Supply Chain Logistics by Wire Journal International, Inc.

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Supply Chain LOGISTICS

O F F I C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E W I R E A S S O C I AT I O N I N T E R N AT I O N A L

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Supply Chain LOGISTICS

O F F I C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E W I R E A S S O C I AT I O N I N T E R N AT I O N A L

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Exhibits and Conference June 7-8, 2022 Hyatt Regency Dallas www.wireexpo22.com

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official publication:

New to exhibiting? Contact Shannon Timme sales@wirenet.org.

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VOLUME 55 | NO. 2 | FEBRUARY 2022

TA BL E O F C ON T E N T S

F E AT U R E S

Editorial Letter. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Industry News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 0 Patent Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 0

Asia Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 4 People. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 6 Fiber Watch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 8 Fastener Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 9 WAI News. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 5

The Supply Chain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 This feature presents perspectives from manufacturers on the ongoing challenges in the supply chain. It also includes comments from two industry consultants and one industry supplier that has benefitted.

WAI Chapters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 8

Sector Update: Extrusion, Part 2 (tooling). . . 72

Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 3

KabloSanTurkey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Sector Update. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 2 KabloSanTurkey. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 5

Wire and cable news from Turkey, courtesy of an information exchange between WJI and KabloSanTurkey.

Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 8 Career Opportunities . . . . . . . . . . 7 8 Advertisers’ Index . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 0

T ECHNICA L PA PERS

ON THE COVER The links of the supply chain need to function well for dependable production, only they haven’t for an extended Covid-19-induced period.

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Artificial Intelligence in Thermal Rating to Improve Monitoring of HV Power Cables Florian Ainhirn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Investigation of Gainers and Exaggerated losses in Field Splices with G.652 Fibress Svend Hopland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

NEX T ISSUE MARCH 2022 • Feature: The Best of Marking & Coding • Sector Update: Reel movers

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CONTENTS

12 Industry and academia share roots A team headed by DexMat, an Interwire 2019 exhibitor, was one of 10 chosen as Stage 1 winners in a U.S. Department of Energy conductor competition. Above is DexMat CEO Dmitri Tsentalovich, l, with company cofounder Matteo Pasquali, a Rice University professor, at an industry event. DexMat, which began commercializing CNT conductors in 2015, was created from work done with Rice University.

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18 Good presentations at WCMA’s annual event were even better as they were live Above, Mike Kelley, Kelley Productivity Partners, speaks about the need to simplify supply chains at the Wire & Cable Manufacturers Alliance’s annual meeting, which was held Dec. 2, in Hartford, Connecticut. His presentation, and one by John Traynor, Peoples Bank, were both well received. Attendees also appreciated being able to once again meet with their peers.

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EDITORIAL LETTER

The state of Texas is open for trade shows When Wire Expo 2022 and WAI Operations Summit is held June 7-8 at the Hyatt Regency Dallas, it will be one in a series of events, both large and small, that will be held in the Lone Star state in May and June. Covid-19 remains a scourge, but it is one that has to be adapted to, as ultimately, society cannot function from isolation. Trade events are being held, but one has to be prudent. That led the organizers of DISTRIBUTECH International—which drew more than 12,000 attendees in 2020—to reschedule from Jan. 26-28, 2022, to May 23-25 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas. Organizers were confident that “delaying the event until May will deliver an environment where people feel safe to reconnect face-toface and business can be done.” Of note, former U.S. Secretary of Energy and Texas governor Rick Perry is a keynote speaker. Here are some of the live trade events scheduled in May and June in Texas: Offshore Technology Conference, May 2-5, 2022, NRG Park, Houston; AWEA Windpower, May 16-19, Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, San Antonio; the Dallas International Lighting Show, June 22-25, Dallas Market Center. An article in BizBash cited Liz Irving, a key executive at trade show management company Clarion Events, Inc., as saying that demand exists, but it requires good content to justify the participation. “Our attendees are craving the live experience and being back together to do business face-to-face.” The focus, she observed, will be the quality of the attending audience and providing events that “create connections opportunities through defined meeting programs, networking and the serendipitous experiences.” Those elements will be part of Wire Expo.

P U B L I S H E R Steven J. Fetteroll E D I T O R - I N - C H I E F Mark Marselli G R A P H I C D E S I G N E R Karren Muolo D I R E C T O R O F S A L E S Shannon Timme DIRECTOR OF MARKETING & CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS Janice E. Swindells WAI PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE Dane Armendariz, consultant Ferruccio Bellina, TKT Group/President ACIMAF Michael Crowle, QED Wire Lines Inc. Tom Moran, consultant Giulio Properzi, Continuus Properzi Willem Sundblad, Oden Technologies Inc. John N. Tomaz, Stolberger Robert Wild, Niehoff Endex North America W.T. Bigbee, Encore Wire Corp. TECHNICAL ADVISORS John Drummond, Scotia Group R. M. Shemenski, RMS Consulting, Inc. Images: Adobe Stock.

The supply chain is rife with tangles The WJI feature on the supply chain covers a lot of supply chain concerns, but there’s one other contributing element that did not get a lot of attention. In a recent Forbes article, supply chain expert Steve Banker singled out the current high rate of inflation. Banker said that inflation forces companies to pay more for the goods they need and to keep workers from leaving. As it is difficult to pass all cost increases along, new suppliers are sought. That takes time and money as well as more time to bring them up to speed. However, this scenario also applies to the supply chain companies, which also have to offer higher pay to attract and retain workers. While there are algorithms to solve the Rubik’s Cube, nothing so definitive exists for a tangled supply chain.

Mark Marselli Editor-in-Chief, editor@wirenet.org

Wire Journal International (ISSN-0277-4275) published monthly by The Wire Journal, Inc., is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Wire Association International, Inc., which is located at 71 Bradley Road, Suite 9, Madison, CT 06443-2662, USA, and can be contacted at tel. 203-453-2777; fax 203-453-8384; Internet wirenet.org; e-mail editor@wirenet.org. Address all correspondence concerning advertising production, editorial and circulation to the above address. WJI is printed in the USA. Subscription rates: $110 per year, USA; $120 per year, Canada and Mexico; other countries, $140 per year (includes air mail). Back copies: $10 WAI members, $15 non-members. Periodicals postage paid at Madison, CT 06443, USA, and at additional offices. Wire Journal International grants photocopy permission to libraries and others registered with Copyright Clearance Center (CCC), 21 Congress St., Salem, MA 01970, USA, for a fee of $0.50 per article. Payments should be sent directly to the CCC. Requests for bulk orders or reprints should be sent to the Wire Journal International, 71 Bradley Road, Suite 9, Madison, CT 06443-2662, USA. © 2022 by Wire Journal, Inc. All rights reserved. The Publisher of WJI assumes no responsibility for the validity of manufacturers’ claims made herein. Back issues of WJI are on microfilm and available from University Microfilm, 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106, USA. Phone: 313-761-4700. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Wire Journal International, 71 Bradley Rd., Suite 9, Madison, CT 06443, USA.

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CALENDAR

MARCH 1-3, 2022: Cable and Wire Fair 2022 New Delhi, India. To be held at the Pragati Maidan, this event is organized by Tulip 3P Media Pvt. Ltd. and ASSOCHAM. Contact: Tulio 3P, tel. 91-99999 35011/22/44, info@tulip3pmedia.in and the event website, www.cableandwirefair.com. APRIL 9, 2022: WCMA Annual Distinguished Career Award N E W DAT E Hartford, Connecticut, USA. This rescheduled event is put on by the Wire & Cable Manufacturers Alliance, Inc. (WCMA). www.wcmainc.org. See p. 18. MAY 10-11, 2022: Electrical Wire Processing Technology Expo Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. This event, to be held at the Wisconsin Center, is produced by the Wiring Harness Manufacturer’s Association/IPC. Contact: Kim DiCianni, tel. 847-597-2823, kimdicianni@ipc.org, www.ipc.org.

OCT. 5-7, 2022: wire Southeast Asia N E W DAT E Bangkok, Thailand. This Messe Düsseldorf event will be held at the Bangkok International Trade & Exhibition Centre. Contact: Messe Düsseldorf North America, tel. 312-781-5180, info@mdna.com, www.mdna.com. OCT. 10-13, 2022: 71st IWCS Cable & Connectivity Industry Forum Providence, Rhode Island, USA. To be held at the Rhode Island Convention Center. Contact: IWCS, tel. 717-9939500, www.iwcs.org. OCT. 12-14, 2022: Spring World Rosemont, Illinois, USA. This event is to be held at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. Contact: The Chicago Association of Spring Manufacturers, tel. 630-359-4273, info@casmi-springworld.org, www.casmi-springworld.org.

JUNE 7-8, 2022: WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo Dallas, Texas, USA. This WAI event, to be held at the Hyatt Regency Dallas, will include its trade show, operational programs and WAI’s 92nd Annual Convention.

OCT. 25-27, 2022: wire South America N E W DAT E São Paulo, Brazil. To be held at the São Paulo Expo Exhibition & Convention Center. Contact: Messe Düsseldorf North America, tel. 312-781-5180, info@mdna.com, www.mdna.com.

JUNE 20-24, 2022: wire Düsseldorf 2022 N E W DAT E Düsseldorf, Germany. This biennial event, the industry’s largest, has been rescheduled. It will be held at the Messe Fairgrounds. Contact: Messe Düsseldorf North America, tel. 312-781-5180, info@mdna.com, www.mdna.com.

NOV. 23-25, 2022: wire India N E W DAT E Mumbai, India. This event will be held at the Bombay Exhibition Center. Messe Düsseldorf North America, tel. 312-781-5180, info@mdna.com, www.mdna.com.

SEPT. 21-22, 2022: M-EXPO Wire Processing Technology Ciudad Juárez, Chih., México. This event is produced by the Wiring Harness Manufacturer’s Association/IPC. Contact: Alicia Balonek, WHMA, aliciabalonek@ipc.org.

MAY 9-11, 2023: Interwire 2023 & WAI’s 93rd Annual Convention Atlanta, Georgia, USA. This WAI event will be held at the Georgia World Congress Center. It includes the trade show, technical programs and WAI’s 93rd Annual Convention.

SEPT. 26-29, 2022: wire China Shanghai, China. To be held at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC). Contact: Messe Düsseldorf, and its subsidiary, Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., www.wirechina.net.

WAI EVENTS FEB. 24, 2022: WAI New England Chapter Annual Meeting Uncasville, Connecticut, USA. The New England Chapter will hold its annual meeting at the Mohegan Sun Casino. See p. 36. Also, go to the chapter webpage at wirenet.org for the latest details.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

reports of industry activity

Prysmian tabbed as cable supplier for what would be the record Middle East project Prysmian Group has been given the initial approval to be a supplier for a landmark HVDC submarine cable project in the Middle East worth around €220 million. A press release said that the project was awarded to Prysmian by Samsung C&T as part of its EPC consortium with Jan De Nul Group. The new link, part of a strategic

Prysmian will supply 124 km of HVDC submarine cable for a Middle East power transmission project. Prysmian photo.

regional HVDC transmission system, will allow bulkpower energy transmission between the converter station in Al Mirfa, in Abu Dhabi mainland, and on the Al Ghallan offshore island. “This is the largest HVDC submarine cable project in the Middle East, which confirms Prysmian’s role as a partner of reference for power transmission projects in the region,” said Hakan Ozmen, EVP Projects, Prysmian Group.

The project involves the design, supply, accessories assembly and site acceptance testing of four HVDC 320 kV single-core cables with XLPE insulation that will connect the Al Mirfa onshore converter station to Al Ghallan, an artificial offshore island in the Arabian Gulf, located off the Abu Dhabi coast, in the United Arab Emirates. The project includes a subsea route of 124 km of submarine HVDC cables to be installed at a water depth of up to 35 meters and a land route of 3.5 km of HVDC land cables. Commissioning is scheduled for 2025. The contract calls for Prysmian to perform engineering works and proceed with partial production of the HVDC cables in advance of the full Contract Award and Notice to Proceed (NTP) that is scheduled for the third quarter of 2022, pending procedural okays. “Thanks to this new HVDC link, the energy currently generated offshore will be replaced by a green source and the energy generated onshore will reduce both the environmental impact and carbon emissions, supporting ADNOC’s objective to decarbonize its offshore production operations.” The HVDC submarine cables will be produced at Prysmian’s plant in Arco Felice, Italy; the HVDC land cables manufactured at its plant in Pikkala plant, Finland; and the submarine fiber optical cables at its plant in Nordenham, Germany. Prysmian will also supply a range of cable monitoring solutions. Prysmian is also expecting to enter into a parallel installation agreement with Jan De Nul Group for the submarine cable laying works, with offshore installation activities done by the Group’s DP cable-laying vessel Leonardo da Vinci, and the shallow water activities being performed by the Group’s cable-laying barge Ulisse.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Marlin Steel acquires Madsen Wire Marlin Steel has acquired the assets of Madsen Wire, an Indiana-based maker of wire products that was founded in 1938, and the new owner plans to bolster further growth. A press release said that Madsen Wire, based in Orland, Indiana, makes security partitions for fleet vehicles, and is one of the largest manufacturers of wire mesh, wire grid, wire mats and forms and refrigerator shelves. The acquisition price was less than $10 million, said Drew Greenblatt, president of Marlin Industries and Madsen Wire. “The combination of the two compaGreenblatt nies will allow Madsen and Marlin to ship faster and provide much more capacity to handle bigger jobs, since so many opportunities are coming back from China,” Greenblatt said in an announcement. “We are all in on USA manufacturing.” Madsen Wire Products reported that it plans to hire additional workers in Indiana to help serve new clients and

New dates for wire Düsseldorf The organizers of wire Düsseldorf have changed the dates for the 2022 event from May 9-13 to June 20-24. See p. 17.

surging demand. The company was said to have recently invested millions of dollars in robotic welding and wire forming technology. Madsen Wire General Manager Steve Cochran said there were many positives to come from the acquisition. He noted that Madsen Wire was focused on quality and on-time delivery. “By adding the strong suit of Marlin’s engineering team, our footprint will become global.” Greg Parker, one of the sellers of Madsen Wire, said that the deal is a good fit as the companies share common goals and interests, including safety. “Marlin Steel’s history of safety (1,400-plus days) and Madsen’s history of safety

WIRE & CABLE IN THE NEWS

More strange cable reports: what’s going on in Norway? Two issues ago, WJI reported about the peculiar disappearance of 4 km of surveillance cable from a seabed outside the Vesterålen archipelago, about 30 km from shore in northern Norway. Now, there’s a second odd Norway story also involving cable. Below are edited details from multiple media stories. On January 10, Space Norway, the operator of the Svalbard Undersea Cable System (SUCS)—the world’s most northern submarine cable— announced an outage of one of the two broadband cables, both of which are about 1,350 km long. The nearly parallel cables serve the Norwegian mainland to Longyearbyen on the Svalbard archipelago. The damaged cable is on part of the seabed that slopes from 980 to 8,800 feet. Unto itself, such news would not get a lot of attention as it is not unknown for cables to be damaged by undersea tremors or trailing ship anchors. Also, the second cable is still operational, and able to meet demand. But there is more to the story. The SUCS cable system that links Andoeya on the Norwegian mainland to Longyearbyen on the Svalbard archipelago provides broadband W W W. W I R E N E T. O R G

connectivity to the some 3,000 residents. It connects to the Svalbard Satellite Station (SvalSat), a site that has more than 100 satellite antennas and is seen as crucial to downloading data from polar-orbiting satellites.

And that is where some of the questions stem. The cables span a corridor for Russian naval activity between the Barents Sea and the Atlantic. U.K. Admiral Sir Tony Radakin has observed that there has been a lot of Russian submarine activity the past 20 years, suggesting that “Russia has grown the capability to put at threat

those undersea cables and potentially exploit them”. Russian authorities have long suggested that the SvalSat site could be being used by Norway to download data from military satellites. Some reports suggest that the Russians believe that the SUCS could be monitoring their submarine activity. Further, there was another Norway incident about a year ago. Cables that were part of the Lofoten-Vesterålen (LoVe) Ocean Observatory, located on the northern coast of Norway, were severed. The LoVe has the capability to detect submarine activity. Norway, which has a border with Russia, may be known for its stunning fiords, lakes and oil production, but increasingly, it is becoming known for cable intrigue.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

WIRE & CABLE IN THE NEWS

CABLE contest winner: Clean Carbon Conductors/DexMat Last issue, WJI presented the 10 Stage 1 winners in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Conductivity-enhanced materials for Affordable, Breakthrough Leapfrog Electric applications (CABLE) conductor manufacturing initiative. One winner, Clean Carbon Conductors/DexMat, focuses on carbon nanotubes. Below, DexMat CEO Dimitri Tsentalovich discusses his work. A second winner will be presented in March. WJI: How did your team form? Tsentalovich: DexMat began commercializing Galvorn Carbon NanoTube (CNT) conductors in 2015 and teamed up with Rice University to solve critical R&D challenges for scaling the production of CNT materials over the years. The DexMat/Rice team that has substantial combined experience in academic research, engineering, and product development. In 2021, DexMat and Rice partnered with Prysmian to form the Clean Carbon Conductors team and take advantage of Prysmian’s significant expertise in the development and introduction of new materials in their wire and cable products. Rice University Professor Matteo Pasquali is a cofounder of DexMat. WJI: What is your contest focus? Tsentalovich: The objective of the Clean Carbon Conductors effort is to produce higher conductivity Galvorn CNT conductors. DexMat has a low-cost, scalable fluid phase process for manufacturing CNT conductors out of raw CNTs. By partnering with Rice University and Prysmian to deliberately focus on enhancing electrical conductivity, we believe that within the next 10 years, our team can produce CNT fibers and yarns with >65 MS/m electrical conductivity

Dimitri Tsentalkovich, l, with DexMat cofounder Matteo Pasquali. (over 112% IACS) through a process that will be cost-competitive with Cu wire production, but with a substantially reduced climate impact. WJI: How did the collaboration with the Prysmian Group help? Tsentalovich: The Prysmian Group has been a tremendous resource for our team. Prysmian’s R&D team has contributed valuable insights to the importance of considering factors such as manufacturing costs, product life-cycle environmental impact and the commercialization pathway for enhanced conductivity Galvorn conductors. WJI: Where do you see your CNTs most benefiting wire and cable? Tsentalovich: CNTs are positioned as the most promising solution for

reducing the weight of aircraft wiring. DexMat has already demonstrated a 50% weight reduction by replacing the Cu braid EMI shielding layer of an RG-316 cable with Galvorn CNT film. Enhanced conductivity Galvorn CNT conductors would enable a 70% reduction in the mass of most electrical cabling on any commercial aircraft, resulting in a total weight reduction of several hundred kilograms per aircraft; this would result in significant fuel savings, and thus a reduced climate impact as well. WJI: Can your process to be commercialized on a large scale? Tsentalovich: Galvorn CNT fibers, yarns, and films are commercially available and can be purchased directly from DexMat. Over the next few years, we plan to scale-up Galvorn conductor production by a factor of at least 100, while continuing to work on increasing conductivity and other properties. Working with institutions like Rice University and companies like Prysmian is sure to help accelerate the path to both large scale production and enhanced conductivity. For more information, contact DexMat at info@dexmat. com, www.dexmat.com.

Prysmian Group perspective

De Rai

For the past decade, we have been exploring and testing engineered nanocarbons that offer great potential as strength members and electrical conductors. The holy grail is a lightweight material, with high electrical & thermal conductivity, high tensile strength and low coefficient of thermal expansion, produced with a minimal environmental impact. We believe DexMat has made significant strides with their Galvorn CNT fiber technology in this regard, both in terms of product performance and process scalability. Luca De Rai, vice president of Energy R&D.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

(1,000-plus days) were a big factor in our getting comfortable with each other. I wanted our employees to have a company that embraced the safety culture as we did. Marlin and Madsen’s team gets safety.” Greenblatt said he wants to aggressively grow the Madsen workforce— now about three dozen employees— by about 20%, to keep up with new business. “We’re planning to get Madsen to 45 or so in the next couple of weeks. We just want smart people who want to be part of a growing company.”

Champlain Cable wins deal to supply Cat. 6A cable for Seattle transit projects Champlain Cable Corporation (CCC) is providing Low-Smoke Zero-Hal (LSZH) Ethernet cabling to Seattle’s Sound Transit System Lynnwood Link expansion projects. A press release said that CCC will supply its EXRADRCI line of Ethernet products for the rail market. Bruce Sinnott, vice-president of business development, observed that the company has been active in designing and developing Ethernet cables for more than 30 years, including advanced military-qualified LSZH Cat. 6A Ethernet cables for naval vessels. “The LSZH rail market is a natural extension of our core technologies.”

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The LSZH cable must meet stringent rail standards, including NFPA 130 for minimal smoke generation and flame retardancy. Advanced polymer formulation and irradiation crosslinking allow for these performance attributes. CCC manufactures irradiation cross-linked wire and cable serving the rail, automotive, commercial vehicle, UL/CSA, military shipboard and specialty data communication markets. Based in Colchester, Vermont, it also operates at two plants in El Paso, Texas, and two in the greater Houston, Texas, area.

4 wire and cable plants in Afghanistan have closed since Taliban takeover The takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban last August has not been good for domestic wire and cable manufacturers, as published report says that four such operations have ceased operating in the country in the last three months.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Per a report at tolonews.com, the owners of the factories—which were not identified—closed because of an increase in raw materials price and a decrease in demands. The article cited officials from the Afghanistan Chamber of Industry and Mines (ACIM) as saying that the factories closed due to a spike in the prices of raw materials, the decrease of demand in the market, banks not able to work properly and other general financial problems. Further, said Yar Mohammad, an ACIM official, the factories still active face serious financial challenges. An official of one of the closed factories said they used to produce two tons of wire and cable on a daily basis, but now they have stopped operating and their workers are jobless. “The factory is closed. Our production has stopped. Our factory is in a bad situation,” said Farid Ahmad, a factory official, was cited as saying. According to ACIM, most of the wire and cable producing factories are located in Kabul, Herat, Balkh, Nangarhar and Paktia provinces and these factories import raw material from China. Afghanistan needs around 100 tons of cable and wire per day and domestic factories are capable of meeting this demand if they continue to operate normally and do not close down due to economic problems. Per a second report, nearly half of all Afghan factories have closed. By the middle of this year, job losses are expected to increase to nearly 700,000, and possibly top 900,000, due to the crisis in Afghanistan and restrictions on women’s participation in the workplace. The United Nations estimated that the poverty rate, at 72% last September, could plunge to 97% by the middle of this year.

KOCKS GmbH reports order from TISCO Germany’s KOCKS GmbH has received an order from Shanxi Taigang Stainless Steel Company Co., Ltd., (TISCO) for a new reducing and sizing block (RSB®). A press release said that TISCO, a Chinese stainless-steel producer, has ordered a three-roll RSB that has a 370++/4 in 5.0 design. TISCO was described as one of the biggest stainless-steel KOCKS will provide a three-roll RSB producers worldwide, to TISCO. ranked among the “China 500 Most Valuable Brands.” The new RSB is part of the modernization and upgrade of the existing stainless steel rolling mill and produces various austenitic, martensitic and ferritic stainless steel, duplex and nickel-based alloys from 16 mm to 100 mm. The company, located in the Shanxi Province, produces flat and long products for various high quality demanding industries. Its operations include a wire rod outlet.

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Ducab wins GE contract for Iraq project Ducab Group has won an order to supply overhead conductors for a 288 KM OHL (Over Head Line) project as part of a GE Renewable Energy’s Grid Solutions business electrification project in Iraq.

The Ducab Group will supply cable for an Iraqi energy project. A press release said that Ducab participated in the GE Renewable Energy’s Grid Solutions business tender for the design, supply, installation, testing and commissioning of 400 kV overhead transmission line interconnecting the Jordan and Qaim area in Iraq. This is being done in connection with a re-enforcement program for EPC, and the supply of substations and transmission lines (132kV/400kV) turnkey projects. “Being picked for this strategic project further demonstrates the exemplary quality of Ducab products in the global marketplace,” said Ducab Group CEO Mohammad A. Almutawa. “We are confident this will build on a long and mutually beneficial relationship with the Iraqi energy sector,” he said. Iraq has in the recent past faced challenges matching electricity supply with demand. In 2019, for example, analysts have estimated that peak demand was 26 GW, 58 per cent higher than generation capacity.

Ezz Steel invests in Egyptian Steel Egypt’s largest steel producer, Al Ezz Dekheila, a subsidiary of Ezz Steel, reports that it has purchased an 18% stake in Egyptian Steel. Per a report at arabnews.com, the purchase was made with Egyptian Steel’s founding partner, Ahmed Abou Hashima, for $160 million, according to an EGX filing. The acquisition provides Ezz Steel a total market share of 76%, further consolidating its control over the iron and steel market in Egypt, according to Alahram. Ezz Steel is now the largest independent steel producer in the Middle East and North Africa, as well as exporting long and flat steel products to many countries around the world. Per its website, Ezz Steel produces wire rod at two of its four plants: Alexandria and the 10th of Ramadan City. The Ramadan City plant has the capacity to produce 500,000 metric tons (mt) of rebar and wire rod a year. W W W. W I R E N E T. O R G

INDUSTRY NEWS

Lämneå Bruk expanding production facility Sweden’s Lämneå Bruk is expanding its production facilities, building two new additional halls for assembling wire machinery and equipment behind the existing workshop. A press release said that the wire machinery manufacturer experienced a turnaround in 2021. Following a temporary drop in sales due to the Covid-19 pandemic and worldwide uncertainties in 2020, Lämneå Bruk recovered stronger than ever, and recorded some of their best results in the company’s more than 100-year history.

