Wire & Cable India Emagazine Jul-Aug Issue 2021

Jul-Aug, 2021 | Vol. 10 No. 05 | Annual Subscription ` 1000/-

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CABLE & WIRE FAIR 2022 • 1, 2, 3 March 2022 • Pragati Maidan, New Delhi • www.cablewirefair.com

(An ISO 9001 : 2015 Company)

An Experience of Three Decades in Designing and Rigid Stranding Machines Construction of Rotating Machinery.

Spearheaded by a team of highly qualified engineers and technocrats, We have two manufacturing units at premium locations in Delhi-NCR equipped with the state-of-the-art machinery to manufacture machines for Conductor/Cable(HT/LT) & rope industry. We have successfully delivered our machineries to more than 100 satisfied clients across the globe in our two decades of operation.

Rigid Stranding Machines

Drum Twister Machines

Taping Machines and Equipment

Rigid Armouring Machines

High Speed Semi Automatic Core Rewinding Line

Rigid Armouring Machines

Heavy Duty Take up & Pay off stands

Rigid Armouring Machines

Office & Works-1: Plot No.744, Sector-69, IMT, Faridabad (NCR), Distt.: Faridabad, PIN-121004, State: Haryana (India) Landline: 0129-2977999, Mobile: +91- 9811010197, +91-8586969099, +91-8586969100 E-mail: info@cabletechindia.com, cabletechmachines@gmail.com, ctm97@rediffmail.com, Works-2: Plot No.143 & 150, NangIa - Gajipur Road, Gajipur, PO: Pali, Distt.: Faridabad, PIN-121004, State: Haryana (India) Phone: +91- 9811010197, +91-8586969099

www.cabletechindia.com

CONTENTS July-August, 2021, Wire & Cable India

Keeping The Spark Alive The COVID-19 pandemic has presented one of the most formidable challenges to humankind in recent history. With the advent of coronavirus, a new historical divide has been created — the world Before Corona (BC) and the world After Corona (AC). The BC era has gone and we are accelerating into a new world that is re-thinking to find a balance between what worked before and what needs to happen now. Strong leaders are projecting optimism and looking for new possibilities and opportunities in the new era.

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Systematic Bullish on Power Sector: Setting up Largest Plant for Cable Armour Wire in Western India

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“The new facility in Vapi, Gujarat will set new benchmarks in quality and great cost savings for our customers, making Systematic the lowest cost producer of cable armour wire.”

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GEEKAY: Aiming to grow, serve and expand in line with the customer needs “The new plant for GEEKAY has started operations in Sri City and is a state-of-the-art plant with world-class infrastructure and technology.”

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Enamel-insulated rectangular wire for the electric mobility

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Cable Compounds – Pivotal for Efficient Performance of Wires and Cables

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Industry 4.0 The Factory of the Future

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The Fourth Industrial Revolution, also known as Industry 4.0, is radically transforming the world. Now that we are well into the Fourth Industrial Revolution, it’s critical that we discuss how the wire and cable industry is served by these new innovations.

NEWS

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Image Source: Shutterstock

Cable compounds, made from mineral and synthetic raw materials, act as the required filler and protection material for various types of wires and cables. The composition and the application are tailored as per the needs and the environment of the cable system. Broadly, there are special compounds for the filler of communication cables (fiber optics) and different types of compounds for the external protection of electrical, traction, and special cables.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has presented one of the most formidable challenges to humankind in recent history. With the advent of coronavirus, a new historical divide has been created — the world Before Corona (BC) and the world After Corona (AC). The BC era has gone and we are accelerating into a new world that is re-thinking to find a balance between what worked before and what needs to happen now. Strong leaders are projecting optimism and looking for new possibilities and opportunities in the new era.

www.wirecable.in

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Image Source: Shutterstock

REWIRING BUSINESS

Jul-Aug, 2021

REWIRING BUSINESS COVID-19 is unleashing a new era of change and bringing long-term actions in the way businesses function.

The organisations are coming out of it stronger and demonstrating resilience, pushing India to take baby steps towards economic recovery.

According to the latest data by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), “GDP at constant prices (2011-12) in Q1 of 2021-22 is estimated at INR 32.38 lakh crore, as against INR 26.95 lakh crore in Q1 of 2020-21, showing a growth of 20.1 percent as compared to a contraction of 24.4 percent in Q1 2020-21.”

Fulfilling the Demand for Greater Internet Bandwidth Due to the closing of schools, universities, and offices during the lockdown, the implementation of teleconferencing platforms has skyrocketed. It has eliminated inperson meetings, enabling businesses to operate remotely. Everything, from education to healthcare, relied on data connectivity and the internet became the quintessential commodity. In the near future, 5G promises to revolutionise the communications industry and fibre optic cables are essential to achieve a true revolution.

Talking about the recovering wire and cable market, Mr. R. Sridharan, Chief Executive Officer, Birla Cable Ltd. said, “After September 2020, the requirements started coming in and the market was getting stabilised in terms of reasonable offtake of volumes. Some of the cable types were directly related to FTTH (Fibre-To-The-Home) segment and its offtake was huge as the workfrom-home culture was predominant during the lockdown period and all service providers were giving connections in a big way using these speciality cables to the users. After the initial hick-ups in the lockdown period, both domestic and overseas customers/users started coming up with regular volumes offtake, thereby ensuring that manufacturing plants

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are picking up in terms of capacity utilisation.”

According to the data released by the telecom ministry last year, India’s internet consumption witnessed a surge of 13 percent when the nationwide lockdown was put in place as people consumed 308 petabytes of data daily. The growing reliance on the internet brings the importance of last-mile connections supported by a quality optical fibre network. According to a report by MarketsandMarkets, “The global fibre optics market size is estimated to be USD 4.3 billion in 2019 and is projected to reach USD 6.9 billion by 2024, at a CAGR of 10 percent between 2019 and 2024.”

Uninterrupted Power Supply for Essential Services A reliable wiring system and an uninterrupted power supply are necessary for every sector including the essential services. Discoms, wire companies, and electrical solution companies came together to ensure that no one suffers without power during the pandemic.

Talking about the reliable power supply, Mr. Subrata Das, ChiefOperations, Safety, Business Excellence (BE) & TQM, Tata Power-DDL, said, “Amid the pandemic when essential services, especially healthcare, laboratories, food & manufacturing, etc., were the most critical sectors, the company provided a non-stop power supply to keep powering the fight against Corona.”

“During lockdowns, we did our best to support the utilities to avoid power outages and failures and our teams were working relentlessly during these critical periods to support in terms of providing for the required products, installing and supporting online so that the power remains ON,” said Mr. Gagan Chawla, Senior Marketing Manager, Electrical Markets Division, 3M India Ltd.

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Future Scenario According to ResearchAndMarkets, “Amid the COVID-19 crisis, the global market for insulated wires and cables estimated at USD 158.6 billion in the year 2020 is projected to reach a revised size of USD 231.9 billion by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 5.6 percent over the analysis period 2020-2027. Meanwhile, India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra) opines the revenue growth at about 11 percent CAGR witnessed over FY11-FY20 in the cables and wires industry could continue even during the next decade.

“As the situation all over in domestic as well as overseas is coming back to normal, the outlook seems very bright. During these difficult times, the industry has worked to ramp up efficiency and productivity, multi-skilling the workforce, more ownership of employees due to a sense of insecurity, and more exploration of export opportunities,” said Mr. Vijay Kumar Bajaj, Chief Operating Officer, Apar Industries Ltd. Real estate players are gearing up for developing projects with the dipping home loan rates; this will pave way for the wire and cable industry too.

“Construction and manufacturing activities have mostly remained exempted from lockdown measures and will not have a multiplier effect on economic growth given its linkages to various industries like in the year 2020,” said Mr. Abhishek Gupta, Joint Managing Director, Gupta Power Infrastructure Ltd., adding, “The electric wire and cable market in India is expected to grow

by USD 1.65 billion, at a CAGR of almost 4 percent during 2021-2025.

So these are positive signs to look forward to.”

The impact of the virus was felt by all businesses around the world and the wire & cable industry has not been an exception. It went through a lot and had its ups and downs but managed to keep the spark alive!

Jul-Aug, 2021

REWIRING BUSINESS

“The key is diversification and a backward integration strategy during this time” Mr. Abhishek Gupta, Joint Managing Director, Gupta Power Infrastructure Ltd.

Supply Chain Management After Corona

All major industries were facing serious disruptions such as supply chain breaks, technology events cancellations, and office shutdowns as a result of this outbreak. The overall market breakdown due to COVID-19 affected the growth of the cables and accessories market due to the shutting down of factories, obstacles in the supply chain, and the downturn in the world economy. This had a domino effect on the wire and cable industry.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic wave came in FY2020-21, the government has been focusing on containing the infection and ramping up healthcare infrastructure. The nationwide lockdown saved lives but caused massive income loss and production loss, and an overall weak financial performance. COVID-19 coupled with economic uncertainty in several states led to disruptions in the

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production and supply in the wire and cable industry.

Increasing investments in renewable energy projects have been an instrumental factor in influencing the growth of the high-voltage power cable market. Other market drivers include expansion and revamping of T&D infrastructure in India and growth in offshore wind energy.

In addition to these, the wire and cable industry is heavily dependent on imports from countries such as China, the UAE, Russia, and Japan, and exchange rate variations can affect the industry considerably. The sector is prone to such vulnerability due to these factors. On top of all, providing quality products at a relatively low price will always remain a challenge.

Besides, delays in giving a green signal to projects due to the multiple clearances and approvals

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that are required and the scarcity of manpower are all primary hindrances to the growth of the industry.

Market Scenario After Corona

No doubt, the pandemic-induced lockdowns have affected the usual flow of business and on-field activities like sales. But to stay ahead of the curve, we need to rethink and reinvent the marketing strategy.

Gupta Power Infrastructure has been at the forefront of innovating new and fresh channels of sales and marketing by capitalising on online channels that are huge in this digital age.

The market is fragmented, and the degree of fragmentation will accelerate during the forecast period.

Key players in the market have been launching several initiatives and

Jul-Aug, 2021

REWIRING BUSINESS

introducing innovative products and services to cater to a larger target audience during the pandemic Construction and manufacturing activities have mostly remained exempted from lockdown measures and will not have a multiplier effect on economic growth given its linkages to various industries like in the year 2020. Due to the rather stable demand in the wire and cable segment, currently, our company expects substantially higher growth in revenues from the electrical cables segment over a period of time owing to its well-spread sales and distribution network. We also plan to add products to our already vast portfolio.

The electric wire and cable market in India is expected to grow by USD 1.65 billion, at a CAGR of almost 4 percent during 2021-2025. So these are positive signs to look forward to.

www.wirecable.in

Operation and Workforce Management After Corona

The key is diversification and a backward integration strategy during this time. We are trying to diversify our business to a great extent. To sustain as a growth leader, it’s crucial to diversify to minimise the economic risks inflicted by COVID-19 lockdowns. Besides, Gupta Power aims to sustain the growth trajectory by virtue of its continuous and relentless focus on product quality, manufacturing expansion, technological know-how, and robust customer service. We are trying to minimise risks associated with future lockdowns by focussing on these key areas. Hopefully, they will yield results.

Our strategy is to increase the production capacity and focus on the latest developments in smart cables, smart conductors, smart LED lightings, smart optic fibre cables, and smart GIS substations up to 400 kV figure in the scheme of things.

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Future alliances, partnerships, and expansions are also a part of the plan and we will plan it to the best of our strategic interests In this time of crisis where thousands of people are witnessing their near and dear ones dying and getting affected by the second wave of the pandemic, it is my duty to ensure that everyone associated with Gupta Powers including our channel partners, employees, and our dear customers are safe and sound. It’s a test of humanity and my moral obligation dictates me to check on my immediate family and my employees who are my second family and ensure they are safe.

To win our employees’ trust drives us to act with empathy and compassion.

As an ethical and responsible business owner, I wish to state that during these times of crisis, it’s our moral duty to rise up to the occasion, stand by each other in whichever way possible and prove to be resourceful to our people and country when they need us most.

Jul-Aug, 2021

REWIRING BUSINESS

Mr. Sandesh Bhagwat, Managing Director, LEONI Cable Solutions (India) Pvt. Ltd.

“Office employees & supporting functions are able to work remotely through online meetings”

Operations and Workforce Management Before Corona

We used to work in 3 shifts for 8 hours each before the pandemic and there was flexibility in shuffling the manpower. There were no travelling restrictions and need for social distancing. There was limited uncertainty towards employee absenteeism. Preventive maintenance and machines which are dependent on AMC were done as per the schedule. Communication was not a challenge as there was no concept of work from home.

After Corona

Lockdown was imposed and the plant was completely stopped from 19 March 2020. We started operation with limited manpower from the last week of April 2020 and ran 2 x 12 hours shifts.

Operators and contract employees who were out of Pune were not able to join till June 20. Due to

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travelling restrictions/night curfew, accommodation arrangements were made for the employees of the second shift in the plant.

We faced challenges in maintaining social distancing & safety measures during COVID situation particularly while travelling and at the canteen. There was uncertainty in absenteeism due to COVID positive employees, their family members, or neighbours. Also, the production activities witnessed a heavy impact.

We also faced challenges in meeting the quarantine rules in case of employees returning back from their natives. Also, there were challenges with regard to commuting to the factory and number of seats in public transport. We saw ten COVID positive cases in 2020 and twenty six positive cases in 2021 and around 50 percent of the workforce was unavailable to perform at the factory. Due to travelling restrictions, downtime & stoppages

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of machines, especially Ebeam Machine increased. However, office employees & supporting functions are able to work remotely through online meetings, trainings, and communication through Webex.

Social distancing is maintained at shop-floor which has an impact on the production.

Supply Chain Management Before Corona

Manpower availability at the supplier end was not an issue before the pandemic. The working pattern of the supplier used to be 3 shifts x 8 hours. There were no interstate truck movement concerns and international logistics was also not a challenge. Besides, there was flexibility in shuffling the manpower.

Jul-Aug, 2021

REWIRING BUSINESS After Corona

Decrease in manpower for production, quality analysis, dispatch, and support resulted in delayed dispatches from suppliers’ end. We had to work with limited manpower & run 2 x 12 hours shifts which resulted in delayed receipts of RM and child parts. Intermittent state-wise lockdowns resulted in state-to-state transportation issues for inbound and outbound logistics.

Also, special permissions were required for some state travels. We witnessed higher freight charges and congestions on customs ports.

Due to non-availability of space, there were 2 to 3 weeks delays for import FCL movements from EU. Vessel availability for Australia is a big challenge and shipping lines are charging a heavy surcharge for preference. Air cargo and passenger movements are a challenge due to reduced flights.

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Jul-Aug, 2021

REWIRING BUSINESS

Mr. Vijay Kumar Bajaj, Chief Operating Officer, Apar Industries Ltd.

“Business is now better, demand is picking up and people have started adjusting to the situation”

Operations and Workforce Management Before Corona

The situation before Corona, say in December 2019 was all normal and nobody could have imagined things to follow.

Market demand was steady and all the projects in every sector including government, utilities, EPC, solar, wind, railways, defence, etc were in full swing. The money market was also steady and normal.

Exports were absolutely normal, as usual, dominated by China.

Shipping, container availability, ocean freights, etc were all normal as in a competitive environment and in fact, the supply was more and demand was near about.

The workforce availability was easy as usual, in fact, surplus, and generally available in demand. The managerial demand was normal, and it was not all that easy to find good people.

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After Corona

Initially, China faced the issue of COVID-19. Earlier, it was presumed that it is an issue localised to China.

Unfortunately, COVID spread from China to Europe, the USA, and thereafter to several countries including India.

It became clear to India by midMarch that the COVID pandemic is likely to affect our country, and the lockdown was enforced w.e.f 22 March 2020, initially for 7-8 days, and then went on extended. The April-June 2020 quarter became a washout for many. The operations were affected by the migration of the workforce to their hometown.

Projects came to almost a standstill.

Overnight, the demand vanished.

Organisations had to deal with stuck-up inventories in RM/WIP/ FG physically and in-transit. Cash flow came to a standstill. Money became a scarce commodity.

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It was a period of high uncertainty.

As demand vanished, the commodities became surplus. Raw material rates came down to their lowest levels in a decade. So much so, the oil prices also crashed to their lowest ever. Due to this, customers started cancelling or renegotiating order prices and it became a nightmare situation.

There were downsizing at various levels across several organisations.

Supply Chain Management Before Corona

The supply chain was well established and moving normally as usual.

After Corona

The supply chain was disrupted during the pandemic. The

Jul-Aug, 2021

REWIRING BUSINESS Expectations from the Government After Corona

The government should ease the finance availability and give some good alternatives to MEIS for boosting exports.

Future Outlook After Corona

transportation was affected due to the non-availability of drivers, vehicles, unloading at the site, etc.

The ports were closed or suboptimally working, resulting in port congestion affecting imports and exports. The situation followed for the scarcity of ships and containers leading to adverse demand-supply gap, thereby consolidation by shipping industry by increasing ocean freights to 4-6 times thereby disrupting import-export trade. The situation is not resolved and still continuing. It is further heading towards a serious market disruption to make exports unviable. The situation of the interdependent world is moving towards self-reliant or localised or regional trade.

even wanting to re-negotiate prices to take advantage of the situation.

Payment from customers became a serious issue. Government funds got diverted to pandemic control, and government contractors could not get payment, thereby affecting the payment cycle. By the time, things were coming to normal; the second wave affected all the things again. By now, the industry and the management staff have learnt and adapted well about Work from Home culture.

Market Scenario

Profit Margin

After Corona

The demand-supply gap tilted towards excess supply, leading to a market crash. Too much capacity was chasing too little demand. The existing customers started cancelling or postponing orders or in few cases

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As the situation all over in domestic as well as overseas is coming back to normal, the outlook seems very bright. During these difficult times, the industry has worked to ramp up efficiency and productivity, multi-skilling the workforce, more ownership of employees due to a sense of insecurity, and more exploration of export opportunities.

The clear winner is likely to be the Indian industry taking lead in the international market and increased export volumes. The image of India has improved due to the better handling of international diplomacy.

Now, it appears that the situation is well under control and people have started adjusting to the situation.

Business is now much better and demand is picking up.

After Corona

As can be understood by the situation mentioned, the profitability took a big hit, especially for industry and projects. The volumes are down, profitability is down, and costs have increased.

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Manufacturers & Exporters of:

Hot Foil Marking Tape for Cable & PE Pipes MAG Plastics, K - 451 & 480, DSIIDC, Bhorgarh Industrial Area, Bawana, Phase - II, New Delhi - 110040, Delhi Mob: +91 9312965386, +91-9310760095 magplastics@gmail.com | www.magplastics.com

Jul-Aug, 2021

REWIRING BUSINESS

“Fibre-tothe-Home segment saw huge offtake due to workfrom-home culture” Mr. R. Sridharan, Chief Executive Officer, Birla Cable Ltd.

Operations and Workforce Management Before Corona

In India, even up to the third week of March 2020 (just before the announcement of lockdown by the government, due to the onset of COVID 19 pandemic), as far as the situation in the aspect of ‘operations and workforce management’ is concerned, there were no challenges as such, and it was going smoothly and in a planned manner.

After Corona

Although the manufacturing companies could somewhat manage the workforce under the prevailing pandemic conditions, to quickly restart the manufacturing after taking necessary approvals from the authorities, the operations could not reach the normal pre-COVID levels as a lot of movement restrictions were in place. New Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) were developed to restart the processes in line with the new requirements.

www.wirecable.in

Supply Chain Management Before Corona

As our manufacturing plants are located in the north-central part of India, it is our general practice to keep the raw materials stock to the extent of 2–3 months’ requirements; the plant operations were running smoothly as per the advanced planning systems in place.

After Corona

routine and thereby affected the movement of raw materials.

The same scenario existed at the beginning of the lockdown period for supplying the finished products to both domestic and overseas customers due to lockdown restrictions which definitely delayed the shipments getting delivered to the customers. However, with persistent short-term planning, the delays were minimised to a manageable extent.

Market Scenario

Raw materials movement into the manufacturing sites got delayed from both domestic and imported sources due to the stoppage of transportation as part of the lockdown guidelines. Only essential services were allowed to function.

Huge delays were there in customs clearance and staff shortage in the cargo handling points in seaports and airports hindered the normal

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Before Corona

Before the pandemic period, due to sluggishness in the economy, the market was not showing any buoyancy, however, immediately before the lockdown, the market requirements were somewhat stable and decent capacity utilisation was there in the manufacturing plants.

Jul-Aug, 2021

REWIRING BUSINESS After Corona

After the lockdown, the market was showing depressed requirements both in the domestic and overseas segments for the initial six months of the lockdown period. After September 2020, the requirements started coming in and the market was getting stabilised in terms of reasonable offtake of volumes. For example, some of the cable types were directly related to FTTH (Fibre-To-The-Home) segment and its offtake was huge as the workfrom-home culture was predominant during the lockdown period and all service providers were giving connections in a big way using these speciality cables to the users. After the initial hick-ups in the lockdown period, both domestic and overseas customers/users started coming up with regular volumes offtake, thereby ensuring that manufacturing plants are picking up in terms of capacity utilisation.

Profit Margin Before Corona

Traditionally, the cable manufacturing industry always faces price pressures which is an inherent phenomenon, and companies which do innovation, development and improved customer offerings will always win in the long run. That is what our manufacturing and services organisations have done and continue to strive very hard to deliver more output.

