GCCF & Interwire Wrapup - Feature Sample

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The Wrap Up

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R&D & Patents Patent #12,283,390

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WORKSHOP

p r e s e n t i n g : A T E C HNIC A L CON FEREN CE OF C OL L ABOR ATI ON & I NNOVAT I ON

SAVE THE DATE: 14 OCTOBER 2025 Join international delegates for an in-depth view of the manufacturing advances in wire and cable research, operations, and production presented by field experts. Ferrous and nonferrous topics, tabletop exhibits, and a gala dinner round out this one-day conference.

Hosted at the Holiday Inn Krakow City Centre Hotel To book your stay contact reservations at reservations@hik.krakow.pl or call +48 12 619 00 51 and provide the password: THE WIRE KRAKOW U P C O M I N G

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Next Stop: Milwaukee

Meet valuable industry contacts at Wire Expo 2026.

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Wire Expo makes it easy to expand your connections. Whether you are visiting, exhibiting, speaking, or sponsoring...your participation makes all the Exhibitors: difference at every Wire Association gathering. Join WAI at Wire Expo to Booth sales begin welcome hundreds of valuable customers, colleagues, and prospects from the 10/2/25 ferrous, nonferrous, and electrical industry sectors. Discover shared interests.

Build on prized relationships. And be there when interaction leads to action.

Exhibitors contact: sales@wirenet.org

BAIRD CENTER | MAY 6-7, 2026

co-located with: The Electrical Wire Processing Technology Expo 2026 SESSIONS

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F E AT U R E

R&D & Patents What’s your company’s story?

This feature presents a sliver of how R&D continues to evolve, in both technology and deployment. It also includes a focus on a sister element: patents, which may or may not be relevant, depending on a company’s plans. Like it or not, the incoming technical tide is relentless, and it is a force that cannot be ignored.

AI: a few stats on its increasing role in R&D Artificial Intelligence (AI) is increasing its presence in the wire and cable industry, a field known for being cautious to change. Below are some statistics from various sources—allabouatai.com, grandviewresearch.com, Statista, Deloitte and McKinsey—that might indicate that the times may be a changing.

Market growth. The global AI reach in the manufacturing market is projected to reach $8.57 billion by the end of 2025, and to expand by a CAGR of 44.2% to 2030. Longterm, the market could reach $68.36 billion by 2032.

Adoption. By 2025, more than 60% of new product introductions in manufacturing will use generative AI for design and concept creation, illustrating AI’s expanding role in R&D and product development.

Productivity/quality impact. AI will boost manufacturing productivity by 40% by 2035. It is already delivering up to a 50% reduction in production time and a 35% improvement in product quality via advanced defect detection and quality control.

Predictive maintenance and R&D. Some 90% of leading OEMs are investing in AI-driven predictive analytics, which can reduce maintenance costs by up to 25% and decrease unexpected downtime by as much as 30%. These advances are often the result of R&D efforts to integrate AI into equipment monitoring and lifecycle management.

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Sectoral and regional leadership. The U.S. leads global AI adoption in manufacturing (43% of companies), followed by India (30%). Hardware accounts for 48% of AI investments, software 32%, and services 20%, with a strong focus on robotics, analytics, and R&D support tools.

Generative AI in manufacturing R&D. The generative AI segment will reach $10.5 billion by 2033, with applications in predictive maintenance, energy optimization and especially product design, areas all closely tied to R&D. Strategic importance. Per one survey, 93% of manufacturers believe AI is crucial for fostering innovation and growth, and 66% of those using AI in daily operations report a high dependency on transformative technologies, planning continued adoption for R&D and beyond.

Investment outlook. More than 60% of manufacturing companies have developed a strategy to integrate AI into their operations, including R&D, and 55% of executives expect to boost spending on AI in the next three years.

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F E AT U R E

U.S. R&D: why private and federal support both matter The U.S. wire and cable industry has fared well from robust demand and strategic investments. Below, this report, based on multiple sources, cites the role and need for innovation, both private and federal R&D support, explaining why having both industry and government investment is important.

Overall, the wire and cable industry, at least on the electrical side, is doing well. Per a 2025 report from Custom Market Insights, industry revenue has been increasing at a CAGR of 3% over the past five years to total an estimated $48.51 billion in 2025. It cited key companies like Southwire, Fujikura and CommScope for expanding operations to meet rising demand fueled by population growth and federal infrastructure efforts.

They and others have also invested in R&D, and while there are no official numbers as to how much that is, a recent report by Chief Executive Group of 408 manufacturers from multiple sectors found that the median investment in R&D was only 1.2% of net total revenues. Further, 10% of manufacturers invest 8% of their net total revenues in R&D while another 10% don’t invest in R&D at all.

Private investment matters, but so does government-supported R&D. For decades, the U.S. has been the leader in both the scale and impact of its R&D efforts.

Economists estimate that government-funded R&D accounts for roughly 25% of all productivity growth in the U.S. economy.

That growth includes more than just the technical advances, it factors in higher wages, the creation of new industries and expanded opportunities for American workers and businesses.