The company has big plans. It is expanding its production area and has invested in new equipment to move even further towards process automation and Industry 4.0. The two new halls are expected to be completed soon, and the plan is to use one of them for welding robots that will help make production even more efficient, and bring Lämneå Bruk closer to having a fully automated and streamlined production process. Based in Ljusfallshammar, Lämneå Bruk is located in the middle of the forest, surrounded by lakes. The company has continued to hire more employees.

Alcatel Submarine Networks to provide cable for revised Arctic cable initiative

Construction goes on at Lämneå Bruk’s expanding campus.

Finnish network supplier Cinia and North American telecom company Far North Digital have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to build a subsea fiber optic cable for internet and data transport in the Arctic, with Alcatel Submarine Networks chosen as the supplier for the 14,000 km of cable. A report in Hugh North News outlined the following backdrop to the project, which seeks to reduce the optic distance between Asia and Europe and minimize delays in data traffic. Last March, Finnish Cinia had announced that it would work with North Norwegian company

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Bredbåndsfylket AS and the Russian company Megafon on the project, called Arctic Connect. The goal was to lay a cable via Kirkenes, Norway and the Northeast Passage along the Russian Arctic. However, in May, the project was shelved due to delays in negotiations, and now Cinia is working on the project with new partners and no Russian participation. The new plan is for the cable to run from Japan through the Northwest Passage to Europe, with side-cables touching land in Finland, Ireland and Troms County, Norway. It is scheduled for completion by the end of 2025. Far North Digital Technical Director Guy Houser said that the new cable will increase speed and improve security for telecommunications between countries in the Arctic. Japan is the main hub for the new cable. Professor Jun Murai at Keio University, a special advisor to the Japanese Cabinet, said in a press release that the Arctic connection between Japan and North Europe has long been of interest to Japan and the company Cinia, as diversity of international connections is crucial for Japan. “Japanese Prime Minister Kishida has presented a plan to build new landing points around the various islands where the cable will run. My long-term plan about Hokkaido being a natural gateway to the North and East is beginning to come true,” he said. Alcatel Submarine Networks will provide project design and installation. The costs related to production, laying down the cable, and landings, is estimated to be nearly US$1 billion.

AFL to supply optical fiber cable for key Australian fiber backbone project AFL has been chosen to supply optical fiber cable for HyperOne, which was described as the largest private, independent digital infrastructure project in Australia’s history. A press release said that AFL will manufacture optical fiber cables that will be used to build the most complete national fiber backbone ever constructed, the first-such built in almost two decades. The project will provide critical infrastructure of national and international importance and is expected to require over 20,000 km of optical fiber cable. It will deliver many interconnection points, including international cable landing stations and locations within regional communities. The cables will be manufactured in AFL’s facility in Tottenham, Australia. The ISO 9001- and ISO 14001-certified facility manufactures a variety of bulk optical fiber cables, predominantly for the Australian market. The project will continue AFL’s long-standing contribution to Australian manufacturing and the employment of

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Australian workers. “We wanted to build a network that is made by Australians, for Australians,” said HyperOne founder and industry veteran Bevan Slatter. “Having our cable manufactured by local workers here in Melbourne is a key part of that.” “This is a very important piece of new infrastructure for Australia, and we’re excited to start work on it using our quality Australian made products,” said AFL Australia CEO Tony Dunstan. “We are kicking off manufacturing today and this project will keep our machines running for at least the next 18 months.”

AFL will supply optical fiber cable for HyperOne, a major Australian infrastructure project. A wholly owned subsidiary of Fujikura, AFL benefits from the depth of experience that Fujikura has in optical fiber and optical fiber cable. “With almost 40 years of proven history manufacturing optical fiber cable and connectivity, AFL has unique capability to manufacture solutions and service large scale programs such as HyperOne,” said AFL Australia Group Product Manager Michael Scarano.

Southwire partners with Copper Mark to further its corporate sustainability efforts Southwire has committed to being a partner of the Copper Mark, a sustainability initiative and designation for businesses in the copper value chain. A press release described the company’s goals. “At Southwire, we engage in sustainability at local, state, national and global levels. As we continue to build relationships with other sustainability leaders, we are pleased to work with the Copper Mark to improve environmental, social and governance outcomes in all facets of the copper supply chain,” said Burt Fealing, executive vice president of general counsel and chief sustainability officer. “We look forward to making great strides in these areas as a Partner of the Copper Mark.” The Copper Mark is an assurance framework that promotes the responsible production of copper. The organization demonstrates the copper industry’s contribution to sustainable development and provides a comprehensive

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INDUSTRY NEWS

social and environmental assurance program for copper production. Participants in the Copper Mark are committed to adhering to internationally recognized responsible operating practices. “The Copper Mark provides a unique platform for likeminded organizations in the copper industry to effect positive change for all stakeholders,” said Charlie Murrah, executive vice president of metals and chief procurement officer. “We encourage our suppliers, scrap processors and other partners to support the Copper Mark as we continue to drive sustainability throughout the copper value chain.”

New date set for wire Düsseldorf 2022 The organizers of wire Düsseldorf and Tube Düsseldorf have set a new date for the events, which had previously been scheduled for May 9-13. A Messe Düsseldorf press release said that the event is now scheduled for June 20-24 due to the “currently very dynamic infection patterns and rapidly spreading Omicron variant.” The new date offers more planning security and added value due to METAV held concurrently in part. “The tenor among our exhibitors is: We want and need wire and Tube – but at a point in time that promises the biggest prospects of success,” said Messe Düsseldorf CEO Wolfram N. Diener. “Together with the partners and associ-

ations involved we regard early summer as the ideal period for this. We not only expect infection patterns to calm down but also more people to be able to enter the country and take part. This means exhibiting companies as well as visitors can do their business in an environment that is clearly less affected by Covid-19.” Bernd Jablonowski, division manager of the overall Metals and Flow Technologies Portfolio at Messe Düsseldorf, is confident that the delay will help. “Planning security for exhibitors, visitors and the entire trade fair industry is the most important thing in the continuing pandemic situation. By moving the industries’ two top events to early summer, we are enabling a secure live trade fair experience that is adapted to the situation.” Added Daniel Ryfisch, project director wire and Tube, thanked exhibitors and partners for their understanding and willingness about the new show dates. He noted that the events have been held for more than 30 years at the Düsseldorf location. Exhibitors at wire will present their technology in exhibition Halls 9 to 15, while Tube exhibitors will be in Halls 1 to 7a. An additional event, METAV, International Trade Fair for metal-working technologies, will be held from June 21-24 in Halls 16 and 17. METAV is organized and staged by the VDW, German Machine Tool Builders Association.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

Benvic acquires U.S. compound maker Benvic announced that it has completed the acquisition of U.S. based Trinity Specialty Compounding from Ravago Americas. A press release said that Trinity is a custom compounder specializing in the compounding of flame-retardant, crosslinked and specialty additive compounds for a variety of industries including wire and cable, appliances and construction. The deal, made through Benvic’s U.S. division, Chemres, further strengthens its U.S. presence. “We are thrilled that Trinity is joining the Benvic Group,” said Benvic Group CEO Luc Martens. “This acquisition ... fits the group’s strategy of building a customer-driven business for custom compounding services with international reach.” He noted that the product lines of Chemres, acquired in 2021, include a wide range of specialty thermoplastic compounds that meet stringent regulations and environmental conditions for the wire and cable industry. The Trinity acquisition will enable Chemres to consolidate its presence in the specialty compounds market. and to strategically expand its manufacturing capabilities and product portfolio. Chemres expects to grow its activities at the West Unity site, and strengthen its relationships. Trinity’s customers will now benefit from all of Benvic’s compounding capabilities—both in the U.S. and in Europe—while Trinity’s expertise in flame retardants, color matching, and polymer additive technologies will strengthen Benvic’s technological expertise and broaden the group’s product portfolio. “With Chemres, we were able to enter the U.S. market and strengthen our exposure to the medical sector. With Trinity, we are adding unique assets to our portfolio, helping us to better serve the needs of our international customers and forge new partnerships,” the release said.

WCMA reports on annual meeting, issues a reminder on its upcoming awards event The Wire & Cable Manufacturers Alliance, Inc., (WCMA) is pleased that it was able to stage a successful in-person event, and has good expectations for its upcoming awards in April. A report from WCMA Director Ed Fenton said that the group’s annual meeting, held Dec. 2, at the Bond Ballroom in Hartford, Connecticut, drew 110 members and guests. The event provided “a long overdue opportunity” to network in person and hear timely educational presentations. One of the speakers was John Traynor, executive vice president and COO, Peoples Bank Wealth Management, who has previously served in that role at past events. He covered key economic, political and manufacturing topics focusing on the current labor situation. This event included another presenter, Mike Kelley, Kelley Productivity Partners, who spoke on the need to simplify supply chains. He explained that this was more

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important now than ever. He included an overview of challenges manufacturers face in times of materials shortages and allocations, trade sensitivity and internal operational management issues. Outgoing President Scott Harden, Provideon Partners, said that he was thrilled that the meeting was able to be held in-person. The new WCMA officers were announced. President Susan Welsh, the retired CEO of Rubadue Wire, succeeds Harden as president, and David Fisher, CEO, James Monroe Wire & Cable, will serve as vice president. New board members include Chris Venice, president, Industrial Group, Marmon Electrical, and Tom Artinian, COO, Hitachi Cable Manchester. The Association thanked outgoing board members—Bill Reichert, president/CEO Champlain Cable; Gary Stanitis, vice president of advocacy and materials management, Daikin America; and Paul Gemelli, president, Gem Gravure— for their terms of service. Based on the generosity of members and guests at events held during 2021, the board approved significant donations to Toys For Tots and UCONN Cancer Research, as well as continued donations to scholarship John Traynor speaks to attendees at the programs admin- WCMA’s Annual Meeting held Dec. 2. istered by the Wire Association International/ Wire Foundation, IWCS and the Copper Club. Harden reminded the audience about the upcoming WCMA Distinguished Career Award event that will be held April 9 at the Hartford Convention Center, in Hartford, Connecticut. Those scheduled to be honored include: Eric Lawrence, senior director, engineering, Network Solutions, Leviton; Bob Leger, general manager, James Monroe Wire & Cable; Randy Mortensen, senior vice president, global sales and marketing, Leviton; Anthony Oh, president and CEO, Accel International; Roy St. Andre, executive vice president, EIS Wire & Cable; Gary Stanitis, vice president advocacy and materials management, Daikin USA; Chris Venice, president, Industrial Group, Marmon Electrical; and Paul Wagner, CEO, Minnesota Wire & Cable. Registration is open on-line at www.wcmainc.org. For more details, including about sponsorships for the event, call Ed Fenton at tel. 860-841-7720, ed@wcmainc.org. n

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PAT P AT E N T R E P O R T

PATENT REPORT

Technical advances are a necessity for any industry, and to that end, companies invest considerable resources in R&D. This section lists the abstracts of recently approved U.S. patents. Most are direct to wire and cable while a few may be more indirect/downstream.

recently approved U.S. patents for wire and cable

Manufacturing method of optical fiber cable and Title manufacturing apparatus of optical fiber cable U.S. Patent No.: 00,000,000 U.S.Patent Patentdate: No.: Mon. 11,198,197 00, 0000 Filed: Mon. 00, 0000 Patent date: Company Dec. 14, 2021 March 15, 2018 Assignee: Name,Filed: Country Assignee: First Fujikura Ltd., Japan Inventors: Lastname, First Lastname Inventors: Shinnosuke Sato, Kouji A wire and a method of manufacturing areTomikawa provided Ken Osato the wire for use in an organic light emitting diode device An optical cable manufacturing method using a includes threefiber parts, a first part and a third part are located manufacturing apparatus including an SZeach twisting at both ends of the wire respectively and of thedevice, first an extrusion molding andwire, a pressing portion part and the third part device, is a single a second part is disposedbetween betweenthe thefirst SZ part twisting device theand extrusion located and the thirdand part, the moldingpart device is provided.wire, The wherein method including: twistsecond is a composite the composite ing optical fibersator optical in an SZamanner wire comprises least two fiber wires.units By dividing middle using the SZ twisting device to form an part of one wire into multiple wires, the optical purposefiber of changbundle; and covering the optical fiber bundle ductility with a sheath ing a wire width of a single wire is achieved, of using thecan extrusion molding deviceavoiding while pressing the optithe wire be enhanced, thereby the occurcal fiber bundle usingthat the the pressing rence of the problem deviceportion. cannot normally work caused by wire fracture during folding, and improving the using efficiency of the device. Fabrication of high-entropy alloy wire and multi-principal element alloy wire TitleU.S. Patent No.: 11,198,197 Dec. 14, 2021 Filed: April 24, 2020 U.S.Patent Patentdate: No.: 00,000,000 Assignee: H.C. Starck Inc.,Filed: USAMon. 00, 0000 Patent date: Mon. 00, 0000 Inventors: Company David Smathers, et al. Assignee: Name, Country Inventors: First Lastname, In various embodiments, metallic First wiresLastname are fabricated by combining one or moreofpowders of substantially spherical A wire and a method manufacturing are provided metal particles or more powders non-spherical the wire for usewith in anone organic light emittingofdiode device particles three withinparts, one or morepart optional metallic The includes a first and a third parttubes. are located metal within powders (and one at bothelements ends of the wirethe respectively and the each of or themore first part and the third part is a single wire, a second part is located between the first part and the third part, and the second part is a composite wire, wherein the composite wire comprises at least two wires. By dividing a middle

tubes, present) collectively high entropy alloy of part ofifone wire into multiple define wires, athe purpose of changfive more metallic elements multi-principal element ing aorwire width of a single wireorisa achieved, ductility of alloy of four or more metallic elements. the wire can be enhanced, thereby avoiding the occurrence of the problem that the device cannot normally work caused by wire fracture during folding, and improving the using efficiency of the System and method for device. the automated production of a cable set U.S. Patent No.: 11,195,642 Title Patent date: Dec. 7, 2021 Filed: April 9, 2018 Assignee: Leoni Bordnetz-Systeme U.S. Patent No.: 00,000,000 Germany Patent date: GmbH, Mon. 00, 0000 Filed: Mon. 00, 0000 Inventors: Dietlein, al. Assignee: Fabian Company Name,et Country Inventors: First Lastname, First Lastname A system for the automated production of a cable set, which has a branched structure of a plurality of individual A wire and a method of manufacturing are provided line elements. In a modular set-up in the first part, device a pluralthe wire for use in an organic light emitting diode ity of firstthree processing the second part, a includes parts, astations, first partand andina third part are located plurality of second processing stations areeach arranged. In the at both ends of the wire respectively and of the first first part,the there is an of thepart individual part and third partautomatic is a singlepreparation wire, a second is line elements, which are then collected in apart, buffer located between the first part and the third andstation the at the end ofisthe first part. In the second the prepared second part a composite wire, whereinpart, the composite individual line elements arewires. assembled into theacable set. wire comprises at least two By dividing middle The line elements are plugged into connector casings in a part of one wire into multiple wires, the purpose of changconnector station and transferred to second transporters, ing a wire width of a single wire is achieved, ductility of and via which branchedthereby structure of the cable set is then the wire can bethe enhanced, avoiding the occurformed along tracks. In this spread-out rence ofby themoving problem that second the device cannot normally work branched a fixing of the line elements to one the caused bystructure, wire fracture during folding, and improving another takes place in adevice. fixing station. using efficiency of the

Title U.S. Patent No.: Patent date: Assignee: Inventors:

SECTION SPONSOR

00,000,000 Mon. 00, 0000 Filed: Mon. 00, 0000 Company Name, Country First Lastname, First Lastname

Section Sponsor

Fisk Alloy, Inc. Hawthorne, NJ, USA (201) 563-1397 www.fiskalloy.com Fisk Alloy, Inc. ~ Hawthorne, New Jersey, USA ~ (973) 825-8500 ~ fiskalloy.com

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P AT E N T R E P O R T

T H E I P PAT E N T P R I M E R

By any name (or trademark), this is one cheesy story Is Gruyere by any other name still Gruyere? “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet” may be true for Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers, but not for trademarks. The essence of a trademark is that it identifies a source for a product or service. It also protects a company’s reputation. The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) website defines a trademark as “a word, phrase, symbol, and/or design that identifies and distinguishes the source of the goods of one party from those of others.” The term “trademark” is often used in a general sense to refer to both trademarks and service marks. Some examples of trademarks include brand names, slogans and logos. A spectacularly well-known example is the “Just Do It Nike” swoosh slogan and their word mark. Here, I will explore a less common trademark: a certification mark. It is a type of trademark that shows consumers that particular goods and/ or services, or their providers, have met certain standards. They certify regional or other origin, material, mode of manufacture, quality, accuracy, or other characteristics, or that the work or labor was performed by members of a union or other organization. An example of a certification mark in the wiring industry is the UL mark, an abbreviation for “Underwriters Laboratories.” But this cheesy story involves regional certification marks, such as “Sunshine Tree,” which is applied to citrus fruits originating in the state of Florida, Cognac applied to brandy distilled in a certain region

of France, and Roquefort applied to cheese from a specific municipality in France. As an aside, Charles de Gaulle once had a cheesy quote: “How can you govern a country which has 246 varieties of cheese?” Our story involves one of those cheeses. American and European cheese producers dispute whether Gruyere can be a certification mark in the United States. The European cheese makers filed an application with the USPTO to register Gruyere as a certification mark to “certify that the cheese originates in the Gruyère region of Switzerland and France.” The European’s application was allowed and published for opposition. The American cheese producers filed an opposition. They argued that the term, Gruyere, had become generic. That matters because generic terms can never obtain trademark status. Also, a term which was once non-generic can become generic over time through a process called genericide, which occurs when a generic term ceases to identify in the public’s mind the source of a product or service. The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board held that Gruyere was generic. Good marketing of great trademarks can result in genericide because the term becomes what consumers call the product. This has happened to many famous trademarks: aspirin, escalator, cellophane, laundromat, and even dumpster were once valuable trademarks, but became generic over time through use. The European producers appealed to the Federal Court in the Eastern District of Virginia. The court looked

at the amount of cheese called Gruyere that entered the United States from regions other than the Gruyere region, and what was being produced and sold in the United States. The court stated, “In summary, the undisputed evidence produced by the parties in this case makes clear that the primary significance of the term Gruyere, as understood by the relevant purchasing public in the United States, is a generic term for a type of cheese and does not refer solely to cheese from a specific geographic region. Thus, the term Gruyere, through the process of genericide, has become generic, and is ineligible for registration as a certification mark.” The important lesson from this cheesy story is that you must protect your trademark, not only from competitors, but also from becoming a common term to consumers. To avoid genericism, always use your trademark as an adjective, never as a noun or a verb. The classic example of this is Xerox. The Xerox Corporation conducted a widespread ad campaign to urge consumers to use the verb “photocopy” rather than the now popularized shorthand “xerox.” They were successful, and prevented genericide of their trademark. Showing my age from this Hill Street Blues quote from Sergeant Esterhaus, when it comes to patents, “Let’s be careful out there.” To arrange a complementary review of your Intellectual Property portfolio, call tel. 248- 318-7015‬, or email the author at bill@ipguy.com. -Bill Honaker

Bill Honaker has been an intellectual property attorney for more than 30 years, helping businesses—from Fortune 100 firms to individual entrepreneurs—protect their patents, trademarks and copyrights. A former Patent Office Examiner, he is a partner with Dickinson Wright, PLLC. He notes that he is especially good at keeping clients out of court. He can be contacted at whonaker@dickinson-wright.com, tel. 248-433-7381. W W W. W I R E N E T. O R G

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Electric-submersible-pump composite duct cable and manufacturing method thereof U.S. Patent No.: 11,195,641 Patent date: Dec. 7, 2021 Filed: Sept. 28, 2020 Assignee: Shinda (Tangshan) Creative Oil & Gas Equipment Co., Ltd., China Inventors: Jian Dong, Jianliang Duan An electric-submersible-pump composite duct cable is provided and includes a steel tube shell and an isolation layer. The isolation layer covers the outer circumferential surface of an ethylene-propylene jacket. The steel tube shell covers the outer circumferential surface of the isolation layer. Multiple signal cable assemblies and multiple injection agent tubes are arranged inside the isolation layer. Each signal cable assembly and each injection agent tube are in staggered arrangement at the internal center of the ethylene-propylene jacket. A manufacturing method of the electric-submersible-pump composite duct cable mainly includes two steps of manufacturing the isolation layer and machining the steel tube shell.

Process for manufacturing a submarine power cable and power cable so manufactured U.S. Patent No.: 11,195,640 Patent date: Dec. 7, 2021 Filed: Sept. 19, 2020 Assignee: Prsymian SpA, Italy Inventors: Giovanni Poazzati, Fabrizio Cristofani, Silvio Frigerio, Paolo Liboi Process for manufacturing a power cable includes: providing a power cable core having an electric conductor; providing a copper foil; providing a protective strip over the power cable core, the protective strip having a radially inner and outer surface and being made of copper with a coating; folding the copper foil around the power cable core so as to bring two longitudinal copper foil rims to contact one to the other; welding the two contacted longitudinal copper foil rims thus obtaining a copper sheath in form of a tube with a welding seam; reducing the diameter of the copper sheath to put it into direct contact with the power cable core and the protective strip; heating the protective strip and the copper sheath at a temperature higher than the melting temperature of the coating of the strip so that the coating fuses in the welding seam.

Slot-type optical cable U.S. Patent No.: 11,194,108 Patent date: Dec. 7, 2021 Filed: June 13, 2018 Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd., Japan Inventors: Keisuke Okada, Fumiakai Sato, Yoshiaki Nagao A slot type optical cable includes: an optical fiber; a slot rod that includes a plurality of ribs forming a groove in

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which the optical fiber is accommodatable; and a cable jacket that is provided around the slot rod. The cable jacket includes a sheath portion that is formed around the slot rod at substantially the same thickness by linearly connecting outermost peripheral edges of adjacent ribs.

Bead wire wrapper device and a wrapper method U.S. Patent No.: 11,192,672 Patent date: Dec. 7, 2021 Filed: May 31, 2018 Assignee: Shandong Daye Co., Ltd., China Inventor: Wenjun Li The present invention discloses a bead wire wrapper device and a wrapper method. The bead wire wrapper device comprises a rack body; the rack body is provided with a winding unit, an H-shaped wheel assembly, a paper cutting mechanism, a paper guiding mechanism and a rubber applying mechanism; the winding unit comprises a first winding shaft and a second winding shaft; the H-shaped wheel assembly comprises an H-shaped wheel and a drive unit driving the H-shaped wheel to rotate; the paper cutting mechanism is configured to cut off film materials directly or indirectly fed by the winding unit; the paper guiding mechanism comprises a motion mechanism, the motion mechanism is provided with an adsorption assembly and a pressing assembly, the adsorption assembly is configured to adsorb the film materials through negative pressure and send the cut-off tail ends of the film materials to the H-shaped wheel under the action of the motion mechanism, and the pressing assembly is configured to move to the H-shaped wheel under the action of the motion mechanism and press the film materials; and the rubber applying mechanism is configured to paste rubber strips to the film materials on the H-shaped wheel.

Systems and methods for high strength titanium wire additive manufacturing U.S. Patent No.: 11,192,186 Patent date: Dec. 7, 2021 Filed: August 13, 2018 Assignee: Goodrich Corporation, USA Inventors: Roque Panza-Giosa, Noel Haynes A method of titanium wire additive manufacturing is disclosed. The method may comprise mixing a plurality of powdered metals comprising titanium, iron, vanadium, and aluminum to produce a powder blend, sintering the powder blend to form a billet, performing a wire forming operation to produce a worked wire, heat treating the worked wire to produce a heat treaded wire, loading the heat treated wire into a wirefeed additive manufacturing machine, and producing a metallic component from the heat treated wire. The titanium may be a titanium hydride powder.

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P AT E N T R E P O R T

Electric wire with terminal, coating apparatus, and method of manufacturing electric wire with terminal U.S. Patent No.: 11,189,940 Patent date: Nov. 30, 2021 Filed: April 17, 2020 Assignee: Yazaki Corporation, Japan Inventors: Masanori Onuma, Yutaka Matsuoka An electric wire with a terminal includes: an electric wire having a core wire, and a cover; a crimp terminal having a core wire crimping portion which is crimped to the core wire, a cover crimping portion which is crimped to the cover, and a connecting portion which extends from the core crimping portion to the cover crimping portion; and a resin which integrally covers the core wire and the crimp terminal. The core wire has an intermediate portion which extends between the core crimping portion and the cover crimping portion. The connecting portion has a bottom wall portion and a pair of side wall portions which extend in a height direction of the crimp terminal from end portions of the bottom wall portion in a width direction.

Outer cover body for electrical wires and outer-cover-bodyattached wire harness U.S. Patent No.: 11,189,397 Patent date: Nov. 30, 2021 Filed: May 18, 2018 Assignee: Furukawa Automotive Systems Inc. Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd., Japan Inventors: Hideyuki Ikeda, Yoshikazu Kamei, Naoyuki Kojima, Satoshi Takamura, Takashi Oshino Providing an outer cover body for electrical wires that can improve the degree of freedom of design while preventing anisotropy in mechanical properties and also make it possible to form even a compact outer cover body for electrical wires. An outer cover body for electrical wires that is to be attached to the outer periphery of an electrical wire, the outer cover body for electrical wires being formed of a bent thermoplastic resin foam sheet having a density of not less than 200 Kg/m.sup.3 and not more than 700 Kg/m.sup.3.