After Corona

The lockdown definitely induced price pressures on the finished products despite the increased raw material price levels. As the requirements have come down considerably, the price levels of the finished cable could not be stabilised and that has definitely put pressures on the profit margin, which has also reduced to a greater extent.

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Expectations from the Government Before Corona

In view of the government’s active role to ensure ‘Make in India’ products and solutions to be supplied both to domestic and overseas market segments, the manufacturing companies strived their best to support the initiatives.

However, the industry always felt the need for the government to extend more help to the industry as a whole in terms of various support required from time to time.

After Corona

for various support to come out of the hardship. The persistent expectation from the industry which is being put forward to the government is to improve the ease of doing businesses, creation of robust infrastructure, more stimulus packages, availability of cheaper finances and working capital for the industry, tax breaks, and other major policy measures to have a level playing field to compete in the global market, attractive export incentives similar to other countries which will enable the country to earn valuable foreign exchange.

Future Outlook After Corona

During the lockdown, the manufacturing sector suffered the most in terms of loss of orders, employee issues, raw material availability, finance-related issues, logistics-related challenges, etc.

During this period, although the government had announced some of the stimulus packages and support measures to tide over the severe downtrend from the industry, the slide could not be arrested which was the phenomenon that happened not only for the manufacturing industry in India, but on a global scale. However, the industry continued to request the government

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Although the pandemic conditions are improving, everyone is expected to take utmost precautions and show COVID 19 appropriate behaviour.

The ‘new normal’ way of living is expected to play a major role with which all are expected to set the course. The manufacturing industry suffered majorly during the peak of the pandemic, but the revival is being seen now during the second half of 2021 and from 2022 onwards, the situation is expected to stabilise as reported by the opinion of the health experts and economists with the new normal way of conducting the businesses as well.

Jul-Aug, 2021

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New Milestone

REWIRING BUSINESS

“Gradual economic recovery has brought back the demand for wire and cable products” Mr. Hemant Gadhave, Business Unit Head, Wires, Cables and Tapes Division, Panasonic Life Solutions India Pvt. Ltd. (formerly Anchor Electricals)

Operations and Workforce Management Before Corona

Our organisation was functioning with excellent operational parameters. With well-trained workmen and well-maintained machines, we were delivering

Manufacturers & Exporters of:

Hot Foil Marking Tape for Cable & PE Pipes MAG Plastics, K - 451 & 480, DSIIDC, Bhorgarh Industrial Area, Bawana, Phase - II, New Delhi - 110040, Delhi Mob: +91 9312965386, +91-9310760095 magplastics@gmail.com | www.magplastics.com

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high-quality products with good productivity.

After Corona

It is true that the COVID-19 pandemic and the massive economic disruption have undoubtedly created a setback for the wire and cable industry. It was clear that significant disruptions would occur, be it shortages, supply chain disturbances, and production bottlenecks. To manage this complex and dynamic situation, wire and cable companies pivoted to mitigate crisis management, supply chain realignment, agile product development, and innovation, amongst others.

The unprecedented challenges & disruption in our manufacturing caused by COVID-19 had operational & social consequences.

It has forced us to rethink risk management and contingency plans, workforce safety protocols, manufacturing operations, and new ways of working opportunities, all at

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the same time.

While we have witnessed a complete lockdown during the COVID phase which had resulted in a washout with no business activity; fortunately, due to our controlled expense management, strong financials, judicious management of finances, there were reduced operational expenses.

Our factories are up & running and following all the government guidelines. We are maintaining proper hygiene and social distancing within our factory premises. While our production has not yet hit preCOVID levels, the product demand has picked up and the production levels are expected to return to what they were earlier.

PLSIND (Panasonic Life Solutions India Pvt. Ltd.) implemented necessary steps for business continuation, with strict safety protocols at offices and factories to allow most employees to work from home. With the government mandating partial lockdowns, Jul-Aug, 2021

REWIRING BUSINESS the PLSIND taskforce provided guidance and support, resumed work from home for office operations and partially suspended manufacturing operations in regions under partial lockdown.

Guided by Panasonic’s management philosophy, which values people over products and employee safety over business, the COVID taskforce was responsible for ensuring the well-being of employees, their families and partners. PLSIND also conducted onsite vaccination programme for all employees and family members across all locations. There was no reduction of manpower and no deduction in the compensation of employees during the COVID phase. Regular performance appraisals were given as per PLSIND policies along with variable incentive pay.

Supply Chain Management Before Corona

Our raw material price & freight cost was stable with nearly 4-5 percent increase every year. Production planning & control activities and vehicle availability were smooth and managed well within limits of our standard inventory practices.

After Corona

Our raw material price & freight cost has increased drastically by more than 10 percent. Production planning & control activities and vehicle arrangement has been our greatest challenge as it has to be managed to comply with respective states’ COVID lockdown norms by maintaining buffer inventory to meet the uncertainties. At the same time, we emphasised our focus to supply material directly to the sales branches instead of supplying via our central distribution centres, thus reducing the lead time as well as the stagnation of material due to lockdowns. In fact, in certain cases, we supplied material directly to our distributors from factories to improve the material availability. www.wirecable.in

Market Scenario Before Corona

The wire and cable market was growing with a CAGR of 15 percent approximately owing to the government’s impetus on ‘Make in India’ campaign, and the development of smart cities. The major growth driver was expected to come from the segments like power & infrastructure and building & construction.

After Corona

The domestic wire and cable market, which is 500 billion, suffered a reduction in FY20 because of economic slowdown on account of the COVID 19 pandemic.

Numerous end-user industries were hit by the lockdown while most ongoing or planned projects were delayed. Investments in construction and infrastructure slowed down as the government prioritised spending on healthcare to fight the pandemic while private industry lacked demand visibility. Consumer sentiment remained low, hampering discretionary spending. While the situation is improving gradually with reference to the various macroeconomic indicators, the overall slowdown persisted for a brief period and after unlock 1.0 the sales gradually started to pick up and by the end of the year, it was as per our sales plans.

Profit Margin Before Corona

The profit margin was stable throughout the period with respect to the sales.

After Corona

The rising price of raw materials including copper and PVC is becoming a major issue as it has squeezed the profit margins of the wires and cables industry. Moreover, the cost of the paper also increased

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resulting in increased cost of packing materials.

Expectations from the Government After Corona

Overall, the wire and cable manufacturers need to increase investments to modernize the manufacturing units and invest in automation with IoT. In the extended run, a strong supply chain, expert workforce, and constant innovation will be of great help in grabbing new opportunities.

Also, support from the government is needed with regard to appropriate policies and investments so as to increase the competitiveness of the wire and cable industry. Improving R&D infrastructure, adhering to a systematic approach and focusing on long-term growth is critical.

Further, the government needs to take strict action against the counterfeit market which sells substandard products and increases the chance of fire accidents.

Future Outlook After Corona

The emphasis of the business would always be customers’ satisfaction.

Last year, the business and the economy were disrupted due to the impact of lockdown and other necessary measures that were taken by the government. The gradual economic recovery that we are witnessing has brought back the demand for wire and cable products.

We believe that in the next financial year, the economy would be back on track and the wire and cable segment would start registering a higher growth rate as pre-COVID times.

Jul-Aug, 2021

REWIRING BUSINESS

Mr. Gagan Chawla, Senior Marketing Manager, Electrical Markets Division, 3M India Ltd.

“During lockdowns, we did our best to support the utilities to avoid power outages and failures”

Product Portfolio 3M electrical markets division designs and manufactures a comprehensive line of products that addresses diverse applications including insulating and sealing, wire and cable management cable repair, splicing/connecting/ grounding, and locating and marking products. Our key product range includes power cable accessories (cable jointing and termination kits) suitable from 1.1KV to 145KV, a wide range of electrical tapes ranging from premium vinyl tapes to mastic and rubber tapes for electrical maintenance, maintenance sprays and wire connectors, and insulating paper and tapes for electrical OEM applications.

New Addition One of the new product ranges which will be a good support system for grid modernisation is 3M Sensored Cable Accessory which makes the voltage and current measurement easier. The 3M™ Sensored Cable Accessory

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QX-Generation 2.0 enables you to measure critical parameters (voltage, current, phase angle) in an underground MV electrical network. This solution incorporates highly accurate voltage and current measurement integrated into one product which means you get precise measurements without modification of the installed equipment.

Additionally, the sensors are passive components thereby not requiring an external power source for sensing.

After Corona Power utilities and industrial facilities depend on a reliable electrical network for providing continuous power supplies. 3M’s reliable electrical solutions help to keep the power on by avoiding outages and disruptions. During lockdowns, we did our best to support the utilities to avoid power outages and failures and our teams were working relentlessly during these critical periods to support in terms of providing for the required

26

products, installing and supporting online so that the power remains on.

At the same time, we were affected by lockdowns as the manufacturing unit was in a lockdown zone, and hence, for a certain period, we were unable to serve our customers.

Future Outlook The future of power grids and network is how you can make it more digitised and data-driven which in turn will help to have better analysis leading to more efficient networks. Sensing, digitalisation, and embedded intelligence provide situational awareness resulting in a profound shift for every industry including utilities. 3M is at the forefront in helping to make that transformative shift. Our professionals have direct experience helping utilities and industrials with their grid modernisation projects.

We would welcome the opportunity to collaborate with our customers to help them transform their grid.

Jul-Aug, 2021

REWIRING BUSINESS

Mr. Subrata Das, Chief-Operations, Safety, Business Excellence (BE) & TQM, Tata Power-DDL

“We urged our consumers to stay indoors and make the most of our digital platforms for services”

Services and Solutions After Corona

The COVID-19 pandemic engulfed the entire world, pushing it into a global health emergency, which was an unprecedented crisis that confined humans within boundaries and walls. In such times, Tata Power-DDL rose to the occasion to serve its people with an even greater dedication knowing that the need was unlike before.

We are committed to providing reliable power supply to our consumers, however during these testing times; we were all the more dedicated towards ensuring the safety and convenience of our consumers. We urged all our consumers to stay indoors and make the most of our digital platforms for services so that we all can overcome this crisis.

Amid the pandemic when essential services, especially healthcare, laboratories, food & manufacturing, etc., were the most critical sectors, the company provided a non-stop

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power supply to keep powering the fight against Corona. Tata PowerDDL took adequate precautions to keep its consumers safe by offering services through a digital interface. To ensure consumer ease and safety for registering No Power Supply (NPS) complaints during the COVID-19 pandemic, the company introduced a service where consumers could give a missed call on our toll-free number to register NPS complaints directly.

In its endeavour to stay connected with its consumers while complying with the social distancing norms, the company also organised a virtual Senior Citizen Meet, ‘E- SAMMAN’, where doorstep services were being provided to the senior citizens. In line with the DERC’s (Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission) guidelines to ensure the safety of consumers, Tata Power-DDL introduced a smart feature of self-meter reading for its consumers during the pandemic.

Besides opting for self-meter reading, the company also urged its

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consumers to opt for digital modes of payment (through e-wallets, UPI, Company’s Mobile App or Website) from the confines of their homes to help them follow the social distancing norms. Consumers could easily activate and instantly receive duplicate e-bills by various mediums such as its official website, mobile app, WhatsApp number, or by calling up the call centre.

Tata Power-DDL’s official website is highly popular among its consumers.

Over two lakh consumers visit it monthly for availing various services like bill payment, new connection, schemes and offers, feedback etc.

During the COVID-19 lockdown, it was observed that the number of visitors on the website increased by 20-25 percent, in compliance with social distancing advisory.

Therefore, a section ‘Powering Fight against Corona’ was created on the website that dedicatedly offers all necessary information to consumers at a single click.

Driven by the Tata Group ethos where caring for the community is

Jul-Aug, 2021

REWIRING BUSINESS

a cardinal virtue, Tata Power-DDL, besides powering a populace of over 7 million in its area of operation, reached out to the weaker sections of the society through its social

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innovation initiatives to extend help to battle with the multiple crises related to food, shelter, and protection from infection. Working closely with the Delhi Govt. and

29

other NGOs, the company strived to revive the true spirit of ‘Dil walon ki Dillli,’ where arms are open to accepting and hearts are filled with kindness.

Jul-Aug, 2021

SOARING HIGH

Systematic Bullish on Power Sector Setting up Largest Plant for Cable Armour Wire in Western India “The new facility in Vapi, Gujarat will set new benchmarks in quality and great cost savings for our customers, making Systematic the lowest cost producer of cable armour wire.” its new production facility, product portfolio, machinery installed, and emerging trends in the galvanized wire segment.

Wire & Cable India: Systematic Group has been serving the

Indian wire industry with a range of wires and wire products for more than two decades, please shed light on some of the notable accomplishments of the company.

Sidharth Agrawal: Systematic Group has been in the wire industry since 2000. We have five manufacturing locations in and around Gujarat and Silvassa region. We were amongst the first EPA partners with Tata wires during those times.

In the last two decades, Systematic has grown exponentially but more importantly, we have become the preferred supplying partner of all the major cable and conductor manufacturers in the country and this is our biggest accomplishment.

WCI: As the company has set up a new production facility – kindly share details about – the investment, infrastructure, product portfolio, kind of machinery, and manufacturing capabilities.

Mr. Sidharth Agrawal, Managing Director, Systematic Group

Systematic Group is one of the leading GI wire manufacturers in India and a reliable supplier for hot dipped galvanized wire, high carbon & low carbon steel wires, and ACSR wires. The company exports its products to many parts of the world including Asia, Africa, and Europe. In an interview with Wire & Cable India magazine, Mr. Sidharth Agrawal, Managing Director, Systematic Group talks about the accomplishments of the company,

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“

We have become the preferred supplying partner of all the major cable and conductor manufacturers in the country and this is our biggest accomplishment.

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”

Jul-Aug, 2021

SOARING HIGH

“

WCI: What are the key strengths of the product range offered along with the certifications to testify its quality?

We have installed state-of-the-art machinery in the new plant with a heavy emphasis on automation at every level.

SA: At Systematic, we constantly strive towards how we can add value to our customers, especially cable and conductor manufacturers. We take pride in our strong work ethics and long-term relationships. The majority of our customers are 15 - 20 years old and the company has always stood by them even during difficult times.

”

SA: Systematic has set up a massive new facility in Vapi, Gujarat on approximately18 acres of land. It is one of the largest manufacturing plants at a single location for cable armour wire and ACSR core wire that will set new benchmarks in quality and great cost savings for our customers, making Systematic the lowest cost producer of cable armour wire.

In current times, most companies are facing multiple challenges with high volatility in steel prices which in turn impact their competitiveness.

GI wire is particularly a highly competitive product hence any company without proper cost control and economies of scale will struggle to survive in the longer run. Hence, it is very important for any cable/conductor manufacturer to have a reliable long-term steel supplier for consistent growth.

We have installed state-of-the-art machinery in this plant with a heavy emphasis on automation at every level. Major products to be manufactured here are cable amour—GI wire, ships, and ACSR core wire, and the ability to manufacture Jumbo coils of 2 MT. Since the majority of the machinery has been imported for this plant, it can produce high-quality products in huge volumes at a cheaper cost for our customers.

Because of the production efficiency of this factory, our customers can be assured of at least 5 – 10 percent cost saving only by virtue of consistent tolerance of sizes and large coil weights.

The factory was supposed to start production in 2020 but due to the Covid situation, it will be commencing production by end of this year.

All products are BIS registered and ISO certified. Systematic wire guarantees minimum 20 percent longer life than other wires available in the market.

WCI: What are the different markets that the company serves with its product range? What are your plans with respect to expansion to newer markets and how do you view your prospects in the global market?

We have also invested heavily to make this facility high on sustainability through large solar plants for in-house power generation and also rainwater harvesting to save groundwater.

SA: The new project has been designed keeping global quality standards in mind and the factory has already been audited with some notable International clients.

A unique feature of this ambitious plant is that despite being of its large scale, all the investment has been pulled from internal resources so that we can keep the plant debt-free and offer competitive prices to our customers.

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Jul-Aug, 2021

SOARING HIGH

“

All the countries have reduced their steel production in the country except China, India, and Africa; this provides a good opportunity for Indian companies to be an exporter for the long run.

”

We want this company to upscale the customer experience multifold. It is designed to be completely CUSTOMER CENTRIC and automated our entire sales process with the integration of high-end software such as SALESFORCE to give our customers a better service experience.

considered galvanized and therefore all wires were the same for them.

But now with digitalisation the customer is far more aware and educated about GSM coating (i.e. gram coating per sq. mm of wire). They are willing to pay more for good quality, high GSM wire as they know that thicker coating will last much longer and will be much cheaper in the long run.

Customers have also started asking for the salt spray test to identify how many years the wire will actually last after installation.

In the near future, Systematic will strongly rely majorly on cable and conductor manufacturers as large demand is expected from the Indian power sector.

WCI: Since the wire and cable industry is a direct beneficiary of the development in the power sector; what are your views on the developments taking place in the Indian power sector like the expansion and revamping of T&D?

A lot of new innovations are coming up in the market as well such as the zinc alloy wire coating that increases the shelf life of the wire substantially. The aesthetic look of the wire has also become important. Customers require more shine and uniform coating. Zinc alloy coated wires will surely be in great demand in the coming years.

SA: India is the third-largest producer of electricity in the world and second-largest consumer of electricity.

1.

China

7503 TWh

2.

USA

4401 TWh

STEEL PRODUCTION % SPLIT

2000

2020

3.

India

1559 TWh

China

15.1

56.7

Europe

24.7

9.5

North America

15.9

5.4

C.I.S.

11.6

5.3

India

3.2

5.3

Japan

12.5

4.4

Other Asia and Oceania

4.4

4.3

South Korea

5.1

3.6

Africa and Middle East

2.9

3.4

South America

4.6

2.0

Table 1: Top 3 power-producing nations in the world You will observe that while India is in the third position but there is a huge gap after the top 2. With the growing Indian population even if the power generation doubles we are still far from the top 2 nations.

Under the Union budget 2021-22 the government has allocated INR 305,984 crores for a revamp and reform new power distribution sectors scheme over the next five years.

We are therefore very bullish on this sector.

WCI: What are the emerging trends in the galvanized wire

segment across the globe? Also, describe the prowess the company has to meet customer demands in the steel wires industry.

Table 2 : Country-wise steel production percentage split If you notice the trend, all countries have reduced their steel production except China, India, and Africa. This provides a good opportunity for Indian companies to be exporters in the long run.

SA: In earlier times, the end consumers were not educated about galvanized wires. Any wire with white shine was

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Jul-Aug, 2021

SOARING HIGH WCI: In view of the crisis brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, what was the impact on the Indian wire industry and the disruptions brought in the supply chain and the demand? How did the Systematic Group adapt to the crisis?

WCI: Moving ahead, what are the future plans of the company?

SA: At Systematic, ‘Innovation and Growing Together’ are our core mantras; therefore both these areas are under the close leadership of my Father Mr. Rajendra Agrawal.

SA: COVID 19 was a testing ground for everyone and the last 2 years have been difficult in general. No one imagined that all economic activities will come to such a standstill.

Demand in the industry has dropped by 40 to 60 percent.

Constant innovation and robust R&D sector are critical to stay relevant and he consistently invests his time to be able to better our quality, offer better cost-effectiveness, and superior service experience to our customers.

However, we have turned the corner. Things are starting to look in a positive direction and there will be a lot of accumulated demand in the coming times.

At Systematic, our employees’ safety was paramount during Covid times. We tried to support them in every way possible -safety protocols, vaccination camps, and most importantly moral support.

We also believe that growth should be for all and philanthropy is a very important aspect of it. Every year, a percentage of our profit is channelised towards various CSR activities and causes we strongly believe in. After all, one thing we can certainly learn from Covid– humanity is above all.

We stood by our employees during these challenging times and not a single rupee was deducted from anyone’s wages and salaries.

We are not in the race to become number one in the industry.

We believe in delivering value to our customers and will continue to serve them for years to come.

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Jul-Aug, 2021

EXPANDING FOOTPRINT

GEEKAY: Aiming to grow, serve and expand in line with the customer needs “The new plant for GEEKAY has started operations in Sri City and is a state-of-the-art plant with world-class infrastructure and technology.” about the new plant in Andhra Pradesh, its infrastructure, machinery, product portfolio and the current market scenario for winding wires.

Wire & Cable India: Could you please offer a glimpse into

the business journey of G.K. Winding Wires Ltd. along with its crucial milestones?

Sameer Agarwal: GEEKAY was started as a small-scale industry manufacturing enameled wires in North India

by Mr. Sudhir Agarwal in 1975. Ever since the start, GEEKAY has been a pioneer in all respects – from making their own machinery to being the first company to get the latest technology in India from MAG in 1997.

GEEKAY started in Okhla Industrial Area and consolidated manufacturing in Greater Noida in 1990. It went on to pioneer the import of state-of-theart technology in 1997 from Austria and did import substitution for many customers.

I joined in 2006 after completing my education from DCE and XLRI, Jamshedpur. In 2007, GEEKAY started its second manufacturing plant by the name of Swastik Wire Product in Himachal Pradesh, along with Mr. R.D. Jain. In 2018, GEEKAY started its third plant in Greater Noida, dedicated to aluminium enameled wires as there was a clear gap in the market for a quality manufacturer.

Mr. Sameer Agarwal, Managing Director (standing) and Mr. Sudhir Agarwal, Chairman & Managing Director, G.K. Winding Wires Limited (sitting)

G.K. Winding Wires Ltd. is the leading manufacturer of copper & aluminum enamelled winding wires in India, marketed under its brand GEEKAY. Established in 1975, the company has four manufacturing units with three in North India and one in South India, giving it a unique advantage of being able to serve customers for any scale of their needs across the country. Wire & Cable India recently interviewed Mr. Sameer Agarwal, Managing Director, G.K. Winding Wires Ltd. wherein he talks

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COVID delayed the project by one year, and now in 2021, GEEKAY has started its plant in Sri City, Andhra Pradesh with the intent of becoming a preferred supplier to electrical industries in South India which lacks an organised good quality manufacturer who can grow, provide service and expand in line with the customer needs.

