, Germany Conference

SEPTEMBER 10-12 Sept: International Manufacturing Technology Show McCormick Place Convention Center, Chicago, Illinois, USA Exhibition www.imts.com

www.amiplastics.com 13-16 March: Cabex Moscow, Russia Conference www.cabex.ru 26-30 March: wire 2012 Düsseldorf, Germany Exhibition www.wire.de MAY

OCTOBER 3-5 Oct : Spring World 2012 Chicago, Illinois, USA Exhibition www.wireworld.com/events/ 2013 APRIL 23-25 Apr: Interwire 2013 Atlanta, Georgia, USA Exhibition www.wirenet.org MAY TBA: wire Russia 2013 Moscow, Russia Exhibition www.wire-russia.com

9-10 May: 2012 National Electrical Wire Processing Technology Expo Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA Exhibition www.expoproductionsinc.com/ wire_home.htm 21-22 May: AWPA Conference 22-23 May: Wire Expo Dallas, Texas, USA Exhibition www.wirenet.org

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wiredInUSA - December 2011

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MAKING THENEWS

The Ottawa Citizen reports that people who sell high value metals, such as copper, will soon have their personal information collected and shared with police under new legislation proposed by the BC government, in an attempt to deter copper theft by making it harder to sell and purchase the metals. Copper theft bill for BC “Metal theft has widespread conse- quences because it damages property and puts public safety at risk when such things as telephone wires are stripped and 911 services are interrupted,” Solicitor General Shirley Bond explained. “In one municipality, more than $3 million damage caused by metal theft was recorded in a single year. “We recognize provincial legislation alone will not solve the entire problem,” she continued. “Our proposed legislation

is just the first step. We will complement it with other strategies, including encouraging the federal government to develop tougher legislation regarding the impact of metal theft on critical infrastructure.” The proposed legislation will force scrap metal yards to record details about people who sell high value metal, including names, addresses, telephone numbers and dates of birth. The information will be shared daily with police using privacy codes. Police must still present a court order to receive specific personal details, the bill states. The proposed law is the first of its kind in Canada, and scrap dealers will not be allowed to buy metal from people who refuse to provide personal information.

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Houston Wire & Cable Company report

Houston Wire & Cable Company has released operating results for the third quarter of 2011. Highlights for the third quarter of 2011, compared to the prior year period, include: Record sales of $105.8 million, increased 16.8% from $90.5 million Gross margin at 21.7%, increased 230 basis points from 19.4% Net income of $5 million, increased 122.3% from $2.2 million Diluted EPS of $0.28, increased 115.4% from $0.13 per share Declared dividend of $0.09 cents per share, an increase of 5.9% from $0.085 cents per share in 2010 Repair and Replacement business, also referred to as maintenance, repair and operations (MRO), was negatively impacted in the quarter, as a result of implementing a new software system in the acquired mechanical wire

businesses. Management expects this situation to improve during the fourth quarter, as the new software system will allow for increased efficiencies in reporting and management. Excluding the estimated impact of these software issues, MRO sales were up approximately 10-15% for the third quarter of 2011. Management estimates that increased copper prices, which primarily affects stock shipments and trails current market movements due to the company’s average cost inventory accounting treatment, had a favorable impact

on sales of approximately 8%. Gross profit increased 30.9 % to $23 million from $17.6 million, due to higher sales volume and improved gross margin.

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Shaw’s 100Gbit network

Shaw Communications has launched a 100Gbit/s fiber optic inter-city network, claiming it can carry up to eighty-eight 100Gbit/s channels over a single pair of fibers. The launch follows a field trial over a 350km network between Calgary and Edmonton. Enhancements to the fiber optic network will benefit both residential and business customers, providing new services, speed and reliability.

The network, delivered by Alcatel-Lucent, can handle up to 133 million voice calls, 440,000 HDTV channels, or transmit 44 Blu-ray discs in one second. “People are demanding more from their Internet experience, and as a leader in broadband internet, Shaw continues to upgrade to bring Canadians the best internet experience,” said Peter Bissonnette, president of ShawCommunications Inc.