Electric wire conductor, covered electric wire, wire harness, and method for manufacturing electric wire conductor U.S. Patent No.: 11,189,394 Patent date: Nov. 30, 2021 Filed: March 30, 2020 Assignee: Autonetworks Technologies, Ltd. Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd., Japan Inventors: Kyoma Sahashi, Hayota Ooi, Toyoki Furukawa, Yasuyuki Otsuka, Kinji Taguchi

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(Patent Report continued, see p. 66) W W W. W I R E N E T. O R G

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ASIAN FOCUS

China ‘data free’ zone project questioned by some for its goals Plans by China to build a “data free trade port” in Guangzhou in the Guangdong Province, north of Hong Kong, are part of an ambitious €4 billion plan (and calls for lots of cable), but it has also been called out by critics as furthering control of information that reaches citizens. Below are edited excerpts from multiple media reports—notably the South China Morning Post—about the initiative. A Chinese project to build a “Data Free Trade Port” in the Guadong Province is getting closer to its scheduled reality, that will result in a series of undersea cables and network links connected to a data center for handling cross-border data. The data center’s reach would include industrial parks and labs for AI development, telecommunications and more in the Hong Kong and Macau areas and nine mainland cities in the province. Construction of the Nansha International Data Free Trade Port (Nansha Port) is scheduled to start on the 450-acre site in the first half of 2022 and be in operation by the end of 2025. The port is to be located in the Nansha District in the city of Guangzhou, north of Hong Kong. According to Nanfang Daily, a Chinese state newspaper, the initiative is an important pilot project for cross-border data transfer. “The Nansha Port project is to deploy a submarine cable landing station, a master control center, and a core transmission node in the Nansha District by connecting multiple integrated networks of global submarine cables invested and constructed by AVIC Cloud Holdings, and at the same time realizes the first cross-border operation in China.” While the reported goal is described as supporting cross-border trade, offshore financing and the AI industry, outside critics point out that it can also be used as a means to control data exchange between China and the outside world. Hong Kong is currently home to many data centers of multinational companies that collect and manage data from mainland China. Data control is a sensitive topic for the Chinese government. In September 2021, it tightened controls for cross-border data traffic with a data security law (DSL) that came into force on November 1. Among other things, it provides for harsh penalties for the unauthorized collection, processing, storage and use of data. Of note, data relates to China’s national and economic security, but it goes beyond that to include what is of important public interest to the country. Per the South China Morning Post, China has tightened control over cross-border data flows, with the DSL rolled out last September, and another measure, the Personal Information Protection Law (PIPL), that took effect last November. Both impose tough penalties for the unauthorized collection, processing, storage and use of data generated in the country. The DSL scope of “core data” covers national and economic security, but it can also include the welfare of people or an important public interest. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology has already drawn up

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new regulations to prevent crucial industrial and telecommunications data from leaving the country. At dataprotectionreport.com, an article noted that the PIPL represents “a game changer for any company with data or business in China. It will add another layer of complexity with respect to compliance with China’s security and data laws and regulations.” The article explained why the PIPL is so important. It noted that the PIPL law defines “personal information” as all kinds of information relating to identified or identifiable natural persons recorded by electronic or other form, excluding “anonymized” information. “Processing of personal information” includes, among other things, the collection, storage, use, refining, transmission, provision, public disclosure and deletion of personal information.” The PIPL will apply to: processing, within China, of personal information of natural persons; and processing, outside of China, of personal information of natural persons who are in China, if such processing is for the purpose of providing products or services to natural persons in China; to analyze/evaluate the behavior of natural persons in China; or other circumstances prescribed by laws and administrative regulations. Further, if a company outside of China conducts processing activities as described above, the PIPL requires that it set up a special institution or designate a representative in China for handling personal information protection matters, and report the name and contact details of such institution or representative to the Chinese authorities. Cross-border transfers of personal information can only be made for legitimate purposes such as business needs, and the transferor is obligated to take the necessary measures to ensure that the processing activities of the overseas recipient satisfy the protection standards set forth in the PIPL. Both a proper legal basis and consent by the data subjects will be required for such transfer to be lawful, and can include passing a security review organized by the cyberspace administration; obtaining a personal information protection certification from a professional agency in accordance with the rules of the CAC; entering into an agreement with the overseas recipient based on a standard contract form formulated by the CAC; or other conditions provided by laws, administrative regulations or the CAC. The kicker is the following measure. “Regardless of whether there is a legal basis and consent is given, companies are strictly prohibited from providing personal information stored within China to foreign judicial or law enforcement institutions without the approval of Chinese authorities.

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ASIAN FOCUS

LS Cable & System wins U.S. award for CSR efforts LS Cable & System announced that its 2021 sustainability management report won the gold prize at the Galaxy Awards, a U.S. global PR marketing competition. A press release said that LS Cable & System was judged in 10 areas, including social contributions, shared growth, ethical management, and eco-friendly management with a focus on the ESG management vision. The cable maker received the highest score in all evaluation items, including CEO message, corporate social responsibility achievements, design, information accessibility, and readability. The Galaxy Awards are hosted by MerComm, an American marketing evaluation agency, and experts from over 50 countries select winners in a total of 15 fields, including CSR reports, advertisements and videos. LS Cable & System’s areas of focus include: management of wastes, development of XLPE recycling technology, minimization of wastes generated through continuous process improvement and capital investment; continual efforts to increase the waste recycling rate, and reduction of wastes through process improvement, capital investment, etc.; management of hazardous chemicals, including introduction of a new hazardous chemicals monitoring system within the HSE system, and build-out of an emergency system to respond to various chemical accidents;

LS Cable & System got a sterling rating at the Galaxy Awards. management of air pollutants, which includes atmospheric measurement and analysis of raw materials and processes; monitoring of new pollutants, operation of equipment for reducing nitrogen oxide which accounts for 90% of air pollutants, and regenerative thermal oxidizers and selective catalytic reduction systems; and management of water pollutants, which includes applying stricter criteria than legal acceptance criteria, and managing effluent pollution level of 2020 within 10% of acceptance criteria. 

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PEOPLE CORNER

who’s on the move in the industry

SAMP USA reported two key positions. Sandy Scroggs, who has been with the company for more than 30 years, has been promoted to general manager. He will keep his current position as service manager. He started with SAMP in 1988 as a service technician, and was named service Scroggs manager in 2000. Brett Hamner has been named senior sales manager. He started his career in 1982 with Belden, working in different engineering roles, before transitioning in 1988 to Harbour Industries, where he was an R&D engineer. He joined General Cable in 1989, working in engineering, then moved into a corporate engineering role at their headquarters Hamner in Kentucky. In 1995, he became a project manager for Nokia Maillefer in Norcross, Georgia, and soon after added sales responsibilities. In 1997, he moved to Ontario, Canada, working with Ceeco during a period that saw the creation of Nextrom, before starting his own company—Cable and Tubing Solutions—in 2003. Based in Williamsport, Maryland, SAMP USA is part of Italy’s SAMP Srl, a global supplier of wire and cable drawing, extruding and bunching technology. Ricardo (Rico) Dostal has joined Proton Products as a U.S. regional manager, based in Texas. A U.S. Navy veteran, he cultivated an interest in industrial technology while serving as an avionics electronic technician on board the USS Kitty Hawk. He then moved to Japan and served Dostal as an instructor and development team leader for three years, before working for Verizon Wireless for eight years, then five years for Rotalec USA, a distributor of industrial automation products. He started as a technician and was later promoted to application specialist for exclusive, non-contact sensor lines for the U.S. His

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primary focus was custom measurement and control projects, some of which featured Proton Products technology. Based in the U.K., Proton Products supplies instrumentation and control equipment for wire and cable production. Greg Gitto has been promoted from market development manager-PVC to director of sales & marketing-PVC for Chroma Color Corporation (CCC). He joined CCC last June though its acquisition of Color Resource, where he had worked as executive vice president since 2009. He has 20 years of extensive experience in PVC compounding and developing new PVC and olefinic products during a period that saw the inception of low-smoke PVC into plenum cable compounds. At Color Resource, he helped develop hybrid constructions with FEP, and Color Resource’s Quasar technology, now branded Gitto as ChromaQuasar, to serve the emerging XLPE wire and cable market. He holds a degree in economics from Clark University. Based in Delaware, Ohio, Chroma Color Corporation is a leading supplier of specialty color and additive concentrates for markets that include wire and cable. Mason McClaugherty has joined Cable Consultants Corporation as vice president of sales and technical services. He has experience from three prior engineering positions with Cleveland-Cliffs, AK Steel Corporation and Service Wire Company. He holds a B.S. degree McClaugherty in mechanical engineering for Marshall University. He replaces Fred Hardy, an industry veteran who in 1993 was offered the position of director of technical services by company founder and owner Dr. Dimitri Stein. Based in Larchmont, New York, Cable Consultants Corporation supplies North American manufacturers with access to technology from European companies. 

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EDUCATION

VIDEO ARCHIVES

Click. Stream. Learn.

You don’t need a drive to learn about wire & cable... ...just streaming video & memory. Today WAI’s Extruder Screw Cleaning video has more than 34,000 online views and counting. That’s just one of over 100 topics in WAI’s video archives to help you learn about the industry, anytime, anywhere. Between the HardWIRED video series and free webinars on YouTube you’ll have plenty of content to keep you click-happy. View one or see them all in a marathon session. And if you’re really driven, check out more on the members-only archive on WAI’s website. Not a member? Join today: www.wirenet.org. While you’re watching, remember that WAI continues to add content. All that’s left to do is Click. Stream. Learn.

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F I B E R W AT C H

Report: optical fiber market to be very strong through 2024 A report from Markets and Markets projects that the global fiber optic market will grow annually by 10% through 2024, at which time it will be worth $6.9 billion. A press release said that telecommunication will be the largest application during the forecast period, driven by the rising number of internet users. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), the number of internet users is expected to increase from 3.6 billion in 2018 to 5.0 billion by 2025. Moreover, the number of IoT connections is expected to increase from 7.5 billion in 2018 to over 25.0 billion by 2025. The growth in telecom will also come from premises, utility and industrial sectors. In terms of where demand is coming, it’s not surprising that the large population base of China and India will account for much growth, but the Middle East and Africa markets are also growing rapidly. There is heavy investments in infrastructure in the region, and those initiatives should account for 8% of the overall revenues generated by the telecom industry. Another contributor is the Internet of Things (IoT), the on-line integration of daily use devices (mostly machineto-machine). The growing number of connected devices will result in greater demand for higher bandwidth, which will, in turn, result in the growth of IoT. Data center co-lo-

cation services that use fiber optics to transfer information will also help to boost the growth of IoT. The demand for internet is also driven by several other factors such as an increase in the number of connected devices in homes, growth in demand for OTT video content, and the increase in internet access. All these factors have increased the number of internet users, which, in turn, has led to the increased use of optical fiber cables to transfer information over the Internet; this is driving the fiber optics market. Video technology has the highest bandwidth consumption. Emerging super high definition (HD) video requires four times more bandwidth than the standard definition video. Entertainment provider companies such as Netflix (US) and Amazon Prime (US) have recommended at least 25 Mb/s speed to view super HD content over their streaming services. To provide high bandwidth for video technology, network architectures such as FTTH and FTTB are required to provide internet access; this, in turn, will drive the fiber optic market, which acts as the backbone for such network architectures. The 169-page report covers the market by cable type (single-mode and multi-mode), specific different uses, secrity and more. For further details, go to Market and Markets at www.marketsadmarkets.com. 

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F A S T E N E R U P D AT E

Global market for auto fasteners to near $69 billion by 2031 A report from Transparency Market Research projects that the global market for automotive fasteners will be worth US$ 68.9 billion 2031, representing a CAGR of 3.28% from 2021 to 2031. A press release said that demand for automotive fasteners—which include nuts, screws, rivets, studs, snap rings and clips—are expected to grow. One driver for that is increasing consumer preferences for lightweight vehicles due to enforcement of several government emission laws seeking to boost better vehicle performance and fuel-efficiency. Major fastener manufacturers are focusing on the development of advanced and lightweight material fasteners, which boosts the demand for automotive fasteners. The Covid-19 pandemic outbreak hampered the automotive industry across the globe, and OEMs saw a sharp decline in volume. However, global restrictions have been relieved, and as supply chain processes improve it will further boost the market. The hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) segment holds a prominent growing share of the automotive fasteners market, in terms of revenue and volume. The segment is expected to expand at a rapid pace due to rising adoption of EVs and increasing integration of technological applications in vehicles. Governments are also providing incentives

to manufacturers and consumers to boost the adoption of electric vehicles, which further fuels the demand for automotive fasteners. The report segments the market into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa, and Latin America. Asia Pacific dominated the global automotive fasteners market in 2020, due to increase in production of vehicles, rise in adoption of electric vehicles, and surge in small and medium-scale industries in the region that manufacture automotive components. China is the leader in the Asia Pacific, which has highest rate of vehicle adoption and represents a large share of the global automotive fasteners market. Rising usage of commercial vehicles for mining, construction, and transportation in most countries of Asia Pacific has also driven the market in the region. Another driver is increased use of electronics for advanced technological integration in cars and other vehicles. Such integrations include use of sensors, high frequency signals, advanced trims, and other features. Such features require different types of fasteners. For more information (U.S.), contact Transparency Market Research, tel. 415-520-1050, or go to www.researchandmarkets.com. 

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1/10/22 11:21:35 AM

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wire & cable • trade show & conference

WAI’s Operations Summit & Wire Expo June 7-8, 2022 RISING TO THE CHALLENGES Get together - in person - with the industry’s wire and cable workforce to talk business, wire making, and new technology. You’ll meet plant managers, operations, engineering, and production people who attend to learn and share best practices for the ferrous, nonferrous and electrical sectors. Get ready for this aptly themed event: Rising to the Challenges. Get ahead with the colleagues, suppliers, manufacturers, speakers, and sponsors who will kick off this new season of interaction. There’s still room! Contact WAI for exhibiting, speaking, and sponsoring options: info@wirenet.org

HIGHLIGHTS: Wire & cable marketplace Full educational program Plant tour to Encore Wire Corp. Developing details: www.wireexpo22.com

official publication:

Hyatt Regency Dallas

wire & cable • trade show & conference

Exhibitors Ace Metal Inc.

Guill Tool & Engineering Co.

RichardsApex Inc.

AIM Inc.

HENRICH Maschinenfabrik GmbH

Rosendahl Nextrom

AITMAC Inc.

H-I-S Coatings

Roteq Machinery Inc.

Amacoil Inc.

HONTA Inc.

Saint-Gobain

AWT Machinery Inc.

IDEAL Welding Systems

SAMP USA Inc.

Aztech Lubricants LLC

Integrated Control Technologies

Schlatter North America

Balloffet Die Corp.

Joe Snee Associates Inc.

Setic

Bechem Lubrication Technology LLC

Joe-Tools

SIKORA International Corp.

Beta LaserMike

KablosanTurkey - FBC Yayincilik Ltd. sti

Sivaco Wire Group

Cablogic Technologies Inc.

King Steel Corp.

SKET GmbH

Carris Reels Inc.

KN Manufacturing Solutions

Sonoco Reels and Spools

Cemanco LC

Lamnea Bruk AB

SPIRKA Schnellflechter GmbH

Chemetall/BASF

LaserLinc Inc.

Stolberger Inc. DBA Wardwell Braiding

Clinton Instrument Co.

Leggett & Platt Wire Group

Strecker USA

Commission Brokers Inc.

Lloyd & Bouvier Inc.

Taubensee Steel & Wire Co

Condat

M. Holland

Teknikor

Conneaut Industries Inc.

Madem-Moorecraft Reels USA

Thermoplastics Engineering Corp.

Continuus-Properzi S.p.A.

Maillefer Extrusion Oy

Traxit North America LLC

Davis-Standard

MFL Group

United Wire Co. Inc.

Delta Tecnic

The MGS Group

WAFIOS Machinery Corp.

Die Quip Corp.

Morgan-Koch

Wire & Cable Technology International (WCTI)

EBNER Furnaces Inc.

NDC Technologies

Wire & Plastic Machinery Corp.

Enkotec Co. Inc.

Niehoff Endex North America Inc.

Wire Association International Inc.

ERA Wire Inc.

NYCOA

Wire Lab Co.

Esteves Group USA

P & R Specialty Inc.

Wire Journal International (WJI) Inc.

FENN LLC

Paramount Die Co.

Wire Machine Systems Inc.

Fil-Tec Inc.

Phifer Wire Inc.

Witels Albert USA Ltd

Filtertech Inc.

Precision Die Technologies Inc.

Woodburn Diamond Die Inc.

FMS USA Inc.

Properzi International Inc.

Zumbach Electronics Corp.

Foerster Instruments Inc.

Q8Oils

Fort Wayne Wire Die Inc.

QMS America Inc.

Frigeco USA

Quaker Houghton

FUHR GmbH & Co. KG

Rainbow Rubber & Plastics

Gem Gravure Co. Inc.

Reel Options by Vandor Corp.

Graham Engineering Corp.

Refractron Technologies Corp.

wire & cable • trade show & conference

Schedule & Details

VISIT

wireexpo22.com TO REGISTER

REGISTRATION AND FEES Registration for the WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo 2022 is now open and can be accessed at the event’s website, www.wireexpo22.com.

Conference and Exhibit

Fundamentals of Wire Manufacturing

Includes Operations Summit sessions, exhibits, keynote, awards ceremony, welcome reception and production solutions

Includes program materials, handouts, Operations Summit, including welcome reception, conference sessions, and production solutions

Current Member New WAI Member NonMember

Including Exhibits

Advance

Onsite

$75

$110

$140* Show special

$180

$175

$210

Current Member New WAI Member NonMember

*Show special for new members is a $205 value

Advance

Onsite

$295

$395

$395* Show special

$495

$445

$545

*Show special for new members is a $425 value

PRELIMINARY EVENT SCHEDULE WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo 2022 | June 6-8, 2020 | Hyatt Regency Dallas, Dallas, Texas, USA Monday, June 6 8:30 a.m.– 5:00 p.m.

Exhibition Set-Up and Registration Open

Fundamentals of Wire Manufacturing Includes Luncheon

Tuesday, June 7

Wednesday, June 8

Keynote and Coffee Reception

Awards Ceremony and Annual Meeting

9:00 a.m.– 8:30 p.m.

Operations Summit Program

Operations Summit Program Includes Mordica Lecture and Production Solutions

Exhibits Open

Welcome Reception

official publication:

8:30 a.m.– 3:00 p.m.

Includes Production Solutions

Exhibits Open

Encore Wire Tour McKinney, Texas

wire & cable • trade show & conference

Hotel Reservation Information

Hyatt Regency Dallas

Hotel Reservations WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo 2022 will be held at the Hyatt Regency Dallas. For the attendees’ convenience, a negotiated discounted hotel block has been established specifically for The Wire Association International.

About the Hotel Hyatt Regency Dallas, 300 Reunion Boulevard, Dallas, Texas, United States, 75207 Experience Downtown Dallas from An Iconic Hotel Located downtown next to an iconic 1,100 room Dallas landmark Reunion Tower, Hyatt Regency Dallas is a gateway to the best of the city. Live, work and be yourself at our inviting, contemporary hotel near the Dallas Convention Center and within walking distance of many tourist attractions, including Dealey Plaza and the Historic West End. Whether you are here to work or play, Hyatt Regency Dallas is designed to meet all of your needs.

Rates Single occupancy $239.00 Double occupancy $239.00 The Guest Room Rates are quoted exclusive of any applicable taxes (which are currently 15.26%) applicable service fees, and/or Hotel-specific fees in effect at the time of the Event.

Make a Reservation Visit bit.ly/WE22Hotel

wire & cable • trade show & conference

Thank You Sponsors!

JUNE 7-8, 2022 DALLAS, TEXAS, USA www.wireexpo22.com

PLATINUM SPONSORS

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Lloyd Bouvier

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official publication:

NEWS

ASSOCIATION HIGHLIGHTS WAI Board of Directors favor a return to basics for the theme of Wire Expo 2022 On January 14, the WAI Board of Directors held the last in a series of planning meetings for the Operations Summit and Wire Expo 2022, which will be held at the Hyatt Regency Dallas in Texas on June 6-8. The goal was to finalize the focus for the event, and it did just that when the board voted that the theme for the event would be “Rising to the Challenges.”

prolonged. The program will address four key areas: workforce, supply chain, production solutions and technical development. More details can found at www.wireexpo22.com and in subsequent WJI issues.

WAI President Jim York, top l, along with board members and WAI staff at the Jan. 14 meeting that saw the finalization of the theme for Wire Expo 2022. The details will be presented in the April preshow issue and at www.wireexpo22.com. “The Board, which is comprised of experienced industry professionals, has been managing through this prolonged period of challenges” said WAI President Jim York, Sr. VP of Insteel Industries. “They considered a number of ‘current world’ elements well suited for the conference and, as the program came together, a common theme was apparent. ‘Rising to The Challenges’ was unanimously adopted as the Wire Expo theme for 2022.” The Board who planned the event to be full of topical content recognizing that the operational demands on the wire and cable industry are both significant and

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Other highlights will be a tour of Encore Wire Corp., the Fundamentals of Wire Manufacturing Course, the keynote speech and the Awards Ceremony. WAI is optimistic that this in-person event will be held, given the projected return to more traditional meetings as the year progresses. This sentiment is shared by the more than 100 suppliers that are supporting the exhibit portion of the program. Wire and cable professionals can renew relationships, learn, rejuvenate and once again share in the industry experience. It is long overdue. n

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NEWS

MEET YOUR PEERS. ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS. JOIN WAI TODAY. The following individuals either recently joined WAI or became Platinum Members through their companies. John Bilik Owner All-Rite Spring Luke Bilik Sales Engineer All-Rite Spring Emil Bimmler Mill Superintendent Platt Brothers & Co Kevin Bonneau Electrical Engineer Lloyd & Bouvier Inc Michael Bowne Secretary MindSphere World NA Benjamin Bufe Electrical Engineering Department Troester GmbH & Co K Bastien Carel Advanced Manufacturing Manager Fort Wayne Metals Brockett Carroll Sales Manager Clinton Instrument Co Andres Cartagena Ruiz Head of MFL X MFL Group Konrad Dengler Technical Journalist & Specialized Translator Dipl-Ing Konrad Dengler Paul Douwes Sales and Marketing ADVARIS Informationssysteme GmbH Dale Durrett SAP/MMS Manager NA Prysmian Preben Kirk Elkjær Senior Project Manager Kaastrupandersen

Jeff Ramer Operations Manager Haynes Wire Co

Jennifer A. Fox Senior Marketing/Business Development Analyst International Wire Group Inc

Frederico Kinoshita Operations Excellence Business Partner, SWS NV Bekaert SA

Brandon Furr Sales Manager Haynes Wire Co

Marty Krashoc President All-Rite Spring

Brad Robillard Manufacturing Sales Representative Elk Technologies LLC

Juan A Galindo Vice President Infrastructure Products Southwire Co

Mikko Lahti Director R&D Maillefer Extrusion Oy

Steven Roman Regional Sales Manager Esteves Group USA

Yvonne Leeb Senior Account Manager Rockwell Automation

Marc-Andre Salois Engineering Supervisor Harbour Industries (Canada) Ltd

Shawn L. Leichliter Senior Electrical Engineer Okonite Wire & Cable

Amanda J Shehab Director Cimteq Ltd

Thomas Lerch Sales Manager Paul Troester Maschinenfabrik

Ken Shimizu Chief Engineer Sumiden Wire Products Corp

Wissam Geahchan Applications Engineer Nexans Canada Inc Alberto Ghisetti Sales Director Continuus-Properzi SpA Albert Groothedde CEO Innovites Srinivasa Gummadi Senior Category ManagerGlobal Steel Apex Tool GrouP Ira Halbfinger Executive Sales Manager MMI Wire & Steel, Inc Jussi Hanhirova Data Scientist Maillefer Extrusion Oy Kevin Heise Electrical Engineering Manager Roteq Machinery Inc Juan R Gomez Hoyos President Institute for Business Success LLC Eric Kennedy Technical Service Engineer Westlake Chemicals

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Maziyar Nesari Product & Marketing Manger Enkotec A/S Christopher Nichols Director of Engineering Specialty Cable Corp Jackie Oaks Regional Sales Manager Rockwell Automation Federico Pagani Senior Data Scientist 40Factory Giovanni Pirovano Automation Director Continuus-Properzi SpA Curtis Queen Quality Manager Southwire Co

Shawn Sylvester Plant Manager LLFlex Pedro Miguel Toro President Corsan SA Paul White Vice President Roteq Machinery Inc Lukasz Wodzinski Process Engineering Department Manager Boryszew S.A. Oddzial NPA Skawina Jason Ziomek Director Sales & Marketing All-Rite Spring

Aguinaldo Ramalho Sales SIKORA AG

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EXPL479 - 3.5” Davis Std (Therm II, 24:1) Extrusion Line, 36” Shaft PO, 84” S/L Portal PO, Dancer, 36” DCFPO w/Jacks, Tensioner, Preheater, 24”MultiPass Trough, Printer, Sparker, Dia Gages, 30” Horiz BWC, Vert Accum (2 side), 84” S/L Portal TU, 24” Whitehead/Poole Dual TU EXPL480 - 2.5” Davis Std (Therm II, 24:1) Extrusion Line, 30” DCFPO w/Jacks, 36” S/L PO, Dancer, Preheater, Mot. Retract Trough, Dia Gages, Printer, MultiPass Trough, 24” Horiz BWC, Dancer, Vertical Accum, 24” Whitehead/ Poole Dual Auto TU, 36” S/L TU EXPL481 - 2” Davis Std (Ther, 24:1) Extrusion Line with 30” DCFPO w/Jacks, Welder, Tensioner, 36’ S/L PO, Dancer, Preheater, Color Metering, S/S Trough, Dia Gages, Printer, MultiPass Capstan, Sparker, 24” Bi-Water Auto Dual S/L Takeup BRD512 - Wardwell 16C Speedmaster 150 Braiders on Wire, Head Guards (2) BRD512.2 - Wardwell 16C Speedmaster 150 Braiders, on Wire with Sound Encl (5) BRD513 - Wardwell 16C Braiders, on Wire, Model G/H, Sound Enclosure (5)

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RWD665 - 16”-16” Portable Shaft Style Rewinder, Single Frame, Spark Tester, Counter

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Equipment still installed and sold AS IS, WHERE IS – call or email to arrange onsite viewing. SEE US AT WIRE EXPO DALLAS, BOOTH 506 – June 7-8, 2022 SEE US AT WIRE DÜSSELDORF, STAND 9E20 – JUNE 20-24, 2022 We want to purchase your surplus equipment! We buy individual machines to complete plants for Cash or Credit. Visit wireandplastic.com to view our complete inventory or contact us at info@wireandplastic.com TEL:+1.860.583.4646

CHAPTERS

CHAPTER NETWORK

Poland Chapter confirms plans for its technical conference set for this April

New England Chapter looks forward to its annual meeting on Feb. 24

The WAI Poland Chapter continues working on its 9th International Drawing Conference “New technological aspects of producing wire rods, wires and metal products manufactured using modern metal forming processes,” that is set for April 20-22, at the Hotel GALAXY in Cracow, Poland. Chapter President Jan Pilarczyk said that preparation for the scheduled event continues, and that despite concerns about Covid, it is expected that it will be held. The conference will focus on modern methods of metal forming and drawing processes and production of wire rod and wire. It will also serve as a congenial gathering site for producers and customers. The program will be presented in the March issue. The final range of presentations is expected to include: modern cables and wires in the power industry, dieless drawing process for elongation of ultra-thin copper wire, and improvements of mechanical steel wire rod cleaning and surface treatment. The plenary session will be moderated by Pilarczyk and Prof. Tadeusz Knych, the dean of the Department of Nonferrous Metals at the AGH University of Science and Technology in Cracow, who is also chairman of the scientific committee. Attendance for the conference is expected to be about 100 participants. Four individuals will be honored with the Schneider Memorial Award—the highest such award for Poland at the conference. They include Tom Moran, Brookfield Wire, U.S.; Prof. Beata Smyrak, AGH University of Science and Technology in Cracow; Prof. Zbigniew Gronostajski, Wrocław University of Technology; and Andrzej Karwat, R&D, DRUMET/ WireCo Corp. The co-organizers of the conference include Pilarczyk; Knych, the 2015 winner of the WAI’s Mordica Memorial Award; and Prof. Adam Zieliński, of the Institute for Ferrous Metallurgy. It will also include a tour of plant of TELE-FONIKA Kable S.A. The Conference Honorary Patronage is by Prof. Norbert Sczygiol, rector of the Czestochowa University of Technology. For details about the different sponsorships available for businesses, and more information, go to the Poland Chapter website at www.msc.wip.pcz.pl.