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Jul-Aug, 2021

EXPANDING FOOTPRINT

WCI: G.K. Winding Wires Ltd. has recently announced

WCI: What do you think are the added advantages of

the opening of its 4th Plant at Sri City, Andhra Pradesh.

Please shed some light on the infrastructure, types of machinery, manufacturing capabilities, and latest technology at your new facility. Do you have any similar expansion in the pipeline?

having manufacturing units in multiple locations?

SA: We are dealing in a high-value commodity – copper and controlling inventories of this item is very critical. In addition, in today’s dynamic environment, proximity to the customer is necessary to maintain a healthy supply chain, as shortest possible reactions to dynamic business requirements – be it changes in schedules or requirements of a new product by the customer.

SA: The new plant for GEEKAY has started operations in Sri City and is a state-of-the-art plant with worldclass infrastructure and technology. The plant is just 20 km from Chennai and overnight road transportation distance from Coimbatore, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad.

The infrastructure is suitable for supporting up to 3000 MT per month of capacity for enameled copper wires, although we will start with a capacity of 400 MT and keep adding machines as per market conditions.

WCI: Please share your opinion on the current market

scenario for winding wires. Also, give us examples of how your products are solving market needs?

SA: The per capita consumption of copper in India is 1/10th of developed countries due to low per capita income and weak power infrastructure. This copper consumption is in the form of appliances, automotive, and utilities that we use in our daily lives.

The products that are planned for this plant include round wires of copper and strips for EV and HEV in the automotive industry. We will also be making wires for the general motor industry, home appliances like washing machines, mixer-grinder, air conditioning, refrigerator industry, etc and pump and fan industry.

With the growing focus of the Government of India on more inclusive development, we can already see things changing for betterment. In our journey of becoming a developed country, there will be a tenfold increase in copper consumption and hence sky is the limit for any manufacturer. Also as time goes on, the quality requirements of the product also keep rising, as customer expectations in terms of the life of the product also keep getting higher.

This plant of GEEKAY group will be the focus of investment and expansion as we would like this plant to reach its worthwhile capacity of 3000 MT as soon as possible. In addition, due to proximity to seaport, we also see this plant as a means to expand our exports.

“

Enameled copper wire, being the heart of any electrical product, is the most critical component in ensuring life and good performance of the product during its life cycle.

This plant of GEEKAY group will be the focus of investment and expansion as we would like this plant to reach its worthwhile capacity of 3000 MT as soon as possible.

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”

WCI: G.K. Winding Wires Ltd. is known for its

international standards and high level of quality. What factors help you strike a balance between quality and price?

36

Jul-Aug, 2021

EXPANDING FOOTPRINT SA: All products of GEEKAY are UL-approved and meet the highest global standards. We have been felicitated by many of our customers for our technical expertise and cost improvement initiatives.

WCI: What is the future roadmap and growth strategy of

the company?

SA: India is yet to see the economies of scale that are there in China and in order to do that, the market size has to grow. The per capita income of China is more than USD 10000 while in India it is nearly USD 2000, and India has to get there sooner than later. This increase in per capita income will turn India’s huge population into one of the biggest consumer markets and the world will want a share of this market. This in turn will open new opportunities for everyone including the enameled wire industry.

We, at GEEKAY, believe that although the cost is very important, quality is the only way to reduce costs. We don’t compromise with respect to material quality and have been able to build credibility based on reliability and trust. Enameled wire manufacturers, at times, try to show short term gains to the customer by using recycled copper as input. But the customers must realise that this not only reduces the life and reliability of their product but can also end up producing a non-ROHS compliant product which can lead to long-term problems and loss of credibility internationally.

“

In addition with the advent of EV and HEV, the consumption of wire per vehicle will become almost ten times as the engine will be replaced by a motor.

GEEKAY wants to be a leader in this growth story and has the resources with respect to team, knowledge, and infrastructure to capitalise on these opportunities.

We, at GEEKAY, believe that although the cost is very important, quality is the only way to reduce costs.

”

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Jul-Aug, 2021

SPECIAL FEATURE

Cable Compounds – Pivotal for Efficient Performance of Wires and Cables Cable compounds, made from mineral and synthetic raw materials, act as the required filler and protection material for various types of wires and cables. The composition and the application are tailored as per the needs and the environment of the cable system. Broadly, there are special compounds for the filler of communication cables (fiber optics) and different types of compounds for the external protection of electrical, traction, and special cables.

Image Source: Shutterstock

For the editorial feature on cable compounds, Wire & Cable India interviewed a few leading players in the cable compound industry on the kind of challenges and opportunities they foresee in the segment, their outlook on the industry, the expansion plans of the company and the recent key trends. The companies shed light on how they are serving the needs of the wire & cable market with their distinct portfolio.

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Jul-Aug, 2021

SPECIAL FEATURE

Wire and cable compounds are fundamentally used for providing high degree of insulation to wires and preventing the entry of moisture in power transmission or telecommunication cables. Besides, the compounds are also supposed to impart superior mechanical stability along with corrosive and chemical resistance to the wires and cables.

As a matter of fact, many wire and cable compounds are created for specific end-use applications such as – high and low voltage power cables, telecommunications, telephone wire, coaxial cable, jacketing, etc.

Many of these cable compounds are required to be flame-retardant. In addition, many of the olefinic wire and cable compounds are crosslinked to improve their temperature, tear and abrasion-resistance.

Types of Cable Compounds On the basis of the polymeric materials commonly used as coatings for electrical cables, three types of classes can be highlighted: the thermoplastic polyester (PBT), the crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE), and the halogenated resins, such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC).

Also, the exact nature of the additive varies depending upon the kind of cable applications in which they have to be used.

The materials employed in the electrical insulation of cables or wires are exposed to a number of external factors upon which the overall performance of the system depends upon. These factors include mechanical vibrations, high temperature, humidity, wind and rain. In order to ensure a stable and credible solution, the materials need to follow specific criteria with regard to their abrasion, thermal and chemical resistance, flame retardancy, and mechanical properties.

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Cable compounds are extensively used in power transmission applications. Further, increasing investment in smart grids in addition to rising production of renewable energy is projected to boost the market growth.

Talking about the wide array of products, Mr. Joshua Bruni, Foreign Sales, Fainplast Srl, said, “In addition to a very complete range of PVC compounds that meet all applications of this polymer in the cable industry; the company has also developed LSZH cable compounds around twenty years ago and is one of the market leaders in this segment today. The vision for safer and greener products has paid back in the years making Fainplast a reference company in the development and supply of products used in newborn sectors such as the renewable energy market.”

The compounds are meant to play the role of effective jackets to conducting materials – wires or cables, enabling them to be ideal for use in a wide array of industries, from power and automotive to construction and communication.

Future Roadmap Shedding light on the future plans of the company, Mr. Abhishek Rathi, Founder and Director, Taprath Elastomers LLP said, “To name a few, we are working on offering radiation cross-linkable compounds for applications including defence and navy soon. We are also developing process aid additives for cable manufacturers and flame retardant masterbatches.”

It can be said that the increasing use of advanced wire and cable compounds in a number of industries along with public and private investments to advance the generation of renewable energy is expected to bode well for growth

39

in the cable compounds market segment. Furthermore, the projected growth of this market can also be attributed to the increased utilization of advanced technologies in manufacturing, and government initiatives in the various industries.

Thus, the outlook of the cable compounds market seems to be promising and is likely to grow steadily over the coming years.

“The Indian wire & cable market is poised for significant growth in the years ahead. The need for infrastructure investments, robust safety standards and implementation of technologies such as 5G fibre to the home and alternative energy are all trends that will continue to empower strong growth in the years ahead,” said Mr. Gautam Nivarthy, Executive Vice President & President, Polymer SolutionsAlphagary.

In the words of Mr. Karan Shah, Director-Marketing & Business Development, Lifeline Technologies, one of the leading manufacturers of performance additives and masterbatches, “The wire and cable industry is growing at a very fast pace due to the consumer requirements for better overall connectivity. Lifeline Technologies has designed products to add value and enhance the life of the wires and cables. This creates a sustainable solution for the final consumer.

With government initiatives of Digital India, Make in India, and private companies laying optical fiber throughout the country, it is providing further impetus for solutions that we offer.”

Team Wire & Cable India interviewed a few leading players engaged in the business of the cable compounds about the key innovations in the sector, and the unique features of their product portfolio along with the key trends they foresee in the segment.

Jul-Aug, 2021

RIDING HIGH

Alphagary: Expanding global footprint with acquisition of Shakun “Our combined product portfolio and capabilities are well-positioned to address the emerging requirements.” majority share ownership. As a direct complement to Alphagary’s specialty product offerings that support a connected world, Shakun’s product development focus is on halogen-free, flame-retardant compounds and PVC-based compounds for data and power cables.

In an interview with Wire & Cable India magazine, Mr. Gautam Nivarthy, Executive Vice President & President, Polymer Solutions-Alphagary, talks about the acquisition and future plans.

Wire & Cable India: Alphagary has acquired a majority

share ownership of Shakun Polymers Pvt. Ltd. (Shakun).

Could you please outline the details of this acquisition?

Gautam Nivarthy: Alphagary has invested to take a

majority ownership stake in Shakun Polymers Pvt. Ltd. (Shakun) to create a world-leading specialty compounds solutions provider primarily targeting the wire & cable industry. The solutions of Alphagary and Shakun are complementary. Our market-leading solutions in Alphagary, sold under brand names MEGOLON® (HFFR compounds), GARAFLEX® (flame-retardant TPE compounds), SMOKEGUARD® (compounds for plenum applications), and our GW series (flameretardant PVC compounds) have primarily been focused on the European and North American markets. Shakun has developed solutions sold under brand names

Mr. Gautam Nivarthy, Executive Vice President & President, Polymer Solutions-Alphagary

Alphagary is a global leader in the design and manufacture of specialty polymer compounds and a division of Orbia’s Polymer Solutions business group.

The company specialises in the design, development, and manufacture of a wide variety of compounded materials including those based on PVC, TPE, Olefin, and urethane polymer systems. In June 2021, Alphagary entered into an agreement with Shakun Polymers Pvt. Ltd. to acquire

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“

With our combined capabilities and expertise, we intend to bring best-in-class solutions to customers globally.

40

”

Jul-Aug, 2021

RIDING HIGH

“

ECOTEK® (HFFR compounds), FRTEK® (flameretardant PVC compounds), and VINYLTEK® (flame retardant PVC/TPR compounds) that have a marketleading position in India, the Middle East and Africa. In many parts of the world, regulatory standards for wire & cable products continue to evolve with more focus on safety. Our combined product portfolio and capabilities are well-positioned to address the emerging requirements.

With our combined capabilities and expertise, we intend to bring best-in-class solutions to customers globally. We will continue to invest in Shakun to allow for greater growth in this critical market.

Besides local manufacturing and enriched product portfolios, our customers will benefit significantly from our shared model of building trust and servicing them with customized solutions.

”

WCI: With Alphagary’s specialty product offerings and Shakun’s products – halogen-free, flame-retardant compounds and PVC-based compounds for data and power cables; what do you think is the impact of the investment and the resultant consolidation with terms to profitability and the productivity of the company?

WCI: In view of the recent investment, how would you

describe the growth strategy of Alphagary and the kind of role this acquisition is projected to play in solidifying your position in the global market?

GN: Alphagary has a long-term commitment to growth in the specialty compounds market. This growth will be driven by geographic expansion into critical markets such as Asia, extension into new product offerings through innovation, diligent capital investments for organic growth as well as bolt-on acquisitions where relevant.

The investment in Shakun gives us an opportunity to build and strengthen an innovation platform to primarily India, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, but more broadly across the world.

GN: We have invested in Shakun because there are great synergies in this union. Besides local manufacturing and enriched product portfolios, our customers will benefit significantly from our shared model of building trust and servicing them with customised solutions. This means our combined R&D teams are progressive and agile, no matter which brand offers the necessary customerfocused solution. We will work hard to increase this innovative platform with collective resources starting with the solid reputation earned by the existing brands and building to capitalise on the familiarity and strength that already exists.

WCI: What are your thoughts on the company’s prospects in the Indian wire & cable market? How do you think the Indian market is positioned in the global marketplace with respect to the innovations and technological upgradations and the future growth in the forthcoming years?

WCI: What can we hope to see from the company in the future ahead? What are your plans for sustaining and furthering the growth and reach of the company in the coming years?

GN: The Indian wire & cable market is poised for significant growth in the years ahead. The need for infrastructure investments, robust safety standards and implementation of technologies such as 5G fibre to the home and alternative energy are all trends that will continue to empower strong growth in the years ahead.

The market is also making technological strides of its own and the government has shown willingness to ensure that regulation and government spend are aligned with these trends which also bodes well for the market.

GN: Alphagary’s focus on actively servicing our customers and their next-generation requirements in India, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa is the reason for this investment. Over the next several months, we will dedicate our collective resources to ensure our growing customer base experiences the immediate value by way of local manufacturing, combined technical innovation, and hands-on customer support. By staying close with our customers, we will continue to hear their needs and we will take action accordingly. In this way, we underline our commitment to being their innovative solutions provider. You will see us continue to make investments to support this growth and this will manifest in new products based on our combined innovation engine.

WCI: What will be your strategies for serving the needs of the wire & cable market in the country including the building of a robust local supply chain?

GN: We believe that the location of Shakun, centered in Gujarat, gives us an excellent footprint to serve our customers in India as well as other parts of the world. As next-generation requirements increase, we are prepared to make investments that support customer progress in this space.

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WCI: Any concluding thoughts on the interaction?

GN: At Alphagary, we are very excited about the investment we have made in Shakun and we are focused on using this investment to increase customer satisfaction not only in India or Asia but also in the rest of the world.

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SPECIALTY ADDITIVES

Waldies: Working extensively with PVC compounders and extrusion units to cater to the needs of industry “We have been catering to stabiliser segments of the wire & cable industry for more than half a century.”

Wire & Cable India: Kindly brief us about your business

journey and product portfolio Deepak Ojha: Waldies is a household name in the field

of specialty chemicals. Not just now or the last decade, but for several decades, it has remained to be a renowned chemical brand. It manufactures products for PVC, glass, paints, ceramics, automotive, explosives, and other such industries.

Waldies parents four brands, Ducatus, Griffin, D’WALL and Virichem. Ducatus is an economically feasible PVC and additive manufacturing brand for the industries and Griffin is a world-renowned manufacturer of oxides of lead which are used widely in the production of batteries.

D’WALL is a decorative and construction brand for paints, primers, and other coatings. Virichem is our new innovative brand for eco-friendly PVC stabilizers, additives and impact modifiers.

Tribasic Lead Sulphate, Di-basic Lead Stearate, Di-basic Lead Phthalate, OnePacks, Metal Salts, and lead-free Calcium Zinc Stabilizers are some of our top-selling line of products. Together, these brands house almost 200 ranges of SKUs in varied propositions.

Mr. Deepak Ojha, Managing Director, Waldies Compound Ltd.

WCI: Tell us about your manufacturing facility and the range is dedicated to the PVC segment.

W

aldies Compound Ltd. is one of the oldest chemical manufacturing companies in India.

Established in 1858, Waldies is a leading manufacturer of lead oxides and lead leased PVC stabilisers. In an interview with Wire & Cable India magazine, Mr. Deepak Ojha, Managing Director, Waldies Compound Ltd. talks about the company’s business journey, product portfolio, and the market potential of cable compounds.

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DO: Our manufacturing facility is spread across 20 acres of land which is preserved for over 160 years now. At the site, the manufacturing is divided into two segments, a North Plant and a South plant.

South Plant is responsible for the manufacturing of products used for the PVC segments. In our combined

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SPECIALTY ADDITIVES

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turnover with subsidiaries, sales in the PVC industry are more than 56 percent whereas out of the installed capacities, 35 percent of the P&M are for the PVC segment.

Currently, if we go by conservative estimate, the market size is estimated to be around INR 40,000 crore annually in India with a health growth rate of 12.5 percent (CAGR).

WCI: What is your current market presence? Also, elaborate on the products catering to the wire & cable industry.

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DO: Most of the industry is passing through technological developments, changes, obsolescence. For example, auto companies are shifting from IC engines to electric mobility. And we may see a variety of changes due to switching over from IC engine to electric mobility.

The communication world is also moving from 2G/4G to 5G/6G technologies etc.

DO: Waldies Compound Ltd. is a more than one and

half century-old company. We have been catering to stabiliser segments of the wire & cable industry for more than half a century. We are the oldest manufacturers of these in India.

The stabilisers include TBLS, DBLS, LS, CS, Ca Zn, lubricants etc. Our stabilisers are used by both organised and unorganised segments. Our market share of this segment is around 15 to 20 percent in India. All major manufacturers in India are using our product or have used it in the past. Our product quality is rated to be the best in India.

However, fortunately, no major changes are foreseen as far as the cable & wire segment is concerned except in high voltage of power transmission, where wireless technologies are being tested.

The cable and wire segment has a very bright future and we will see the same technologies with minor changes for the next 3 to 5 decades. It can be turned into a stable segment with excellent growth potential over at least the next half-century both in India and overseas markets.

We have started manufacturing and supplying Zn and Ca based stabilisers due to their increasing demand. Waldies manufactures Red Lead for batteries and various other applications, stabilisers (lead based, Zn based, Ba based) and lubricants for the cable and pipe industry.

Currently, if we go by conservative estimate, the market size is estimated to be around INR 40,000 crore annually in India with a health growth rate of 12.5 percent (CAGR). The major segments of wire & cable include the infrastructure segment (60 percent), agriculture & auto (20 percent), telecom (12 percent), and power cable (8 percent). Around 60 percent of production comes from the organised sector and the rest from the unorganised sector. More than 50 percent of power & cables are used by low voltage segments.

WCI: Could you shed light on some of your upcoming products along with their USPs? DO: As for being a chemical company, new products and developments are always underway. Still, as the question is directed, I’d like to share that we are working extensively with PVC compounders that will cater to the rigid needs of the industry, such as Liquid mix metals and Tin compounds etc.

The worldwide annual turnover of this sector is around USD 200 billion with a healthy growth rate of around CAGR 6.5 percent.

Virichem, on the other hand, was our new brand, supposedly to be launched in 2020 but we all know how things are now, so we entered into the market with our lead-free eco-friendly super impactful products without a marketing campaign and launch. We are, however, planning to have a commercial launch of Virichem and the compound brand very soon.

WCI: How do you view the wire and cable industry and the market potential of cable compounds? What are the recent trends and future prospects?

In India, looking to investments in various GOI schemes like housing to all, power to every household, potable water to every person, modernisation of railway, growth of industrial segments, developments of new areas like infrastructure, space segments, defence segments will definitely increase consumption of wire & cable and we can safely assume it is double in next five years.

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Thus, if we take the present market size of INR 40,000 crore, sheathed cable accounts for 80 percent which is INR 32,000 crores. This segment uses stabilisers worth INR 320 crores and its size is expected to go to around INR 650 crores in the next 5 years.

The cable and wire segment has a very bright future and we will see the same technologies with minor changes for the next 3 to 5 decades.

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CABLE COMPOUNDS

Fainplast: Aiming to become a 360-degree supplier for cable industry in the development and supply of products used in newborn sectors such as the renewable energy market.

Its thermoplastic and Sioplas crosslinkable LZSH compound allow customers to increase productivity, produce better cables and extend their presence on the market.

The cable market is living a long-term growth trend of all halogen-free compounds and for this reason, our company constantly invests every year in new equipment in order to increase its production capacity in this area. We see most customers are now moving towards speciality cables and are searching for innovative materials that allow them to enter into a new business without a huge investment in new equipment.

With a 55 percent share of export sales, Fainplast remains strongly focused on the expansion of its presence in the international markets and at the same time, is interested in maintaining its leading position in the domestic market. This means that the company is constantly investing a large part of its profits every year to increase its production capacity and develop more product families that can make Fainplast become a supplier at 360-degree for the cable industry.

Mr. Joshua Bruni, Foreign Sales, Fainplast Srl

As part of our commitment to innovation, Fainplast constantly seeks for improvement of its production plant because it is primarily a producer. The company targets higher levels of automation and increased production flexibility to improve its productivity and ability to produce more different products. We, at Fainplast, work to simplify our processes and improve efficiency while reducing the total lead-time from the customer order. We ensure to execute these processes while giving utmost consideration to the health and wellness of the people working in the company who certainly play a key role and enable us to give an added value to our products and services.

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ainplast produces plastics in granular form which is a semi-finished product used in a vast number of industries. The company was founded in 1993 by Battista Faraotti and today is one of the most innovative companies in the plastics industry. This success is the result of constant attention to the customer’s needs together with a remarkable capacity to develop innovative solutions, consistent quality, high production capacity, and flexibility. With 22 compounding lines and a production capacity of almost 110.000 tons of compound annually, Fainplast dedicates a large part of its production capacity to service the cable industry with a very complete range of products.

I personally think that the wire and cable industry will maintain globally a stable growth in the next decade with increasingly more interest for zero halogen cables and cables having higher technical performances and easier production methods. While the less developed markets will probably maintain a significant share of PVC cable, I expect more developed markets to keep moving towards eco-friendly solutions.