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WAI Operations Summit & Wire

front and by the exhibitor community. “There has been no shortage of ideas or enthusiasm on the Conference Programming Committee. Everyone understands what we’re trying to accomplish with the new format, and they’re really taking advantage of the opportunity to work with a blank canvas,” said Marc Murray, “The focus on day-to-day wire operations will make this event very different from other WAI events. We’re planning to include topics like regulatory issues, commodities, and strategies for cutting energy costs. The goal is to give plant managers, production personnel, and other operations staff something to sink their teeth into that goes beyond the kind of highly technical program they might otherwise expect,” said Mr Murray. The Wire Expo exhibition is expected to attract over 200 companies to showcase wire and cable making solutions and supplies. director of education and member services.

The newly structured WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo, 22 nd and 23 rd May 2012, will be held at the Omni Dallas Hotel, Dallas, Texas. The new program format will feature a plant operations focus, with facility tours by local hosts Encore Wire Corp and Gerdau Ameristeel Corp. The event will be held in conjunction with the American Wire Producers Association (AWPA) conference, which will precede the summit on 21 st and 22 nd May. Foundational support for the event is evidenced by the early action both on the educational

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The 250MW CSP project in San Bernardino County, CA, is expected to be online by August 2014, producing 617GWh per year. However, due to the need for transmission network upgrades to accommodate the 25-year PPA, the agreement became more costly than anticipated, and this could have marked the end of the PPA as the CPUC requires utilities to opt for the most cost-effective options. Despite the higher cost, the CPUC has approved the CSP agreement, commenting that the added renewable energy capacity for PG&E warranted the approval. CPUC President Michael R Peevey added: “Mojave Solar is the furthest developed utility-scale solar thermal project that the CPUC has encountered in our capacity of reviewing the utilities’ RPS power purchase agreements. The project is highly viable and the solar thermal facility will enhance the resource diversity of PG&E’s energy portfolio.” Mojave CSP project approved

The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has approved the power purchase agreement between Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) and Abengoa Solar affiliate Mojave Solar LLC, for the 250MW Mojave

concentrating solar power (CSP) facility, despite higher costs.

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Fatality during w i n d protest

Oaxaca

The man, Reynaldo Ordaz, was among wind plant construction workers driving through a roadblock established by demonstrators. He was allegedly shot, though it is not yet clear by whom. Local press reports say that the protest against the 90MW Piedra Larga I wind project (a development by Spanish renewables group Renovalia Energy through local affiliate Demex) also left over 20 demonstrators injured, some seriously. Reports cited the Union of Indigenous Communities (UCI) as the leaders of the protest. Piedra Larga 1 is the country’s biggest wind project. Amnesty International has previously condemned an earlier attack on protesters, when around 50 plant development workers forced entry and threatened at least two opponents. The incidents illustrate complaints made to Amnesty International by the indigenous Zapaoteca community that wind plant construction in the area “is taking place without their free, prior and informed consent, in line with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.”

A man was killed during a demonstration against wind plant construction in the Mexican state of Oaxaca.

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Greenwich wind project

Renewable Energy Systems Canada (RES Canada) has completed the Greenwich wind energy project on the northern shore of Lake Superior, Ontario. The 99MW project is a limited partnership, jointly owned by Enbridge and RES Canada, and in which Enbridge has a majority interest. RES Canada, an affiliate of RES Americas, developed the project and then constructed it under contract to the partnership. The project consists of 43 units of Siemens SWT-2.3-101MW wind turbines, and is expected to produce sufficient energy to power around 33,000 Canadian households.