The New England Chapter is ready for the Feb. 24 return to the Mohegan Sun in Connecticut, where more than a hundred people are expected to attend its annual meeting. The annual dinner will be held for the first time at the casino’s Cabaret Theater. The event format will be the same, starting with a reception at 5:30 pm, where chapter members and others can mingle, an opportunity that has been all too rare the last two years. The new officers for 2022 will be introduced, as well as an update on the chapter’s college scholarship program. “It will be great seeing everyone again at Mohegan Sun,” said 2021 WAI Chapter President John Accorsi, M. Holland, whose term will have ended. “It is always a fun venue for the meeting.” He said that it was unfortunate it could not be held in 2021, but the chapter was still able to remain active, holding its annual golf tournament as well as a successful webinar. The chapter meeting will also include the traditional raffle, which along with the annual golf tournament are the key sources for funding the scholarship program. The chapter hopes to see the same level of prior year company donations for the raffle as well as sponsorships, of which there are three levels: gold, $500; silver, $250; and bronze, $150. The cost for the event is $120 for New England Chapter members, $130 for WAI members and $140 for non-WAI members. There also is a new WAI member package of $145 for dues and the dinner, and for $15, an existing WAI member can become a New England Chapter member. For more details on this, contact WAI’s John Markowski at 203-453-2777, ext. 121, or jmarkowski@wirenet.org. Markowski, who began working as an intern for WAI in 2018 and became a full-employee last May, is the main contact for all of the Association’s chapters. 

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Supply Chain: woes aplenty Nobody needs to be told that the supply chain has many weak links, and that dealing with that reality has been—and continues to be—a major challenge. This feature presents comments from manufacturers as well as industry consultants addressing the situation, and a look at one company that has benefitted by it.

Manufacturers: the supply chain has never been this bad WJI contacted a range of wire and cable manufacturers, and asked them to share their views on the state of the supply chain, how it has affected their operations and their outlook. Below are their perspectives.

WJI: How intense has the supply chain been for your hot-rolled wire rod. The last two years have been incredcompany the last two years, and do you see any signs ibly challenging with regards to wire rod supply. We emerged from the worst three months (March, April, and as to when conditions arehis likelyhigher to improve?education Wire was May of 2020) with demand for wire and wire products

increasing very rapidly, and it has not let up. Then, in late The supply chain issues were 2020 and through much of 2021, each of our domestic rod most intense late 2020 into 2021 suppliers underwent extensive planned (and unplanned) with wide ranging impacts on production outages, some of which are still ongoing today. business. The greatest impact The priceFisher of carbon steel wire rod began to rise sharply. David was, of course, disruptions in the President From the beginning of the 3rd quarter of 2020, through the timely manufacture and shipment James Monroe end of 2021, we have seen rod prices more than double, of product which, over the course Wire & Cable increasing by over $700 per ton. With virtually all our of 2021, became very costly. Corporation domestic suppliers restricting orders, we had no choice but Further exacerbating the issue to go offshore and secure imported wire rod just to keep is the current state of the labor from running out. Often in 2020 and early 2021, we had to Fisher market which hasn’t shown any pay prices significantly higher for imported wire rod, due sign of improvement. It is ironic WJI: How much an influence did your dad can’t be passive in thistoinduﬆry. That 232 tariffs and other issues, such as spiking Section consideringhave how of demand for products and projectthe on the how high you runlevel the company? overall expansion coﬆ about $2 ocean freight rates. Those sudden, dramatic and lengthy services further exacerbates the supply Fisher: He had a big influence. He chain related million.issues It’s worked out well for us, and rises in prices put a strain on operating cash and increased showed me what it takes to succeed. To a we added 14 jobs laﬆ year, and those creating a vicious circle. There is currently no sign of degree, it’s about technology, but a bigger additions have made us more efficient. the risks of doing business significantly, particularly with improvement. I’mis waiting my crystal element motivatingfor ﬆaff, to get them ball to be delivthe very long lead times associated with imported steel. ered by Amazon so I can get an answer. We shall see. Dave to want to do what you need them to do. WJI: How does the future look? Andy Talbot, vice president and general manager, Money matters, but people also want to & Cable Fisher: We’re not done growing yet. Fisher, president, James Monroe Wire Corp. be recognized, and it’s important that you We bought 14 acres across the ﬆreet, and Mid-South Wire Co., Inc. show that you value them. I love to come

someday we could put up a 200,000-sq-ft

The intensity ofevery supply chain issues in 2020/2021 to work day, and I want our employplant. has That’s long term, but in the short Extremely intense. The problems associated with limited will add 3,000 sq ft more oﬃce to feel good it too. been unlikeeesanything weabout have seen in more thanterm 20 we years. space. I see the business as a living entity. capacity for steel wire products have been access to global Since we primarily a wire drawing enterprise, WJI: Howare has the company moﬆ changed Weour ﬁght for all our orders. We know we exacerbated by logistics and labor constraints, as well as “supply chain” is dominated by one particular product since you became president in 2005? have to do… right for our cuﬆomers and we uncertainty Fisher: You need a feel for how the inknow we have to continue to improve,of demand caused by supply chain disruptions

duﬆry once did business to underﬆand this. and that is a good thing. This business matters to us all, and that includes the In paﬆ generations, there was more focus on succeeding for yourself. It wasn’t that families of our 96 employees. We never W I R E you J O Udidn’t R N Awant L I Nyour TER N AT I O or N AvenL F E B R U forget A R Y 2that. 022 cuﬆomers dors to succeed, because you did, but your primary concern was on making a sale and WJI: Are you looking forward to serving

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Supply Chain solutions? It comes down to actions ... and people Thomas J. Rosen, president and CEO of Wire & Cable Consulting, LLC, has nearly 40 years in the industry, holding executive positions with companies such as IWG High Performance Conductors, Phelps Dodge Corporation and Nesor Alloy Corp. Below, he shares his thoughts about the supply chain. He can be contacted at tel. 973-228-5589, rosen.tjr817@gmail.com, www.wirecableconsulting.com. We are living in new times. Nobody foresaw what was coming in terms of Covid and labor issues, the great resignation wave and everything else that’s happened the last few years. The days when you could depend on overseas suppliers to deliver in five or six weeks are gone. That same timeframe can be four or five months. That causes problems for our customers, which I want to make clear here make value-added products. The supply chain and the wire and cable industry need to understand how to handle the ebbs and flows of the business. But first I want to address something that is part of the equation, even if it might not seem so. The industry will always have issues—and sometimes, like now, they may be quite harsh—but I have learned over the years that you cannot overestimate how important it is to value the human element. People are extremely important, and we need to offer or meet issues on the physical and mental health that help keep them together. People need more family time. Working 60-plus hours a week is not a long-term solution. People need more time off pursuing things that bring them a sense of purpose. If they achieve short-term and long-term success as individuals, that will help them in their work roles. They become part of your solution that you won’t find in a spreadsheet. Think about it. Now for the supply chain. First off, it won’t come as a surprise when I say that there are no easy solutions, but that does not mean you can’t take some measure of control. You know what you need and when, but how well do you know what your suppliers can and cannot do? Relying on them just to “do” or “not do” is not enough. You have to work with good suppliers, and that means companies that are investing in their businesses. W W W. W I R E N E T. O R G

You have to work the supply chain all the way back. Capacity obviously is a key issue, but so is their personnel. Is the company stable? Does it have the cash flow and resources to invest in its future? Some may not be strong enough, so sticking with a supplier without knowing more about them is not wise. Learning more about suppliers may ultimately force you to look elsewhere. If you don’t want to do this, then find another business, because your future maybe in doubt. Beware of suppliers that stick to the outdated 80/20 principle. One of our clients had such a supplier, which had contracts and agreements, and took care of the 20% clients first. They didn’t like minimum quantities, specials or anything “out of the norm.” Our client, who started manufacturing cable assemblies for Steinway, could not get product from his supplier. We found him a new one. We explained the business and provided the specs to the new supplier that had not been active in this niche, and was interested. Both our client and the customer benefitted. We encourage our clients to develop new suppliers. You hear a lot about supply not being available, but generally speaking, I have found that materials can be found, even in small quantities. I have one client that will, and he’s very good at it. He also gets paid well for it. And guess what? He’s getting more and more business because the big guys don’t want to do small quantities anymore. There’s a flip side to this too. How well do you treat your suppliers? A lot of big companies don’t excel at that. I always made sure that I personally engaged suppliers, and enjoyed meeting them and seeing their operations. That’s changed in the last two years, but it’s still possible through zoom and the like. If you keep in close contact, you may find opportunities. Also,

keep in mind that the wire and cable industry is a supply chain unto itself, as many companies sell to cable Rosen manufacturers, who in turn sell to OEMs. It’s a difficult time for companies that need rod and metals that either require large sizes or require special technology for different applications, as they are not as easy to source overseas as they are in North America. There are limited places people can go, so such manufacturers are basically held hostage, which is why highvalue product makers are better off. I have one client that buys redraw and fine wires, and silver-plated wires and alloys. Those products are limited in the supply chain, but because we were able to show the supplier our needs six months out, we were able to get what we needed. That takes planning. If you cannot show vendors your plan, you can’t expect them to commit to late requests. You want to ask the supplier what they can do to help. I don’t see conditions changing much in the next year. I think we’re stuck in a conundrum here. We all know the symptoms of the supply chain, but I keep thinking about the one element that gets lost in the discussion of what needs to be done, and that goes back to people. They make it all possible. I spend a lot of time helping clients with their long-term plans. Anyone who isn’t—or thinks that conditions will revert back to what they were, and that we can all go back to walking our dogs the way we used to—is dreaming. This is the new norm. We have to figure out how to navigate it, to be flexible, quick and nimble.

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in other categories. This environment has disproportionately shifted (negotiating) power toward the bottom of the supply chain, forcing adjustments in cost and lead time expectations that are in many cases real, but in many other cases are also very opportunistic. Marty Krashoc, president, All-Rite Spring Company. Starting with 2020 and continuing into 2021, Covid-19 has affected us in many ways, both large and minuscule. We are lucky to be in a niche part of the wire industry that has grown with consumers staying at home and enjoying audio and video. We fared well with quick responses to adversity followed by long-term solutions. We contacted each of our suppliers to understand their challenges, to adjust our purchases to maintain our supply and to provide assurances that we would continue to support them. We shared what we were doing to stay stable, safe and operational. Ray Kimber, president, Kimber Kable. It has been very intense the past two years with regards to dealing with the supply chain. Especially on the steel side of the business. Due to many different factors, the availability of raw material has been scarce. And the lead times are what some may consider insane. In some cases, it’s 24-28 Swanson weeks to get raw material. You spend half your day trying to find material and the other half of your day trying to calm down your customers. Bob Swanson Jr., president, United Wire Co., Inc. Supply chain issues have been either the #1 or #2 challenge for our company the last two years. We are an independent producer of steel fabricated-concrete reinforcement solutions. We live or die by consistent deliveries and constant volumes of hot-rolled rods. This past year presented unparalleled supply issues, beginning with a significant domestic imbalance in the supply versus demand for steel. It was exacerbated by multiple unplanned outages, combined with unseasonably planned outages, and further aggravated by the current 232 tariffs and dumping duties that inhibit import relief. The cumulative effects of those issues have resulted in poor production performance and less-than-satisfactory delivery performance to our customers, which is unacceptable. Jim York, senior vice president, sourcing and logistics, Insteel Wire Products. In the nearly 50 years I have been in this industry, I can only think of one time when supply issues were this severe. I think it was 1973 to 1974 and you couldn’t get PVC because of a resin shortage. If you can’t get PVC, you are pretty much out of business, so it was a very tenuous situation. The supply chain issues today are affecting

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every component and every subcomponent you use in your day-to-day operations. It’s like Whac-A-Mole: you solve one problem and another pops up. The supply chain is so damaged that any of a number of issues can make it worse: lack of labor, the pandemic, weather, regulations and so on. As 2022 started, I would say things are actually a bit worse. I see no signs of improvement, and fear the only thing that will improve the supply chain is a reduction in demand, which we call a recession. No one is looking forward to that. Richard Carr, president, Sequel Wire. It has not been as bad for us as it seems to have been for others. We source most of our raw material domestically. If not domestic, then it’s melted in the EU. By design, we have very little in the way of import Asian or East Asian material in our supply chain. I’ve always felt that reliance on certain markets for the purpose of simply chasing pennies made no sense. Domestic/EU manufacturing and sourcing of input material locally shortens your supply chain and offers a level of protection from unforeseen events, like Covid. It also enables a smaller environmental footprint. We limit disruptions by being as flexible as possible between facilities. Having 13 facilities and a deep inventory of grades and tonnage has allowed us to do that. I see the conditions that others are now facing getting more difficult as geopolitical tensions rise and regional strains continue. I’m glad we’re not heavily exposed to these markets, especially in the East. That’s scary. Paul From, president, Central Wire Group.

WJI: Can you compare this to any past periods, or is this unique in its scale/widespread impact? I think our world is (and has been) changing fast enough to say this situation is entirely unique, even if similarities can be drawn. It doesn’t mean, however, that we shouldn’t be drawing on prior lessons. There’s always a better way to manage,d your “eggs” and “baskets,” depending on the exact environmental context of the day. Marty Krashoc, All-Rite Spring Company. What we experienced in 2020/21, with regards to supply chain issues and burgeoning demand, has exceeded the magnitude of what we experienced in similar periods like 2003/04, and the run up to the 2009 banking crisis and the great recession that followed. The difference is that the 2020/21 surge in demand levels, supply chain issues, materials shortages, surging pricing and labor shortages has not abated. We continue to see severe constraints in the supply of wire rod. Of course, prices, labor shortages and transportation delays and costs also remain very challenging. We all remember the boom in business in 2004-07, but we remember even more how suddenly and painfully those boom periods ended. We’ve spent much of the last two years enjoying strong business levels and improved

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margins, but we are always mindful of the risk of a sharp correction. For example, the last time we saw the price of scrap near current levels was in July 2008, when prices reached almost $600/ton. Four months later, that price fell to $125 per ton. That crashed the rod and wire markets, and sent inventory valuations and finished prices down dramatically. At times like that, wire drawing companies must digest some layers of higher-priced inventory at a loss, which can threaten the viability of an enterprise. Andy Talbot, Mid-South Wire Co., Inc. Parts of this we have seen before, but not all of it and certainly not all at the same time. We are just starting to see the impacts of higher alloy prices, which are going to continue for quite a while. The markets for EVs and batteries are growing exponentially and From there’s no indication of supplyside relief to these price pressures, especially for nickel and cobalt. That’s a concern. Paul From, Central Wire Group. Not in my 33 years can I compare this to anything. Dave Fisher, James Monroe Wire & Cable Corp.

This absolutely is a unique, never-before-experienced situation we are navigating. Matthew Duncan, vice president, Granite Falls Furnace. In the 20 years I have been in the business I have never seen anything like this. But back in 2007/2008, there was a steady increase in steel pricing for a few months. That was a small headache due to continually having to contact your customers about price increases and getting the push back, but you had availability of material. So, it was not intense. Bob Swanson Jr., United Wire Co., Inc. I have been in the steel business for 35 years, and have experienced challenging periods to acquire steel, but never to this sustained degree. Jim York, Insteel Wire Products.

WJI: What kind of changes has your company made to be able to maintain production? Have you found new suppliers? Despite the severe impact of the supply chain issues, we can offer the same products and continue to work through the challenges with our existing suppliers. The strong relationships we have developed over many years with our supplier has proven to be our greatest advantage as the

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company faces some of the most difficult times since its founding. With regards to supply, we have had to scramble to find material for most of the last two years. With the wire rod trade cases filed in 2017, and then the Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum, the U.S. steel wire drawing industry Talbot was almost wholly dependent on an aging U.S. rod industry that has proven to be unable to supply their customers at periods of peak demand. As a result, we have had to turn to the import market and pay higher prices at times, with the risk of lead times as long as three to five months or more from countries like India, Malaysia, Egypt, Vietnam and others. This significantly raises the risks involved in the event of a sharp price correction, but the alternative of running out of material for customer needs, is unacceptable. Andy Talbot, Mid-South Wire Co., Inc. We are not out looking for new suppliers. Suppliers are the most important component in any business, and we

go to great lengths to keep those relationships as strong as possible. We’ve always taken the long view when it comes to sourcing material. Our relationships ensure we are getting exactly what we need. Qualifying a new supplier takes time and can’t be rushed. Re-sourcing raw material because of disrupted supply chains means risk, taking chances. You pay a big price for that. We’ve worked hard to minimize exposure to that risk. Given the length of time we have been in business, if we don’t know a supplier by now, then there is likely a good reason for that. There is no market we have moved away from in the last two years. We regularly evaluate our markets from the standpoint of longevity, capacities, and product offerings. If there was an area we were not thrilled with for any reason, we exited years ago. We have seen companies from those markets coming back to us today and asking about capacity. That’s driven by their off-shore liability, and we will help when we can but there are limits to what we can and can’t do. History shows that when this changes back, buyers will rush back off-shore. That has to be understood, and this doesn’t mesh with our philosophy. Paul From, Central Wire Group.

An outside view can clarify supply chain issues and solutions St. Onge, an international consulting firm, specializes in the supply chain. The company’s customer base includes manufacturing, and the list of customers at its website includes Sandvik/Kanthal. WJI asked the company what it can do for the supply chain. Below, Mike Noll, U.S. managing director of manufacturing services, shares his thoughts. He can be contacted at mnoll@stonge.com. Manufacturers can excel at making high-quality products, but that expertise may not extend to extreme conditions and situations. That’s where St. Onge comes in. We provide management and operations consulting services across all business aspects that include the supply chain, which has never been more important. The question that company leadership should be addressing is this: are we responding as well as we could? We all understand that doing nothing is a recipe for disaster. The opposite response of overloading the supply chain with a bunch of false demand to increase your on-hand inventory of raw materials is not the answer either. When did you last really look at your supply chain and all of its critical aspects? Have you ever had someone from an outside consulting group analyze and break down every aspect of your supply chain from the customer order all the way to the actual shipment? How do you know that your internal systems, ordering practices, and inventory strategies are up-to-date and nimble enough to respond to these industry challenges? St. Onge provides a deep-dive analysis. Our supply chain assessment is the primary response a manufacturer needs in trying times. Demand analysis, inventory strategy, ware-

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housing, scheduling, systems, and supplier partnerships are all facets of the response. Working with your suppliers is a very important part of a company’s response, but there are other considerations. Have you updated your MRP and horizon planning for the new norm? Have you Noll assessed the days-on-hand inventory for your SKU base? Again, working with your suppliers is vital, but you have to be part of the solution. Has your company done a recent cycle count or physical inventory to true up your system and reassess your warehousing and slotting methodologies? Inventory accuracy drives accurate demand. And what about your production schedule? Have you considered internal changes to provide some cushion to the supply side of the system? Leveling off production to align with consistent levels of supply removes much of the firefighting and chaos companies see on a daily basis. Think about these questions and ask yourself, are you ready to get help?

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Supply Chain delays a plus/minus for used equipment dealers With the Covid-19 effect adding to the already long delivery times for OEMs that sell wire and cable equipment, one would think it would be a golden period for those that have warehouses full of used systems. Below, Erik Macs, director of sales for Wire & Plastic Machinery (wireandplastic.com), explains why it has been both good and not so good. WJI: How was the used equipment market before Covid-19, and how has it changed since then? Macs: Prior to Covid-19, business was steady but not booming. As with everyone else, the initial year of the pandemic was problematic mainly due to personnel issues. The supply chain issues brought on by Covid exacerbated the situation. As new machinery dealers struggled to get parts and supplies (and people), the natural trend accelerated to getting what is already available. It is not a perfect scenario, but when a wire manufacturer needs to increase production, having a somewhat suitable machine will tend to beat out waiting for the latest and greatest.

from a 240,000-sq-ft facility in New York. What we could not sell off of the manufacturing floor, ended up going to our warehouses. We are in the midst of a similar liquidation of a smaller company in Massachusetts as we speak. Turnover of equipment will always be there, and our more-experienced customers also know that the early bird gets the worm. WJI: What used equipment has been in greatest demand since this period began? Are newer systems usually chosen? Macs: The range of machines that we have been selling over the past two years hasn’t greatly changed from before. That is to say, it is not

WJI: If you are getting substantially more inquiries, are callers more flexible in what they want? Are they quicker to close deals? Macs: Everyone is fully aware of what is going on with the supply chains and thus are more flexible in their requests. Our advantage is having a ready supply of alternative items that can be substituted, be it finding compatible spare parts within our own inventory A sampling of used equipment offered by Wire & Plastic or taking parts from similar Machinery, which has 10 warehouses in five states. machines. And with delivery timelines, our customers realize that really predictable. A lot depends on they sometimes may be better suited the source and quality of the newer to do any required refurbishment inventory. Payoffs and take-ups are on their own. In other words, we’re probably the most consistent prodgetting more calls and we’ve been uct as they belong to a wide range of busier. processes. And as with anything else, supply and demand dictates what you WJI: Do you have enough inventory can get for any type of machinery. to meet demand? If supply of any particular item gets overabundant, we have to be cogniMacs: We advertise ourselves as zant to the pricing structure. having the largest inventory in the The used machinery business is a world. Wire plants have been opening history lesson. Just walking through and closing all the time. 2021 saw us our warehouses can show how differsell off quite a bit of the equipment ent companies have thought about

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different ways to tackle certain processes. I once chatted with a senior research engineer who told me that if Macs you think you’ve come up with a unique design solution, it is virtually guaranteed that someone in the wire industry has already thought of it at one point or another. Sometimes it is the oldest machines that are the right solution to a problem. WJI: Is it simple for you to deliver a system? Macs: We have heard of various OEMs now being out one year and more for delivery. We’re obviously better than that, but when we refurbish a system, we have the same trials and tribulations getting new parts as everyone else. Electronic components such as PLCs and drives appear to be in the worst condition. It is difficult to come up with one set timeframe as the variety of equipment and scope of each project can be dramatically different. One major advantage we have is that some liquidations/acquisitions come with substantial spare parts inventories and we can go to our own shelf more often than not. And yes, we have trucking and people issues too. I would like to note that the camaraderie and closeness of our industry has not been in short supply. For instance, our engineering manager was in contact with a competitor recently. They were looking for a specific drive and we were looking for a certain part. We helped them find their drive and they helped us find our part. We all should be cordial to one another in the wire industry. W W W. W I R E N E T. O R G

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The supply chain matters, but our story is more one of what we did to continue being able to produce, so that we were not the problem in getting our products to our customers. Most of our production of high-end audiophile cables would be impossible with “remote” employees. Kimber We immediately changed our behavior and made changes to our offices and factory. We installed a remote body temperature reader that uses a thermographic camera linked to a small laptop. The camera views both the employee and a calibrated IR emitter in the same frame. We purchased clinical-level touchless forehead thermometers for each employee to take home, along with clinical level oximeters for each employee. We didn’t expect any return reporting, but this allowed employees to monitor themselves and persons in their household. We engaged a service that performed a PCR test on all employees, to guard against asymptomatic persons. We changed bathroom fixtures to be touchless, and during shortages we made our own hand sanitizer using aloe and Everclear. We upgraded the MERV rating on all filters, increased the outside air mixture, and programmed the fans to run longer. We also paid for a

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few hotel rooms when employees needed to quarantine, and waived any deductions from sick/vacation days.We supported and incentivized vaccinations and took additional step to safeguard unvaccinated employees. There were a few small parts that became unavailable, but we only discontinued two or three of our 4,000+ products. Ray Kimber, Kimber Kable. We have reduced our customer base and product range in order to ensure the service and dependability our customers expect from us as a supplier. Matthew Duncan, Granite Falls Furnace. Sequel is a new company. We starting production in July 2020. Because of our previous years in the business, by then we had picked the vendors we wanted to be our partners. Even though each one of them has had their share of issues, some way or other they have always come through. Most of the products we purchase you can’t find another vendor for because they are not taking on new business. Our facility is sold out, so we can only produce our capacity. We have ordered more than we really need, anticipating interruptions, and we are also carrying more inventory than we would if the supply chain was working properly. These past two years are like 100 lifetime events all going off at the same time. What doesn’t kill you

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COMPANY PROFILE

makes you stronger. Our vendors are outstanding, and we couldn’t do it without them. Richard Carr, Sequel Wire.