In addition to a very complete range of PVC compounds that meet all applications of this polymer in the cable industry; the company has also developed LSZH cable compounds around twenty years ago and is one of the market leaders in this segment today. The vision of Mr. Faraotti for safer and greener products has paid back in the years making Fainplast a reference company

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Jul-Aug, 2021

CABLE COMPOUNDS

Taprath Elastomers: Offering a wide range of ready-to-use compounds for wire & cable “Taprath plans to grow multiple folds in the next decade as far as capacities and market reach is concerned for TapBeam and TapStar.”

Wire & Cable India: Kindly brief us about your business

journey and product portfolio Abhishek Rathi: Taprath is part of the Rathi conglomerate. In the 1980s, we set up two plants near Mumbai to manufacture speciality chemicals having applications in welding electrodes, synthetic adhesives, and textile finishing.

The group later ventured into the field of micronized minerals to manufacture activated manganese dioxide powders (A.M.D.), fused as well as agglomerated Submerged Arc Welding flux (S.A.W.) for automatic and continuous welding of LPG cylinders, pipes, pressure vessels, and automobile joints. Today, the group has its presence as manufacturers in industries ranging from metals to herbal healthcare.

Taprath, since its inception in 2003, has been the largest manufacturer of speciality elastomer powders in India to date offering monopoly import substitutes. Later, Taprath ventured into compounding with its state-of-the-art facility in the outskirts of Mumbai offering a wide range of additive masterbatches and ready-to-use compounds for wire & cables as well as compostable packaging applications.

Mr. Abhishek Rathi, Founder and Director, Taprath Elastomers LLP

T

WCI: What proportion of your product range is dedicated to the wire and cable segment?

aprath is a leading manufacturer of a wide range of products based on synthetic elastomers. The company specialises in NBR & SBR powders, rubber compounds, and thermoplastic compounds.

Wire & Cable India recently interviewed Mr. Abhishek Rathi, Founder and Director, Taprath Elastomers LLP, wherein he dives into the product range of the company and reveals its expansion plans.

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AR: Taprath has a few product verticals having their use

in the wire and cable business: • • •

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Elastomer Powders Functional Additive Masterbatches Radiation Cross-linkable Compounds

Jul-Aug, 2021

CABLE COMPOUNDS

These constitute one of our most widely serviced applications (wire & cable) as far as the products are concerned and are a close second to automotive.

WCI: Tell us the current market presence and expansion plans – both domestically and internationally.

WCI: Tell us some of the products along with their USPs.

America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East through channel partners enables us to identify and respond swiftly to new trends and opportunities.

Internationally, we are now promoting our entire range through our partners and also associating with new channels for new applications.

AR: Taprath’s presence in North America, Latin

AR: Tapryl Elastomer Powders: Used for modification

of PVC as well as other synthetic rubbers to meet key oil and abrasion resistance specifications. For PVC, it acts as a permanent plasticizer, offering higher longevity to the cable along with a rubberized feel.

Domestically, we are doing great and are constantly trying to widen our reach. Taprath plans to grow multiple folds in the next decade as far as capacities and market reach is concerned for TapBeam and TapStar. Tapryl is already a known name in the industry and we are striving harder each day to continue the same.

TapStar Functional Additive Masterbatches: We offer masterbatches for UV resistance, rodent, and termite repellency, and anti-microbial properties. We also offer a unique product for HFFR/ LSZH and XLPE cables that completely prevent the dripping of sheathing compounds during the critical fire testing as per UL 94 (V1 and V0).

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TapBeam E-Beam Cross-linkable Compounds: Ready compounds for insulation and sheathing applications in automotive, railway, solar industries. These are electron beam cross-linkable compounds and Taprath is the first one to offer Made-in-India products in these applications.

Taprath’s presence in the niche market of radiation crosslinkable compounds gives an edge over the commodity cable compound manufacturers in the country.

”

WCI: Outline the new product developments in your company.

WCI: How do you view the wire and cable industry and the market potential of cable compounds? What are the recent trends?

AR: To name a few, we are working on offering radiation

cross-linkable compounds for applications including defence and navy soon. We are also developing process aid additives for cable manufacturers and flame retardant masterbatches.

AR: Be it power or communication, India itself is a big

user of cables because of the infrastructural growth currently happening here. This 50000 crore industry has been seeing growth year after year. Big Indian cable companies also export large quantities of cables to other parts of the world. The requirements for compounds are directly proportional to the cable requirement. Taprath’s presence in the niche market of radiation cross-linkable compounds gives an edge over the commodity cable compound manufacturers in the country. The various other speciality masterbatches also face very little competition in the market.

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Be it power or communication, India itself is a big user of cables because of the infrastructural growth currently happening here.

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SPECIALTY ADDITIVES

Lifeline Technologies: Designing products to enhance life of wires and cables ‘’Our new facility has capabilities to simulate the manufacturing conditions of our customers and innovate so that we can develop and test our world-class products.’’

Wire & Cable India: Kindly brief us about your business

journey and product portfolio.

Karan Shah: Lifeline Technologies was established in 1993 with a mission to manufacture innovative and specialty products of global standards. We have been leading the global specialty additives industry. Our promise is to deliver performance and value addition to our business partners. Backed by a diverse product portfolio and a strong presence in over 32 countries, we cater to a wide range of industries. These range from wire and cable to consumer and household durables, as well as packaging and agriculture, to name a few. Our products are a result of years of research & development to ensure the highest of standards.

WCI: What proportion of your product range is dedicated to the wire and cable segment? Tell us some of the products along with their USPs. KS: We are a one-stop solution provider for the wire

and cable industry for their requirements of additives, masterbatches, compounds, and water blocking tapes.

We have unique offerings like rodent repellent, termite repellent, squirrel repellent, UV additives, laser marking masterbatch, and combi batches that combine colour as well.

Mr. Karan Shah, Director-Marketing & Business Development, Lifeline Technologies

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ifeline Technologies provides superior quality additives, masterbatches, compounds, and water blocking tapes to the wire and cable industry.

Established in 1993, Lifeline Technologies has a diverse product portfolio and a strong presence in over 32 countries. In an interview with Wire & Cable India magazine, Mr. Karan Shah, Director-Marketing & Business Development, Lifeline Technologies talks about their wide array of products and the company’s new manufacturing facility.

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“

We have unique offerings like rodent repellent, termite repellent, squirrel repellent, UV additives, laser marking masterbatch, and combi batches that combine colour as well.

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SPECIALTY ADDITIVES

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WCI: Tell us the current market presence and expansion plans – both domestically and internationally.

We offer superior quality of nonwoven and woven swellable tapes and yarns for the cable industry – power cable, telecom cable, and specialty cable.

KS: We have set up a state-of-the-art R&D, QC, and

manufacturing facility about 30 kms from Mumbai.

This has enhanced our additive and masterbatch manufacturing capabilities. Our production capacity is now more than double from last year. We cater to our domestic and international customers spread over 32 countries globally from a single location. Our new facility has capabilities to simulate the manufacturing conditions of our customers and innovate so that we can develop and test our world-class products.

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We offer a wide range of RAL/Pantone-based colour masterbatches for PE, HFFR, PVC, EVA, XLPE, PBT, TPU, PA, PC base resins. We have developed unique flame retardant additives for FRLS and HFFR applications. We also offer flame retardant compounds to achieve the highest ratings that comply with European norms.

WCI: How do you view the wire and cable industry and the market potential of cable compounds? What are the recent trends?

We offer superior quality of nonwoven and woven swellable tapes and yarns for the cable industry – power cable, telecom cable, and specialty cable.

KS: The wire and cable industry is growing at a very fast

pace due to the consumer requirements for better overall connectivity. Lifeline Technologies has designed products to add value and enhance the life of the wires and cables. This creates a sustainable solution for the final consumer. With government initiatives of Digital India, Make in India, and private companies laying optical fiber throughout the country, it is providing further impetus for solutions that we offer.

WCI: Outline the new product developments in your company.

KS: Our new products include PBT polymer with

intrinsic viscosity (IV) value of 1.3, laser marking additive masterbatch, specialised water blocking tape for medium voltage, high voltage, and optical fibre cables.

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Jul-Aug, 2021

Industry 4.0 The Factory of the Future

With this Editorial Feature on Industry 4.0, Wire & Cable India interacted with the key industry players to glean insights on the indispensable role of Industry 4.0 in the wire & cable industry, new product developments, challenges and opportunities. Also, they present their outlook on the role of automation and the ways in which technological innovations are integrated in the production process.

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Image Source: Shutterstock

The Fourth Industrial Revolution, also known as Industry 4.0, is radically transforming the world. Now that we are well into the Fourth Industrial Revolution, it’s critical that we discuss how the wire and cable industry is served by these new innovations.

Jul-Aug, 2021

INDUSTRY 4.0 Technology Roadmap for Industry 4.0

The modern global economy is at the threshold of the new industrial revolution – the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It is a new sphere of industry, which started as a result of widespread emergence and use of new technologies – digital technologies and internet technologies enabling the development of fully automatised production processes. The technologies that are emerging today will soon be shaping the world tomorrow – with creating meaningful impacts to economies and to society at large.

The fourth industrial revolution and the impact of the drivers and technologies behind Industry 4.0 has led to more ‘4.0’ terms, including Logistics 4.0 (logistics and transportation), Construction 4.0 (construction industry), Energy 4.0 (energy and utilities industry), amongst a few others to name.

The term “Industry 4.0” was initially coined by the German government which describes and encapsulates a set of technological changes in manufacturing. It is closely related with the concepts of – Internet of Things (IoT), Cyber Physical System (CPS), Information and Communications Technology (ICT), Enterprise Architecture (EA), and Enterprise Integration (EI).

Shedding light on the future roadmap envisioned by Supermac Industries, Mr. Vivek Kohli, Director and Board Member of Supermac Industries (India) Ltd., said, “The future of Industry 4.0 implementation in the wire and cable industry is an excellent opportunity to sink in with ‘Make in India’ initiative and realise the full potential of Indian manufacturing capabilities and thereby adapting to this change. Overall, the widespread adoption of Industry 4.0 would require the collaborative efforts of wire and cable industry leaders and related associations.”

Further, this is regarded as a new industrial stage in which several emerging technologies are converging to provide digital solutions. This transformation is marked by full automation and digitisation processes, and the use of electronics and information technologies in manufacturing and services.

It can be summed up that Industry 4.0 is the informationintensive transformation of manufacturing in an integrated environment constituting – big data, people, processes, services, systems and IoT-enabled assets as the means to realize smart industry and ecosystems of industrial innovation.

Lean Production Systems for the Wire & Cable Industry

Dr. Mikko Lahti, Director, R&D, Maillefer Group, remarked, “Maillefer welcomes smart technology as a means of taking the manufacturing process to the next level. Today’s production processes are nearly all digitally integrated and automated. The amount of data collected and constantly generated is simply gigantic, making it practically impossible for humans to comprehend without assistance. Fortunately, modern tools and methods can process and understand it. Deep learning and computer algorithms sift through huge volumes of data to product quality measurements.”

Understanding Industry 4.0

Smart manufacturing together with Industry 4.0 is emerging as the next step towards calibrating manufacturing for the future.

In the report titled, “The Fourth Industrial Revolution”, presented at the World Economic Forum, it is stated that Industry 4.0 includes business processes in the industry that envisage organisation of global production networks on the basis of new information and communication technologies.

As we are in the midst of Industry 4.0, the level of automation has been increasing consistently owing to its positive impact on productivity and efficiency.

The Key Characteristics of Industry 4.0:

The four key components of the concept are - cyberphysical systems (connections between the real and virtual world), the IoT, the IoS, and the smart factory.

Mr. Peter Wernisch, Optical Fibre Division Manager, Medek & Schörner GmbH, remarked, “India has an advantage; it is a fast-growing market with a young and developing infrastructure. Especially, the big players producing fibre optic cables are having integrated Industry 4.0 solutions with motivated well-educated teams. Processes, which were previously in fragments, have started getting combined, and external suppliers are allowed to access the smart factory infrastructure and assist with their expertise to optimise it.”

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Transition from manual labour to large-scale automatisation of production processes.

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Increase of complexity and precision in the manufacturing process.

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Development of inter-machine communications and self-management of systems, enabled with the “Internet of Things”.

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Closed-loop data models and control systems.

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INDUSTRY 4.0

Maillefer Group betting big on AI with Smart Buffering and Topography Scanner “Acute data measurement and analysis coupled with extensive process knowledge is the key to the success with industry 4.0 solutions”

Dr. Mikko Lahti, Director, R&D, Maillefer Group

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aillefer Group has a long history of developing technology for the wire and cable industry. The company’s cable-making lines and solutions extensively use Industry 4.0 parameters to manufacture some of the most intelligent and efficient production systems. Wire & Cable India recently interviewed Dr. Mikko Lahti, Director, R&D, Maillefer Group wherein he talks about Smart Buffering and Topography Scanner - the company’s first real AI offerings, and envisages the future of Industry 4.0 - smart manufacturing, and automation in the Indian wire & cable industry.

Wire & Cable India: How according to you, has the implementation of Industry 4.0 grown over the years?

Do you think that the wire and cable industry is ready to adapt to this evolving industrial revolution?

Mikko Lahti: Industry 4.0 is the automation of manufacturing technologies with built-in

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data collection and exchange mechanisms. Data today is a great power – to closely monitor and control operations. Therefore, in most cases, data collection has become important for people.

However, mere data collection is of no use unless it is analysed to troubleshoot and upgrade the technology. Even though the wire & cable industry has had the data for decades, its convincing use has still not begun. We are measuring a huge pile of data in the products lines that we are offering. The wire & cable industry should adopt the attitude to utilise the production data more efficiently and productively. We see that the trend has begun but there are still many miles to overcome before the wire & cable industry is really deeply involved with Industry 4.0. By this, I mean that the data is used for more efficient and lean production optimisation.

WCI: What would be the impact on production efficiency and ROI with the implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies in the manufacturing process?

ML: We know what data should be measured and what devices should be used in our lines and machines.

The devices help us to analyse the data and make decisions in terms

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We see that the trend has begun but there are still many miles to overcome before the wire & cable industry is deeply involved with Industry 4.0.

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of controlling our actions. This utilisation of data immensely helps us in designing a perfect machine.

Designing and manufacturing machines are basically what we do, but once we have analysed previous data we can envision better machines – more efficient extruders and crossheads. A deeper knowledge of the process is also critical in order to better utilise the data to get a conclusive idea of how the machines have been working previously and how we can optimise it more.

Hence, the acute data measurement and analysis coupled with extensive process knowledge is the key to the success even with industry 4.0 solutions. The productivity of manufacturing can be increased with higher line speeds. Higher speeds call for more precise process control.

The manufacturing process contains several parameters that the line operator controls during production.

The state of the process can be both estimated and controlled by process parameter adjustments - by offering a modern artificial intelligence-based control solution that brings value to customers by helping line operation and by optimising the process parameters. This improves the production efficiency, the product end-quality, and ROI. WCI: What are the most common challenges/pitfalls when customers try to move to Industry 4.0 systems?

How do you help the industry address these challenges?

ML: In some simple cases, the first challenge is to gather the data from the process. But in most processes that have been solved several years ago, the most common challenge

Jul-Aug, 2021

INDUSTRY 4.0 is to couple the process data with quality data. There is often a lack of quality data or it is measured afterward. Without knowing the relations between the process data and quality data, it is extremely difficult to improve the effectiveness of the production process.

personnel ensures that our customers receive the best available training to face future challenges.

We are measuring a huge pile of data in the product lines that we are offering. Today, we have also started to utilise the data. Nowadays, we have our first real AI offerings launched to the market: smart buffering and topography scanner.

In smart buffering, the line can autonomously control itself leading to extremely efficient production with minimal raw material consumption. In the topography scanner, we have developed a neural network-based inspection method for identifying defects from cable surfaces which will help our customers to save remarkable amounts of money not making scrap in the post processes.

ML: We have strengthened our support and presence in India by introducing local manufacturing and supply of brand-name technology destined to low voltage wire & cable manufacturers within the region.

The Indian subcontinent is seen as one of the fastest-growing wire & cable markets in the world in long term. We have a long history of presence, supporting the growth of this market, and of serving our customers in the region through our office and team in Mumbai. We have introduced local manufacturing and local supply of Maillefer India technology for the low voltage market. We now combine Maillefer’s expertise with local Indian manufacturing and resources.

This local supply, testing capability, and service/support will bring the Maillefer brand and leading technology close to all building wire, low voltage cable, and automotive wire producers in India and the region

WCI: Cybersecurity is an increasingly important requirement for Industry 4.0. In what ways do you address it?

ML: Cybersecurity in the Age of Industry 4.0 requires state-of-the-art risk management. Our systems are built with continuous operation in mind and they have been hardened against old and emerging new threats. Access control, system monitoring, and automatic recovery are integral parts of critical systems.

While data sharing and connectivity are building blocks of Industry 4.0, it is necessary to identify and restrict data access solely between benefitting parties. Last but not least, continuous education of our

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While data sharing and connectivity are building blocks of Industry 4.0, it is necessary to identify and restrict data access solely between benefitting parties.

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WCI: Could you tell us about recent & noteworthy projects accomplished by your company in India — specific to wire & cable companies?

WCI: Due to COVID resultant lockdowns, the wire & cable industry recently shifted its focus on automation & remote commissioning — how does your solution simplify their operations?

ML: Maillefer has had the remote connection to the production lines for years. We have finalised several remote commissions during this COVID time. Remote commissioning has some advantages. Since we do not have to travel as much as before, we can save time by staying at our own location though remote commissioning requires special skills from the customer as well.

Even though there can be video connection or even augmented reality available, customers should

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have personnel available who are familiar with our technology. We see remote commissioning as a good tool for troubleshooting and an additional instrument for real on-site commissioning.

WCI: What are your short-term and long-term plans — specific to the wire & cable industry? What is the future of Industry 4.0 - smart manufacturing, and automation in the Indian wire & cable industry?

ML: The term big data, Industry 4.0, deep learning, artificial intelligence, and smart technology are just some buzz words we hear which describe the trends taking hold of the industry. We too are excited by the changes arriving in the wire & cable industry. Maillefer welcomes smart technology as a means of taking the manufacturing process to the next level. Today’s production processes are nearly all digitally integrated and automated. The amount of data collected and constantly generated is simply gigantic, making it practically impossible for humans to comprehend without assistance.

Fortunately, modern tools and methods can process and understand it. Deep learning and computer algorithms sift through huge volumes of data to product quality measurements. The powerful smart manufacturing is being implemented to previously unseen levels of automation control.

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Maillefer welcomes smart technology as a means of taking the manufacturing process to the next level.

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As the future unfolds, we see operators becoming either facilitators who keep smart lines running or dedicated process specialists, who handle the exceptions and work to improve the AI models. The idea is to have an autonomous production line that will control itself according to the end-product quality.

Jul-Aug, 2021

INDUSTRY 4.0

Assomac: Equipped with latest machines for attaining the perfection to produce world-class plants “Assomac bags the credit of serving in many noteworthy projects in the past as well as present times, some of them being Tata Steel, Bansal Group, MMTC & many more in India as well as in different locations of the world” steel, carbon steel, mild steel, stainless steel, and other nonferrous wires, and is known for its economical yet globally matched technologies. In an interview with Wire & Cable India magazine, Mr. Nirmal Singh, Director, Assomac Machines Ltd. talks about the implementation of industry 4.0, its immense benefits on production efficiency, and the company’s future roadmap.

Mr. Nirmal Singh, Director, Assomac Machines Ltd.

Assomac Machines Ltd. is one of India’s leading manufacturers of superior quality wire drawing machines, wire cutting machinery, and wire making machinery.

In the last three decades, the company has helped the Indian wire industry reach a global quality benchmark through its technologies.

An integrated conglomerate of engineering companies, Assomac Group is engaged in making all types of equipment and the accessories used in making alloy

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Wire & Cable India: How according to you, has the implementation of Industry 4.0 grown over the years?

Do you think that the wire and cable industry is ready to adapt to this evolving industrial revolution?

Nirmal Singh: The only thing in this world which is permanent is “change”. The world of manufacturing is also changing.

Before going into the depth of industry 4.0, it’s beneficial to first understand how exactly manufacturing has evolved since the 1800s. We would not mention the Stone Age though a lot of

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development had taken place since Stone Age. However, before understanding the implementation of industry 4.0, we have to understand industry 1 to 3.0.

The first Industrial revolution happened between the late 1700s & early 1800 when manufacturing evolved from focusing on manual labour with help of animals & also the use of water & steam-powered engines.

The second industrial revolution was the early part of the 20th century when the use of steel & electricity in the factories was started. The use of electricity helped in the efficiency and mass production & assembly line of production was introduced.

The third industrial revolution took place in the early 1950s which was very rapid and various innovations took place in the form of electronics and computers when technology was introduced in the factories. More focus was on digital technology & automation through software.

Jul-Aug, 2021

INDUSTRY 4.0 In the past few decades, as we all are witnessing, a massive industrial revolution has taken place which is also known as industry 4.0. The time which we are seeing has offered a more modern pragmatic approach to manufacturing. It connects physical with digital and also allows for better collaboration & access across departments, partners, outside vendors, different products etc.

These evolutions have also helped in better control & understanding the better aspect of their manufacturing operations and how to bring more efficiency & improvements to reach the optimum level in manufacturing.

The wire & cable industry is no exception and has passed through the stages of these industrial revolutions. The wire industry which is part of a core industry is indeed ready to adapt to this evolving industrial revolution.