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An awful lot of fasteners in Brazil

From 8 th to 9 th November 2011 the Fastener Fair was staged, for the first time, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. However, reports state that the quality and range of stands and high visitor traffic suggested a more established event. Organizer Mack Brooks Exhibitions attracted 171 exhibitors to Fastener Fair Brazil, well over a third of which were Brazilian companies. With more feature stands throughout the hall and a wide spectrum of well presented shell stands,

exhibit quality was consistently high. Several international manufacturing technology companies were represented. National Machinery, Wafios and Weighpack have well established business links to Brazil’s fastener manufacturing sector and received continuous interest, although Brazilian stands drew the greatest visitor attention.

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Wind in New Mexico

Brazil to see new trade fair

Superior appointments

Teknor Apex Asia Pacific Pte Ltd has appointed James Leong as senior marketing executive for vinyl. Mr Leong will be in charge of marketing a full range of flexible and rigid compounds widely used in automotive, medical and wire and cable applications, plus Apex ® compounds duplicating vinyl formulations developed by Teknor Apex in the United States. His responsibilities will extend to the entire region served by Teknor Apex Asia Pacific, from Oceania through Asia and the Middle East.

Messe Düsseldorf and its partner Grupo Cipa have announced the launch of a new trade fair for the wire and cable industry in Brazil: the first staging of wire South America will take place from 8 th to 10 th October 2013 at the Imigrantes Exposicoes Exhibition Centre in São Paulo (concurrently with Tubotech, the international trade fair for pipes, valves, fittings and components). Messe Düsseldorf is the organizer of wire and Tube, leading trade fairs in the international wire, cable and tube sector and, internationally, Messe Düsseldorf has many years of experience in organizing trade fairs for both industries in United Arab Emirates, South-East Asia, Brazil, China, India and Russia.

Element Power US has completed construction of its 50MW wind energy project at Macho Springs, New Mexico. Construction on the 2,000 acre site began in January 2011. The wind farm uses 28 Vestas V100-1.8MW turbines. The Macho Springs wind farm is expected to generate enough electricity to supply approximately 14,000 homes. Electricity generated by the facility will be purchased by Tucson Electric Power under a long-term agreement.

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Picture : www.bigstockphoto.com ‘Spring’ Photographer - ‘ Rafal Steciuk’

EUROPE NEWS wiredInUSA - December 2011

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Morocco to host first solar farm in €400bn renewables network

Morocco has been chosen as the first location for a German-led, €400bn project to build a vast network of solar and wind farms across North Africa and the Middle East to provide 15% of Europe’s electricity supply by 2050. The Desertec Industrial Initiative (Dii), a coalition of companies including E.ON, Siemens, Munich Re and Deutsche Bank, announced at its annual conference that “all systems are go in Morocco” with construction of the first phase of a 500MW solar farm scheduled to start next year. The precise location of the €2bn plant is yet to be finalized, but it is expected to be built near the desert city of Ouarzazate. It will use parabolic mirrors to generate heat for conventional steam turbines, as opposed to the photovoltaic cells used in the UK.

The 12km 2 Moroccan solar farm will, said Paul van Son, Dii’s chief executive, be a “reference project” to prove to investors and policy makers in both Europe and the Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region that the Desertec

vision can be a major source of renewable electricity in the decades ahead.

Discussions are already underway with the Tunisian government about building a solar farm, he said, and Algeria is the next “obvious” country, due to its close proximity to western Europe’s grid. Countries such as Libya, Egypt, Turkey, Syria and Saudi Arabia are predicted to start joining the network from 2020, as a network of high voltage direct current cables are built and extended across the wider region.

EUROPE NEWS

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Bekaert hit by China competition

Lives endangered by copper theft

Patients’ lives were put at risk after the theft of several meters of copper cabling from a hospital in Sidcup, Kent, UK in the early hours of 11 th November. The cabling was connected to the hospital’s backup generator, which provides emergency power to the hospital’s wards and operating theaters. Director of estates and facilities Jonathan Pearce said: “We really are very angry and disappointed about this theft, which has thoughtlessly endangered the lives of patients. “This cabling provides emergency power for all of our wards and operating theaters and, if the external power supply had failed, there would have been no electrical power for the site. “After a short delay, we have been able to reconnect the backup generator this morning, but I am amazed that people are willing to behave in this callous way and put their own local hospital and community at such risk.”