The main change we have made is in our ordering of raw material. Prior to the supply chain issue, I would rely on the warehouses/distributors to have wire stocked on their shelves. Nowadays they are struggling to keep wire stocked and available. So once I receive an order from a GRANITE FALLS customer, I immediately order the wire and have it delivNORTH ered. The problems that could incur with this is cash flow CAROLINA and storage space, but we have been able to avoid those problems. No, itCOMPANY was not necessary to find new suppliers. Our suppliers have done Granite Falls an excellent job of locating raw material for us.Furnance Some of Co.those (GFF) I would like to thank include Principals: Dave and Cincinnati Metals, Siri Wire, Precision Metal Services, ERA Matthew Duncan Wire, Central Wire, REA Magnet, Elgiloy and Mapes, among tel. 828-324-4394 many others. Bob Swanson Jr., United Wire Co., Inc. granitefallsfurnace.

due to part delays, delivery times extended due to shipping, and on-the-shelf availability of spares. These are all going to continue to be a challenge, if not worsen. Paul From, Central Wire Group.

2 brothers on a steel wire mission

PROFILE

The most difficult hurdle for wire production is overcoming the issues not related to our own facility, but the continued struggles of wire rod suppliers. Yes, there have been a andcaused by the lack lot ofDave hurdles Matthew of labor in all Duncan areas of business, Granite Falls but the biggest key ingredient to Furnance making wire is Co. having wire rod, and that has been on allocation for over a year now from all domestic and Canadian rod suppliers. Take the continued issues with labor and transportation, then add com thehave upgrades being implemented Duncan Brothers Duncan: We lots of good WJI: We’ve got to start with your compaThe automotive supply chain is particularly brutal forany confusion? Any stuff to say here thatat thevarious editor willwire be rod mills that are ny name: does it cause most pleased to run when sees ourschedule, and top it plans to change it to include “wire”? way he behind those intent on FOCUS maintaining impeccable performance Founded in 2003 by replies to his questions, as inane as some Brothers Duncan: We have lots of good rod records, withoutDavid making compromises. arehere forced L. Duncan, Sr., of them may be. Wemill may equipment believe that thefailures, and the stuffWe to say that the editor will off be with unexpected initially was a supresult is an Olympic to evaluate andGFF approve new suppliers, but cannot dowhen so he sees our editor gets paidhigh-hurdle by the number contest of weird where the industry most pleased to run of products for he sends, so he can rant here it in week after week. replies to his questions, as inane as bar someis set questions so high that nobody can clear without explicitplier support from our customers who are overthe recycling and conthis space because he will s-m-i-l-e one he of them may be. We may believe that the Matthew Duncan, Granite Falls Furnace. whelmed with such requests. And compromises in this struction industries. sees our replies, which we can assure you editor gets paid by the number of weird The company alsoadded had regard have a potential for quality risk,hewhich ishe can rant here in the readers will nd far more interesting. questions sends, so furnace technology. In Also, we take a much photo than thispresident, space becauseAll-Rite he will s-m-i-l-e one he Fortunately, this has gonebetter in cycles so the the difficulties simply unacceptable. Marty Krashoc, 2011, it acquired wireeditor, who really could use another photo sees our replies, which we can assure you drawing equipment, came at different times. It was the Texas freeze in February Spring Company. but hates to have them taken. the readers will nd far more interesting. and the brothers, of 2021 that affected PVC supply. Still working out of Also, we take a much better photo than the now also principals, WJI: You exhibited at Interwire for the editor,out whoacross really could use anotherthat. photoIt was mid-to-late summer when you could not get As we see thebegan supply chain issues play nearly to transition rst time in 2015: what was that experibut hates to have them taken. a full-time supplier any copper rod. every industry, tothe impact on every company can vary ence like?This is where your network had to go into of drawn steel wire youDuncan: could survive. Again, the supply base dramatically. One of the biggest challenges formuch a custom Brothers We have lots of good WJI: How has your companyaction so that and annealed wire stuffindustry to say heresaved that theSequel editor will be evolved since it began manufacturing products. insteel this great through those difficult cable manufacturer facing unpredictable raw material most pleased to run when he sees our wire? Has your customer base expanded times. Richard Carr, Sequel Wire. supply is the impact to work in process on the manufacturreplies to his questions, as inane as some much? OF NOTE ing floor. A buildup of work, that has started cannot of them may be. We may believe that the Brothers but Duncan: We be have lots of good and Matthew editor gets paid by the number weird and converting stuff to saycapital here thatand, the editor will beAgain, being 100% focused on of buying completed, hasDave a severe impact on operating Duncan note that famquestions he sends, so he can rant here in most pleased to run when he sees our wire rod, the related supply chain issues mentioned above in turn, can create another set of challenges to overcome. ily ties do not assure a this space because he will s-m-i-l-e one he replies to his questions, as inane as some stronger operation, but have and our we most challenge. Fortunately, being a privately held business andbe.part sees ourremain, replies, which can significant assure you of them may We ESOP, may believe that the been, in their case, they say the readers will nd farWire more interesting. editor gets paid advanby the number of weird Andy Talbot, Mid-South Co., Inc. loyal employees have proven to be another great that it has been a major Also, we take a much better photo than the questions he sends, so he can rant here in tage in overcoming thebrothers challenges wethis face inbecause maintaining plus. The editor, who really could use another photo space he will s-m-i-l-e one he haveFisher, been in business International policies involving steel tariffs and production. Dave James Monroe Cable but hatestrade to have them taken. sees ourWire replies,&which we can assure you before, and while Dave the readers will nd far more interesting. import (weight) quotas have created the most difficulty for Corp. has always been more WJI: Do you have specic long-term Also, we take a much better photo than the focused on technical us. Marty Krashoc, All-Rite Spring Company. goals you are pursuing? editor, who really could use another photo matters, Matthew is more at home representing the company to customers. “We’re lucky

but hates to have them taken.

Brothers Boyle: We have lots of good

stuff to say Ihere the editor will has be been especially The only aspect canthat think of that most pleased to run when he sees our WJI: This has not been an easy time for isreplies locating such WJI: Is there because any one aspect of the supply chainhow has yourdifficult to his tempered questions, as steel inane as someas chrome silicon the steel wire industry: comgoing to our plant chromeofvanadium. to the lack them may be. Due We may believe thatof themills that have pany fared? What are you focusing or on to like going to anotherdifficult? that has beenisespecially family home,” they say. gets paid bythe the number of weird. remain competitive? temperingeditor capabilities, lead times are anywhere from Parts for equipment. Local machining capacity for 28 weeks to almost a year. How do you quote a customer a replacement parts. New equipment delays from vendors 6 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

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48-week lead time? It’s insane. Bob Swanson Jr., United Wire Co., Inc. The impact of a reduced output capacity and freight logistics have been especially difficult as we struggle with the ability to complete and ship finished product to our customers. Dave Fisher, James Monroe Wire & Cable Corp.

WJI: Do you try to order out further than usual, or is that not possible or practical? Ordering further out has not benefited us domestically. The mills are on allocation, so you get what you get. Jim York, Insteel Wire Products.

reduces the impact of a correction. We bought virtually everything that was offered to us, at ever increasing prices, hoping that the correction, when it comes, is not too severe or prolonged. Hope is not a good business strategy, but the alternative of running out of your one basic raw material can push companies to take extraordinary risks. Andy Talbot, Mid-South Wire Co, Inc. I can order further out for a few customers based on their past buying history but that is in anticipation of them placing orders. If their product line slows down or becomes obsolete, then you could be stuck with raw material and no outlet for it. But that is the risk you sometimes need to take. Bob Swanson Jr., United Wire Co., Inc.

If you are “lucky” enough to have customers who can/will wait or a properly functioning crystal ball, I guess this is not necessary. All others should be ordering early and often. Marty Krashoc, All-Rite Spring Company.

If we are asked to do that, we have no issue. What we are more likely to be asked is to give a forward projection on volumes. This has been more difficult, especially at the start of the pandemic, as many companies reacted with lockdowns. There is more visibility now, and it is getting better. With demand from some customers higher now than before the pandemic, understanding the reasons behind that and how they will continue or not is our challenge. Paul From, Central Wire Group.

Krashoc In a period where prices have been sharply increasing every single month for over a year, it has not been possible to go further out and hedge our supply or price. That may be a blessing in disguise because lower than normal inventory

We place orders primarily based on actual demand and do not speculate or build unnecessary inventory volume. It is cost prohibitive due to the large variety of raw materials we utilize in custom cable manufacturing. Dave Fisher, James Monroe Wire & Cable Corp.

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WJI: Is there any silver lining from a manufacturer having to find deal with supply chain issues? Absolutely. We are pressure-testing alternative paths that we otherwise couldn’t have (time) justified, and are learning to change direction faster. The disruptions of this market have also allowed for fresh contract term discussions with customers that perhaps wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. Marty Krashoc, All-Rite Spring Company. I am a glass half-full guy. Times like these build your legacy. For you, your company, your team, your customers and certainly your vendors. I believe no one in business today has experienced what we are going through. There is no playbook you can take off the shelf. Those that make it through this will be better for it. Richard Carr, Sequel Wire.

Carr

As of right now, I don’t see a silver lining. It may even get more intense before it gets better. Some companies may unfortunately go out of business due to the supply chain issues. Bob Swanson Jr., United Wire Co., Inc. I can only reiterate the importance of having solid relationships with suppliers and the ability to provide as much support as possible to employees in times like these; without either one of the two you cannot operate a business effectively when catastrophe strikes. Dave Fisher, James Monroe Wire & Cable Corp. That would be that we have had to, by necessity, sharpen our forecasting tools, and our ability to make informed decisions in a timely manner. Also, we have worked hard to keep the last two years of elevated business levels in perspective. We cannot become complacent, we must watch for, and prepare for, the downturn when it comes. Andy Talbot, Mid-South Wire Co., Inc. From a customer perspective, we have gotten to know a lot of our customers in a much deeper way. There is value from that vantage point both short and long term. We’ve developed insight that we would not have otherwise had, resulting in investments in new equipment to service those customers and to enter new markets. Our medical business has accelerated in a way which surprised us, given the changes in how health care is now delivered and the emergent strains of Covid. These new opportunities have been a great thing for us. Paul From, Central Wire Group.

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WJI: Any other thoughts or advice? I can only reiterate the importance of having solid relationships with suppliers and the ability to provide as much support as possible to employees in times like these; without either one of the two you cannot operate a business effectively when catastrophe strikes. Dave Fisher, James Monroe Wire & Cable Corp. I don’t know if anyone is trying to pinpoint the root cause of the supply chain issue. What created this? There are many candidates. Labor shortages. This has been forecast for quite some time as the baby boomers leave the work force. The pandemic. If you go to work not feeling well, you could be labeled a murderer, so maybe 10% of this already-toosmall work force is missing every day. Working from home. People are just not connected to the urgency of their operation’s needs. Government. Too many dollars were pumped into the economy, and more online home shopping created huge demand, maybe a false demand. Bad weather. This triggered the dominos to fall, and has put us in the current situation. One possible solution would be to get all the people we can back to work. Short of that, unfortunately, I think the economy has to slow down. We call that a recession. Richard Carr, Sequel Wire. My only advice is that during this pleasantly surprising upsurge in business levels, we should take some time to consider some fundamental questions. First, we should do our research to understand the root cause for the surge in demand that we have seen over the last 18 months. We should ask ourselves if this surge is exclusively from aggressive government fiscal stimulus, or is it from broadbased, structural and organic growth of our markets? Then, based on those conclusions, brainstorm just what could reverse the trends that we’ve been experiencing over the last two years. Finally, we should enjoy the ride but check the rearview mirror regularly and carefully! Andy Talbot, Mid-South Wire Co., Inc. All these issues, supply chain or Covid related, and the stress which that brings to all companies has brought clarity and open conversations directly to the shop floor. Each of us carries the weight of everyday life into the workplace and that has gotten heavier. I think it’s made us all better listeners. At least I hope it has. Paul From, Central Wire Group. n

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T E C H N I C A L PA P E R

Artificial Intelligence in Thermal Rating to Improve Monitoring of HV Power Cables Florian Ainhirn

Graz University of Technology Graz, Austria florian.ainhirn@student.tugraz.at ORCID iD:0000-0002-8983-1657

Abstract

The established methods for thermal rating calculations of power cables are the analytical method, given by the IEC 60287 and IEC 60853, as well as the Finite Element Method. Anyhow, these methods have their constraints in regards of models with high complexity. The application of machine learning algorithms, on the other hand, is highly suitable for problems of high complexity, where the underlaying equations might not even be known. Therefore, machine learning applications pose high potential to improve thermal rating methods and monitoring techniques of high voltage power cables. Some of the fields of potential improvement are the modelling of environmental parameters, the derivation of highly predictive models and adding robustness to fiber optic measurement systems. Hereby, an increase of resilients for HV cable systems can be achieved. In this paper, a brief overview as well as some examples are given on how artificial intelligence can improve thermal rating and monitoring of HV cables.

Keywords: Power Cables, Thermal Rating, Monitoring, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning.

1. Introduction

The calculation of the thermal load capacity for stationary and cyclical loads on power cables is carried out with the analytical methods, specified in the IEC standards [1, 2], whose origins of development date back to the 1950s. Due to the assumptions, approximations and simplifications made, these tend to lead to conservative results, which was acceptable in the past for a number of reasons. The main reason was and is that cable ratings were and still are mainly carried out in the context of feasibility studies, for example in the contractual and designing phase of cable projects. In the last two decades, the calculation methods have been further developed and extended through the use of numerical approaches, first and foremost the finite element method (FEM). FEMs capability to handle more complex geometries than analytical methods can, makes it particularly superior in regards of electromagnetic calculations, like induced currents, skin effects and such [3]. Nevertheless, there is a number of constraints for these methods, like the need of constant boundary conditions, the difficulty to model complex environmental parameters and a certain disagreement in their application [4]. In this contribution published by CIGRE Working Group B1.56, 10 cable specialists calculated the thermal rating of the same cable and the results showed clear differences from each other. It should be mentioned, that in contrast to voltage withstand capabilities of high voltage cables, the current rating is not physically tested and the only evidence that a rating is achieve is provided by the calculation itself. The working group therefore concluded, that the current rating depends on the assumptions made by the engineer who performs the calculation.

Furthermore, different publications have shown the rather conservative results that are obtained by the thermal rating in the design or project phase, e.g. [5,6]. This has been acceptable in the past, as power cables have not been operated close to their thermal limits, but the changes that power grids and the entire energy sector are undergoing in recent years, and even more so in the future, require an accurate assessment of the thermal state of the cables. In addition, there is uncertainty about bringing power cables close to their thermal operating limits, as this might result in increased aging and therefore in a reduced lifetime. However, this is only the case with paper-insulated cables, not with the XLPE cables commonly used today. Therefore, also CIGRE WG B1.11 states in its technical brochure that XLPE, unlike paper insulated cables, is not affected by thermal ageing at normal maximum operating temperature [7]. Anyhow, to operate power cables close to their thermal limits, a suitable thermal monitoring is needed. Today, distributed temperature sensing (DTS) systems with fiber optics are the common technology for the thermal monitoring of power cables. In February 2019, CIGRE Working Group B1.45 published the technical brochure 756 regarding temperature monitoring, in which a survey of 19 grid operators with a combined total of 68 DTS/RTTR-projects was carried out [8]. This survey, concluded that only 40% of the installed monitoring systems are used for continuous monitoring and that most of the installed DTS systems are not used for a particular reason (Figure 1). On the side of the installed real time thermal rating systems (RTTR), the survey concludes, that only a fraction is used for load optimization or forecasting purposes (Figure 2).

Figure 1. Reasons for using DTS-systems [8]

Figure 2. Use of RTTRsystems [8]

Nevertheless, it can be assumed that the use of DTS-systems will increase significantly in the future, at least for high voltage power

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cables, both for new installations and retro fittings, hence, due to a general increase in complexity in energy systems and the speed of the transformation process, a demand-pull arises in the energy sector for new sophisticated digital solutions, e.g. enhanced modelling of power equipment [9], that help to manage a renewable and increasingly decentralized, highly dynamic and resilient energy system. One of these key technologies is the application of artificial intelligence (AI). The IEEE and CIGRE have already produced appropriate guidance documents for the implementation of thermal monitoring [8,10]. How these systems and the obtained measurement data can be further used for an improved, optimized and safe operation is still largely the subject of scientific work. The following chapter will address some possibilities, how artificial intelligence (machine learning) can be used in the context of thermal rating and monitoring of power cables.

Figure 5, which can be further used for analytical or numerical calculations. For the shown example, the optimization problem was solved on the basis of the measured data using the Gauss-Newton method, whereby the algorithm independently defines the Jacobian matrix.

2. AI in Thermal Rating Applications 2.1 Environmental Parameter Modelling

One of the most challenging tasks in thermal rating is the representation and modelling of environmental parameters such as the implementation of global radiation, precipitation and wind. Arguably the most critical aspect, anyhow, is the modelling and implementation of the surrounding soil and the soil dynamics. Besides the cable current, the thermal resistance of the soil is the main determining factor for the resulting cable temperature. Since the soil resistivity depends on several factors, such as composition and water content, which vary considerably from a geographical point of view, the IEC can only give orientational values for dry and wet soils for different countries. In common practice, the soil is often represented through a two-zone model, where a critical temperature of the soil in the vicinity of the cable determines, which soil resistivity value is applied in the calculation (Figure 3).

Figure 4. Comparison of orientational IEC soil temperature to measured soil temperature This might seem like a simple fitting problem but the main difficulty hereby is that the automated algorithm does not overfit the data and rather choose a representation that generalizes well. Anyway, it should be mentioned at this point that this is a very simple problem for the application of machine learning.

Figure 3. Basic two-zone model for soil conductivity The soil temperature of the thermally unaffected soil is another crucial parameter for both, the analytical method and for the FEM since it represents the thermal boundary condition of the model. Here, IEC also provides orientational values. This procedure is an example of the assumptions and simplifications described above, some of which are necessary, and which are implied in the calculation procedures. Anyhow, when compared to actual soil temperature measurements, a significant deviation between orientational and measured temperature values can be seen. Figure 4 shows this circumstance on the example of Austria (AT), where the soil temperature, which was measured over the course of an entire year, is compared to the given IEC value for the region of Austria. If soil temperature data is available, machine learning can be used to derive, for example, a model of soil temperatures as shown in

Figure 5. Machine learning derived time and depth variant forecasting model for soil temperatures In this particular case, a dynamic representation of the soil temperature alone can increase the maximum allowable current by up to 8%, as shown in Figure 6, based on the comparison of the maximum allowable currents, determined by analytical methods. In this Figure, IIEC corresponds to the maximum permissible current assuming the ground temperature to be constant according to IEC, and IML corresponds to the maximum permissible current using the model shown in Figure 5. On the example of a 400 kV cable system, this equals to a permissible peak load capacity increase of 79 MW and an average load capacity increase of 44 MW compared to the obtained IEC rating. In respect to the expected service time of

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40 years, for a cable system with a load capacity of 1000 MW, the difference equals to 15.5 TW/h or 1.75 years under full load.

Figure 6. Comparison of permissible currents The modelling of environmental parameters is hereby not necessary bound to local measurement data, which is taken on the cable or in the immediate vicinity of the cable. One of the strengths of machine learning is the capability of handling large data sets, so called Big Data. Therefore, data from external sources can be used to extract useful information from it. Possible examples are weather data, such as air temperature, precipitation or global radiation from local weather services, or, for example, hydrological data, which is commonly collected in larger urban areas. Figure 7 shows an example, where hydrological data was used to correlate to the moisture content, which was measured in the surrounding soil in the vicinity of a cable system.

surface is an isothermal [12]. In that case superposition through the application of the method of images can be applied for the calculation. In FEM, the soil is represented as a relatively large area to be discretized and/or as a far boundary condition. These assumptions and approximations work well to a certain degree but due to their constant nature obviously do not represent reality. By implementing a more dynamic representation of the soil, as described in 2.1, the size of the needed model, and therefore the computational time, can be reduced. An ideal case would be to represent the surrounding of the cable up to its surface. With DTSsystems and machine learning, this can be achieved. To do so, certain input parameters, like DTS-measurement data, climate data and electrical data, the so-called features, are fed into the model and the algorithm tries to match a given target, e.g. the surface temperature of the cable. The following example is based on the measurements, which were taken on a 400 kV cable test setup, which was equipped with more than 90 sensors. On this test setup, different load scenarios are investigated since 2018. A more detailed description of the test and measuring setup as well as the load scenarios, which were applied to the cable systems, can be found in [13] and [14]. Figure 8 shows an extract of the measurement data from this test setup, showing the applied test current and the cables outer sheath temperature.

Figure 8. Measured current and cable surface temperature

Figure 7. Correlated groundwater level and soil moisture

Figure 9 shows an example, where a machine learning algorithm, in this particular case a support vector machine, was trained to model the surface cable temperature.

This data can then be used in a machine learning model to achieve a more realistic representation than the shown two-zone model in Figure 3. For a more detailed discussion on the topic of environmental parameter modelling for thermal rating calculations and for example how big data can be utilized reference is made to [11].

2.2 Reduction of Models

As already mentioned, one of the most challenging tasks in thermal rating is the representation and modelling of the surrounding soil. In the analytical method, the soil is represented by a thermal resistance which is calculated under the assumption of constant thermal conductivity, that the soil thermal resistivity is unaffected by the temperature and under the hypothesis of Kennelly, where the earth

Figure 9. Comparison: Derived SVM model vs. measured cable surface temperature

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Once the model is trained, it has to be tested and validated to make sure, that it performs well, not only within the range which is covered by the input data, which is called the training set. Therefore, the data has to be split into multiple subsets, namely the training, test and validation set. The test set is used after training, to investigate if a certain model works well or not and is often used within the fine-tuning stage of model parameters. Therefore, the model becomes somewhat determined by the test set. To derived an unbiased model performance value, an additional data set is used, the validation set. An example of the error evaluation of a machine learning model is shown in Figure 10, where the abscissa represents the estimated cable surface temperature and the ordinate represents the estimation error. The values for the coefficient of determination for both, test and validation set, are displayed in the legend.

Some of the benefits of this procedure are: •

The machine learning model, after it has been trained, performs and calculates faster than a comparable FEM model.

•

The most established software packages and tools for FEM cost tens of thousands of euros/dollars per year, while the most established software packages and tools for machine learning are free.

•

Extensive knowledge of complex processes and a wide range of material parameters are not needed.

•

FEM software often includes multiple packages and functions that one might don't even need and is more limited in its customizability while machine learning solutions are highly customizable and can be made very slim and efficient. Therefore, its possible to harden the software.

•

With FEM solutions one is usually dependent on a paid support while with machine learning a large free information community is available due to the very extensive application areas.

•

With machine learning solutions one has complete control over the data flow.

Some of the drawbacks are: •

The performance and quality of machine learning models highly depends on the data which they are trained with. Access to relevant data is therefore required. (The world's most valuable resource is no longer oil, but data. [Forbes1])

•

Data scientists with interdisciplinary knowledge are needed.

•

Depending on the type of algorithm used, the functionality is no longer comprehensible.