WCI: What would be the impact on production efficiency and ROI with the implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies in the manufacturing process?

NS: There are immense benefits to production efficiency with the implementation of industry 4.0.

The latest state-of-the-art machines backed by PLC controls have multiplied the production efficiency.

As far as our engineering sector is concerned, in the manufacturing of the plant & machines for making wires, adopting the Industry 4.0 model has helped us in increasing the productivity backed by design, maintaining of inventory, scheduling, and maintaining quality in production, engineering, and providing field service to customers.

The technology has given us the access to commission our machines by remote control in many parts of the world, saving the huge cost of time, travelling and money.

These latest technologies have attracted the younger generation manifold; thus making our team

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The internet-connected machinery and automation help us to be more helpful to the customers while addressing and solving the potential maintenance and other management issues.

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stronger and collaborative. The internet-connected machinery and automation help us to be more helpful to the customers while addressing and solving potential maintenance and other management issues. The epidemic of COVID 19 has also contributed and taught us all how to work with remote access through technology whether solving the maintenance problem, sharing knowledge sessions, having production/maintenance, or sales & marketing meetings through video conferencing. All these technologies have helped immensely to optimise all aspects of our manufacturing process.

WCI: How do you help the industry address challenges when customers try to move to Industry 4.0 systems?

Cyber security is an increasingly important requirement for Industry 4.0. In what ways do you address it?

NS: When you are in the world of technologies such as the Internet of Things (IOT), Automation & Robotics, Artificial Intelligence (AI), human contact definitely reduces. It has brought marked efficiency in the manufacturing but at the same time brought some challenges too.

One of the greatest threats is cyber hacking which is multiplying with each passing year. Many of the companies feel that investing in cloud-based technology and moving the data might be vulnerable to attackers. But the companies should have a regular update with the firewall to avoid this risk but in spite of having all due precautions, some elements of risks are still there.

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Adopting and implementing new technology and finding the right people to get the due results may be hard for some but required.

WCI: Could you tell us about recent & noteworthy projects accomplished by your company in India — specific to wire & cable companies?

NS: Assomac bags the credit of serving in many noteworthy projects in the past as well as present times, some of them being Tata Steel, Bansal Group, MMTC & many more in India as well as in different locations of the world.

WCI: Due to COVID resultant lockdowns, the wire & cable industry recently shifted its focus on automation & remote commissioning — how does your solution simplify their operations?

What is the future of Industry 4.0 and what are your short-term and long-term plans?

NS: COVID-19 has indeed impacted all types of industries and the wire Industry is no exception. Modern machines & automation technology with higher output and quality is meeting the new aspiration of our clients. In the recent past, we have re-designed some of the process technologies which are more customer-friendly. Moreover, to achieve this, the general attitude of our Assomac Team is that of “Every Problem has a Solution.”

The company engages in the latest technology and state-of-the-art machines to design and fabricate truly next-generation machines. The company is now equipped with the latest machines both Indian and European which help in attaining the perfection to produce world-class plants. The company invests deeply into the R&D for incorporating the latest technology in its machines that can increase the profitability of the wire & cable Industry by reducing the cost of production without compromising the quality.

Jul-Aug, 2021

INDUSTRY 4.0

Supermac Industries: Taking Strong Strides Forward in Implementing Digital Initiatives “We reach out to the customers and provide them the entire concept and work with their teams, hand in hand, to implement the IIoT solutions and ensure that the customers reap complete benefits using Industry 4.0 tools”

Mr. Vivek Kohli, Director and Board Member of Supermac Industries (India) Ltd.

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upermac Industries (India) Ltd. is a leading global wire and cable extrusion line manufacturer with a focus on solution provider on extrusion and process technology. The company caters to numerous industries in wire & cable and related sector in the power, optical fibre, building wire, automative, elastomer, control, flouro carbon cables and specialised medical tubing products. Since its inception in 1974, innovation has been the driving force behind

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Supermac’s success. The company has time and again set the industry benchmark for devising innovative techniques to meet the burgeoning demands of a new-age economy.

In an interview with Wire & Cable India magazine, Mr. Vivek Kohli, Director and Board Member of Supermac Industries (India) Ltd. talks about the implementation of Industry 4.0 by the wire and cable segment, common challenges faced by the customers, and some of the noteworthy projects accomplished by the company. He also reveals how the government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative is the right opportunity for the industry to implement Industry 4.0 concepts. Mr. Kohli has an overall experience of 43 years in the wire and cable and the insulators industry. He has held several senior positions including corporate management roles in the wire and cable industry in India and the Middle East. He is a pioneer to get the XLPE cable and HTLS conductor-technologies in India and author of the book called ‘Power Cable Technology’, published by CRC press USA in 2016.

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Wire & Cable India: How according to you, has the implementation of Industry 4.0 grown over the years?

Do you think that the wire and cable industry is ready to adapt to this evolving industrial revolution?

Vivek Kohli: Industry 4.0 or the fourth industrial revolution as it is commonly called is related to a new generation of connected technologies and data-driven modules. It is a combination of data analytics, Big Data handling, robotics & automation, Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things (IoT) and process control digitisation, etc. across the business domain.

New and innovative technologies, such as robotics, automation, Artificial Intelligence (AI), industrial communications, data handling, and 3D printing, etc. are instrumental in bringing in transformation in the global manufacturing landscape.

Those who have adopted Industry 4.0 or smart manufacturing processes at an early stage are enjoying the benefits of increased productivity, efficiencies, and lower

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INDUSTRY 4.0 costs. An intelligent factory is not only about the digitalisation of the processes but also related to the efficient use of energy, optimisation of the processes, and the reduction of the impacts on the environment.

The pace of implementation of industry 4.0 in India is lagging behind other nations like the US, the UK, Germany, Ireland, Sweden, China, and Japan, etc. These countries are widely incorporating the Industry 4.0 capabilities in their domestic market. The adoption of the Fourth Industrial Revolution or Industry 4.0 in India is at a nascent stage. It is expected that the Indian industry may witness widespread implementation. However, it still needs to develop in the near future and overcome current sluggish growth levels which are mainly due to initial investment, inadequate cybersecurity norms, and lack of infrastructure. The time has come to think about this slow growth and where India stands in competition with other countries. Time is running out, and India needs to move fast for a few years from now.

By the use of advanced analytics, production capacities can be improved and it might be possible to reduce the cost of poor quality.

Using data analytics tools, there will be a shift towards a proactive model i.e. prediction and prevention of defects. Production cycles can be made shorter by the use of automation and robotics. This will give an improvement in the end-toend business cycle. Cost-effective measures for business processes can be implemented using digitisation.

IoT and connectivity of machine to people and machine to a machine or plant to plant would lead to a reduction in human errors and give improved supply chain and reduced lead times.

The wire and cable industry in India needs a big push for adopting the 4th industrial revolution. The government of India’s initiative of ‘Make in India’ is the right opportunity for the industry to

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implement Industry 4.0 concepts.

Supermac Industries in its endeavour to conform to Industry 4.0 norms has taken strong strides forward in implementing several digital initiatives, especially with regard to Industry Internet of Things or IIoT, which plays a key role in enhancing the areas like process optimisation, quality control, cross-vendor shop floor integration, energy efficiency predictive maintenance, data security. We have been able to implement such initiatives in the wire and cable industry successfully and looking forward to collaborating with our existing and future customer base and scale up on this initiative. With the services of our digital partner software, we have transformed the way to manufacture products, seamlessly co-ordinate amongst various factories & departments, connect with customers, and digitise workplaces.

Our smart infrastructure delivers the following essential benefits: •

Fully managed IIoT solution that allows the user to easily and securely connect, manage, and ingest data from production lines/assets;

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Real-time monitoring of critical parameters, line uptimedowntime analysis along with OEE monitoring;

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Real-time process traceability of critical process parameters to establish machine learning/ analytics capabilities;

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One-stop solution to provide visibility across all plants distributed globally;

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Products like Mind Connect Nano from Siemens offer easy connectivity and capturing of data.

WCI: What would be the impact on production efficiency and ROI with the implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies in the manufacturing process?

VK: Industry 4.0 could be capable of decreasing the production costs

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by 10–30 percent, logistic costs by 10–30 percent, and quality management costs by 10–20 percent. Simulation and AI methods provided an improved solution for the robot arm’s movement path that can save more than 5 percent of the time, which means a significant improvement in productivity.

According to one study, if Indian companies adopt Industry 4.0 across functions such as manufacturing, supply chain, logistics, and procurement, they can enhance their operating profits by 40 percent at less than 10 percent of the planned capital expenditure.

Nowadays, with the dynamic market conditions, it is needed that the production processes shall be flexible, adaptable, and agile on a real-time basis. Thus, the manufacturing automation or smart factory gives several tangible and intangible benefits in long run.

Automation or digitalisation brings benefits, e.g., with virtualisation process, the physical world can be linked virtually. IIoT-based software solutions can provide online and real-time dashboard of key business performance indicators with enhanced transparency. These tools also help in triggering the improvement actions for the shop floor machines. Alerts are sent online to all the stakeholders. The software captures and then evaluates critical data, which can affect quality and productivity. It gives information on overall equipment effectiveness, production, quality, and other contributing parameters using IIoT connectivity. Improved performance management can help companies boost their labour efficiency by 20 to 40 percent.

When a company invests in ‘Industry 4.0,’ it will change technological aspects, product development processes, marketing, logistics, manufacturing, postsales services, high quality, flexible production, advanced planning, and controlling with relevant, real-time data. This helps in rapid reaction to changes in demand, stock level,

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INDUSTRY 4.0 and errors by mentioning other advantages and improvements in the enterprise.

Investment return is a key element in the business world. For this reason, when migrating or digitising a company, it must be done in a customised way and according to the model of each business. During this process, technological aspects should not be the only thing to focus on between the transformations to a new production model. It is very important to deepen in the benefits and efforts involved in migrating to a digitalised industry.

In order to do it, the key process is to meticulously calculate the investment return in each aspect that is migrated, for example, it can be technological, training management, process improvement, automation, a reduction in rejections, etc.

These calculations for ROI must be performed in each area to know exactly the benefits that could be obtained when performing the migration. With that information, the company management will be able to decide how to perform with the migration to Industry 4.0 or how it should be adjusted to obtain a better investment return. It must be estimated over time, by drawing short, medium, and long-term plans.

WCI: What are the most common challenges/pitfalls when customers try to move to Industry 4.0 systems?

How do you help the industry address these challenges?

VK: The Indian industry faces several challenges in its journey to adapt to Industry 4.0. Resistance

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We, at Supermac, provide innovative solutions not only for the equipment but also thrust a lot on the automation and exceeding the needs of the customer in terms of higher productivity and lesser operational cost.

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to change, initial high cost, lack of data analytics skills within the system, lack of resources/ knowledge, lack of desire or courage of top management to accept the innovations, data security risk, fear of job losses owing to robotics & automation, lack of leadership and vision are few concerns which need to be addressed. Political situation/ dynamics, lack of coordination from management are some of the factors that need greater attention.

We, at Supermac, provide innovative solutions not only for the equipment but also thrust a lot on the automation and exceeding the needs of the customer in terms of higher productivity and lesser operational cost. We give quality products and offer new technologies and costeffective solutions. Some of our products on IIoT are modelled on the affordable cost which customers are ready to invest in. Each of our products related to IIoT or automation is a result of constant and continuous efforts on R&D and innovation. We reach out to the customers and provide them the entire concept and work with their teams, hand in hand, to implement the IIoT solutions and ensure that the customers reap complete benefits using Industry 4.0 tools.

WCI: Cybersecurity is an increasingly important requirement for Industry 4.0. In what ways do you address it?

VK: Cybersecurity is very important to provide security/protection to the captured and stored information, either on a device or on the system.

The system is capable of protecting the information from threats of computer attacks. Other than cybersecurity, it is important that the right methods are adapted that help the user to preserve the information either in a data centre or in the third party cloud system. Cybersecurity has three components to focus on: maintaining the confidentiality of data, data integrity, and availability of data at the right time.

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Computer hardware threats can be a virus, Trojan, and malware, hacking, etc. and they can come from external devices or by potentially risky emails. In the same way, there are encrypted, boot, filed, or overwrite viruses, etc.

The most important thing in Industry 4.0 is to provide good and safety practices to factories, which can be reviewed as per relevant ISO standards. The industries must give importance to this because with the interconnection of devices due to the IoT incorporation, industrial plants have become more vulnerable. The increase in connected devices means more possibilities for cyber attacks.

Therefore, the IoT must be built on the basis of secure communications at each point of the manufacturing processes and it has to guarantee the inter-operability of security between facilities as basic elements of the supply value chain. Multiple levels of security are another option that must be implemented to protect from cyber attacks.

WCI: Could you tell us about recent & noteworthy projects accomplished by your company in India — specific to wire & cable companies?

VK: We have been able to cater to the needs of the US and other markets by providing high-speed THHN, building wire lines. Some of the prestigious orders we recently executed are for a US Defence and Aerospace company, and also from a multinational cable company in the US for which we are an approved supplier of customised products.

Our products are acknowledged all over the globe as we offer high-speed fully automatic, best in quality, and cost-effective products with 24x7 online service support.

In the Indian markets, besides standard products, we have successfully executed high-end HV cable CCV lines. As of now, Supermac and Scholz (German partner) CCV lines are operating with a large number of customers in India. We have a few more

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INDUSTRY 4.0 orders in hand which are under execution. Customers have gradually understood that low-cost Chinese equipment does not last long and they have ordered us to replace CCV lines from China with Supermac and Scholz Germany equipment which were executed successfully.

We have recently supplied one high-speed automotive line to a multinational automotive company.

With the advancement of the 5G network and in view of the future demands of fibre cables for implementation of 5G technologies, we have received big equipment orders from Europe and the US. These orders are under execution.

WCI: Due to COVID resultant lockdowns, the wire & cable industry recently shifted its focus on automation & remote commissioning — how does your solution simplify their operations?

VK: Supermac Industries was one of the first companies in reaching out to the industry amid the COVID pandemic by focusing on adopting new innovative ways of working and moving on with advanced automation and new technologies with an edge over the competition. It has broken the myth that the equipment can only be commissioned by the supplier’s engineer visit to customer site and charging the equipment at the site.

Supermac remotely commissioned equipment online. The company’s first equipment - an optical fibre rewinding line was commissioned in Texas, USA during the lockdown phase. This was followed by a successful charging of a sheathing line to a prestigious customer in India and a high-speed insulation line in Bangladesh in the lockdown phase. The Supermac team could upload all drives software etc. working from remote. All this equipment was commissioned with online support by their engineers and technical support cell to conclude the successful start-up of the equipment. This has now become a routine for our

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teams and more and more online commissioning is being asked by customers.

WCI: What are your short-term and long-term plans — specific to the wire & cable industry? What is the future of Industry 4.0 - smart manufacturing, and automation in the Indian wire & cable industry?

VK: Our short-term plans are to expand our customer base in untapped markets by offering fully automated, high-speed lines with affordable IoT solutions as an integral part of the supply. We are passionate and bullish to offer IIoT as a standard product feature of our equipment in near future.

We are fully geared up to offering differentiated products and solutions in new upcoming areas like highspeed FTTH optical fibre line which is a masterpiece of Supermac product portfolio. The line is equipped with very high precision tension control devices, which run in a completely closed-loop system.

The special design extruder offers the perfect extrusion and provides the online diameter control, capacitance monitoring system.

There are various combinations e.g. tandem, co-extrusion, or single extrusion, with the incorporation of many types of fillers, yarns, and online corrugation facilities.

Supermac offers state-of-theart high-speed tandem lines for data cable manufacturing. The tandem extrusion machine for LAN Cables intakes the solid copper and draws and anneals it online before putting it through the extrusion process. The special design extruder and crosshead give the high concentricity. The line has an online diameter control, capacitance monitoring system on the wire.

The line is equipped with highspeed dual take-up for continuous production.

To meet FEP/PTFE cable requirements for military applications, aerospace and aircraft equipment, OEM and nuclear power

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The future of Industry 4.0 implementation in the wire and cable industry is an excellent opportunity to sink in with ‘Make in India’ initiative and realise the full potential of Indian manufacturing capabilities and thereby adapting to this change.

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products, Supermac offers specially designed high-speed extrusion lines for FEP/PTFE.

In the long term, we are actively working for our next project on a model to offer customers - plug and switch service on the equipment at their sites without sending any commissioning engineers. This will be possible by doing all online trials at our premises before sending them to customers.

Post-COVID customers are demanding more and more such features like online negotiations for equipment procurement and commissioning support for the equipment they order. Supermac is fully capable of meeting newer requirements and needs of the customers giving us our strong commitment to meet customer needs.

The future of Industry 4.0 implementation in the wire and cable industry is an excellent opportunity to sink in with ‘Make in India’ initiative and realise the full potential of Indian manufacturing capabilities and thereby adapting to this change.

Overall, the widespread adoption of Industry 4.0 would require the collaborative efforts of wire and cable industry leaders and related associations. The Indian industry and associations can work closely with the government and make short and long-term plans in the adoption of Industry 4.0 in the wire and cable segment and expand its growth.

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INDUSTRY 4.0

Medek & Schörner: Supporting India with Industry 4.0 Ready Optical Fibre Machines “As a machine producer, we are in the position to support our customers with our expertise in dealing with IoT data by reading, concluding, and reacting properly.”

Peter Wernisch: The wire and cable industry has started integrating more and more new machines into IoT networks. Mainly overview data, served with OPC-UA standard are commonly in use. COVID-19 allowed faster growth. However, security topics like hacking or machine manipulation slowed down the process.

Mr. Peter Wernisch, Optical Fibre Division Manager, Medek & Schörner GmbH

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edek & Schörner GmbH is a well-known name in the wire and cable industry.

Founded in 1929, the company offers nearly the entire spectrum of machines for the marking of cables and optical fibres. The product range begins with simple marking systems and extends to high-tech devices with fully automatic control systems for use in high-speed production systems. In an interview with Wire & Cable India magazine, Mr. Peter Wernisch, Optical Fibre Division Manager, Medek & Schörner GmbH talks about the company’s noteworthy projects, future plans and importance of remote commissioning and IoT integration in the wire and cable industry.

Wire & Cable India: How according to you, has the implementation of Industry 4.0 grown over the years?

Do you think that the wire and cable industry is ready to adapt to this evolving industrial revolution?

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WCI: What would be the impact on production efficiency and ROI with the implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies in the manufacturing process?

PW: A clever implementation of Industry 4.0 techniques will have a positive effect on the wire and cable industry. Conclusions can be made much easier with crosslinked and aligned data. If these data are properly pre-filtered by production teams, scrap and downtimes can be reduced.

WCI: What are the most common challenges/pitfalls when customers try to move to Industry 4.0 systems?

How do you help the industry address these challenges?

PW: Only collecting internal data is not helpful at all. The proper balance of sharing data with third parties, like machine producers and raw material supporters can create added value. A combination with clear security restrictions, fulfilling data security, and taking care of internal, sensitive data, has perfect benefits. As a machine producer, we are in the position to support our customers with our expertise in

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dealing with IoT data by reading, concluding, and reacting properly.

Preventive machine support, performance increase, better interaction between processes, and a well-performing process is the beneficial result for the customer.

WCI: Cybersecurity is an increasingly important requirement for Industry 4.0. In what ways do you address it?

PW: Security is, at present, the killer of the constant growth of Industry 4.0. Most current standards are mainly striving for high performance. Securing this performance is still an undervalued topic. Nowadays due to the connection of several processes, the impact of security issues is possibly creating a disaster.

Therefore, machine suppliers have to implement security functionalities and introduce the security topic and the implemented security functionalities in a transparent way to their clients. We are therefore selecting secured techniques to have transparent, save data and processes.

Well-trained teams are continuously in contact with the customers to keep the process and data secured.

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Machine suppliers have to implement security functionalities and introduce the security topic and the implemented security functionalities in a transparent way to their clients.

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INDUSTRY 4.0

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After the COVID-19 pandemic, remote commissioning and IoT integration with proper data management is becoming more and more important.

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WCI: Could you tell us about recent & noteworthy projects accomplished by your company in India — specific to wire & cable companies?

PW: India has an advantage; it is a fast-growing market with a young and developing infrastructure. Especially, the big players producing fibre optic cables are having integrated Industry 4.0 solutions with motivated welleducated teams. Processes, which were previously in fragments, have started getting combined, and external suppliers are allowed to access the smart factory infrastructure and assist with their expertise to optimise it.

We are supporting India with high-quality optical fibre machines. All equipment is Industry 4.0 ready and most of them are already well-integrated and combined with the Indian smart factory infrastructure. This allows continuous optimisation and provides a reliable solution to our customers.

WCI: Due to COVID resultant lockdowns, the wire & cable industry recently shifted its focus on automation & remote commissioning — how does your solution simplify their operations?

PW: After the COVID-19 pandemic, remote commissioning and IoT integration with proper data management is becoming more and more important.

It also helps the wire and cable industry. We have intensified our Industry 4.0 visions and implemented IoT solutions into our machines as core elements.

WCI: What are your short-term and long-term plans — specific to the wire & cable industry? What is the future of Industry 4.0 - smart manufacturing, and automation in the Indian wire & cable industry?

PW: We have not divided Industry 4.0 solutions into short or long-term plans. The future of Industry 4.0 has already started. Starting from well-performing machine processes to the diagnosis of process and machine data between manufacturer and equipment supplier, we are already supporting the wire and cable industry with smart manufacturing solutions and a high-security standard. Only the interaction between machines, machine manufacturers, and the customer will allow optimised products with the highest qualit levels.