Steel wire and coatings firm Bekaert has warned of tough trading conditions in China, due to competition and cost increases, although third-quarter sales fell by less than expected due to a strong performance in Latin America. Belgium-based Bekaert has invested significant resources in the Asia Pacific region where it employs more more than 10,000 of its 25,000-strong workforce in response to high demand for its steel wires, but sales there declined 24% against the same period last year. Bekaert says challenging trading conditions will continue in China, where an important market is for the supply of wire to cut silicon wafers for the electronics and solar power industries, and also predicted a growing impact from the global financial turbulence in most of its markets. Growth in Latin America, and automotive industry sales in Europe, helped offset the Asia Pacific pressures to leave third-quarter sales down 6 percent at €816 million.

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Leoni’s Q3 report

Subsea link monitoring

Leoni AG, a maker of wires and optical fibers based in Germany, has reported a sharp rise in its third-quarter net income, reflecting increased demand from the automotive and capital goods industries. Third-quarter net income increased to €32.9 million and revenues for the quarter rose 27 percent to €913.1 million. The Wiring Systems division recorded increased sales of €474.5 million, compared to €384.4 million the year before, with the company increasing its shipments of cable harnesses and wiring systems to international car and commercial vehicle manufacturers. Sales from Leoni’s Wire & Cable Solutions division increased amid strong worldwide growth in the automotive cables business and cables for automation technology and infrastructure projects in Europe. In response to the increased demand, the company increased its workforce by 3,883 workers, taking the total to 59,039.

LIOS Technology provided two major North European utilities, Fingrid Oyj and Svenska Kraftnät, with its multimode Distributed Temperature Sensing (DTS) system to monitor the HVDC subsea link between the two utility grids. The electricity transmission connection crosses the Gulf of Bothnia between southern Finland and Sweden. The Fenno-Skan 2 HVDC project creates a new 800MW, 500kV subsea electricity transmission connection following a 200km route. It forms a bipolar arrangement with the existing 550MW, 400kV Fenno-Skan link, commissioned in 1989, to provide a 40% increase in power transmission capacity between the two countries. The DTS systems provide real-time distributed temperature sensing of the HVDC interconnecting subsea cable and land cables on both sides, ensuring a safe and stable grid operation.

EUROPE NEWS

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Spirit of the Games award

David Lee Jones was known as honest and fair when he judged the Society of Cable Telecommunication Engineers (SCTE) Cable-Tec Games, and during this year’s competition the first-ever Spirit of the Games award will be dedicated in memory of the late CommScope employee. “Many SCTE members and fellow CommScope colleagues knew that David’s passion for learning was cultivated in his willingness to share his knowledge with others,”

during the games. He always had a passion for sharing as well as caring. He was a remarkable and devoted teacher. “On behalf of everyone at CommScope, we are thrilled the award’s first recipient will go to another individual that clearly demonstrates the same passion David exhibited throughout his career as well as his life.” The Spirit of the Games award will be given to a participant, staff member or host vendor who embraces and exhibits sportsmanship and the learning environment at this year’s International Cable-Tec Games.

The games will be held during SCTE Cable-Tec Expo ® in Atlanta. Local Cable-Tec Games are typically held during chapter vendor days or regional cable shows. They provide an arena for contestants to compete in events that measure their technical abilities such as cable splicing and meter reading. Each year, first place winners of the local competitions are recognized for their achievements as they gather to compete on an international level during Cable-Tec Expo.

said Chris Gemme, manager of global technical services, broadband, at CommScope.