•

New challenges like data ethics, data rights management and cybersecurity issues.

Figure 10. Error of model for validation and test data As can be seen in the above Figure, even though there are some outliers, especially around 15 and 25 °C due to the abrupt current changes in the intervals of 200 to 300 and 650 to 750 days, which the model doesn’t capture well, the majority of the estimation errors are within a range of ±5% and the mean squared error of the displayed model is 1.44. A detailed explanation of the coefficient of determination and the mean squared error (MSE) and how it is used in statistics can be found in [15]. The derived model can than be used in combination with FEM as boundary condition or within a ladder network (analytical method) to calculate the actual conductor temperature (Figure 11).

2.3 Predictive Models

One of the most promising areas for the application for machine learning in thermal rating calculations of high voltage power cables is the creation of models with significantly improved predictive capabilities. Data that is interdependent in time is also called serially correlated or autocorrelated. Models that take into account serial correlation of observations are generally called autoregressive models, which take into account past observations of a time series in order to be able to predict and estimate future observations. These models can recognize and reproduce trends but also e.g. seasonality. An example for such a model type is a nonlinear autoregressive exogenous neural network (NARX NN), which is used in the following example. Therefore, a NARX NN was trained with the data of one consequent year as shown in Figure 12. The training, testing and validation is basically the same as mentioned before. The main difference is in the use of different input features. Once the model is trained, predictions for the target value, in this case the cable surface temperature, can be made.

Figure 11. Simplified FEM - model

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2019/11/15/datais-the-new-oil-and-thats-a-good-thing/#ab78bd973045

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degradation in the performance of optical fibers at normal temperatures that occur when using a cable system (less than 90°C) [8]. However, the telecommunications industry has identified significant attenuation between 850 nm and 1310 nm (due to hydrogen) and a recent published paper, in which the ageing and degradation of optical fibers, which were in operation for 16 years, were investigated, concluded that significant degradation of optical fiber transmission characteristics could be found [17]. Since the optical fiber is surrounded by many layers of polymeric materials, gels, etc., the maximum operating temperature for this fiber is determined by the material properties of these layers. The durability of optical fibers embedded in power cables remains unknown [18]. Figure 12. Trained NARX neural network model In the shown example, the model had to predict the cable surface temperature of an entire year solely based on the measured data, which was used as input features and its own generated output. The values for the input features could also be estimations of weather data or load data, which come from other models, which are based on historical data. Figure 13 shows the predicted cable surface temperature of the NARX NN compared to the actual measured cable surface temperature.

Furthermore, the survey in [8] showed that when a cable system is equipped with optical fibers, usually only one phase is equipped with an integrated or external optical fiber. If this fiber optic cable fails during operation, e.g. due to internal or external mechanical effects or hydrogen darkening, the monitoring system becomes unusable. This can be counteracted by the placement of an additional optical fiber and the use of machine learning. Hereby, the location of the “assisting” optical fiber plays a subordinate role, contrary to a conventional RTTR system, where the position has significant influence on the performance and accuracy. A machine learning model is capable of estimating the measurement data of the main optical fiber with the aid of additional input parameters and the “assisting” optical fiber, whose position does not necessarily have to be in the cable trench or in the immediate vicinity of the cable. In this way, a failed optical fiber can be replaced for the time of the necessary repair work or even permanently. In the following example, a neural network has been used to estimate the surface temperature of a power cable based on the measurements that were taken by a sensor, which was placed outside of the cable trench in a distance of 1 m (TFO,ext.). The target of the model was the measured temperature of the optical fiber, which was placed on the surface of the power cable (TFO,cable). Figure 14 shows the measured temperatures at the two described positions, the soil temperature and the resulting model estimation.

Figure 13. Prediction of the NARX NN model As can be seen in Figure 13, the time series model is capable of predicting the temperature reasonably well except for the interval between 50 to 100 days, where a maximum deviation of about 4 K occurred. Anyhow, it should be mentioned, that time series models due to the build in feedback, are less stable in their predictions, if the prediction time increases, which can result in highly fluctuating prediction results. However, a more detailed discussion on the topic of machine learning algorithms and how they perform in thermal rating applications would exceed the scope of this contribution. Therefore, reference is made to [16], where a comparison of different machine learning algorithms for thermal rating is given, as well as future publications.

2.4 Adding robustness to DTS-Systems

Besides the use for thermal rating calculations, machine learning can also be used to support and extend the functional range of monitoring systems like DTS-systems. There is for example some uncertainty in the industry about the placement and longevity of fiber optics, although there is no documented evidence of long-term

Figure 14. Modelling cable surface temperature from an externally placed temperature sensor As can be seen in the above Figure, the machine learning model is capable of providing a good approximation of the cable surface temperature, although the underlying temperature readings of the external measurement point, which serve as the input to the model, are far less pronounced than those of the measurement point on the cable. Therefore, this possibility exists not only for new installations, but can often also be realized in the form of a retro fitting. Anyhow, this topic is currently under investigation and will be discussed in more detail in a future publication.

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3. Conclusions

In this paper 4 examples for the application of machine learning for thermal rating and monitoring of high voltage power cables have been discussed. In the first example, it was shown, how simple models can already have a valuable contribution to thermal rating calculations and further indicated the possibilities of incorporating big data into thermal ratings. The second example demonstrated how a more sophisticated algorithm can be used to model cable surface temperatures and how it can be used to reduce a commonly used finite element method model. The third example demonstrated the predictive capability of a time series algorithm, where the cable surface temperature was predicted for an entire year using a neural network with integrated feedback. The last example discussed how machine learning could be used for fail-safe and redundant DTSsystems and showed an example, where the cable surface temperature was estimated from an external measurement position. Although the presented methods are mostly in a developmental stage, they already show the possibilities, which the use of machine learning as a subset of artificial intelligence poses in the context of thermal rating and monitoring of high voltage power cables.

4. Acknowledgments

The author wishes to thank Prof. Rudolf Woschitz for his support and guidance on the ongoing dissertation, the Wiener Netze GmbH for their innovativeness and ongoing support of the dissertation, especially Mr. Herbert Schort and Mr. Andreas Bolzer, for providing the measurement data from the test setup, which was used in this work and the Magistratsabteilung Wiener Gewässer (MA 45) for providing the hydrological data used in this work.

[11] F. Ainhirn, “Environmental Parameter Modelling for Thermal Rating Calculations of Power Cables in Urban Areas using Machine Learning and Big Data”, IEEE ISC2 2020, Virtual Conference, Sep. 2020. [12] G. Anders, Rating of electric power cables – Ampacity Computations for Transmission, Distribution, and Industrial Applications, IEEE Press, ISBN 0-7803-1177-9, pp. 211 – 222, 1997. [13] F. Ainhirn, R. Woschitz, A. Bolzer, „Versuchsstrecke zur Untersuchung der magnetischen und thermischen Auswirkungen eines 400-kV-Kabelsystems“ | „Test Setup for Investigation of the magnetic and thermal impact of a 400-kVcable system“, VDE-Fachtagung Hochspannungstechnik 2018, Deutsch-land: Berlin, 2018. [14] F. Ainhirn, R. Woschitz, A. Bolzer, “Extended approach for calculating thermal stress and ampacity of high voltage cable systems based on experimental data”, Report C6-3, Jicable’19, France: Versailles, 2019. [15] B. S. Everitt, A. Skrondal, Cambridge Dictionary of Statistics (4th Edition), Cambridge University Press, ISBN: 13 978-0521-76699-9, 2010. [16] F. Ainhirn, “A comparison of machine learning algorithms for thermal rating calculations of power cable systems based on measurement data”, IEEE PESS 2020, Virtual Conference, Oct. 2020. [17] A. Maslo et al., “Aging and Degradation of Optical Fiber Parameters in a 16-Year-Long Period of Usage”, Fiber and integrated optics Journal, Vol 39 – Issue 1, Feb. 2020.

5. References

[18] S. Cherukupkalli and G. Anders, Distributed Fiber Optic Sensing and Dynamic Rating of Power Cables, John Wiley and Sons, Wiley-IEEE Press, 2020.

[2] IEC 60853:1989-2002 - Calculation of the cyclic and emergency current rating of cables

6. About the Author

[1] IEC 60287:2020 SER (Series) - Electric cables – Calculation of the current rating

[3] S. Dubitsky, G. Greshnyakov, N. Korovkin, “Comparison of finite element analysis to IEC-60287 for predicting underground cable ampacity”, IEEE International Energy Conference (Energycon), Leuven, April 2016. [4] CIGRE WG B1.56, “Overview of CIGRE WG B1.56 regarding the verification of cable current ratings”, Report C66, Jicable’19, Versailles, 2019. [5] M. Schmale, H. J. Dräger, R. Puffer, “Implementation and operation of a cable monitoring system in order to increase the ampacity of a 220-kV underground power cable”, CIGRE 2010, France: Paris, 2010. [6] CIGRE WG B1.11 TB 606 – Upgrading and uprating of existing cable systems, 2015. [7] CIGRE WG B1.09 TB 358 – Remaining life management of existing AC underground lines, 2008. [8] CIGRE WG B1.45 TB 756 – Thermal monitoring of cable circuits and grid operators’ use of dynamic rating systems, 2019. [9] CIGRE RP 308: The need for enhanced power system modelling techniques and simulation tools. Electra No. 308, February 2020. [10] IEEE Standard 1718 – IEEE Guide for temperature monitoring of cable systems. USA: New York, 2012.

Florian Ainhirn, MSc, BSc, (PhD-student) Graz University of Technology, Inffeldgasse 18, 8010 Graz, Austria

Florian Ainhirn studied electrical engineering with emphasis on power engineering and specialization in high voltage engineering at Graz University of Technology. Since his graduation he is working at the High Voltage Test Laboratory Graz as senior test and development engineer with emphasis on high voltage power cables. Currently he is doing his PhD at Graz University of Technology under the lead of Professor Rudolf Woschitz. The main scope of the dissertation is thermal rating calculations and monitoring techniques for high voltage cable systems based on machine learning algorithms combined with analytical and numerical methods. He is an active member of CIGRE Working Group D2.52 – Artificial Intelligence Application and Technology in Power Industry, as well as member of the IEEE Power and Energy Society and the Computational Intelligence Society.

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Investigation of Gainers and Exaggerated losses in Field Splices with G.652 Fibres Dr. Svend Hopland

1Hopland

MarinInstal, Prestegardsveien 12B, 0851 Oslo NORWAY sven-hop@online.no

Abstract In this work we have investigated the bidirectional OTDR measurements at 1550 nm of field splices with G.652 fibres. The study includes installed cables from the time period 1999-2015 as well as several 30 years old cables. We have provided new field data for gainers and exaggerated losses and their link to the true splice losses. In addition, we have extracted new information about the distributions of modefield diameter in the measured fibres.

Keywords: Optical cable, splice losses, OTDR, gainers, exaggerated losses

1. Introduction A large part of the worlds telecom fibre infrastructure is built with cables containing G.652 fibres. Many different G.652 types exist which are slightly different and fully compatible with regards to splicing characteristics. The G.652 fibre has evolved and has been defined through the years by the ITU-T. The first optical cables were installed in late 1980’ies, and they still work well together with modern cables installed more recently. Thus there exist many different G.652 types in the networks which were originally spliced together at the time of installation. As a result of maintenance work, some cable links contain both very old fibre types and modern fibre types spliced directly together. The true splice loss depends directly on the mismatch in mode field diameters (MFD) of the two fibres, and also other loss factors due to imperfect splicing may be present. The MFD’s also affect the backscattering properties of the two fibres, thereby causing “gainers” and “exaggerated losses” to appear in OTDR measurements of splice losses. There exist little field data on the magnitudes and occurrences of gainers and exaggerated losses, and limited insight into which extent such data could give information about the optical parameters of the field splices. In this work we have investigated the magnitudes and spread of a large number of gainers and exaggerated losses in field splices with G.652 fibres from different time periods.

The introduction of core alignment fusion machines has lowered the average field true splice loss [2].

2.2 MFD values Since individual fibre measurement of MFD is complicated and time consuming, this parameter is usually not measured and specified in detail by the end user. More efficiently, different fibre manufacturers keep continuous track of their MFD distributions, which may have varied through the years, and which may also vary from one manufacturer to another. In the course of time the ITU has defined the limits for acceptable MFD variations at 1310 nm in G.652 fibres as shown in Table 1 and Figure 1. Since the MFD at 1550 nm is slightly higher than 1310 nm, we have also shown the “translated” respective values at 1550 nm in Figure 2. Many G.652 types have evolved since 1984 with slightly different MFD values and tolerances, which are all fully compatible for low loss splicing. Within the indicated ranges we should find possible MFD values in field installations. Figure 1 indicates that the MFD average value as well as the MFD span has decreased through the years. It is also a fact that fibre manufacturers have considerable tighter MFD specifications than indicated by ITU-recommendation. In addition, since the end user probably have applied different fibre manufacturers in their cables during the course of time, the actual MFD spread in deployed cables will vary over time and may generally not be well known. Finally, maintenance splices between old and new G.652 fibre types will add to the MFD field picture. For G.652 fibres, there exists two possible refractive index core profiles: matched cladding and depressed cladding with marginally different dopant concentrations in their respective core regions. Usually, fibres are spliced with fibres of the same core profile type, and direct splicing between the two core profile types seldom occurs. MFD values

MFD span

Fibre Type (Approval date)

Wavelength

G.652 D (11/2016)

1310

8.6

9.2

0.4

8.2

9.6

G.652 B (11/2016)

1310

8.6

9.5

0.6

10.1

G.652 A,B,C,D (11/2009)

1310

8.6

9.5

0.6

10.1

G.652 A,B,C,D (06/2005)

1310

8.6

9.5

0.6

10.1

2.1 Equipment

G.652 A,B,C,D (03/2003)

1310

8.6

9.5

0.7

7.9

10.2

During the late 1980’ies and the early 1990’ies, the splicing equipment were less advanced. The alignment of the fibre cores prior to fusion splicing was based on alignment of the outer diameters of the fibre ends. Since the fibre core concentricity at that time was more loosely specified, the resulting displacement of the fibre cores after fusion tended to give somewhat higher splice loss than today.

G.652 A,B,C (10/2000)

1310

8.6

9.5

0.7

7.9

10.2

G.652 (04/1997)

1310

8.6

9.5

10% of nom.

7.74

10.45

G.652 (03/1993)

1310

10% of nom.

8.1

G.652 (11/1988)

1300

10% of nom.

8.1

G.652 (10/1984)

1300

10% of nom.

8.1

ED 9

2. Field splicing of G.652 fibres

Nom. min Nom. max

Tol (+)

Min MFD Max MFD

Table 1: MFD values in ITU-T G.652 editions

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backscatter error caused by changes in the backscatter efficiency of the two fibres. �� may be positive or negative, depending on the direction of measurement. The true splice loss is calculated by averaging the apparent loss values in both directions, thereby cancelling the error. �� can be described in terms of differences in several fiber parameters [3]; ��=10log�

��

�+5log�

� ��

�

�+10log�� +5log��

��

(4)

Where αs is the scattering-coefficient, which is the contribution of light attenuation due to localized inhomogeneity of the glass medium, neff is the effective refractive index and ng is the group refractive index. Within the same fibre type, such as G.652, differences in αs, neff and ng are negligible, and we may ignore the last 3 items in (4) and obtain:

Figure 1: MFD1310nm vs edition year

��=10log�

��

�

(5)

It is reasonable to assume that MFD’s in installed fibre cables can be described by the normal distribution with a center value MFDc and a standard deviation σ. There are obviously many combinations of MFDA and MFDB, selected from the field MFD distribution, which would correspond to a given backscatter error in Eq. (5). One combination would be the symmetrical values of MFDA and MFDB. We may take advantage of this to calculate a pair of values on the field MFD distribution: MFDA,B= MFDc + δ

(6)

From (5) and (6): δ = ± MFDc *

Figure 2: MFD1550nm vs edition year

3. Gainers and exaggerated losses The true splice loss, obtained by bidirectional OTDR measurements as described in Chapter 4, depends inherently on the mismatch in mode field diameters: �� = −20��

2�� + ��

Where �� and �� are the mode field radius of the two fibres.

(1)

There may also exist other loss factors such as defective splicing due to core offset, misalignment or deformation at the splice. The total true loss would then be:

(��/�� ) (��/�� )

(7)

For modern fibres, MFDc may typically vary between 9.0 and 9.2 at 1310 nm, which corresponds to 10.24 and 10.47, respectively, at 1550 nm. From (6) and (7) we may calculate symmetrical field MFD pairs corresponding to all backscatter error values, which should give an indication of the field MFD distribution.

4. Field measurements The true splice loss measurements were performed at 1550 nm using OTDR from both ends according to the IEC guidelines in [4]. We used several pulse widths settings to extract maximum information from the traces.

(2)

The splice points locations were determined by careful viewing of available fibre traces and Straight Line Diagrams. Since the true splice loss is the average of the splice loss in each direction, great care was taken in the lining up of the two directions.

The mismatch in MFD’s and equally important different backscatter efficiencies of the two fibres may result in OTDR traces with «gainers» and «exaggerated losses», dependant on the direction of measurement.

To obtain full control with the analysis details, the traces from the OTDR are transformed into x-y coordinates and processed in a separate program for mathematical analysis. We use linear fit least square method to determine slope coefficients.

�� = �� + ��

When two fibers (A and B) are spliced together, the unidirectional backscatter apparent loss value is given by: �� = �� + ��

(3)

For calculation of splice losses, short adjacent fibre lengths on each side of the splice point are used. Splice loss are given as the horizontal distance (at the splice position) between the linear trace fits at each side of the splice point.

where �� is the difference in OTDR backscatter trace at the splice junction due to the actual loss and �� is a measurement

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4.1 Modern cables In 2015 we measured the true splice losses in a substantial number of cable links with modern G.652 fibre types [1]. The installation year of these cables varied from 1999 to 2015.

The MFD distribution in the measured fibres is linked to the error signals through Eq. (5) and Eq. (7). In Figure 4 is shown the distribution of the error signals of the 416 splices.

4.1.1 Results modern cables The large number of 416 splices were measured. The apparent splice loss was recorded in both directions, and the true splice loss was calculated as the average of the apparent loss in both directions. Furthermore, we have calculated the error backscatter signals resulting from the bidirectional measurements. We calculate the error signal for each splice as the difference between the apparent loss and the actual loss. The error signals in the two directions for each splice have equal values, which are positive or negative, depending on the direction of measurement. The error signal depends directly on the MFD of the two fibres as shown in Eq. (5), and we calculate the MFD differences corresponding to the error signal, using Eq. (7). Figure 3 shows apparent losses in one direction, including gainers as well as exaggerated losses, as a function of MFD difference. Also included are true splice losses and theoretical splice loss due to mismatch of mode field diameters.

Figure 4: Error backscatter signal We have calculated symmetrical MFD pairs corresponding to each error backscatter signal value. Figure 5 shows the histograms of calculated MFDA’s including MFDB’s from the error backscatter signals. For comparison, we have used central MFD values of 10.24/10.47μm at 1550 nm, corresponding to 9.0/9.2 μm at 1310nm, respectively. As shown in Figure 5, we note that when we use slightly different central MFD value, the resulting distribution will be shifted in mean value, but with nearly identical stdv values. We note that the distributions are narrow with a 2σ value of 0.200.21 μm (95 % of values within ± 2σ). This is in fact narrower than listed in a typical fibre manufacturer MFD spec from that time period.

Figure 3: Apparent losses in one direction Examining the traces describing the 416 splices, we register 132 gainers in one direction (32%) with a maximum gainer value of 0.28 dB. In the opposite direction (not shown), we found a similar number of 126 gainers (30%) with a maximum gainer value of 0.32 dB, this time for different splices. We find an average total true splice loss value of 0.046 dB with a stdv of 0.058. For comparison, we have calculated the true splice loss of splices containing only gainers in one direction or the other. For these splices, we find an average true splice loss value of 0.025 dB, which is approximately only half of the overall true splice loss value. For additional comparison, we have calculated the true splice loss of splices with no gainers in either direction. Here, we find an average true splice loss value of 0.078 dB, which is 170 % of the overall true splice loss value. We observe that true splice losses in splices with no gainers, are more than 3 times higher than in splices with gainers.

Figure 5: MFD distributions from error backscatter signal A maximum MFD difference of 0.6-0.8 μm contributes to less approximately 0.02-0.03 dB of the total splice loss at 1550. As clearly shown in Figure 3, mismatch in field MFD’s are not the dominant loss contributor in a large part of the measured splices.

4.2 Old cables In 2018 we measured the true splice losses in 3 different links containing old G.652 fibre types [2]. Link no1 contains different cable types with fibres from 1988. Later maintenance work have resulted in multiple spliced-in short cable lengths with fibres from the period 2004-2015. Link no2 contains fibres from 1989 and 1991. Here, there are no spliced-in cable lengths with modern fibres.

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Link no3 contains different cable types with fibres from 1991 and 1993. There are no spliced-in cable lengths with modern fibres. 4.2.1 Results link no1 A number of 61 splices were measured in both directions, and the true splice loss was calculated from the apparent loss in opposite directons. We calculated the error backscatter signals resulting from the bidirectional measurements as well as the MFD differences corresponding to the error signal. In Figure 6 is shown the apparent losses with gainers and exaggerated losses, in one direction.

Finally, we have calculated the symmetrical MFDA’s and MFDB’s from the error backscatter signals using a MFDc value of 10.47 μm. The result is shown in Figure 8. We note from Figure 8 that stdv is approximately 4 times the value found in modern cables. We register also that the resulting MFD distribution deviates somewhat from the Gauss format. In link no1, in addition to normal splices old-old fibres, we find a considerable number of maintenance splices old-new fibres. As shown in Ch. 2, old and modern fibres is likely to have different sets of MFD’s with different average and stdv values, which could lead to somewhat atypical results when interpreting the combined situation. In addition, the relatively low total number of measured splices would tend to enhance these differences. Further investigation is needed on this topic.

Figure 6: Unidirectional losses-link no1 We find an average total true splice loss value of 0.115 dB, which is normal for old cables [2]. As indicated in Figure 6, the maximum MFD difference of 1.6-1.8 μm contributes to approximately 0.120.15 dB of the total splice loss at 1550. In this link, a substantial part of the splices shows true losses close to the loss limit of MFD mismatch, which is a consequence of the many recent maintenance splices performed with modern splicing equipment. Examining the traces of the 61 splices, we count a number of 22 gainers (36 %) in one direction with a maximum gainer value of 0.55 dB. In the opposite direction, we find 21 gainers (34 %), with a maximum gainer value of 0.52 dB. Clearly, the maximum gainer value is much higher than in modern cables.

Figure 8: MFD distribution from error backscatter signal 4.2.2 Results link no2 68 splices were measured in opposite directons. We calculated the error backscatter signals resulting from the bidirectional measurements and the MFD differences corresponding to the error signal. In Figure 9 is shown the unidirectional apparent losses with gainers and exaggerated losses.

The histogram of the backscatter errors is shown in Figure 7, showing a much broader spread than in modern cables.

Figure 9: Unidirectional losses-link no2

Figure 7: Error backscatter-link no1

A true splice loss average value of 0.084 dB was found, which is normal for old cables. A substantial part of the splices shows true losses close to the loss limit of MFD mismatch.

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Examining the traces showing the 68 splices, we count a number of 20 gainers (29 %) in one direction with a maximum gainer value of 0.60 dB. In the opposite direction, we find 18 gainers (26 %), with a maximum gainer value of 0.58 dB. These numbers are comparable to what was found in link no1. The histogram of backscatter errors is shown in Figure 10, showing a lower spread than in link no1.

Figure 12: Unidirectional losses-link no3 From Figure 14 we note that stdv are clearly lower than in link no1 and link no2, but still 2 times higher than in modern fibres. This lower spread will increase the possibility of obtaining low splice losses provided that other splice losses (Eq. 2) are kept low. Figure 10: Error backscatter signal link no2 Finally, we have calculated the MFD distribution from the error backscatter signals using a MFDc value of 10.47 μm. The result is shown in Figure 11. We note that the stdv value is lower than in link no1, but more than 3 times higher than in modern cables.

Figure 13: Error backscatter signal link no3

Figure 11: MFD distribution link no2 4.2.3 Results link no3 42 splices were measured in both directions, and we calculated the true splice loss average value to 0.064 dB, which is a comparatively low value for old splices. In Figure 12 is shown the unidirectional apparent losses. We note that a good portion of the splices exbitit low true splice loss near the limit of MFD mismatch. Among the 42 splices, we found 18 gainers (43 %) in one direction with a maximum gainer value of 0.31 dB. In the opposite direction, we found 20 gainers (48 %), with a maximum gainer value of 0.40 dB. These numbers compare with findings in modern fibres. The histogram of backscatter errors is shown in Figure 13, and the calculated MFD distribution histogram is shown in Figure 14.

Figure 14: MFD distribution link no3

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5. Summary and conclusion In this work we have investigated bidirectional OTDR measurements at 1550 nm in a large number of field splices with G.652 fibres. We have revealed that 25-40 % of the splices exhibits gainers in one direction and a similar percentage of gainers in different splices in the opposite direction. The maximum observed gainer magnitude in either direction has varied from 0.25-0.30 dB in the newer cables to 0.30-0.60 dB in the old cables, which may partly be due to basically different MFD values in new and old fibres. We have found that the average true splice loss in splices with gainers in one direction or the other, is considerably lower than the average true splice loss in splices with no gainers in either direction. From the bidirectional measurements we have calculated the error backscatter signal for each splice, which subsequently has been used to estimate an expected field Gaussian MFD distribution with average value at 9.2/10.47μm at 1310/1550 nm, respectively. For the 1999-2015 fibres including 416 splices, the Gaussian fit is excellent with a 2σ value of 0.20-0.21 μm, which is narrower than expected. For the old cables-link no1, including 61 splices, the 2σ value of 0.90 μm is more than 4 times the value found in modern cables, but the Gaussian fit is not perfect due to numerous maintenance splices between old and new fibres with presumably different internal MFD distributions.