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Jul-Aug, 2021

INDUSTRY 4.0

SIKORA and Industry 4.0: Inline quality control for an autonomous manufacturing Industry 4.0 refers to the intelligent and permanent linking and networking of machines and autonomous machine-driven processes in the industry. Also, today’s cable production process is characterised by an increasing level of automation. Intelligent measuring devices continuously measure and transmit measuring values as well as information on the device status via Industry 4.0 interfaces like OPC UA, to control units and to the plant control centre without the need for personnel support. There, the data is processed automatically for immediate production control and process optimisation. Besides, the information is used for preventive maintenance. SIKORA, manufacturer and supplier of innovative measuring and control technology explains how measuring technology is related to Industry 4.0 and how it supports autonomous manufacturing in the future.

Data exchange with IT systems via OPC UA and reproducible quality Measuring gauges installed in a cable production line continuously supply real-time measurement data, e.g., the cable diameter and ovality to the line control of their production sites. These in turn send production data to a central computer accessible to the entire group of companies and thus lead to reproducible quality in all production sites of the company group. This data exchange is achieved by standardized interfaces like industrial ethernet-based field busses or OPC UA and remote services via the internet can be used for firmware upgrade and audio/

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video interaction with the user at the remote site.

production lines with increasing levels of automation.

If the cable is out of specifications, the operator receives a signal to automatically control the line by modifying line speed or extruder rpm to control to the nominal value.

The more and precise measurement data available, the faster and more reliable conclusions can be drawn, and the process optimised. The measuring devices are, therefore ‘Industry 4.0 ready’ and ideally suited for use in modern cable

Remote maintenance

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In addition, the measuring system is used for location independence maintenance via remote internet access. Being able to look directly into the device at any time, from anywhere in the world, and get information about the device condition, the operator can optimise the processes. The measuring sensors collect status information via diagnostic program. Thus, SIKORA

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INDUSTRY 4.0 service personnel have the possibility to draw conclusions on possible error causes and/or to give the customer advice for maintenance, e.g., the gauge head is dirty and has to be cleaned. Remote access via Internet is possible to make software updates and run diagnostic software.

Future: Preventive and predictive maintenance Looking into the future, technological developments link Operational Technology (OT), e.g., what happens locally in the production line such as material consumption, with Information Technology (IT) and enable the historical collection of data, even across plant boundaries. Here we will introduce the term preventive maintenance, which derives information from the diagnostic

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program and the experience of the service technician. This maintenance program is based on location-independent diagnosis for the highest availability of the devices. For example, the operator received every 3 weeks an error message with the note to check the cleanliness after 2 weeks. As a result, the operator cleans the laser device every 2 weeks, so that no error occurs.

In contrast, predictive maintenance means that the operator knows that something is going to happen, so he can take care before something happens. For example, a diameter gauge head can give dirtiness alarm.

At a next line stop the gauge head can be cleaned. Thus, cleaning can be done if needed, aside from specified intervals.

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In sum, by implementing measuring and control technology in cable production lines SIKORA allows their customers to have mobile access to product parameter data, control measuring values and trace quality problems back to errors in the extrusion process.

Moreover, it offers location independent maintenance by using intelligent software technology.

This all contributes to autonomous manufacturing for optimum processes and the highest efficiency.

Jul-Aug, 2021

TECHNICAL ARTICLE

Enamel-insulated rectangular wire for the electric mobility Insulated copper wires are used in windings for electric motors, generators and transformers. The automotive industry’s entry into electric mobility has created new challenges for manufacturers of enamelled wire.

State-of-the-art in transformer construction Usually, round wires are used.

However, in large transformers (e.g. in power stations), enamel-insulated rectangular wires have been preferred for decades, because they significantly improve power density and efficiency.

The enamel-insulation is very thin with a layer thickness of 50 to 150 µm. The lacquer is applied in 10 to 20 layers, i.e. the individual layer might be just 5 µm. Whilst the bare wire passes a lacquer bath and a calibration nozzle, spare lacquer is stripped off. Repeated passaging hotair oven burns in the layer.

Due to the small layer thickness, the first calibration nozzle is only a few micrometres larger than the bare wire. If the wire does not have the correct dimensions, enamel coating might be either too thin or too thick and insulation faults occur, which then lead to failure of the winding during operation.

The production of high-precision enamelable rectangular copper wires is much more difficult than the production of round wire. If drawing dies are used, a significantly worse - because asymmetrical lubricating film of the cooling fluid is formed compared to drawing round wires. At speeds above 60 m/ min, the lubricant film begins to crack in the area of the edge radii.

A failure of the drawing die is the consequence. When drawing round

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wires, much higher speeds of up to 3000 m/min are achieved due to the more beneficial lubrication conditions.

In addition to this speed restriction, another reason not to use profile drawing dies is the low degree of standardisation in transformer construction. Nearly every project requires different wire dimensions, so that short-term procurement or stockpiling is a considerable logistical problem.

Furthermore, the speed of enamelling lines for rectangular wires is significantly lower with a maximum 25 m/min than that of round wire lines. Here, asymmetry is the main reason making uniform enamelling difficult at higher speeds, too.

In order to achieve higher production speeds and a high degree of flexibility, rectangular copper wires for transformer construction are usually not produced in line with enamelling lines, but are rolled, coiled and insulated in high-performance rolling mills in multi-core enamelling lines. For this application, FUHR has been developing and selling rolling mills for many years, which meet the requirements of the transformer industry for precision, flexibility

and productivity. These machines have been continuously optimised.

Typical production speeds today range from 200 to 800 m/min, depending on the producible cross section. One rolling line supplies approx. 8 to 15 painting lines.

State of the art is a rolling mill with five rolling steps: two two-high mills and two round-rolling mills are responsible for the pre-profiling.

The final calibration is carried out in FUHR’s WST-type, universal profile rolling mill.

Optimised production for electric mobility The automotive industry relies on enamel-insulated rectangular wires and requires manufacturers to prove that no wire damage occurs before enamelling. Even when using the best winding and unwinding systems, it cannot be guaranteed that the bare wire will be free of damage during offline production. This results in the task of inline production. However, a rolling line is not getting cheaper just because it is slower. Following that, the concept of a 5-stand rolling mill cannot be retained for inline profiling.

Other than in transformer construction, standardisation in the automotive industry is exceedingly

5-stand high performance rolling mill for offline production

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Jul-Aug, 2021

TECHNICAL ARTICLE high. Typical plants manufacture the same product for months or years. Therefore, the use of profile drawing dies in this area is possible in a sensible way, even if technical developments should increase the possible lacquer speeds to up to 60 m/min in the future.

With the IPU320, FUHR has developed an economical inline profiling system with which the manufacturers of enamelled wire can meet the high requirements of the automotive industry for

quality and price. The IPU320 combines rolling and profile drawing processes, whereby large width to thickness ratios can also be achieved by driven rollers.

space is kept at a minimal size with 2 meters. Therefore, retrofitting in existing paint spray lines usually is possible without having to adapt the existing system.

Besides a low price, one of the most important requirements during development was uninterrupted operation for months.

FUHR will exhibit an IPU320 at the Wire 2020 in Düsseldorf (Hall 11, Stand A50) and present the production of rectangular copper wires “live”.

The IPU320 is equipped with a closed control system, which does not require an electrical interface to the paint spray line. The required

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from 1:1 to 8:1

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Inline profiling system IPU320 for inline production

Jul-Aug, 2021

RAILWAY ELECTRIFICATION

On the Right Track: Railway Electrification in Full Swing A lot of emphasis is being given to railway electrification in recent years which is expected to create new opportunities for the wire and cable sector.

Indian Railways has massive plans to achieve ‘complete electrification’ of a 69,182-route kilometre network

by December 2023. Despite the pandemic, the transport lifeline of the nation has managed to achieve the milestone of covering 6,015 route kilometre (RKM) in 2020-21.

If all goes as anticipated, India will soon be the proud owner of the largest electrified rail network in the world.

With a view to provide an ecofriendly mode of transportation to citizens and reduce dependence on imported fossil fuel, the government has decided to go with 100 percent electrification of Indian Railways.

Out of 64,689 route kilometres (RKM) including Konkan Railway, around 45,881 RKM has already

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been electrified which makes almost 71 percent of the total broad-gauge network.

The proposal was approved by the union cabinet on September 12, 2018, when the last leg of unelectrified broad-gauge covering 13,675 route km, or 16,540 track km got cleared at a cost of INR 12,134.50 crore. Besides reducing pollution and increasing the speed and capacity, the move of Indian Railways is expected to save INR 13,510 crore per annum in fuel costs.

Railway Electrification System In a railway electrification system, the electric power is supplied to the trains without local fuel supply or on-board prime mover.

It either uses electric locomotives

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or electric multiple units or both.

The electricity produced in the stations is transmitted to the railway network which gets distributed to the trains. In most cases, electric railways purchase power from an electric utility; however, there can be dedicated generating stations and transmission lines.

The moving trains are supplied electricity with a continuous conductor that runs along the track which can either be an overhead line or a third-rail system. Due to less operating costs and lower carbon emissions, electric railways are hailed as the better and more energyefficient alternative to the diesel engine. They are not only more responsive, powerful, and reliable, but also quieter, faster, and can run

Jul-Aug, 2021

RAILWAY ELECTRIFICATION in tunnels and other difficult areas.

While diesel engines use petroleum, electric railways can take electricity from any source including renewable energy.

With the latest technology like regenerative braking, the train’s kinetic energy is turned back into electricity and returned to the supply system which can be further used to supply power to other trains and the general utility grid.

The electrification system is classified by three main parameters – voltage, current, and contact system. Various factors play role in the selection of an electrification system such as the economics of energy supply, maintenance, and capital cost. The six commonly used voltages for railway electrification systems are 600 V DC, 750 V DC, 1,500 V DC, 3 kV DC, 15 kV AC - 16.7 Hz, and 25 kV AC - 50 Hz (EN 50163) and 60 Hz (IEC 60850).

While AC systems make use of overhead wires, both overhead wire and third-rail can be used by DC systems.

Need of Cables in Railway Network The railway network requires an array of cabling solutions covering various functions-catenary cables and contact wires to power the train traction, high voltage and medium voltage power feeder, voltage distribution networks, earthing connections, signalling and control cables, supervision and communication cables with twisted pairs, coaxial or optical elements, LAN cables, and radiating cables.

Catenary Cables Catenary cables are made of pure or alloyed copper. They are selected in accordance with the type of engines, climatic conditions, and the frequency of the power feeding network.

Power Cables

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High Voltage (HV) Cables: Underground cables used in the substations for traction power feeding and delivering alternative currents with voltages ranging from 46 to 345 kV. Medium Voltage (MV) Cables: The cables comprising class 2 copper or aluminum conductors feed the transformer stations of the standard power distribution network with voltages between 15 and 45 kV. Low Voltage (LV) Cables: These cables are used to distribute current from the transformer stations to lighting, security, elevators, escalators, cameras, and ticketing systems.

Signalling and Control Cables Signalling cables can be classified into two categories multicore cables and rubber insulated wires.

They connect electronic interlocks with point machines, signals, level crossings, and axle counters.

Hybrid Cables The hybrid cables combine power supply, communication, and control applications. They protect against external electromagnetic perturbations produced by traction power. Designed to resist harsh environmental and climatic conditions, these cables can be composed of individual conductors or twisted pairs.

Local Communication Cables Local Communication cables are used for transmitting voice, data, and images in railway authority offices and stations. They can be unscreened (UTP), or screened (F-FTP). The highest transmission performances can be attained with constructions presenting an individual screen on each pair.

Optical Fibre Cables Optical fibre cables are used to transmit voice, data, and images on short as well as long distances. They

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are classified into two categories Optical Underground Cables (OUC) and Optical Aerial Cables (OAC).

The Optical Underground Cables (OUCs) are installed along tracks.

The construction of these cables depends on the method of their installation. Optical Aerial Cables (OACs) equip overhead lines, with short, medium, or long-span versions. The construction depends on the gaps between poles and electric fields produced by the power transmission line installed on the same infrastructure.

Radiating Coaxial Cables These cables help in transmitting different kinds of radio signals in tunnels, subways, buildings, and other confined areas. With apertures in the outer conductor, they can transmit voice and data up to 2600 MHz even in the most difficult areas.

Infrastructure on the Right Track A budget of INR 1,10,055 crore has been allocated for Indian Railways in 2021-22, out of which INR 1,07,100 crore is for capital expenditure. This has pushed the government to have an ambitious plan to develop adequate rail infrastructure for achieving the target. The Indian Railways is expected to consume at least 28-30 billion units of electricity for its traction requirement which will open up opportunities for wire and cable companies and other players of the electrical industry. Whether Indian Railways purchase direct power or create its own captive infrastructure, the wire and cable industry will have its business benefits in both situations.

Being one of the largest buyers of different types of cables, Indian Railways has contributed immensely to its growth. As the trains were off tracks due to the pandemic, Indian Railways expedited its electrification process. Around 34 percent of the total electrification happened in the

Jul-Aug, 2021

RAILWAY ELECTRIFICATION last three years.

“More than five times electrification was achieved during the last seven years (2014-21) as compared to during 2007-14. Since 2014, a record 24,080 RKM (37 percent of the present broad gauge routes) has been electrified against the electrification of 4,337 RKM (7 percent of present broad gauge routes) during 200714,” said Railway Ministry in a statement.

Some of the major sections electrified by the Indian Railways over the years include Mumbai-Howrah via Jabalpur, Delhi-Darbhanga-Jaynagar, Gorakhpur-Varanasi via Aunrihar, Jabalpur-Nainpur-GondiaBallarshah, Chennai-Trichy, IndoreGuna-Gwalior-Amritsar, DelhiJaipur-Udaipur, New Delhi-New Coochbehar-Srirampur Assam via Patna & Katihar, Ajmer-Howrah, Mumbai-Marwar, and DelhiMoradabad-Tanakpur.

The first electric train in India ran between Bombay Victoria Terminus and Kurla on the Great Indian Peninsula Railway’s (GIPR) Harbour Line on February 3, 1925, with 1500 Volts DC which was later extended by installing 3000 Volts

Mr. Sanjay Aggarwal, Chairman & CEO, Paramount Cables Group

www.wirecable.in

DC system. By the year 1936, 388 route km was electrified. In 1957, the 25 kV AC traction system was adopted by Indian Railways.

According to a CRISIL report, the wire and cable industry in India has registered a CAGR of 22 percent in volume terms over the last five fiscal years. The industry is expected to reach a volume of approximately 27 million km by FY 2023-24.

Industrialisation in developing countries like India is one of the key factors that are driving the growth of the global wire and cable market.

According to a report published

by Data Bridge Market Research, the global wire and cable market might rise to an estimated value of USD 332.65 billion by 2026 from its estimated value of USD 201.76 billion in 2018, registering a CAGR of 6.45 percent in the period of 2019-2026. The wire and cable market in India comprises almost 40 percent of the electrical industry.

With the expansion of the power and infrastructure sectors, the wire and cable market is not only growing at a CAGR of 15 percent but India is also emerging as a potential market for high voltage (HV) and extra-high voltage (EHV) cables among the global investors.

A National Rail Plan (NRP) for India-2030 has been prepared and adopted by Indian Railways according to which, infrastructure catering to the demand till 2050, will be created by 2030. It identifies demand and required capacity augmentation till 2030 with the mission to reduce the logistic cost of the economy.

Besides electrification, the Indian Railways has taken various other steps toward combating climate change such as improving the energy efficiency of locomotives and switching to renewable sources of energy. With India’s push for renewable energy, the cable industry is now looking forward to supplying cables for solar and wind applications besides oil and gas.

The government’s impetus on railway infrastructure is all set to increase demand for more power, and hence more power cables.

The wire and cable industry has grown considerably in India over the last few years. With increasing market potential, advancement of technologies by the utilities, and emphasis on digitisation, the future of the wire and cable industry looks bright in India.

“Railways require multiple types of cables and conductors ranging from electrification to signalling to network to the indoor power supply. The most common and high-value items are catenary and contact wires in conductors and signalling and quad in cables. These are procured directly by various railway circles across India or by the contractors who take up complete railway EPC work. They also procure optical fibre cables and other copper telecom cables for networking purposes. In power cables, they procure flexible wires for indoor use according to IS and IRS standards both. They also procure LT cables for electrification purposes. These are generally procured through their contractors.

Paramount has expertise in all cable types mentioned above. We are one of the largest cable suppliers to Indian Railways with experience of more than four decades. Interestingly, Paramount was one of the earliest cable partners of Railways where we helped them better the design of their axle counter cables. Hence, Paramount enjoys hard-earned goodwill in the Indian Railways.”

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NEWS

HFCL to Raise Funds Worth INR 750 Crore through Various Issues The HFCL board has constituted a fund raising committee, chaired by Managing Director Mahendra Nahata as its chairman.

September 3, 2021 Domestic telecom gear maker HFCL has received its board’s consent to raise up to INR 750 crore through equity, bonds, debentures or any other securities.

HFCL is one of the applicants for the production linked incentive scheme, where the government is offering up to 20 times higher incentives based on investment and incremental production criteria.

HFCL Ltd.

transmission and access equipment, optical fibre, and optical fibre cables (OFC). The company is specialised in setting up modern communication networks for telecom service providers, railways, defence, smart city and surveillance projects.

As reported in a leading daily — the Board of the Directors of the company has considered and approved fundraising up to INR 750 crore, by way of private placement or preferential issue of public issue or rights issue or qualified institutional placement or through any other permissible mode.

It has also commissioned a dedicated 5G research and development centre at Bengaluru. 

HFCL is engaged in the manufacturing of high-end

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Jul-Aug, 2021

NEWS

RailTel Corporation of India Bags Order Worth INR 299.95 Crore The work is to be executed over a period of 12 months.

September 3, 2021 RailTel Corporation of India has secured a contract worth INR 299.95 crore from Directorate of Information Technology, Indian Air Force, Ministry of Defence for implementation of secure OPS network.

As reported in a leading daily — the work is to be executed over a period of 12 months.

RailTel, a “Mini Ratna (Category-I)” Central Public Sector Enterprise is an information and communications technology (ICT) provider and one of the largest neutral telecom infrastructure providers in the country owning a pan-India optic fiber network on exclusive Right of Way (ROW) along Railway track. The Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) network covers important towns & cities of the country and several rural areas. As of 30 June 2021, the Government of India held 72.84 percent stake in the company.  RailTel Corporation of India

Sterlite Technologies and Facebook to Collaborate for 5G Network Development STL is the first Indian firm to collaborate with Evenstar Programme to provide Open-RAN radio solutions.

August 11, 2021 Sterlite Technologies (STL) has announced collaboration with Facebook Connectivity to design and develop 4G and 5G radio products. This is part of the Evenstar program to help accelerate the commercial deployment of Open RAN and boost 5G readiness for telecom operators around the world.

The Evenstar program is a collaborative effort by Facebook Connectivity and global industry partners to accelerate the adoption of Open RAN technology. In this partnership, STL will build two advanced and high-power macro radio products. The first one is an O-RAN compliant radio providing higher capacity for dense deployments.

Through this partnership, STL will develop two advanced and high-power macro radio products.

In addition, STL will also develop an O-RAN compliant 4G+5G dual technology radio that supports both technologies individually or/and concurrently. These 3GPP and O-RAN compliant radio products will be developed over the next year and will enable telecom operators

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around the world to scale up commercial deployments of open networking infrastructure and prepare their networks for Open RAN 5G. 

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NEWS

Underground Power Cabling Project of INR 130 Crore Approved for Mapusa in Goa

The electricity department of the state has also taken up the conversion work of HT and LT overhead power lines to covered conductors in Querim, Veling, Priol, and Cuncolim in the Priol constituency.

August 24, 2021 The underground cabling work of Mapusa, a town in North Goa, will be commissioned as soon as approval from the government is granted. The cabling project is scheduled to cost about INR 130 crore. At present, about 40 percent of the 33 kV power line network has been already taken underground.

Following the approval of the said cabling project, the work order will be placed and work will be initiated.

As published in a leading daily, the electricity department of the state is in the planning phase of the conversion of overhead to underground cables of Vasco city. The modification of existing overhead 11 kV and LT power lines to underground cabling systems of some areas in the state, including major portions of Old Goa, Cumbharjua, Saligao and Britona, are on the verge of completion.

Underground Cabling Project

substation to Saligao substation, and conversion work of overhead to underground in Cuncolim Industrial Estate.

There is also a bifurcation of Balli feeder, underground cabling at Fatorda, Porvorim under Phase I, underground cabling in Curchorem, and the conversion of overhead to underground at Anjuna under the NCRMP scheme funded

by World Bank. Also, Marago industrial estate at Nessai, Cortalim feeder benefiting areas falling under Quelossim panchayat areas and underground cabling of Netravali feeder in Sanguem are in the works. 

The electricity department has also taken up the conversion work of HT and LT overhead power lines to covered conductors in Querim, Veling, Priol, and Cuncolim in the Priol constituency.

In addition, there are other significant underground cabling work of laying 33 kv double circuit cable from Porvorim

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Jul-Aug, 2021

NEWS

Gupta Power Completes Installation of ACCC® Conductor for Bhutan Power Corporation Bhutan is the 60th country in the world to successfully deploy ACCC® Conductor to improve the efficiency, capacity, reliability and resilience of the world’s electric power grid.

September 15, 2021 Gupta Power Infrastructure, in alliance with Bhutan Power Corporation Limited, has successfully completed the installation of latter’s first two ACCC® Conductor installations in Bhutan — according to the reports.