“David accomplished that by coaching others

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Chemical acquisition

PolyOne has announced its recent purchase of Ohio-based ColorMatrix, a maker of liquid colorants, additives and fluoropolymers. “Among the multitude of opportunities we reviewed this was by far the best,” commented Stephen Newlin, chairman, president and CEO of PolyOne during a conference call with stock analysts. “ColorMatrix is a true specialty company...with a relentless focus on innovation and customer service.” Newlin described ColorMatrix’s 98 percent customer retention level as “the highest I’ve ever seen.” ColorMatrix has

annual sales of almost $200m and recorded pre-tax profit of almost $44m in the year ended 30 th June. PolyOne’s John Van Hulle described ColorMatrix as “a highly specialized company with a premiere suite of application technologies” and 162 patents. ColorMatrix “has a strong reputation for innovative technologies,” he said during the conference call. Liquid colorants account for 42% of ColorMatrix’s sales, with 38% coming from performance additives and 20% from fluoropolymers and silicone colorants.

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Videos from Maguire

Two new videos posted on the Maguire Products Inc website show how the LineMaster™ extrusion control system operates, and explain how Maguire believes it can save costs, increase productivity, and enhance product quality. Included are a two-minute overview and a comprehensive 18-minute video. Presenter Chris Crittenden, sales manager for Maguire Europe, shows that the LineMaster system can exert precise control over throughput (pounds or kilograms per hour) or product yield (grams per foot or meter). The benefits he cites for processors include accuracy within 0.5% of target, up to 4% savings in raw material, faster startups and quicker job changes with less scrap, and complete documentation of material consumed throughout the extrusion process.

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Submarine projects may face delays

Underwater power transmission is a vital part of infrastructure plans around the world, as renewable power sources become available. The opportunities for grid interconnections, and connecting offshore wind farms to landmasses, for example, have led grid operators to implement submarine power transmission cables to supplement or replace aging and inadequate grid infrastructures. According to a recent report from Pike Research, submarine transmission cable projects will increase from just over 60 worldwide in 2011 to over 350 cables by 2020, placing significant pressure on the existing industry. “Unfortunately, the supply chain for high-voltage submarine cables is not ready for the exploding demand for these products,” said Pike Research president Clint Wheelock. “Only a few manufacturers in the world

are capable of producing high-voltage submarine cables, and purchasers have few other places to turn when manufacturers tell them there will be an unexpectedly long wait for their desired product.” Constraints on new project development are not confined to cable manufac- ture. Site engineering companies and cable- laying ships are also highly specialized and also in limited supply. The shortages are expected to be most acute in Europe. From 2011 to 2015, purchasers and developers have proposed to install an additional 14,000 kilometers of high-voltage submarine cables in 53 separate projects in Europe – nearly three times the total of the last 11 years. Some industry watchers estimate that the current supply chain is capable of producing only one-third of the required cables for projects planned in the next five years.

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Picture : Alessandro Paiva

ASIA & AFRICA NEWS

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South Korean power plans

Plans for large-scale fiber access network Alcatel-Lucent and China Unicom have announced plans to launch one of China’s largest fiber broadband access networks to date. Alcatel-Lucent has been selected as the major supplier for China Unicom’s expansion of its broadband access network based on GPON technology in 29 provinces to satisfy growing demand for capacity- intensive applications such as interactive TV, video-on-demand services, gaming, social networking and more. An extensive effort is taking place across China to expand the reach of fiber-optic networks to provide superfast Internet to millions of households. Alcatel-Lucent is deploying its Gigabit Passive Optical Networking (GPON) platform to ensure China Unicom’s network will be capable of boosting speed and capacity as subscriber demand increases. China Unicom’s project will be the largest deployment of GPON technology to date. Rajeev Singh-Molares, Asia-Pacific president at Alcatel-Lucent, said: “This project represents another major milestone in the rapid expansion of broadband in China. It also demonstrates our strong and growing leadership position in the FTTx market as we help accelerate availability of superfast broadband throughout China.”