Dr Svend Hopland sven-hop@online.no Svend Hopland is a consultant in Fibre Optics & Marine Installations in his own company Hopland MarinInstal. He was Chief Engineer on optical fibre cables and fibre transmission in Telenor Norway from 1986 to 2017, and he holds a PhD on optical fibres from 1985. He is a fibre expert and has long experience with field measurements on fibre cable links as well as lab measurements and fibre cable testing. He has also been active in ITU-T. He has since 1987 worked with underwater cable installations along the Norwegian coastline.

For the old cables-link no2, including 68 splices, the Gaussian fit is good and the 2σ value is 0.67 μm. For the old cables-link no3, including 42 splices, the Gaussian fit is acceptable and the 2σ value is 0.44 μm. Here, the number of samples are comparatively low.

6. References

[1] Svend Hopland: “Revealing the Losses in Installed Fiber Cable Links Consisting of Cables of Different age by OTDR measurements at Several Wavelengths”, International Wire & Cable Symposium, 5-8 October 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. [2] Svend Hopland: ”Fiber Attenuation and Splice Losses in 30 Year Old Cables”. International Wire & Cable Symposium, 28th Sep-2nd Oct 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. [3] J. Warder, M-J. Li, P. Townley-Smith & C. Saravanos, “Effects of Fiber Parameter Mismatch on Uni-Directional OTDR Splice Loss Measurement”, NIST Technical Digest Symposium on Optical Fiber Measurements (1994). [4] IEC technical report IEC TR 62316: “Guidance for the interpretation of OTDR backscattering traces for single-mode fibres”, Edition 3.0, 2017-07.

IWCS organizes the Cable & Connectivity Industry Forum, a technology event with thousands of international attendees. This event facilitates the exchange of information about product, material and process innovation for cabling and connectivity solutions. IWCS publishes over 100 technical papers annually—all of which are archived to aid ongoing industry research and education. Committed to developing industry professionals and students, IWCS provides networking opportunities, awards annual scholarships, and hosts a professional development certificate program.

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Extrusion tooling can help manufacturers produce wide range of applications

Use of flow analytics method provides 2-step approach to superior extrusion

Austria’s UNITEK, represented in North America by Howar Equipment, offers a large variety of extruder crosshead tooling specific for the international wire and cable industry. Per the company, UNITEK supplies extrusion tools made from exacting materials that are made from specially chosen materials, hardened steel, Incoloy, tungsten carbide, diamond insert tips as well as tungsten carbide insert tips. The company uses those materials, and with its 35 years of experience, produces tools that are known for their extreme accuracy and durability. The lines range from standard designs to fully customized tools to meet every extrusion requirement. UNITEK’s engineers work with customers to develop ideal tooling for new cable extrusion applications. No extrusion profiles are too complex. Some recent accomplishments include: multi-strand wires with pull-apart profiles; complex fiber optic jackets, with ripcords inserted; special tooling for polymers with high elastic-melt viscosity; customized profiles for unique fluoropolymer applications; tooling for wire sizes from 0.010 in. up to 4.33 in.; and Tenifer-processed, “gold” titanium-carbide coated tooling, which greatly reduces extrusion surface friction as well as provides ultimate abrasion resistance. Howar Equipment offers a special Tooling Stocking Program, for customers that require tooling purchases with immediate delivery. They can have your standard tooling available for immediate shipments from their facility located just north of Toronto, Canada. See p. 72 for more details. Contact: Howar Equipment, Inc., tel. 905-669-4010, sales@howarequipment.com, or at either www.howarequipment.com and www.unitek.at

U.S.-based B&H Tool Company has mastered a Flow Analytics methodology that it uses to optimize plastic extrusion tooling for wire and cable production. Per the company, B&H Flow Analytics develops solutions to meet customer’s requirements. Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis is used to properly size the crosshead and deliver an even flow(s) to the tip and die section of the crosshead. This generates a final flow simulation analysis that B&H uses to incorporate mechanical features into the crosshead design. B&H can supply standard designs—industry “workhorses,” such as the BH75A-2 Hastelloy crosshead or the BH225A-1 SS jacketing crosshead)—as well as complete custom crossheads. CFD analysis is often used to develop multiple deflector designs, within a standard crosshead model, to meet customer’s range of output rates. B&H Flow Analytics works whether a company has a single plant or multiple ones across the globe. This sound process engineering approach enables corporate process

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engineering teams to develop and optimize extrusion tooling around their capacity and product lines, and then move these tooling packages out to the production plants. The net result is a controllable and robust process, better knowledge of their production capacity and, perhaps most importantly, extrusion tooling that will help operators and their maintenance colleagues be more productive, successful, and happy. See p. 72 for more details. Contact: Peter Neville, B&H Tool Company LLC, tel. 760-471-8949, pneville@bhtool.com, www.bhtool.com.

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Superalloy screens and packs available with low or no minimum order quantities Extrusion Control & Supply, Inc. (ECS), a leading supplier of MRO and consumable goods to the wire and cable coating industry, has added inventory of the most common superalloy meshes to provide fast, reliable deliveries in the industry, with low or no minimum order quantities for certain screens and screen packs.

Per the company, ECS extruder screens offer filtration during extrusion, effectively preventing foreign particles from plugging or damaging downstream equipment or contaminating the product, ensuring clean and consistent plastic extrusion processing. The most common superalloy extruder screens are made from Monel 400 nickel-copper alloy, a high-grade mesh that offers excellent resistance to high temperatures, pitting, cracking and oxidation, and a wide range of corrosive media common in the extrusion of fluoropolymers and other specialty resins. They offer good weldability and moderate-to-high mechanical strength for a long service life. The company has an increased inventory of Monel 400 alloy in 14 through 325 square weave mesh, as well as a number of fine filtration Dutch weave meshes that allow the company to complete most screen, screen pack and even screen cylinder orders in a week or less. ECS’s screen stamping plant can set up and start running a job in five to 10 minutes. All incoming material is from ISO certified suppliers and includes material certifications. The company also stocks a large supply of finished screens in 304SS as well as wirecloth in plain steel, 304SS, 316SS, and limited amounts of Hastelloy C-276. ECS offers a complete line of parts and supplies at competitive prices as well as in-house extruder screen stamping and cylinder welding. It offers a “stock for need” program to help reduce downtime, inventory surpluses, and ease procurement processes for customers. With offices across the U.S., the company is able to provide extended support hours and next-day shipping to accommodate last-minute orders, eliminating costly delays. Contact: Extrusion Control, tel. 888-327-5201, sales@extrusioncontrol.com, www.extrusioncontrol.com.

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New high-performance alloy introduced U.K.-based Alloy Wire International (AWI) has expanded its alloy range with the launch of INCONEL 617®, a chromium-cobalt-molybdenum alloy aluminum. Per the company, INCONEL 617 delivers a combination of increased strength and stability at elevated temperatures (up to 1100°C/2012°F), while retaining the high-temperature corrosion resistance of INCONEL alloy 601. The high nickel and chromium content make the alloy resistant to both reducing and oxidizing media, not to mention achieving comparable corrosion resistance to INCONEL 625. The wire is expected to be used to produce components destined for the aerospace, medical, nuclear and petrochemical sectors, all high-tech industries that demand material that performs under the most extreme engineering conditions. AWI manufactures round, flat and profile wire in over 60 exotic alloys, such as Inconel, Monel, Hastelloy, Nimonic and Rene 41. “We’re going to start by offering this grade initially in the size range of 0.025 mm to 5 mm, with each order made to customer specification within three weeks,” said AWI Technical Director Andrew du Plessis. He noted that applications can include springs and wire forms for aerospace components, land-based gas turbines, power generation, acid processing, petrochemical processing, and more.

“With our ability to manufacture very small order quantities, engineers have the freedom to acquire just the amount of wire they need for their own R&D or product trials,” du Plessis said. “Better still, wire in this Alloy 617 is also manufactured under our AS 9100 (aerospace) and ISO 13485 (medical devices) approved quality systems.” Operating from two state-of-the-art factories and a network of 45 international offices, AWI is a premier supplier supporting 15 demanding industries, including aerospace, nuclear, automotive, chemical, electronic, medical and oil and gas. AWI’s other very important customers are those that require a small quantity of wire for their specialist and often unique application. Contact: Alloy Wire International, tel. 44-1384262022, sales@alloywire.com, www.alloywire.com.

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Latest addition to line of microduct cables sets record for diameters/fiber densities The Prysmian Group has extended its Sirocco Extreme range of microduct cables to include its latest 576f cable, which set records for diameters and fiber densities for blown microduct cables. Per the company, there are 576 fibers in 8.2 mm cable, providing a density of 10.9 fibers per sq mm. The cable can be installed in a 10 mm duct. The Sirocco Extreme microduct cables use Prysmian’s BendBrightXS 180 μm single-mode (ITU-T G.657.D, G.657.A2) bend insensitive fiber, which is fully compatible for splicing with any standard fiber. It offers a future-proof solution that is prepared for evolved systems. “Bend-insensitive fiber optic cables are a crucial part of the world’s shift towards flexible and reliable connectivity,” said Prysmian Group Director R&D Telecom Business Ian Griffiths. “With their extreme fiber count and reduced diameter, Sirocco Extreme microduct cables make installations faster and more cost-effective. Designed for installation into microducts, they are ideally suited for blowing in high density access, FTTx and 5G networks.”

Available in fiber counts from 192 to 576 and conforming to international standards for optical and mechanical performance, the Sirocco Extreme cables benefit from the use of Prysmian’s PicoTube technology. This makes them up to 15% smaller than Sirocco HD microduct cables, Prysmian’s previously record-holding 20 0μm microduct cables. This allows more fibers to be installed in a congested duct space, and smaller ducts can be used for new installations, reducing installation costs and the use of less raw materials. This reduces the total cost of network deployment and leaves a smaller environmental footprint. With these cables, Prysmian Group continues to leverage its worldwide knowledge and capabilities to respond to the ever-growing technological challenges that its customers face. Sirocco Extreme product enhancements highlight the Group’s commitment to responding to the evolving needs of the market and offering a scalable, future-proof solution that is high-density, physically compact, and easily deployable. Contact: Prysmian Group, www.prysmiangroup.com.

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Clad wire and rod serve multiple end uses Anomet Products reports that the company’s custom-clad metal products can achieve specific performance properties for a wide range of fuel cell and large electrical distribution uses. Per the company, the Anomet clad metal products are metallurgically bonded with up to three layers including copper core materials with an outer sheath of nickel, Inconel, or custom alloys to achieve specific performance properties. Ideal for fabricating connectors, microswitches, and bus bars, they are offered as wire and rod from 0.002 in. to 0.125 in., and as ribbon to 1 in. wide for small fuel cells and electrical distribution facilities. The products feature 2% or more cladding thickness, using platinum, gold and palladium or silver clad to copper, stainless steel, niobium, nickel-iron, molybdenum, tantalum, and titanium core material. They are typically 10 times less the cost of solid precious metal products. Contact: Daniel F. Lambert, Anomet Products, tel. 857-302-2523, dlambert@anometproducts.com, www.anometproducts.com. 

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PATENT REPORT

recently approved U.S. patents for wire and cable

(Continued from p. 23) An electric wire conductor includes a wire strand having a plurality of elemental wires twisted together. The wire strand includes a deformed part in which a cross-section of the wire strand intersecting an axial direction of the wire strand is formed into a flat shape in which a width of the cross section is larger than a height of the cross section, and an entire outer periphery of the cross section is formed as an outward curve. In the cross-section of the deformed part, the elemental wires have deformation ratios from a circle of 70% or lower at an outer peripheral part facing the outer periphery of the deformed part than at a center part located inside the outer peripheral part.

Fiber multitube optical fiber cable U.S. Patent No.: 11,187,866 Patent date: Nov. 30, 2021 Filed: March 30, 2020 Assignee: Sterlite Technologies Limited, India Inventors: Kishore Sahoo, et al. The present disclosure provides an optical fiber cable. The optical fiber cable includes a central strength member. The central strength member lies substantially along a longitudinal axis of the optical fiber cable. The optical fiber cable includes at least one buffer tube. The at least one buffer tube is stranded helically around the central strength member. Each of the at least one buffer tube encapsulates at least one optical fiber. The optical fiber cable includes a first layer. The first layer circumferentially surrounds a core of the optical fiber cable. The optical fiber cable includes a second layer. The second layer is formed of high density polyethylene. The optical fiber cable includes at least one set of water swellable yarn and a plurality of ripcords.

Flat optical drop cable U.S. Patent No.: 11,187,863 Patent date: Nov. 30, 2021 Filed: Jan. 6, 2021 Assignee: Prysmian SpA, Italy Inventor: Ian Lang, George Luca, Nathan Paddick, Martin Davies In one embodiment, an optical cable, which is a flat drop cable, includes a cavity shaped in the form of a stadium in a sectional view of the optical cable. The cable further includes an outer sheath enclosing the cavity, a first strength member, and a first optical fiber element disposed

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in the cavity. The first optical fiber element includes an optical fiber and has an oscillating pattern within the cavity on an oscillation plane parallel to a longitudinal plane of the cable. The height of the cavity in the sectional view substantially corresponds to a height of the first optical fiber element.

Parallel wire cable U.S. Patent No.: 11,187,352 Patent date: Nov. 30, 2021 Filed: Jan. 6, 2021 Assignee: Ultimate Strength Cable, LLC, USA Inventor: Walter L. Lambert A parallel wire cable is produced from a plurality of wires arranged in a bundle for use as a structural cable. Each wire in the plurality of wires is parallel to every other wire in the bundle, and each wire in the plurality of wires is tensioned to a tension value. ... Individual pretensioning of each wire 40 will provide lighter, cheaper, and stronger cable designs. An individually-tensioned structural cable may be made that weighs significantly less than conventional designs, but the strength of the structural cable is still greater than conventional designs. Alternatively, exemplary embodiments may be used to construct a structural cable that is similar in size to conventional designs, but is substantially stronger to support greater loads and/or spans. Regardless, exemplary embodiments offer greater design alternatives that require less material cost.

Wire material for canted coil spring and canted coil spring U.S. Patent No.: 11,186,902 Patent date: Nov. 30, 2021 Filed: Dec. 4, 2017 Assignee: Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd., Japan Inventors: Takumi Akada, Hiromu Izumida, Akhisa Hosoe; Akihisa A wire material for a canted coil spring includes a core wire composed of a steel having a pearlite structure, a copper plating layer covering the outer peripheral surface of the core wire, the copper plating layer being composed of copper or a copper alloy, and a hard layer disposed adjacent to the outer periphery of the copper plating layer, the hard layer having a higher hardness than the copper plating layer. The steel constituting the core wire contains 0.5% or more by mass and 1.0% or less by mass carbon, 0.1% or W W W. W I R E N E T. O R G

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more by mass and 2.5% or less by mass silicon, and 0.3% or more by mass and 0.9% or less by mass manganese, the balance being iron and unavoidable impurities.

Apparatus and method for spooling wire U.S. Patent No.: 11,186,461 Patent date: Nov. 30, 2021 Filed: March 18, 2020 Assignee: Encore Wire Corporation, USA Inventors: William Bigbee, Jr., John Rhoads A reel apparatus and method comprising an inner flange assembly, an outer flange assembly, and a bearing assembly coupled to the inner flange assemblies. The inner flange assembly is capable of freely rotating relative to the outer flange assembly. In another embodiment, wire is spooled from a reel assembly comprising an inner flange assembly and an outer flange assembly.

Platinum-based material thin wire and method for manufacturing the same U.S. Patent No.: 11,185,902 Patent date: Nov. 30, 2021 Filed: Jan. 30, 2019 Assignee/Inventor: Anaka Kikinzoku Kogyo K.K , Japan

A platinum-based material element wire is coated with gold or gold alloy, and drawing-processed with a carbon-containing die. The thin wire manufactured in this manner is covered with gold or gold alloy, and the coverage of gold or gold alloy is 40% or more on an area basis. The thin wire formed of a platinum-based material is manufactured in a state of suppressing breakage in a drawing processing step, and has favorable performance in electric properties and the like. In addition, this manufacturing process is capable of efficiently manufacturing a platinum-based material thin wire while suppressing breakage when the thin wire is manufactured by drawing processing.

Wire harness and method of manufacturing wire harness U.S. Patent No.: 11,183,319 Patent date: Nov. 23, 2021 Filed: Nov. 23, 2021 Assignee: Autonetworks Technologies, Ltd. Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd., Japan Inventors: Housei Mizuno, Daichi Fukushima, Miyu Aramaki A wire harness includes: an electrical wire including a core wire and an insulating covering for covering the core wire; and a sheet material in which the electrical wire is disposed on a resin main surface, and a part of the main

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surface having contact with the electrical wire is welded to the insulating covering of the electrical wire, thereby forming an electrical wire fixing part. A largest thickness dimension in the electrical wire fixing part in the sheet material is formed larger than a thickness dimension in a part of the sheet material where the electrical wire is not disposed.

Method for producing a cable core for a cable, in particular for an induction cable U.S. Patent No.: 11,183,316 Patent date: Nov. 23, 2021 Filed: Jan. 25, 2019 Assignee: Leoni Kabel GmbH, Germany Inventors: Gerhard Angermann, et al. A cable core for a cable, in particular, for an induction cable that includes multiple such cable cores which have a conductor that is interrupted in the longitudinal direction at specified longitudinal positions at multiple separation points, thereby forming two conductor ends. An insulating intermediate piece is provided for connecting the conductor ends, and the conductor ends are arranged on both sides of the intermediate piece. The conductor and the intermediate piece are surrounded together by a continuous insulating jacket in order to form the cable core. In a preferred concept, a respective intermediate piece is arranged between the two conductor ends by two adapter elements. In another preferred concept, a respective intermediate piece, in particular, a ceramic intermediate piece, is connected directly to two conductor ends. A cable is formed from a plurality of such cable cores.

Wire shape inspecting apparatus and wire shape inspecting method U.S. Patent No.: 11,182,921 Patent date: Nov. 23, 2021 Filed: Dec. 20, 2020 Assignee: Shinkawa Ltd., Japan Inventor: Shigeru Amemiya This wire shape inspecting apparatus comprises a camera which captures an image of a wire from above, a light which illuminates the wire from above, and a control unit, wherein the control unit performs: an inspection image acquiring process of acquiring a plurality of inspection images by causing the camera to capture images of the wire a plurality of times while changing a focal distance; and a first shape detecting process of identifying, in each inspection image, a light emitting portion, which is an image part including reflected light comprising light from the light that has been reflected by the wire, and identifying an actual light emitting portion position, which is the actual position of the light emitting portion, on the basis of the position of the light emitting portion in the inspection image and the focal distance when the inspection image was acquired.

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Optical fiber cable jacket with low modulus of elasticity U.S. Patent No.: 11,180,684 Patent date: Nov. 23, 2021 Filed: Feb. 12, 2020 Assignee: Corning Research & Development Corporation, USA Inventors: Anne Bringuier, Xiaole Cheng, Yanfei Li Embodiments of the disclosure relate to a polymer composition. The polymer composition includes from 0% to 80% by weight of a polyolefin component and from 20% to 100% by weight of a thermoplastic elastomer component. The polymer composition has an elastic modulus of less than 1500 MPa at -40.degree. C. as measured using dynamic mechanical analysis according to ASTM D4065. Further, the polymer composition has a coefficient of thermal expansion as averaged over the temperature range of -40.degree. C. to 25.degree. C. of more than 120.times.10. sup.-6/K when measured according to ASTM E831, and the polymer composition has a thermal contraction stress of no more than 4.0 MPa at -40.degree. C. as measured using dynamic mechanical analysis. Additionally, embodiments of an optical fiber cable having a cable jacket made of the polymeric composition are disclosed herein..

Cable foil processing equipment U.S. Patent No.: 11,180,684 Patent date: Nov. 23, 2021 Filed: Aug. 25, 2017 Assignee: Certoplast Technische Klebebaender GmbH, Germany Inventors: Timo Leermann, Andreas Hohmann The invention relates to a cable wrapping tape for wrapping cables in motor vehicles, comprising a tape-shaped carrier and an adhesive coating on at least one side of said carrier, and characterised in that the adhesive coating and/ or carrier are provided with an incorporated repellent against, in particular, mammal bites.

Cable foil processing equipment U.S. Patent No.: 11,177,638 Patent date: Nov. 16, 2021 Filed: Dec. 17, 2020 Assignees: Tyco Electronics (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. TE Connectivity Services GmbH, China Inventors: Yingcong Deng, et al. A cable foil layer processing equipment includes a rack, a knife holder installed on the rack, a plurality of cutters movably installed on the knife holder and arranged in a crisscross manner in a vertical plane, and a linear moving mechanism configured to move linearly in a horizontal direction parallel to an axial direction of a cable. The rack is installed on the linear moving mechanism so as to move linearly in the horizontal direction along with the linear moving mechanism. The cutters clamp a foil layer of the cable in a radial direction of the cable. The linear moving W W W. W I R E N E T. O R G

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mechanism drives the knife holder to move in the horizontal direction so as to cut the foil layer of the cable into a plurality of equal parts.

Waterproofing structure and waterproofing method for shielded cable U.S. Patent No.: 11,177,056 Patent date: Nov. 16, 2021 Filed: Oct. 15, 2018 Assignee: Yazaki Corporation, Japan Inventors: Takeshi Ogue, et al A waterproofing structure for shielded cable includes: a shielded cable including one or more cables and a braided wire serving as a shielding member and covering the cables; and a grommet serving as a waterproofing member covering a waterproofed portion of the braided wire. Thermoplastic resins serving as waterproofing fillers are respectively disposed on an inner side and an outer side of the waterproofed portion of the braided wire. The gaps between the plurality of strands of the braided wire and the gap between the braided wire and the small-diameter cylindrical portion of the grommet are filled with the thermoplastic resin melted by heating.

Armoured cable for transporting alternate current U.S. Patent No.: 11,177,054 Patent date: Nov. 16, 2021 Filed: Dec. 29, 2020 Assignee: Prysmian SpA, Italy Inventors: Paolo Maioli, Massimo Bechis The present disclosure relates to an armoured cable (10) for transporting alternate current comprising: at least one core (12), each core comprising an electric conductor (121); at least one metallic screen (126) surrounding the at least one core (12); an armour (16), surrounding the at least one metallic screen, comprising an inner layer (16a)

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of armour wires and an outer layer (16b) of armour wires, at least part of the armour wires of the inner layer (16a) and at least part of the armour wires of outer layer (16b) comprising a ferromagnetic material; and a separating layer between the inner layer (16a) of armour wires and the outer layer (16b) of armour wires. The separating layer has a thickness of at least 1 mm. The present disclosure also relates to a method for reducing losses in said armoured cable and to a method for improving the performances of said armoured cable.

Wire harness U.S. Patent No.: 11,173,853 Patent date: Nov. 16, 2021 Filed: July. 24, 2020 Assignee: Autonetworks Technologies, Ltd. Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd. Japan Inventors: Housei Mizuno, Hiroki Hiroki, Makoto Higashikozono, Hidetoshi Ishida, Masakuni Kasugai To provide a technique for enabling a single exterior member to be easily used for both a region of a wire harness that is disposed in a flat state and a region thereof that is disposed in a bent state. The wire harness includes an exterior member formed in a sheet shape, and a wire disposed overlapping the exterior member in at least a partial region extending along an extension direction of the wire. At least a part of a portion where an insulating covering of the wire and the exterior member overlap is welded. A partial region of the exterior member that extends along the extension direction of the wire is in a flat state, and at least another partial region of the exterior member that extends along the extension direction of the wire is rolled up in a direction intersecting the extension direction of the wire.

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PAT E N T R E P O R T

Wire bender with self aligned removable bend pin assembly U.S. Patent No.: 11,173,538 Patent date: Nov. 16, 2021 Filed: Jan. 10, 2020 Assignee: Pensa Labs, Inc., USA Inventors: Marco Perry, Oscar Frias A device for bending wire includes a first plate with upper and lower surfaces and a center aperture extending therebetween. A cavity is formed in the upper surface that includes opposing sidewalls with a separation that decreases as they extend towards the center aperture and decreases as they extend up from a bottom surface of the cavity. A pin assembly disposed in the cavity includes a second plate having a pin extending from a top surface and having opposing side surfaces with a separation that decreases as they extend towards the center aperture and decreases as they extend up toward the top surface. A shaft extends through the center aperture and terminates in a bend head having a wire aperture and first and second bend surfaces adjacent the wire aperture. A first motor is configured to rotate the first plate about the shaft in opposing first and second rotational directions.