The 66 kV Semtokha to Hongtsho transmission line and the 66 kV Semtokha to Dechencholing line used 242 kcmil (122.7 mm2) Silvassa size ACCC® Conductor to replace ACSR Dog size conductor initially installed in 1985. Existing steel lattice structures were used without modification. Spans included highway crossings up to 712 meters.

ACCC® Conductor installation

capacity increase to support the new 33/66 kV substation at Hongtsho. Hitesh Mundhada, Vice President CTC Global – South Asia stated: “The mountainous terrain made it extremely difficult to bring in men, materials and equipment, and elevation differences between adjacent towers made it very challenging for conductor pulling, but the projects were completed successfully without issue.” 

ACCC® Conductor for the projects were supplied by Gupta Power and ACCC® Hardware was supplied by TAG. The ACCC Conductor’s composite core was produced by CTC at its Global headquarters in Irvine, California.

Bhutan Power Corporation’s projects enabled a substantial

Scotland Planning Two New Subsea Cable Factories

Mainly, the production is going to be focused on cables for interconnections and export cables for the offshore wind market.

September 3, 2021 Peel Ports Clydeport, the owner of Hunterston Port and Resource Campus, has come together with XLCC for two factories in Ayrshire, Scotland, which will manufacture HVDC subsea cables. They have signed an agreement that will include the construction of a 70-acre facility consisting of the two cable factories, R&D laboratories, offices, stores, electrical infrastructure, in addition to a high-tech cable delivery system.

Mainly, the production is going to be focused on cables for interconnections and export cables for the offshore wind market. The development requires investment in the order of around USD 511.9 million (370 million Pound Sterling) for buildings and plants and around USD 277.3 million (200 million Pound Sterling) for a commissioned specialist vessel for transporting cable reels, which would be shared with a third XLCC factory.

Image: Peel Ports

year. Upon receiving the approval, the work is slated to begin in April.

The test lengths of cable are expected to be made by April 2023, and the full manufacturing production is projected to be completed by November 2024. At present, XLCC is in talks with three offshore energy companies pertaining to the supply of cables that would be produced at Hunterston, with delivery from 2025. 

The planning process has been already initiated by XLCC with North Ayrshire Council and the planning application is projected to go before the committee in February next

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Jul-Aug, 2021

NEWS

STL Appoints Paul Atkinson as CEO for its Optical Networking Business

Before STL, Mr. Paul Atkinson was the M D and Group CEO at IXOM, Australia September 3, 2021 STL has announced the appointment of Mr. Paul Atkinson as the Chief Executive Officer for its Optical Networking Business. Paul’s appointment is in line with the widened portfolio and the increased global reach of STL’s Optical business.

With its core focus of enabling digital transformation at the edge, STL has been delivering industry-leading optical solutions for telcos, cloud companies, governments and enterprises globally. The world is witnessing concurrent network build cycles of 5G, FTTx and rural broadband and optical solutions will be at the heart of these. To cater to these mega-trends, STL has been widening its portfolio and scale as well as globalizing its optical business at a rapid pace.

Before STL, Paul Atkinson was the Managing Director and Group CEO at IXOM, Australia. Prior to IXOM, Paul was associated with the Prysmian for over 20 years as the CEO of affiliates and regions across the world. During this stint, he led multiple successful business integrations and was pivotal in delivering non-linear growth across geographies and business lines. Before Prysmian Group, he held senior roles in commercial, finance and operations in the consumer goods and healthcare sectors. Paul takes over this responsibility from Mr. Ankit Agarwal, who has played a crucial role in STL’s global expansion in the optical business. Mr. Ankit Agrawal widened the portfolio with the acquisition of Optotec & Metallurgica Bresciana and increased STL’s scale and presence in Italy, UK, US, Brazil and China. As a Whole-Time Director on the board, Mr. Ankit Agarwal will now focus on driving the strategy and growth across STL.

Mr. Paul Atkinson, CEO, STL

of the company. I welcome Paul and wish him the best. I am confident that with his exceptional global experience, he will take the optical networking business to the next level.” 

Welcoming Paul, Mr. Ankit Agarwal, Whole-Time Director, STL said, “Leading the Optical business has been an incredible journey during which we became global and achieved many firsts. With STL accelerating its efforts in optical innovation, I welcome Paul who with his deep, global expertise will take the business to greater heights.

As we look forward to a decade of network creation, I am excited about expanding my focus to drive STL’s ambitious growth plans with disruptive strategies.”

“Digital networks are key to the 4th industrial revolution, where optical technologies are taking centre stage. With over 25 years of expertise, STL is expanding its scope and scaling globally. STL has the right expertise and ambition to service network creators across the globe. I am very excited to lead the optical networking business, which will shape the future digital landscape,” said Paul Atkinson.

Commenting on this development, Dr. Anand Agarwal, Group CEO, STL said, “Optical connectivity and networks have always been our core and with Ankit at the helm, we have passionately put this business on the global map. I look forward to partnering with Ankit in the strategic growth

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Jul-Aug, 2021

NEWS

India Begins Anti-Dumping Duty Sunset Review Probe on Steel Wire Rods Imported from China

Preliminary anti-dumping duties on steel wire rods from China were first imposed in 2016.

August 10, 2021 India has initiated a sunset review investigation to continue imposing anti-dumping duty on steel wire rods imported from China.

As reported in a leading daily — the Indian Steel Association on behalf of Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited, Steel Authority of India Limited and JSW Steel raised concerns at the likelihood of recurrence of dumping if the extant antidumping duty comes to an end this year and requested for review and continuation of the levy.

“Further, Tata Steel Long Products Limited and Jindal Steel and Power Limited have supported the application,” the Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) said in a notification.

Steel Wire Rods

Steel wire rods, made from both alloy and non-alloy steel, are used in many industries including automotive components, welding electrodes and general engineering.

from China, positive dumping margin, significant unutilised capacities in subject country, existence of trade remedial measures imposed by other countries against the subject country, potential trade diversion, price attractiveness of Indian market and reduction of basic custom duty by India on imports of product under consideration,” the DGTR said. 

“There is prima facie evidence of likelihood of continuation/ recurrence of dumping and injury to the domestic industry in the event of cessation of duty, considering the volume and price of imports of subject goods (steel wire rods)

Prysmian to Invest USD 85 Million to Support Broadband Development and 5G in North America

Most of these investments and upgrades are for the Prysmian Group Claremont, N.C. facility to increase the production of optical products.

September 4, 2021 Prysmian Group has announced an investment of about USD 85 million in major equipment and technology upgrades at plants in North America, enabling the company to match the growing production requirements for telecom customers.

Further, the Claremont facility is projected to grow to 620 employees in the next 18 months, adding around 70 new jobs.

Andrea Pirondini, Chief Executive Officer of Prysmian Group North America said that Prysmian Group will extend its support for the growth necessary to expand the access to high-speed broadband in North America.

Image: Prysmian Group

specific, the Claremont R&D centre is the only one-ofits-kind, co-located in a joint optical fibre and optical fibre cable manufacturing facility. The products manufactured at the Claremont facility includes – FlexTube™ and ezMicroduct™ cables, that has exceptional fibre density designs owing to their design of bend-insensitive fibres. 

Prysmian Group has a well-built legacy in the manufacturing of optical fibre cable for diverse applications, with four telecom production sites in the United States. To be

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Jul-Aug, 2021

NEWS

Tamil Nadu to Launch BharatNet in 12,534 Panchayats

Ministery of Information and Technology of Tamil Nadu has affirmed in a statement that the state would soon be transformed into a technology hub.

August 19, 2021 With the aim to enhance connectivity in the rural areas, Tamil Nadu Information Technology (IT) department is going to introduce the BharatNet program in 12,534 villages panchayats of the state.

Minister of Information and Technology of Tamil Nadu Mano Thangaraj affirmed in a statement that the state would soon be transformed into a technology hub. He also said that the major aim of the government was to improve the infrastructure that would provide an impetus to an increase in investments that would create more jobs.

The Tamil Nadu government, according to the IT minister, is planning to capitalise on the skilled manpower, infrastructure, competence and policies of the state to convert it into the Artificial Intelligence capital of the country.

As per a study found by the IT department, India is ranked eighth in the top ten countries of the world with over 4,000 AI patents being filed in the past five years.

BharatNet program was launched with the aim to provide high-speed internet connectivity in rural areas.

With the BharatNet phase-1, one

Optical fibre connectivity

lakh village panchayats have been connected with a high-speed broadband network. 

US Senators Passes USD 1 Trillion Infrastructure Bill That Would Support Power Grid Expansion

The USD 1 trillion Infrastructure Bill also includes USD 73 billion to modernize the nation’s power grid and provide support to tackle the climate crisis.

August 13, 2021 A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has passed a historic USD 1.2 trillion infrastructure bill to rebuild the nation’s deteriorating infrastructure with funding for priorities like roads, bridges, rail, transit and the electric grid, and fund new climate resilience and broadband initiatives — delivering a key component of President Joe Biden’s agenda.

The agreement includes USD 110 billion for roads, USD 73 billion for power grid spending, USD 66 billion for railways, USD 65 billion to expand broadband access, USD 55 billion for clean drinking water, USD 50 billion for environmental resiliency, USD 39 billion for public transit and USD 25 billion for airports — as reported in a leading daily.

billion in electric transmission and related infrastructure, described as “the single largest investment in clean energy transmission in American history.” 

“This deal signals to the world that our democracy can function, deliver, and do big things,” Biden said in a statement. “As we did with the transcontinental railroad and the interstate highway, we will once again transform America and propel us into the future,” - he added Historic transmission investment The White House fact sheet noted that a recent U.S. Department of Energy study found that power outages cost the U.S. economy up to USD 70 billion annually. To help avoid a repeat of disasters like the deadly Texas blackouts in mid-February, the legislation would invest USD 73

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Jul-Aug, 2021

NEWS

Finolex Cables Reports Healthy Performance, QoQ Increase in PAT by 58 Percent in Q1FY22

Within the communication cables segment, the volume of metal-based products improved by 71 percent during the quarter, while optic fiber cable volumes grew by over 290 percent during the quarter.

August 13, 2021 Finolex Cables Ltd., (FCL) has announced the results for the first quarter of the financial year 2021-22. The company recorded profit for the quarter (after taxes) at INR 55.1 crore, as compared to INR 35 crore in the previous year, an improvement of 58 percent.

According to the reports — revenues for the quarter ended June 2021 stood at INR 675.4 crore as against INR 377.1 crore for the corresponding period in the year 2020-21, representing a 79 percent growth in value terms. In volume terms, Electrical Wires increased by 7 percent, while power cables increased by 23 percent.

Image Source: Finolex

struck India early in the quarter. While the lockdowns were not as severe as in the previous year, market sentiments were impacted and the restrictions on operating timings for businesses also had their impact. Further, different markets were under lockdown at different times during the quarter – Kerala, Karnataka, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and parts of West Bengal being among the states where the Company was impacted significantly. 

Within the communication cables segment, the volume of metal-based products improved by 71 percent during the quarter. Optic fiber cable volumes grew by over 290 percent during the quarter. New products within the FMEG sector all grew by more than 21 percent each.

Economic recovery following the outbreak of the coronavirus seemed well on its way when the second wave

Nordson Corporation Announces Agreement to Acquire NDC Technologies

The all-cash transaction, subject to customary post-closing adjustments, is valued at USD 180 million.

August 24, 2021 Nordson Corporation has signed a definitive agreement for the acquisition of the NDC Technologies business, a leading global provider of precision measurement solutions for in-line manufacturing process control, from Spectris plc. The acquisition expands Nordson’s test and inspection platform into new end markets and adjacent technologies.

NDC Technologies, headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, generates approximately USD 90 million in annual revenue and USD 15 million in EBITDA. Its technology portfolio includes in-line measurement sensors, gauges and analyzers using near-infrared, laser, X-ray, optical and nucleonic technologies, as well as proprietary algorithms and software. These precision applications ensure

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Image Source: Nordson Corporation

quality and reliability within the customers’ manufacturing processes. NDC also expands Nordson’s test and inspection platform beyond electronics into new end markets, including consumer non-durable, film extrusion & converting, cable & tubing and energy storage. 

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KEC International Wins Contract for Electrification of Patna Metro

This is Patna Metro’s very first electrification-work-related package of the 30.91 km Phase 1 project.

August 11, 2021 Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) recently opened financial bids for the supply of Receiving cum Traction (RSS + TSS) and Auxiliary Main Substation (ASS) including High Voltage Cabling from Grid Substation for Patna Metro Rail Project. KEC International Limited has emerged as the lowest bidder for this contract – for the cabling work of Patna Metro’s Phase 1 project.

This contract is the first electrification contract under Phase-1 of Patna Metro which will consist of two corridors (East-West Line & NorthSouth Line) having a total length of 30.91 km with 24 stations.

The first corridor (East-West Line) will have a length of 16.86 km from Danapur Cantonment to Khemni Chak while the second corridor (North-South Line) will have a length of 14.05 km from Patna Junction Railway Station to New ISBT.

The scope of the contract includes the design, supply, installation, testing, and commissioning of RSS + TSS and high voltage cabling for the Patna Metro Rail Project. Image: Metro Rail News

The scope of the contract includes the design, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of RSS + TSS and ASS including high voltage cabling from grid substation for Patna Metro Rail Project.

In September last year, DMRC had invited the tender for this work with an estimated cost of INR 116.74

crores and a completion period of 36 months.

KEC’s bid of 82.34 crores was well below DMRC & PMRC’s budgeted estimate. This will be KEC’s second win in Patna Metro’s Phase 1. Back on July 16, they were also the lowest bidder for New ISBT Depot’s ballasted track-work contract (PT-08). 

Manufacturers & Exporters of:

Hot Foil Marking Tape for Cable & PE Pipes MAG Plastics, K - 451 & 480, DSIIDC, Bhorgarh Industrial Area, Bawana, Phase - II, New Delhi - 110040, Delhi Mob: +91 9312965386, +91-9310760095 magplastics@gmail.com | www.magplastics.com

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Karnataka Seeks INR 4,000 Crore from Central Government for Optical Fibre Network

The state has formulated the KOFN project which would cost INR 4300 crore including the cost of network maintenance for a period of 15 years, the CM explained.

September 15, 2021 Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has appealed to the Central Government for a grant of INR 4,300 crore for the Karnataka Optical Fibre Network (KOFN). The execution of the program would bring high-speed internet connectivity to all government offices, including panchayat ones in the state.

During a meeting with Union IT, electronics and communications minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in Delhi, the CM of Karnataka put forth the request for the investment from the government.

In a memorandum, Bommai explained that due to BharatNet’s limited scope, in addition to telecom companies’ inadequate presence at the panchayat level, the Karnataka government cannot fulfill the connectivity requirements of 25,000 government offices and institutions.

With regard to the internet connectivity-related issues, the state has formulated the KOFN project which would cost INR 4300 crore which includes the cost of network maintenance for a period of 15 years, he explained. 

Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai. Image: PTI

Rourkela Steel Plant Plans Expansion of INR 5,000 crore

The crude steel production at its plant in Odisha’s Sundargarh district will rise from 4.2 MTPA to 4.85 MTPA. September 10, 2021 Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) of SAIL has announced that it will undertake an expansion of around INR 5,000 crore with the addition of new production units and technological measures.

As per a press release, the crude steel production at its plant in Odisha’s Sundargarh district will also go up from 4.2 MTPA (million tonne per annum) to 4.85 MTPA and saleable steel production from 3.880 to 4.325 MTPA. In view of the National Steel Policy, the RSP is intending to expand its production capacity of hot metal from the current level of 4.5 MTPA to 4.855 MTPA. Correspondingly, a new coke ovens battery-7 having the production capacity of 0.770 MTPA will be installed near coke ovens battery-6. Further, a new steel melting shop

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Boeing-Saab T-7A

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NEWS (SMS)-3 with the capacity of 1.15 MTPA is going to be installed adjacent to SMS-1 and normalising furnace with 0.3 MTPA capacity is going to be set up within the new plate mill.

In the year 2013-14, a massive-scale modernisation and expansion worth around INR 13,000 crore was implemented in RSP that increased its capacity from 2 MTPA to 4.5 MTPA. A short while ago, a new hot strip mill was commissioned for a cost of around INR 3,000 crore. 

Google Finishes Laying Massive Undersea Data Cable on Beach in England

The undersea transatlantic communications cable was part of a new generation of lines that connect continents along the ocean floor with an additional layer of security beyond what’s available over the public internet.

September 16, 2021 A new massive undersea transatlantic communications cable — the Google data cable, called Grace Hopper, has been brought ashore on a beach in Bude, Cornwall.

Google has named it Grace Hopper after the American computer scientist and United States Navy rear admiral.

As reported in a leading daily — once operational, Grace Hopper would have the capacity to handle 17.5 million people streaming 4K video concurrently. The Google data cable has been laid between New York in the United States, Bilbao in Spain and Bude over several months, and is expected to be operational in 2022.

Grace Hopper Google Data Cable

The undersea cable is about 7000 km (4,350 miles) long and is Google’s fourth privately-owned undersea data cable, which transports 98 percent of international internet traffic around the world.

An earlier attempt to land the cable in Bude failed in July because of poor weather conditions. The third leg of it was landed in Bilbao earlier this month. 

High-Tension Lines to be Replaced with Underground Cables in Hyderabad

As part of the initiative, high-tension lines along LB Nagar to Miyapur would be upgraded with 33 kV underground cables.

September 6, 2021 The Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (TSSPDCL) is planning to replace hightension lines with underground (UG) cables in a phased manner to overcome disruptions in power distribution and withstand any kind of weather conditions.

This year, the Centre approved a recharge plan of INR 3 lakh crore to power DISCOMs in the country to boost up smart meters, feeders, low-tension overhead lines and other infrastructure. For this, the TSSPDCL is preparing

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Representational image: High Tension Lines

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NEWS a DPR for UG cables, air-bunch cables and other facilities and will submit it to the Centre before October 31.

Apart from the 33 kV UG cabling, the TSSPDCL has also provided 11 kV UG cables for 866 km in the GHMC limits.

Since 2014, 11 kV UG cables were upgraded for 281 km at a cost of INR 66 crore, while works to lay UG cables is in progress for 23 km in the city. 

As reported in a leading daily — so far, 33 kV UG cables have been upgraded for a length of 1,188 km in the city.

Out of this, UG cables for 700 km were laid at a cost of INR 228 crore after the formation of the State.

TSCCL to Lay 270 Kilometers of Underground Power Cables in Tirupati City The project is scheduled to be completed by March, 2022. One-third of the city roads will be covered in the first phase of the project.

August 27, 2021 The Tirupati Smart City Corporation Limited (TSCCL), in association with the APSPDCL, has taken up the project to lay underground power cables to a total length of 270 km in the city. The underground power cable network will cover 27 major roads.

According to a report in a leading daily — once completed, the project will ensure uninterrupted power supply and power reliability, besides putting an end to cutting down of tree branches for undertaking power cable repair works during monsoon. One of the main objectives of the project is to adorn city roads with more greenery. After laying underground power cables, more trees will be planted on road margins.

Laying of underground cables in progress

A total of 135 km low tension underground power cables, 80 km of 11 KV lines and 65 km of 33 KV network will be laid as part of the project. 

Nepal and India Sign Deal to Build 400 kV Power Line

The transmission line in the side of Nepal will be constructed by the company which will be set up through a 50-50 share ownership of NEA and Power Grid.

September 14, 2021 Nepal Electricity Authority and Power Grid Corporation of India have signed an agreement to develop a transnational transmission line – the Indian portion of the 400 kV ButwalGorakhpur. This expansion of the power line will be made through joint investment.

According to the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), an investment agreement was signed to build the ButwalGorakhpur second cross-border power line.

Around three years ago, an energy secretary-level meeting of Nepal and India had agreed to construct the transmission line with a total capacity of 400 kV. According to the agreement, it has been made clear that the said power line will be built based on the joint venture of NEA

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Transmission line

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NEWS Within this agreement, the transmission line in the side of Nepal will be constructed by Nepal itself whereas the other portion in India will be built by the company which will be set up through a 50-50 share ownership of NEA and Power Grid. The transmission line can transmit about 2000 MWs of electricity. According to the Executive Director, the Butwal-Gorakhpur transmission line will possess the ability to transmit almost double power than the current first inter-country 400 kV Nepal, India agree to develop a second transnational transmission line with a capacity of 20,000 MW Dhalkebar-Mujaffarpur transmission line can transport. 

and Power Grid Corporation of India.

NEA Executive Director Kulman Ghising confirmed the bilateral investment agreement with respect to the Butwal-Gorakhpur 400 kV transmission line. Besides, the transmission line is related to the US aid project Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).

The executive director affirmed that the agreement has opened the way for establishing a company with a 5050 percent share of NEA and Power Grid of India for developing the transmission line. The Butwal-Gorakhpur transnational transmission line is 120 kilometres long. In this, 20 kilometres lies towards Nepal and 100 kilometres is towards India.

Google and Facebook to Build 12000 Kilometers Asian Apricot Subsea Cable System The submarine cable system will connect Singapore, Japan, Guam, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Indonesia and is aiming for a rollout in 2024.

August 16, 2021 Google and Facebook are joining forces to set up a new subsea cable system meant to boost the internet capacity and speeds of the Asia-Pacific region.

The Apricot subsea cable will span around 12,000 km, connecting Japan, Guam, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Indonesia. It will have an initial design capacity of 190Tbps and is set to be completed by 2024.