The Ministry of Knowledge Economy of the South Korean government has revealed revised plans for its $9 billion offshore wind power project. The aim now is to develop a 100MW test project in 2014, a 400MW project in 2016, with a final 2GW project by 2019. The government said Korea Electric Power Corp will be leading the development of the projects. Eight suppliers will be involved, including Doosan Heavy Industries, Hyundai, and Daewoo. Only Doosan has an offshore turbine, which is yet to be deployed in the water, but Daewoo has expressed South Korea does not have any offshore wind farms, although Doosan is currently supplying a 60MW project off Jeju island, in the south of the country, which is expected to be online by June 2014. Experts estimate that the country has the potential to generate as much as 15.48GW through offshore wind. an interest in acquiring Bard, the German offshore turbine manufacturer and developer.

ASIA / AFRICA NEWS

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Baosteel price cuts

NBN for MDUs

Corning Cable Systems Pty Ltd, the Australian arm of Corning Inc’s telecommunications segment, will be a primary supplier of fiber optic cable and hardware to NBN Co for the Australian government’s National Broadband Network (NBN) for multiple-dwelling units (MDUs). Corning already has a similar deal to supply fiber optic cable and hardware for single-family units, and this new deal will be worth up to AUS $310 million over the next five years. Under the contract, Corning will supply its bend-insensitive ClearCurve cable. NBN is planned to supply over 93 % of Australian homes and businesses (around 12 million premises) with an open access FTTH network; over 30 percent of these are estimated to be MDUs. After winning the earlier contract Corning announced a AUS $25 million investment in its Clayton, Melbourne, facility to meet the increased demand.

China’s Baoshan Iron & Steel has said it will will reduce its main product prices for December bookings, a move reflecting the weakness in steel demand in the final month of 2011. The company is to cut hot-rolled coil prices by 200 yuan ($32) per tonne and cold-rolled coil prices by 300 yuan per tonne, after maintaining its main steel product prices through November from October. Reuters reported that the company, also known as Baosteel, is the country’s biggest listed steelmaker and its pricing is often seen as a barometer of China’s steel industry.

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Japanese joint development

Fiber deal attracting interest

Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd and Furukawa Electric Co Ltd have developed optical interconnect technology for the high-speed, large-bandwidth internal data transmissions demanded by the next generation of high-performance servers. Transmissions via the currently used copper wire present limitations with increasing speed and bandwidth. However, with optical transmission over fiber optic lines issues arise concerning required space. Now Fujitsu Laboratories and Furukawa Electric have developed optical interconnect technology that increases the density of fiber optic lines while enabling high-bandwidth internal communications at speeds of 50Tbps, ten times faster than is possible with existing copper lines. This technology promises to enable high-bandwidth, high-performance servers capable of a wide range of services involving real-time analysis of huge amounts of data from sensors, such as forecasts of traffic congestion and of electricity demand.

Chinese telecoms equipment vendor ZTE is among several international firms planning to participate in Safaricom’s recently-announced tender for firms to install, operate and maintain a 4,000km national fiber optic network. Business Daily Africa reports that the cable, provisionally priced at USD $50.5 million, will become the second largest inland network behind the 4,300km National Optic Fibre Backbone Infrastructure (NOFBI). Three different equipment suppliers were chosen to deploy NOFBI, with each vendor responsible for one of the three regional sections; Huawei deployed networks in Nairobi and the central region, ZTE covered the west, and Sagem handled the coastal and north-eastern zones. ZTE is believed to be the fourth company to declare its intention to participate, following local firms Jamii Telecoms Ltd (JTL), Kenya Data Networks (KDN) and Soliton Telemec. Safaricom’s director of corporate affairs, Nzioka Waita, has confirmed that several other global vendors have expressed interest, commenting: “We are seeing a wide range of interest from both local and international vendor community and which offers us with good ground for negotiating the pricing.”

