Letter to a friend from Jean Devos
My Dear Friend SMW4 casualty. I feel very sad for OCC who was forced recently to call for Japanese government protection, a kind of Chapter 11 process. OCC is in real difficulty – No order! As you know, I was in charge of the submarine cable production in Calais from 1965 to 1977. During that period I developed friendly relations with all of my counterparts around the world. At a certain stage, we had even created a sort of “cable club.” We were holding regular meetings attended by the top
managers of OCC, Simplex, STC, Pirelli and Alcatel Cable. It was very pleasant and useful to meet people sharing the same culture and facing similar difficulties and challenges. My very first visit to OCC was in 1965, in Yokohama, a visit which gained my admiration forever. My very last one was for the Kota Kyushu new factory opening ceremony in 1996. As a guest coming from abroad, I had the privilege to break open the traditional sake cask! I dare say that OCC has been the best submarine cable maker of our community.
Their history deserves our respect and I only hope that they will find a way through their present difficulties. The closing of OCC is in no one’s real interest! You may recall my message of my January 2004 letter: “SMW4 looks like an oasis in the middle of the desert! …I can put myself in the shoes of the suppliers and see the importance of such project. A buoy!! A must be in!! Not being part of this action will be dangerous since the market needs several more years to pick up!! This project will undoubtedly play an active role in shaping the future supplier industry. Thank God and geography this cable is structured in several segments and then is “splittable “between several suppliers if the purchasers want! All the parties involved here, purchasers and suppliers, needs for sure to protect their short term interest. But they have also the opportunity to work for the long term general interest of our industry.”
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