As reported in a leading daily — This is not the first time that Facebook and Google have collaborated on a major submarine cable project. Back in March, the two tech giants joined forces in announcing the Echo cable, a network set to connect the US to Singapore, Indonesia, and the Philippines via Guam. Echo will be ready for service in 2023.

Subsea Cable

Combined, Echo and Apricot will provide a major connectivity boost to the region, as well as providing Google Cloud with an excellent springboard from which to launch services in Asia.

submarine infrastructure investment in the APAC had had between 2010 and 2019, showing an aggregated increase of USD 430 billion GDP, as well as generating around 1.1 million additional jobs in the region.

Google has currently invested in 18 submarine cable systems around the world, including Curie, between Chile and Los Angeles; Equiano, between Portugal and South Africa; and Grace Hopper, a cable connecting New York to London, UK and Bilbao, Spain.

However, Google’s submarine cable ambitions for the coming years go beyond the APAC region alone, with the company last month announcing the Firmina an open subsea cable project connecting the East Coast of the US to Argentina and other South American locations. 

In their announcement, Google highlighted an Analysys Mason report exploring the economic impact the company’s

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Russia Begins Laying Submarine Optic Fibre Cables in the Arctic Circle

The cable link, scheduled to be completed in 2026, will cross Russia’s long north coast for 12,650 kilometers (7,860 miles) from the village of Teriberka to the easternmost port of Vladivostok.

August 10, 2021 The laying work of the first submarine fibre optic communication cable in Russia through the Arctic Circle has started as part of a state-run project to bring highspeed internet to the northern hydrocarbon-rich remote areas. Moscow aims to expand its military presence and improve patch communications and infrastructure in the Far North, which is developing its main route, the North Sea route.

The cable link, scheduled to be completed in 2026, will cross Russia’s long north coast for 12,650 kilometers (7,860 miles) from the village of Teriberka in the Barents Sea to the easternmost port of Vladivostok. 

A vessel sails along a coast line as it lays undersea fibre optic communications cable near the village of Teriberka, Russia. Image Source: REUTERS/Stringer

LS Cable & System to Secure Largest Submarine Cable Laying Barge

With the addition of the 8000 tonnes GL2030, LS Cable & System will become the only company in South Korea to have both a submarine cable plant and a submarine cable laying barge.

August 12, 2021 LS Cable & System has announced that it will secure GL2030 — the largest submarine cable laying barge in Korea to reinforce its eco-friendly business.

The South Korea-based industrial corporation is planning to strengthen its position in the submarine cable business through acquisition of its first submarine cable laying barge, the 8,000-ton GL2030, to proactively prepare for the rapidly growing offshore wind power generation projects being developed at home and abroad.

LS Cable & System to Secure GL2030

With the investment in GL2030, LS Cable & System will become the only company in Korea to have both a submarine cable plant and submarine cable laying barge.

Globally, there are only a handful of companies that can produce and lay extra-high voltage submarine cables in Europe.

shop position control system,’ GL2030 will raise the submarine cable laying competency of Korea to the next level.

Also, by owning the ship directly, LS Cable & System believes that it will be able to freely adjust its operation schedule, so that it will be better able to expand its participation in forthcoming submarine cable projects in East and Southeast Asian countries. 

GL2030 will be used first for domestic projects starting in the first half of 2022. As a submarine cable laying barge with the latest specifications equipped with a ‘precision

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Furukawa Electric Uses SIKORA’s CENTERVIEW 8000 for Network Cable Production

The CENTERVIEW 8000 was used for Inline measurement of eccentricity, diameter, ovality and wall thickness for manufacturing process control.

September 1, 2021 Furukawa Electric LatAm S.A. is a specialist for network cables for various applications and one of the largest manufacturers of structured cabling in Latin America. For online quality control, the Furukawa Electric’s headquarters located in Curitiba, Brazil, has been using SIKORA’s CENTERVIEW 8000 since 2008, a non-contact measuring system and continuous online measurement of LAN cable.

Furukawa Electric LatAm is part of the Furukawa Electric Group. Since its foundation in 1884 in Japan, the company has incorporated its claim as a global company with local presence. The Brazilian subsidiary was established in 1974 and today, Furukawa Electric LatAm is one of the largest Latin American manufacturers of network cables and has a broad expertise in this area.

SIKORA’s CENTERVIEW 8000

Carmo Badelli, process engineer at Furukawa Electric LatAm. “The company has a good partnership with SIKORA, always got the necessary support, and the equipment meets what was requested”, says Antonio Cesar Ploposki, Industrial Manager at Furukawa Electric LatAm. With the CENTERVIEW 8000 Furukawa measures the diameter, ovality and eccentricity during LAN cable production for highest quality of the final product. 

“Furukawa stands out for offering its customers not only the cable, but a complete solution for the network infrastructure in addition to a comprehensive support network for projects, pre-sales, post-sales that is always tailored to customer requirements”, explains Diego do

Facebook and Telcos to Extend Subsea Cable to Four Countries

Facebook and a team of African and global telecom companies will add four more countries to its world’s largest subsea cable project.

August 16, 2021 Facebook has announced that it would extend to four more branches the “most comprehensive” subsea cable to serve the African continent and Middle East region. The consortium of the project, called 2Africa, comprises South Africa’s MTN GlobalConnect, Facebook, Mauritius-based infrastructure provider WIOCC, China Mobile International, France’s Orange SA, Saudi Arabia’s stc, Telecom Egypt and Vodafone — as reported in a leading daily.

Internet connectivity will be expanded to the Seychelles, the Comoros Islands, Angola and bring a new landing point to south-east Nigeria. This is in addition to the recently announced extension to the Canary Islands, the companies said.

Subsea Cable

deploy the new “branches”, which will increase the number of 2Africa landings to 35 in 26 countries, further improving connectivity into and around Africa, they added.

Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) has been selected to

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NEWS and more affordable phones.

The consortium launched the cable, which is expected to go live in late 2023, in May 2020 to connect those countries in Africa, the Middle East and Europe.

However, with a population of just above 1.3 billion, Africa is still a laggard in internet connectivity, with average mobile internet users at around 26 percent against a world average of 51 percent.

Subsea cables form the backbone of the internet, carrying 99 percent of the world’s data traffic.

The companies said that 2Africa will be the largest subsea cable project in the world. 

Africa’s big economies have a large and fast growing population of internet users, with growth in internet use fuelled by rapidly expanding mobile broadband networks

India to be a Data Centre Hub with an Incentive of INR 12,000 Crore

Under the proposed data centre scheme, there will be a specified percentage of incentive given to companies deploying domestically manufactured servers.

The government scheme is going to be an affirmative influence and will boost the growth of the Indian wire and cable industry.

August 25, 2021 The Government of India is planning to introduce an ambitious incentive scheme worth about INR 12,000 crore that will motivate companies to initiate data centres across the country. As part of this data centre scheme, the government is aiming for an investment of INR 3 lakh crore in the next five years. Besides, the companies will be given an incentive of 3 to 4 percent of capital investment, in addition, to support in terms of real estate and ease in clearances.

As per a news report, the government officials asserted that the vision behind this hyper-scale scheme is to elevate the positioning of India as a global data centre hub. The officials also pronounced the goal of the scheme as the biggest till now pertaining to its envisioned investment over a period of five years.

Presently, the proposed scheme is being considered for inter-ministerial consultations. Thereafter, the policy is going to be shared with the cabinet for approval once it is finalized. The financial range of the incentive is being talked about and it could be between INR 10,000 crore to 12,000 crore.

The financial range of the incentive under the scheme could be between INR 10,000 crore to 12,000 crore.

and IT will also spur the domestic production of highend servers. Also, there will be an incentive given of stated percentage on the purchase of servers that are domestically manufactured which can be installed at the data centres.

Very recently, leading technology corporations like Google, Microsoft, and Amazon have initiated their respective data centre regions in India. Also, homegrown companies including Hiranandani Group and Adani Enterprises have also talked about their ambitious plans of establishing data centres in Noida.

The setting up of hyper-scale data centre regions in the country will promote the adoption and installation of superior quality equipment and systems. In view of the advanced environment at the data centre, it will necessitate the demand for wires and cables on an enormous level. 

The said schemes headed by the Ministry of Electronics

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Bosch Launches New Electric Vehicle Cable Without Bulky Charging Brick According to Bosch, the new charging cable weighs about 40 percent less than brick-equipped cables at around 3 kg (~6.6 lbs).

September 8, 2021 Bosch has announced the launch of a new charging cable for electric vehicles that is not equipped with the traditional “charging brick”. The German multinational engineering and technology company recently shared new details on the EV code prior to the world premiere at IAA Mobility in Munich.

Bosch is calling this flexible smart charging cable a “world’s first” to feature its integrated universal charging technology without the in-cable charging box, often referred to as a “brick.”

Flexible Smart EV Charging Cable

contains the components for controlling and monitoring the charging power. At the other end, the household plug with adapter houses the temperature control and a residual current device. This ensures that no overloading or overheating occurs even during regular recharging at a household power socket with up to 2.3 kilowatts of charging power. If necessary, the safety technology deactivates the cable before the situation becomes critical. 

The new cable will also come with adapters to allow both Level 1 and 2 AC charging. So whether you are plugging in at home or at a public charger, the new Bosch cable can connect and deliver charge speeds up to 22 kW. In addition to universal use for AC charging, Bosch’s charging cable was also built with advanced safety in mind.

The type 2 connector at the vehicle end of the cable

Nexans to Supply Major UK Offshore Wind Farm With Critical Export Cable Infrastructure

The multi-million-pound deal will allow the efficient transfer of energy from the wind farm to the grid when the project comes online in the mid-2020s.

September 10, 2021 Nexans has confirmed that it has entered into exclusive negotiations with a leading developer to supply and install onshore and offshore export cables for a significant offshore wind farm in the UK. The deal further confirms Nexans leadership in the critical offshore wind farm sector and its core role in driving the energy transition through the next decade and beyond.

The UK government has committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and large-scale offshore wind is viewed as critical to achieving this ambition. 

Nexans continuing to support the UK’s net zero ambitions

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Railtel Secures Two Orders From Indian Railways Worth INR 39 Crore The total anticipated project cost of the work is INR 38.82 crore.

August 17, 2021 RailTel Corporation of India bagged two works of tunnel communication of Central Railway from Indian Railways with completion period of 12 months.

As reported in a leading daily — RailTel Corporation of India’s consolidated net profit jumped 29.2 percent to INR 21.13 crore on 20.6 percent increase in net sales to INR 304.74 crore in Q1 June 2021 over Q1 June 2020.

RailTel, a “Mini Ratna (Category-I)” Central Public Sector Enterprise is an information and communications technology (ICT) provider and one of the largest neutral telecom infrastructure providers in the country owning a pan-India optic fiber network on exclusive Right of Way (ROW) along Railway track. The Optical Fibre Cable (OFC)

Representational image: Railway Tunnel

network covers important towns & cities of the country and several rural areas. As of 30 June 2021, the Government of India held 72.84 percent stake in the company. 

India’s Solar Capacity Additions has Grown by 251 percent, Highest Since 2018 The cumulative solar installations in the country at the end of Q2 of 2021 have reached 43.6 GW. It is also noteworthy that the solar capacity addition in AprilJune 2021 is the highest in any quarter since the same period in 2018.

September 1, 2021 With a massive push for India’s ambitious renewable energy, India witnessed a solar energy generation capacity growth by 12-fold to 2.488 GW in the April-June period in 2021 compared to the same period a year ago.

As per a research report by Mercom India, the solar capacity addition in India in the said time period was 19 percent quarter-over-quarter (QoQ) more than the 2.09 GWs of capacity installed in the span of January-March 2021.

It is also noteworthy that the solar capacity addition in April-June 2021 is the highest in any quarter since the same period in 2018. This has been achieved in spite of many state-level lockdowns due to the second wave of the pandemic. Further, the solar installations have grown by 1,114 percent year-over-year as compared to the addition of 205 MW in Q2 of 2020.

Solar Power

industry to manage in a much better way.

Consequently, the growth in the solar power generation capacity in the country would mean the rise in the deployment of sophisticated solar cables used in photovoltaic power generation. Thus, it is a promising sign for the Indian wire and cable industry. 

In the said research report, it was stated that the installations and the growth were because of the targeted lockdowns imposed this year, allowing the solar power

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Power Grid to Build Around 11 EV Charging Stations in Shillong The EVCS are being built under the scheme of - Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of (Hybrid) and Electric Vehicles (FAME) India Scheme Phase-II. September 10, 2021 Power Grid Corporation of India Limited has announced that it will develop around 11 Electric Vehicle Charging Station (EVCS) in Shillong, Meghalaya. It has laid the foundation stone for the first-ever EVCS in the state of Meghalaya at its office complex situated at Lapalang in Shillong.

Within this scheme, POWERGRID is going to develop 11 EVCS in Shillong city (5 Public EVCS and 6 at government establishments). Each charging station shall have four 15 kW DC-001 Chargers and one 100 kW CCS-2/CHAdeMO Charger (dual gun) making it 66 charging points in Shillong city. Out of the 11 locations, Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed for 4 locations which include POWERGRID Office Complex at Lapalang, MTC Ware House at Demthring, MTC Parking Lot at Police Bazar and Polo Parking Lot at Polo.

Representative Image: EV charging station

Bengaluru, Gurugram and Kochi.

The boost in the EV segment in the country would mean the rise in the consumption of different types of wires and cables used in electric vehicles and charging stations. 

POWERGRID has developed itself as one of the market leaders in EVCS business and has its presence in major cities of India like Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Delhi,

Performance of Power Lines Boosted by Insulation Additives

The conclusion of the study undertaken by Chalmers University suggests that HVDC cables having P3HT in their insulation could sustain much higher voltages than what is currently possible.

August 31, 2021 A new cable-insulating material is designed to enable the relaying of electricity in a very efficient manner. The additive would address the challenge of energy losses while sending electricity through power lines while travelling large distances.

Increasing the voltage will be an ideal solution to the challenge, but while doing that will necessitate the installation of high voltage direct current (HVDC) cables.

These have a limiting factor of their own, because if the voltage is too high, the layer of insulating material within them may rupture.

A pictorial representation of an HVDC power cable incorporating the polymer P3HT in its insulation. Image: Yen Strandqvist (Chalmers University)

In efforts to find a solution to the challenge, scientists at

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NEWS Chalmers University in Sweden are considering the use of a conjugated polymer called poly(3-hexylthiophene) – or P3HT. Also, the said material is utilized in applications and environments ranging from replacement retinas to solar cells.

concluded that it has only one-third of the electrical conductivity of pure polyethylene insulation. Also, since other additives have been previously tested as a means of reducing conductivity, substantially larger amounts of them have been needed.

For the research, P3HT was integrated into the polyethylene that’s already used for insulation in HVDC cables, at the defined ratio of only five parts per million.

Upon analyzing the resulting composite material, it was

The conclusions of the study indicate that HVDC cables having P3HT in their insulation could sustain much higher voltages than what is currently possible, further reducing energy losses in the current they’re carrying. 

Power Grid Commissions Vindhyachal-Varanasi Transmission Line With the commissioning of this link, the inter-regional power transfer capacity of the national grid has enhanced by 4,200 MW, taking the total capacity to 1,10,750 MW in the country.

August 25, 2021 Power Grid Corporation of India has commissioned a 765 kV double circuit Vindhyachal-Varanasi transmission line.

As reported in a leading daily — this transmission line corridor will provide strong connectivity between the northern region (NR) and western region (WR), and facilitate the reliable flow of power to industries and households in the northern region, western region and the entire country.

According to the statement, the 190-km long transmission line transverses tough geographical areas and crosses four rivers namely Ganga, Gopad, Meyar and Sone. A portion of 92-km of this transmission line passes through Madhya Pradesh and the remaining 98-km passes through Uttar Pradesh.

Transmission Line

This project was acquired by Power Grid under Tariff Based Competitive Bidding (TBCB).

MW Jawaharpur Thermal Power Project and constructed a 400 kV substation at Firozabad along with associated transmission lines.

Recently, Power Grid through its subsidiary, Power Grid Jawaharpur Firozabad Transmission, commissioned a transmission system for evacuation of power from 2x660

Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd presently has 1,72,154 ckm (cirkuit km) of transmission lines, 262 sub-stations and more than 4,46,940 MVA of transformation capacity. 

PCT International Receives Advanced Shielding Patent

The new patented technology is for a range of cable applications such as broadband coaxial, security, Ethernet, and HDMI. enhanced shielding tape for PCT’s coaxial cable products.

By enhanced shielding, the cable signals stay protected from any kind of interference from the external environment, also preventing signal leakage.

August 13, 2021 PCT International has been awarded a new patent for coaxial cable from the USPTO (the United States Patent and Trademark Office). The innovative patent provides

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NEWS Since superior shielding is required to support the expanding broadband internet demands, the new patented technology is for various cables like - broadband coaxial, security, Ethernet, and HDMI. Since its inception, PCT International has been granted a total of 170 broadband patents. Out of this, 160 of these innovative technology patents are applied with 61 are pending for approval, all serving the broadband cable industry.

Headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, the company is a key provider of broadband connectivity solutions and empowers broadband networks with innovative last-mile solutions. 

PCT International

NTPC Expedites Work on India’s Largest Floating Solar Plant

NTPC is on course to commissioning India’s biggest floating solar power plant of 100 MW capacity at Ramagundam in Telangana.

August 12, 2021 NTPC, the country’s largest power generator with an installed capacity of over 66,885 MW, is on course to commissioning India’s biggest floating solar power plant of 100 MW capacity at Ramagundam in Telangana.

As reported in a leading daily — NTPC is focusing on renewable energy and as a part of this, it is constructing a 100 MW floating solar photovoltaic project at Ramagundam on a 450 acre water body of the 800 acre reservoir.

The reservoirs on Godavari river have huge potential as this bypasses the requirement of land acquisition for solar project. The company has received interest for a similar project on Narmada and enquiries from abroad.

Floating Solar Plant

The project worth INR 423 crore, being executed by BHEL, will see supply of about 40 MW of merchant power from September 2021 and all of 100 MW before the end of 2021. The project got delayed due to COVID-19 lockdown and supply disruptions.

120 MW, with more advanced modules.

The project will be one of the largest single location floating solar projects on natural reservoir with water from Sri Ram Sagar project on Godavari river.

The company is setting up two other floating solar projects in south at Simhadri plant of 25 MW and Kayamkulam plant of 92 MW.

The project will have 40 2.5 MW arrays of solar blocks with each array having about 12,000 solar PV panels along with one set of transformer, inverter and switch gear panel.

The project will have 4,70,000 solar panels with over 10 lakh pieces of HDPE floats.

NTPC has become India’s first energy company to declare its energy compact goals as part of the UN High-level Dialogue on Energy and is looking to install 60 GW of renewable energy capacity by 2032.

The unique feature of the project is that all components, including transformer, inverter and switch gear panels, will be afloat on a cement cast platform. A 33 kV underground cabling system measuring 2.5 km will be laid for power evacuation from the reservoir to 400 kV switch yard. 

It is also evaluating battery back-up for round-theclock power and another project on the reservoir at Ramagundam, which can potentially have a capacity of

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NEWS

Sun Cable to Supply Power to Singapore Via Submarine Transmission Link

When commissioned, the mega project would export solar energy from Australia’s Outback to Singapore via a submarine transmission link.

August 26, 2021 Singapore-based Sun Cable has announced its plan to increase the world’s largest renewable energy generation and storage capacity of the USD 26 billion AustraliaASEAN Power Link (AAPL) being developed in northern Australia.

The proposed AAPL already includes a 14 GW solar farm featuring the prefabricated, pre-wired Maverick solar PV system designed by Sydney-based manufacturer 5B. The renewable energy generation will be coupled with an estimated 33 GWh of battery storage.

Submarine Transmission Link

While the capacity increase is not expected to alter the physical scale of the project, Sun Cable has changed the location of where its under-sea cable will land, shifting it from Middle Arm in Darwin to Murrumujuk Beach at Gunn Point, about 60 kilometers northwest of the city.

The project, being developed on a 12000-hectare site at Powell Creek in the Barkly Region, is expected to supply power to Darwin and to Singapore via a 4500-kilometre high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) transmission network, including a 750 km overhead transmission line from the solar farm to Darwin and a 3800km HVDC submarine cable from Darwin to Singapore. The project is expected to generate enough renewable electricity to power more than 3 million homes a year.

Sun Cable said the AAPL will be capable of supplying up to 20 percent of Singapore’s total electricity needs, with supply commencing in 2027. Actual construction is expected to begin in early 2024 with the first power to be supplied to Darwin in 2026. 

SASMOS-GKN Aerospace JV Secures Wiring Contract From Saab for Boeing-Saab T-7A

The first EWIS shipset is scheduled for delivery in 2022 from FE-SIL’s Centre of Excellence for Aircraft Harnesses in Bangalore.

September 24, 2021 Fokker Elmo SASMOS Interconnection Systems, a joint venture between GKN Aerospace and Bengaluru-based SASMOS HET Technologies, has secured a multi-million dollar contract from Saab to manufacture electrical interconnections systems (EWIS) for the Boeing-Saab T-7A trainer aircraft aft-section in the advanced jet that will train the next generation of fighter and bomber pilots.

According to the media reports — under the multi-year contract, FE-SIL will deliver the required wiring systems for the advanced aircraft’s aft fuselage.

SASMOS CMD Mr. HG Chandrashekar said, “We are proud and delighted that Saab has shown confidence in FE-SIL’s capability. We are excited to play a critical role in this program and to be the long-term partner for the world’s latest technology aircraft.” 

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