ASIA / AFRICA NEWS

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The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has pledged funding worth $410.7 million for a total of 28 rural telephone operators to build, expand and improve broadband in rural service territories across 15 states. The announcement was made at the annual meeting of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners in St Louis, Missouri. Companies set to benefit from the investment include the Paul Bunyan Rural Telephone Cooperative in Minnesota, which will extend its existing fiber-to- the-home (FTTH) network to 45,710 households and businesses in North Central Minnesota. Paul Bunyan has been operating since 1952 and has been affiliated to the Rural Utilities Service since 1953. Announcing the news, USDA secretary Tom Vilsack said: “Today’s funding will provide residents of these rural communities with high speed internet connections to improve healthcare and educational opportunities and connect to global markets. In addition to providing much needed services to rural businesses and residents, these investments will increase jobs, not just in the near term, but through expanded opportunities in rural areas.” Rural broadband fund announced

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Braking lights! Roanoke, Virginia was chosen for the successful debut of New Energy Technologies’ MotionPower TM Express system, believed to be the world’s first rumble strip to be capable of generating sustainable electricity. The Roanoke Civic Center was the first of several test and demonstration events planned by the company. “The City of Roanoke takes seriously its responsibility to be good stewards of the environment and is always looking for unique ways to meet our mission of increased sustainability,” said Ken Cronin, director of general services/ sustainability. “We are proud to be the first city in the nation to test this novel technology with the potential to make the way we produce energy more clean and green.”

Over 580 vehicles participated in the six-hour demonstration event. As vehicles slow down or stop, the tires depress small rumble strip-like treadles, allowing for the capture of kinetic energy. This captured energy is converted to electricity.

Engineering estimates show an optimized and installed MotionPower system, expe- riencing a traffic pattern similar to the 6-hour event, could produce enough sustainable electricity to power lights for the average American home, or power a 150ft 2 sports venue electronic billboard or marquee, for an entire day.

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IWMA monthly news wire China 2012 A key trade fair for the Chinese market appears for the fifth time in Shanghai from 25 th -28 th September at the world class SNIEC exhibition centre. This biennial exhibition has grown dramatically in size since the inaugural event in 2004 and every edition has been supported by the IWMA as industry partner. Apart from providing its traditional information booth at wire China 2012 the IWMA offers members and non members alike the opportunity to book a space or a fully inclusive Dragon exhibitor package at cost price. Please contact the association to register an interest in being part of the IWMA exhibitor group. Wire & Cable India 2012 This key exhibition for the region will take place again next year in Mumbai from 30 th October to 1 st November in conjunction with Tube India 2012. The IWMA will be there with a support stand for members and will be offering special Maharaja exhibitor packages in good locations. If you are interested in a package for Wire & Cable India 2012 please contact the IWMA Secretariat. Prices are still being finalised but are likely to be very similar to 2010 levels. Notice is given to all IWMA member companies in North America that the association’s 41 st annual general meeting will take place on Tuesday 6 th March 2012 at the Mere Golf & Country Club in Knutsford, Cheshire, UK at 11am. The AGM will be followed by the IWMA’s industry lunch, where members and their customers and guests will enjoy an invaluable social and networking event. If North American members are unable to attend there will be a second excellent event during the wire Düsseldorf exhibition. Immediately after the end of the day’s exhibition on Tuesday 27 th March 2012 members can walk the short distance to the Congress Centre to attend the IWMA wire Düsseldorf Members’ Dinner. More than 200 representatives from member compa- nies plus special guests from other industry associations attend this very popular event, which has become one of the highlights of the exhibition week. All members will be mailed information about both of the above events in the next two weeks or so.

2012 exhibitions Important

dates for IWMA members Important

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Delegates at CabWire World Conference non-ferrous session on 7 th November 2011

CabWire World Conference 2011 attracted more than 150 participants The recently held CabWire event in Düsseldorf drew an attendance of more than 150 persons to the Congress Centre. In concurrent ferrous and non-ferrous sessions delegates viewed presentations by 26 speakers. They also had the opportunity to visit 18 table top exhibits and there were well received plant tours to Drahtwerk Cologne and Leoni Kerpen. Any industry colleague interested in purchasing the conference CD-Rom of these papers can now do so from the IWMA Secretariat. Theprice for non IWMAmembers is US$120 and there is a discount of 10% for members. Any organisation taking out membership of the IWMA before 31 December 2011 will receive a free copy of the CD-Rom. To secure a copy of the CD-Rom please contact the IWMA now. For further information on the event and the list of papers presented please visit the dedicated conference website: www.cabwire-duesseldorf.com