Wire material consisting of a copper alloy, mesh and breeding cage for aquaculture U.S. Patent No.: 11,172,659 Patent date: Nov. 16, 2021 Filed: Jan. 4, 2021 Assignee: Wieland-Werke AG, Germany Inventors: Benjamin Figelius), Timo Allmendinger, Daniel Steitz, Susanne Bohme The invention relates to a wire material consisting of metallic material having an oxide surface, wherein the oxide surface of the wire material has a first oxide layer, which covers the metallic material at least in part and has a thickness of at least 200 nm to 2 .mu.m, and the oxide surface of the wire material has a second oxide layer which covers metallic material in the regions which are not covered by the first oxide layer. According to the invention, the second oxide layer has a maximum thickness of 0.01 to 10% of the thickness of the first oxide layer. The invention furthermore relates to a mesh and a breeding cage for aquaculture.

Cable and cable processing method U.S. Patent No.: 11,172,598 Patent date: Nov. 9, 2021 Filed: Jan. 4, 2021 Assignee: Lanto Electronic Limited, China Inventors: Yi Zhou, Haifeng Yuan, Xiansheng Zheng The present disclosure discloses a cable and a cable processing method. The cable includes a wire core, a metal braid layer, a magnetic powder layer, a metal shield, an outer sheath and an elastic ring. The metal braid layer includes an inner braid portion and an everted braid portion

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which are mutually connected. The inner braid portion is wrapped around an outer side of the wire core, the magnetic powder layer is wrapped around an outer side of the inner braid portion, the metal shield is wrapped around an outer side of the magnetic powder layer, and the outer sheath is wrapped around an outer side of the metal shield. The elastic ring is sleeved outside the inner braid portion, the everted braid portion is wrapped around outer sides of the elastic ring and the outer sheath, and the elastic ring covers an end surface of the metal shield.

Subsea cable system and a method for supplying electrical power to a subsea device U.S. Patent No.: 11,170,915 Patent date: Nov. 9, 2021 Filed: Oct. 26, 2018 Assignee: Nexans, France Inventors: Carlos Cano, Jens Larssen A subsea cable system (10) for transfer of electric power to a subsea device is disclosed where the subsea cable system comprises a subsea cable (11) with a first end portion (26) and a second end portion (27). The first end portion (26) is adapted for connection to a supply of electrical energy. The subsea cable (11) comprises at least a first supply cable (21), a second supply cable (22) and at least one return cable (24, 25) where the first supply cable (21), the second supply cable (22) and the at least one return cable (24, 25) each comprises a conductor element (101, 102, 103, 104) for conduction of an electric current. The subsea cable system (10) further comprises a conductor transition element (66) comprising a conductor element (67) that is provided with at least a first conductor leg (73), a second conductor leg (74) and a third conductor leg (75). The first conductor leg (73) is connected to the conductor element (101) of the first supply cable (21), the second conductor leg (74) is connected to the conductor element (102) of the second supply cable (22) and the third conductor leg (75) is connected to conductor element (56) of an end supply cable (53) that is connectable to a consumer device (46). A method for supplying electrical power to a subsea consumer device of electricity is also disclosed. n

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S E C T O R U P D AT E

SECTOR UPDATE Extrusion Tooling

B&H TOOL COMPANY

EUROTEK ITALY

B & H F L O W A N A LY T I C S ™

Optimize output.

Flow Analytics anchors B&H’s extrusion technology approach.

A range of tooling offered by Italy’s Eurotek.

What do you offer?

B&H Tool Company (B&H) is a thriving, growing company that specializes in extrusion tooling for all sectors of the wire and cable industry. Its product lines include an extensive range of crossheads and in-line die assemblies; tips and dies; and spare parts and accessories. What sets B&H apart from other companies is its use of Flow Analytics, which enables its experts to evaluate and optimize velocity, pressure and shear for customers’ specific output rates. With that information, the company can customize tooling that ensures that polymer flow is uniform, even with complex profiles; controls pressures at specific outputs; prevents dead spots and low velocity areas; eliminates project risk and shortens time from “concept” to “installation”; and reduces total project cost. See p. 63 for more details about B&H Flow Analytics.

Eurotek has been designing and manufacturing extrusion tooling for more than three decades for companies specialized in the production of electrical cables, pipes and extrusion line manufacturers. They can be used to process common materials such as PE, PVC or PP but also for more complex materials such as HFFR, rubber, silicone, techno-polymers and fluoropolymers. Eurotek is highly specialized in the design and manufacture of tooling for special cables with complex profiles, which can be easily machined thanks to EDM (wire/tuff).

What should readers know about your company? 1. Collaboration. We work with our customers’ engineering staffs on all different types of projects: new products, different polymers, process challenges, less expensive polymers, additional capacity, etc. Our goal is to be an extension of their engineering function. 2. Customer confidence. B&H Flow Analytics offers the ability to take a look inside your tooling, making costly “trial & error” a relic of the past. 3. Results. Customers will find that B&H will bring results that improve production as well as profits. Contact: Peter Neville, managing partner, pneville@bhtool.com, www.bhtool.com.

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What should readers know about your company? 1. Experience. Eurotek has been manufacturing tooling for extrusion heads for over 30 years. The long and constant collaboration with leading cable manufacturers has allowed us to keep up with the market and to provide toolings that are always technically advanced and easy to use. 2. Customization. The know-how acquired through years of experience in the field, the availability of qualified and up-to-date personnel, state-of-the-art equipment and the possibility to do flow simulation inside the tooling chamber allow us to provide highly customized solutions according to the customer needs. 3. Service. The Eurotek 360° project provides unique delivery times of just a few days from the date of customer request and many other advantages. Contact: Olivier Di Rico, sales manager olivier.dirico@eurotek-italy.it, www.eurotek-italy.it

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S E C T O R U P D AT E

For inclusion, submit your entries via the online form at https://bit.ly/WJISector. You can include a high-resolution image or logo (200 dpi min). Questions? Send them to editor@wirenet.org.

Behind each news column & between every issue...

GUILL TOOL USA

Single-point tooling from Guill Tool & Engineering. What do you offer? Guill Tool & Engineering is a leading supplier of rubber and plastic extrusion tooling for wire and cable products ranging in size from 0.005 in. (0.127 mm) wire to 20 in. (508 mm) cable. We offer single and multi-layer extrusion crossheads backed by engineering support that’s unmatched in the industry. 3D CAD, CFD and FEA software begin our process, and all products are made in our quality-first production facility, highlighted by our industry-leading EDM and five-axis machining center capability. Guill has pioneered many products that are today standards in the extrusion industry for all types of thermoplastics, rubber and TPE compounds. We offer design, rheology lab testing of materials and extrudability, plus the industry’s most advanced EDM and 5-axis machining plus assembly capability to produce extrusion heads, tips and dies plus tool carts and more. What should readers know about your company? 1. Innovation. Our engineers were first to develop the FlexiSpiral™ deflector, the patented FeatherTouch™ die adjusting system for 100% concentricity control and the SealRight™ feature. 2. From A to Z. Guill offers everything a wire and cable extruder needs. That includes ancillary equipment, such as die carts and striping machines, all backed with Guill engineering, production and assembly expertise.

...more news is on the way.

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Contact: Bill Conley, sales manager, sales@guill.com, www.guill.com

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S E C T O R U P D AT E

TROESTER GERMANY

UNITEK AUSTRIA

A TROESTER crosshead for insulating single-core cables.

UNITEK offers extrusion technology, support and parts.

What do you offer?

TROESTER specializes in single, double and triple layer extrusion. It develops and makes extrusion heads for all types of lines (e.g. core insulation, sheathing, silane, silicone and rubber CV lines). Many different types of products can be made with just one single head. The flow channels of all TROESTER extrusion heads are precisely manufactured and the wall-thickness tolerances correspondingly tight. High-quality products, made with a minimum of materials, are the result. Therefore, TROESTER supports all cable manufacturers’ demands for top levels of production efficiency. Computer-optimized material flow channels also play an important role. Excellent efficiency is what all TROESTER extrusion heads have in common. They also stand apart for their very short heating-up periods. Electrical heating and liquid temperature control, using heating/cooling units, keep the head temperatures stable. The head is easy to clean which also saves time. TROESTER extrusion heads offer excellent flexibility in production planning processes.

UNITEK, represented by Howar Equipment in North America for sales and service, is a leading manufacturer of extrusion crossheads. UNITEK also offers a large variety of tooling used with extrusion cross-heads, to meet any demanding wire and cable extrusion application. We provide precision extrusion tooling for fixed layer and multiple layer extrusions and can also provide profiled tooling for complex conductor arrangements. No cable extrusion tooling profiles are too big or too small.

What should readers know about your company? 1. Proven success. Founded in 1892, TROESTER has a legacy of serving wire and cable manufacturers. 2. Resources. The company has the expertise of more than 600 employees, as well as representatives in more than 40 countries and subsidiaries in the U.S., China and Switzerland. This entry should have been in Jan. extruder heads listings. Contact: Dirk Schmidt, sales director info@troester.de, www.troester.de

What should readers know about your company? 1. Application knowledge. With over 35 years of global experience in providing the wire and cable industry application-driven tooling designs, UNITEK can meet your demanding tooling requirements. 2. Engineered solutions. UNITEK will not say “no” to your unique tooling requirements, for any crosshead make. Great effort is taken in working with the customer to ensure custom-built tooling meets end customer cable extrusion design requirements. 3. North American inventory. Howar Equipment’s facility offers customers warehousing of UNITEK tooling on special tooling stocking programs. This allows for immediate shipments of your most common tooling needs. Contact the team at Howar Equipment to find out more details. See p. 63 for more details. Contact: Martin Plut, product sales manager sales@howarequipment.com, www.howarequipment.com

U P C O M I N G S E C T O R U P D AT E S

• March: Reel movers • April: Die grinding/polishing equipment • May: Roller guides • June: Industry software • July: Annealers 74

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This section is part of an information exchange between KabloSanTurkey, www.kablosanturkey.com, and U.S.-based Wire Journal International.

Türk Prysmian Cable leads the sector in R&D and innovation work Türk Prysmian Cable, the operation in Turkey of the Prysmian Group, the leading company in the worldwide energy and telecommunication cables industry, has been a leader in the cable industry since 1964 with its innovative products and works. Giving life to many worldwide projects with sustainable cable solutions, especially Turkey’s mega projects, Türk Prysmian Cable maintains its leadership in the sector with R&D work and innovations. Exporting to over 40 countries throughout the world, Türk Prysmian Cable produces 22 different kinds of cables in its Mudanya factory established on a total area of 180,000 square meters, 79,000 of which is enclosed. Türk Prysmian Cable, which increased its R&D expenditures by 14.4% to 4 million 650 thousand TL in 2020, drives the Turkish cable industry further every day with the work it carries out in its R&D Center located in Mudanya. The first T.R. Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology approved R&D center of the Turkish cable industry belonging to the Türk Prysmian Cable company is established on a 1,000 square meter area of its factory and is comprised of six different sections: The Material Technologies Laboratory, Burn Test Laboratory, Power Cable Test Laboratory, Telecom and Fiber Cable Test Laboratory, Design and Innovation Office and Process Design and Prototype Development Office.

which operates with 104 factories in 50 countries, said that the company has increased its investments in technology and innovation with the R&D Center in Mudanya, and added: ‘‘As the company that spends the most on R&D in the Turkish cable sector, we at Türk Prysmian Cable show extra care to use

The company undertakes a solution provider role in the sector

the latest in innovations when providing our users with superior performance products. With the importance we place on technology we are improving the competitive edge of Turkey. As an indication of this, we have been continuing our operations nonstop at our T.R. Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology approved R&D center since 2016.’’

Türk Prysmian Cable CEO Ülkü Özcan, who pointed out that Türk Prysmian Cable stands out as one of the 16 facilities that can simultaneously produce energy, communication and fiber optic cables within the Prysmian Group, W W W. K A B L O S A N T U R K E Y. C O M

Türk Prysmian Cable CEO Ülkü Özcan

The Türk Prysmian Cable signature is on many mega projects throughout Turkey from Göbeklitepe to the Istanbul Airport Among the mega projects that Türk Prysmian, a company that works on efficient, productive, superior and environmentally friendly product and system solutions, has brought energy to through its cables are many of Turkey’s most prestigious projects like the Istanbul Airport, the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, Osmangazi Bridge, Marmaray, Ilgaz and Eurasia Tunnel. The company also stands out with the cables its has produced for the health industry in such projects as the Sancaktepe Prof. Dr. Feriha Öz Emergency Hospital and Yeşilköy Prof. Dr. Murat Dilmener Emergency Hospital as well as Eskişehir City Hospital, the Ankara Bilkent City Hospital ranked 3rd in the world with its bed capacity, Tekirdağ City Hospital and Bursa City Hospital. Türk Prysmian Cable, which has also given life to the Gaziantep Panorama Museum with CPR (Construction Product Regulation) compliant class C cables, has undertaken to supply cables to Göbeklitepe located in Şanlıurfa, which is on UNESCO’s World Heritage list with its 12-thousand year history, to yet again energize distinctive and important projects with the cables it produces.

FEBRUARY 2022 KABLOSANTURKEY

READ M ORE F ROM KABL OSANTURKEY!

Read more news and stories from KabloSanTurkey. See the full bi-monthly issues at www.kablosanturkey.com/en/read-magazine KabloSanTurkey has been published since 2007. The magazine is sent to thousands of companies using cables in more than 30 industries. Available in print or digital subscriptions, KabloSanTurkey is published in English and Turkish. For more details, go to www.kablosanturkey.com.

What is Commissioning and why is it important? In the cable industry, when a business invests in new technology equipment, the commissioning process is an essential step towards successful operation of a plant. To best serve our customers and respond to their individual requirements, Gürfil offers a wide variety of pre- and after- sales services. Each project of our customers is different and must have a unique plan to achieve the desired outcome. However, the overall process to plan and commission is similar in each case. It consists of mechanical & electrical installations, software commissioning, optimization and personnel training. Commissioning works help to identify deficiencies during installation, possible shortcomings in the operation of the equipment before the start of industrial use, and also to ensure its uninterrupted work throughout the entire period of exploitation. The reliability of the entire production depends on the quality of commissioning work - this is the rule. The commissioning and training carried out by highly professional engineers is an important part of the wide range of services provided by Gurfil. Let’s look at the most important steps for commissioning and startup. Commissioning works are carried out according to the program approved by the Gurfil’ customers, which stipulates the terms, modes to which it is necessary to bring the equipment. Commissioning documentation is prepared in advance. This includes the test plans and test procedures to be executed during commissioning, as well as materials for testing. Any specialized test equipment or special tools are also defined prior to commissioning. There are 2 options offered by Gurfil’ Machinery division: Testing & Commissioning at Gurfil’ showroom First option is commissioning and training on the equipment presented at the Istanbul Gurfil’ showroom or on equipment purchased by the customer. The training includes a demonstration of the functionality, features and advantages of the equipment, recommendations of engineers on operating modes for different tasks. During the commissioning at showroom the customer has opportunity to take a part in production process: learn how to operate PLC

KABLOSANTURKEY FEBRUARY 2022

Touch screen menu, set up overlap and pitch from the screen, how to install bobbins with a right tape angle and so on. On-Site Commissioning Another option is commissioning and personnel training at the customer facility. Gurfil’ engineers train personnel on the manufacture of the customer’s products on the installed Gurfil’s equipment, taking into account some features of working on it, gives recommendations and tips on the optimal operating and maintenance conditions. At the moment Gurfil offers following Machines together with commissioning, training and after sales services: • High Speed Vertical Braiding Machines (16 and 24 carrier); • High Speed Vertical HEAVY Braiding Machine (16 and 24 carrier); • High Speed Horizontal Braiding Machine (24, 32, 36 and 48 carrier); • High Speed Mica Taping Machine (1,2,3 carrier, Pad and Spool head options); • Wire rewinding line (semi and fully automatic); • Pay-Off and Take-Up; • Spare parts for all equipment; • Air Wipe Units, ABS Spools. It is not just a commissioning. We deliver real energy, time and cost savings in cable production lines that perform optimally and maximize efficiency and safety for our customers. We hope that you will find a reliable partner in our Company! W W W. K A B L O S A N T U R K E Y. C O M

Almak Ateş Makine General Manager Mustafa Ateş:

“In screw and barrels production halfcentury adventure”

Our adventure in the plastics industry begins with my father Ali Ateş entering the industry in 1968. We started producing screws and barrels under the Almak Ateş Makine name in 1974. After this we expanded our market share in direct proportion to the growing sector. Our adventure, which started out with a 60 m² workshop to begin with, now continues with 10.000 m² of indoor space. I was born in 1976. I went to elementary and middle school in the Haznedar ward of Istanbul and went to high school at Bakırköy Özel Çavuşoğlu Koleji. Then I got into the Marmara University Communication Faculty and graduated from the public relations and communication department in 1998. In1994 I actively started my career alongside school. I went to school until 13:00 and then after 13:00 until 20:00 in the evening, I started working at our business. My father’s entrepreneurial nature must have left an impression on me because I started to question how we could do our work in the most technological way. When I started my professional life we were doing production on universal workbenches. Then we started investing in CNC workbenches. With the question of “how can we produce faster and better quality” our new investments started accelerating. With our investment in a tempering furnace in 2002 we came the first producer of integrated screw barrels in the sector. In the year 2000 we established a different company W W W. K A B L O S A N T U R K E Y. C O M

called “Altech Plastik Makine” and started producing plastic recycling machines. Just like our Almak c o m p a n y, o u r Altech company rapidly became a sought-after name in the sector. After my brother Emrah Ateş graduated from machine engineering he took over the management of the Altech company, at which time we achieved a very expedient export graphic. Up to 4 times longer lasting barrels With a metallic barrel production facility that we brought from Germany in 2018, we have become the 4th company in Europe and one of the few companies in the world to reach the production capacity of metallic barrels we have. Preferred for having up to 4 times longer lasting life, these barrels have remedied a significant deficiency in our country. A leader of firsts in our sector, our company has also contributed greatly to

country in terms of added value with the products it produces. As a society that does not have much of an industrial background, we are proud to bring these two brands to our country and our sector as the second generation. Whether it is the Almak or the Altech quality, we represent our country the best possible way in the world with our quality product profile. Good quality products come from a good team The most important secret of our success stems from our colleagues who have a very dynamic structure. The people who work with us are accustomed to the company culture and work together in great harmony like an orchestra. Because the priority in our companies is respect for people and providing human working opportunities. Good teams produce good quality products. Our in-house training and our sensitivity to quality are the most important factors that lead us to success. We will continue to work for the better future that our country needs, with state-ofthe-art machines and most importantly, well trained teammates, at our factory in Istanbul Esenyurt. İstanbul. n

FEBRUARY 2022 KABLOSANTURKEY

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CAREER OPPORTUNITIES AA ENTERPRISE. México. Proveedores e soldadoras eléctricas y manuales; impresoras y discos; cilindros, bandas y anillos para recocedores, bobinas/ carretes de plástico y acero; carretes p/ enmalladoras; bandas para caterpillar; tapes; conos y anillos de cerámica y tungsteno p/estiradoras; maquinaria p/ producción; cabezas de extrusión, etc.ayala1953@gmail.com.

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“LET OUR SUCCESS BE YOUR SUCCESS” Wire Resources is the foremost recruiting firm in the Wire & Cable Industry. Since 1967 we have partnered with industry Manufacturers to secure the services of executives, managers, and thousands of key individual contributors. Contact: Peter Carino, pcarino@ wireresources.com or online at www.linkedin.com/in/petercarino1. Wire Resources Inc., PO Box 593, Riverside, CT 06878, tel. 203-6223000. www.wireresources.com.

WAI’S ELECTRICAL WIRE HANDBOOK, PART 3. The revised Electrical Wire Handbook has been divided into 3 handbooks: Part 1: Wire and Cable Production Materials, Part 2: Wire and Cable Production Processes, and Part 3: Types of Cables. The goal of the books is to provide basic but meaningful information to those people working in the wire and cable industry-especially those who are new to the field. The price is $45, $25 for WAI members. Buy at wirenet. org and click on The WAI Store. n

FOR SALE 1 - SETIC COS1200-36, 36-Wire Concentric Strander 1 - LESMO 1000mm D.T. Buncher 2 – TEC, EDMANDS 48” S.T. Cablers 1 - ROYLE 48” Belt Wrap Capstan 2 - COOK BH30, BH24 Cablers 2 - SICTRA 13-Die Rod Breakdown Machines 1 - ROSENDAHL 120mm Triple Extrusion Line 1 - DAVIS-STANDARD 2.5” 24:1 Extruder Line 1 - ENTWISTLE 2.5” 24:1 Extruder 1 - DAVIS-STANDARD 2” 24:1 Extruder w/X-Head 1 - AMERICAN KUHNE 2” 24:1 Vertical Extruder 1 - AMERICAN KUHNE 1.75” 20:1 Vertical Extruder, NEW 1 - DAVIS-STANDARD 1.5” 24:1 Extruder 1 - ENTWISTLE 1.5” 24:1 FEP Extruder w/X-Head 2 - ENTWISTLE 1.5”, 1.25” 24:1 Extruders 1 - SKALTEK 1600mm Payoff, Model A16-4K 3 - HALL, DAVIS ELECTRIC 50”, 60” Portal Payoffs 2 - BARTELL 72”, 60” Motorized Payoffs 1 - MGS 72” S/L Motorized Payoff 1 - MGS 72” S/L Drag Payoff 1 - REEL-O-MATIC FMP12 Shaftless Payoff Commission

B r o k e r s

1 - TEC 30” 3-Position Neutralizer Payoff, RCNPO-30/3 4 - TEC 24” Neutralizer Payoffs 1 - KRUPP 37-Wire, 6+12+18, 27” Rigid Strander 1 - STOLBERGER 37-Wire, 6+12+18, 500mm Rigid Strander 1 - BARTELL 3+1 630mm Tubular Strander 1 - CEECO 1600mm D.T. Strander 2 - REELPOWER, REEL-O-MATIC NK10 Take-ups 1 - REELPOWER RD10 Rim Drive 1 - REELPOWER TUAF-10-10 4000lb Drill Line Spooler, 2018 2 - MAPRE 630mm Dual Spoolers 1 - TULSA 24” Tangential Taper 1 - SETIC CAH-670-2 Taper, 2010 16 - SETIC DVDTT-630P Triple Twisters 1 - MORIYAMA 3,500 lb/hr, 200 Liter Mixing System 1 - FOLKE & SANDELIN No. 3 Lead Extruder 1 - MICRO J7C Butt Welder 1 - SCHLEUNIGER CT65 Hydraulic Crimper, 2014 100 – Wire Baskets (used with NIEHOFF EC42 Downcoiler) 1 - ROLL-KRAFT Tube Forming Line 2 - ALPHAJET Model C and E Inkjet Printers

Commission Brokers Inc., Cranston, RI 02920 • 401-943-3777 www.CommissionBrokers.com • marty137@aol.com

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We saved a safe space for you to get closer to your customers Keep the distance. Keep the contact. With the monthly print and digital editions of Wire Journal International you can do both. Use this medium to reach your customers at large. Stay in front of the most engaged wire and cable readers in the world. And make sure sales are pointing in the right direction with an ad in WJI. All it takes to keep your marketing campaign in focus is a call to your WJI rep and a virtual handshake. Reach out to Shannon Timme: sales@wirenet.org and hold your place in the bigger picture.

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Amacoil Inc...............................inside back cover

W I R E A S SOC AT ION IN T ’ L A DS

Cable Consultants Corp........................................ 7

WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo 2022 Exhibit Sales........................ 1

Candor................................................................... 28 Carris Reels Inc....................................back cover Commission Brokers Inc.................................... 78 Davis-Standard LLC............................................. 65 Fisk Alloy Wire Inc.............................................. 20 Gem Gravure Co Ltd............................................. 13

WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo 2022..........................................30-34 WAI Education..................................................... 27 WAI Membership................................................. 71 WJI Advertising................................................... 79 WJI e-newsletter................................................. 73

George Evans Corp.............................................. 43 Guill Tool & Engineering Co................................. 5 Huestis Industrial................................................ 29

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Inosym Ltd....................................................... 49, 69

April 2022 Booth listings: March 1 Reservation: March 1 Materials: March 10 • Event Preview: Wire Expo 2022 • Sector Update: Die grinding/polishing equipment

KEIR Manufacturing Inc..................................... 78 Kinrei of America LLC................................... 28, 47 Lamnea Bruk AB.................................................. 23 Maillefer............................................................... 65 Mathiasen Machinery Inc.................................. 10 Mikrotek Machines Ltd.......... inside front cover Paramount Die Co.................................................. 4 Pressure Welding Machines Ltd....................... 67 Rainbow Rubber & Plastics Inc.......................... 2 Roteq Machinery Inc........................................... 17 SDI LaFarga COPPERWORKS............................ 45

SALES REP & OFFICES North America Shannon Timme ext. 126 | stimme@wirenet.org sales@wirenet.org

SIKORA AG.............................................................. 9 Supermac Industries Ltd..................................... 47

Europe

Upcast OY.............................................................. 39

U.K., France, Italy, Spain, Holland, Belgium, Denmark, & Scandinavia

Vandor Corporation............................................. 19 Wire & Plastic Machinery Corp........................ 37 Wyrepak Industries....................................... 15, 25 80

W I R E J O U R N A L I N T E R N AT I O N A L F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 2

Jennie Franks David Franks & Co. Tel/Fax: 44-1223-360472 franksco@btopenworld.com

Wire Journal International 71 Bradley Road, Suite 9 Madison, CT 06443-2662 USA Tel: 203-453-2777 Fax: 203-453-8384 www.wirenet.org

Germany, Austria, & Switzerland

Detlev Melcher Media Service Int. Tel: 49-8801-914682 Fax: 49-8801-914683 dmelcher@t-online.de

W W W. W I R E N E T. O R G

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