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NetOmnia to monitor 22,000 mile network

Centina Systems has successfully deployed NetOmnia TM , a customer- centric network and service assurance solution, for SDN Communications, a business- to-business broadband service provider in South Dakota. NetOmnia manages SDN’s multi-vendor network with over 50 unique product types from over 20 different vendors. With NetOmnia, SDN monitors device alarms, pro-actively manages capacity and performance related issues, correlates service failures and identifies customer impact in real-time. Tom Durfee, SDN Communications vice-president of network operations, said: “Of all the products we evaluated, only NetOmnia was an out-of-the-box solution. “All the other network management and service assurance products were tool kits, requiring extensive customization and ongoing administration services. In addition, NetOmnia enables us to be proactive and identify potential problems before our customers have service interruptions.” “NetOmnia has a user friendly interface that allowed our staff to come up-to-speed quickly,” Durfee added.

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Lubrizol acquisition

The Lubrizol Corporation has signed an agreement to purchase Merquinsa, a leader in specialty thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPUs). The acquisition will expand Lubrizol’s Engineered Polymers division.

Lubrizol markets products under the Estane ® brand name. Estane engineered polymers are highly versatile thermoplastic elastomers utilized in film extrusion, cable jacketing, injection molding, calendaring and solution processes for applications such as textiles, wire and cable, and medical devices. “We are excited to be adding Merquinsa’s capabilities and products to our engineered polymers business. Merquinsa’s strong global brand recognition, along with its solid track record of profitable growth broadens our product portfolio, increases our global reach and strengthens our manufacturing capabilities,” said Rocco Mango, Lubrizol vice president and general manager, Estane Engineered Polymers. Lubrizol will be assuming approximately 100 Merquinsa employees. Once the transaction closes all Merquinsa products will be integrated with Lubrizol, combining the product offerings under the Lubrizol Engineered Polymers business. Based in Barcelona, Merquinsa serves the most technically demanding segments of the specialty polymer market, and its products serve a variety of industries including automotive, sports and leisure and textile coatings.

wiredInUSA - October 2011 wiredInUSA - November 20 1 r

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Alcatel-Lucent / China Unicom................................................................................................................29 Baosteel............................................................................................................................................................30 Bekaert..............................................................................................................................................................22 California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) ..................................................................................14 Centina Systems ...........................................................................................................................................36 Desertec Industrial Initiative (Dii)...........................................................................................................21 Element Power US........................................................................................................................................19 Fastener Fair, Brazil.......................................................................................................................................18 Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd /Furukawa Electric Co Ltd..........................................................................31 Houston Wire & Cable company..............................................................................................................10 IWMA.................................................................................................................................................................34 Leoni..................................................................................................................................................................23 LIOS Technology............................................................................................................................................23 Lubrizol............................................................................................................................................................ 37 Maguire Europe.............................................................................................................................................26 Messe Dusseldorf..........................................................................................................................................19 Corning Cable Systems Pty Ltd / NBN co............................................................................................30 Ottawa Citizen................................................................................................................................................. 9 Pike Research..................................................................................................................................................27 Polyone.............................................................................................................................................................25 Renawable Energy Systems Canada......................................................................................................16 SCTE CABLE-TEC / CommScope..............................................................................................................24 Shaw Communication.................................................................................................................................11 Teknor Apex....................................................................................................................................................19 US Department of Agriculture.................................................................................................................32 vendor ZTE......................................................................................................................................................31 WAI operations summit & wire................................................................................................................12

INDEX EDITORIAL

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Cersa-MCI......................................................................................................................................... 13 Inhol................................................................................................................................................... 11 Ken Forging........................................................................................................................................ 7 wire Düsseldorf ................................................................................................................................ 8 Wire and Plastic ............................................................................................................................... 2

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