Government investment can seem distant, but it matters. The SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) program distributes approximately $2.5 billion in grants and contracts each year across all sectors, with the Department of Defense alone awarding about $1 billion annually. Over the past 10 years, this amounts to roughly $25 billion in total SBIR funding distributed to small businesses, including manufacturers. Such projects have included advanced materials for electrical power cables, such as carbon nanotube (CNT) wire and dual metalcoated CNT wire. Grants have supported the manufacturing of specialized cables, such as those used in the Superconducting Super Collider, which required strict mechanical and electrical specifications. Other SBIRfunded projects have focused on developing strong, high current density superconducting wire and related cable designs for scientific and medical applications. WJI has written about numerous such awards over the years.

There’s also a related example on p. 10: TS Conductor winning a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) cable contest

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is a clear illustration of federal R&D investment in action.

The prize, administered by the DOE’s Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Technologies Office, is designed to accelerate innovation in next-generation conductor materials for the electric grid by providing funding, technical assistance, and recognition to promising U.S. manufacturers. TS Conductor’s success in Stage 2 demonstrates how federal support can help companies develop, test and scale breakthrough technologies. Winners received substantial cash awards and technical assistance vouchers, enabling them to partner with national laboratories and further refine their innovations for commercial deployment. The prize specifically targeted advances that could increase the conductivity and affordability of materials used in power transmission—critical for grid modernization and U.S. clean energy goals.

Of note, government funds basic research—often too risky or long-term for private companies—that have the potential to become the foundation for commercial breakthroughs. For instance, early federal investments in information technology and advanced manufacturing led to the creation of entirely new markets, from semiconductors to clean energy technologies. Since World War II, economists have estimated that returns on government R&D investments have ranged from 150% to 300%.

Per SBIR officials, the value of R&D transcends issued grants as they foster startups and small manufacturers that grew out of federally funded university research, developing everything from quantum communication devices to advanced materials for defense and medical breakthroughs.

These companies, often launched by young scientists trained through government grants, further the potential of America’s workforce. Equally important, that continued even during challenging periods such as the dot-com crash, the 2008 financial crisis and Covid 19. Federal R&D funding acted as a stabilizer, cushioning the blow when private investment dried up. This countercyclical role has helped the U.S. maintain steady progress in innovation, even as other countries faced sharper downturns.

Competition exists, not surprisingly led by China. Per Visual Capitalist, in 2000, China accounted for just 4% of global R&D: by 2023, its share soared to 26%, a more than sixfold increase. the second highest in the world after the U.S.

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INTERWIRE 2025

INTERWIRE 2025: CONTENT & QUALITY

Rautomead was one of many exhibitors hosting visits at its booth.

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Interwire began with WAI President Eric Bieberich welcoming attendees and introducing the Keynote Speaker—Prysmian North America CEO Andrea Pirondini—to the standing-room only audience at Interwire. His presentation and those that followed embodied the event theme, Shaping the Future of Wire Making, Uniting People & Technology, presenting an informative and inspirational view of an industry that continues to respond to changing needs. Co-located once again with the Global Continuous Casting Forum (GCCF) at the Georgia World Congress Center, it proved to be a memorable week as outlined in this report. To see more photos from the event, including many that did not appear, go to www.interwire2025.com, and look below for “Explore Event Photo Galleries.”

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INTERWIRE 2025

Interwire is an event created by the industry (and WAI staff) for the industry, and the 3,386 attendees from 46 countries and 32 U.S. states at the 2025 staging exemplify the range of the biennial event. Of note, 450 manufacturing plants had at least one representative on the show floor.

The collective programs, which featured 85 speakers, offered a vast selection of topics. Both conference programs and the sold-out exhibition provided participants with boundless opportunities for fact-finding, exploring new manufacturing technologies, and networking throughout the week.

The official opening of Interwire on Tuesday saw WAI President Eric Bieberich welcome attendees and introduce the Keynote Speaker—Prysmian North America CEO Andrea Pirondini—to the standing-room only audience.

The winner of the WAI Champion Award, he presented an overview of transformative changes shaping the industry, pressed by continuing demand for more power and connectivity. He started, however, with his thoughts about being the world’s largest cable manufacturer. “Of course, it’s great to be big, but that’s not the point because what we’re looking for is not so much to be the biggest. We want to be the best.”

Pirondini observed that one of Prysmian’s strengths is that it has a balanced portfolio, one present across multiple geographies and various businesses. “That helps us maintain a certain continuity. We don’t like to hire and fire people. We care about people because great people are the reason why companies can be excellent.”

The executive level perspective continued with the talk

by Willem Sundblad, CEO, Oden Technology. The WAI board member and frequent industry speaker focused on the far-reaching potential of digital technology that is not a future-generation aspiration but an increasing reality that is here and growing. See p. 65.

At 10 am, the slate conference sessions began and the show floor opened. The exhibits featured the best in tech and services from some 350 exhibiting companies, which included more than 50 new companies. The WAI Theater on the show floor opened at 11 am, hosting multiple presentations, while the afternoon saw the hold of an executive panel discussion on the steel market and tariffs, followed by three presentations. The day concluded with the Opening Reception at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where more than a thousand people enjoyed the return visit to the site.

Activities had begun the day before, Monday, with the start of the Global Continuous Casting Forum. Participants went on a tour of Aurubis Richmond, and that night they had a reception at Terminus. Monday also saw the day-long staging of the Fundamentals of Wire & Cable, which saw nearly 200 participants. See p. 62.

On Wednesday, the WAI held its Annual Meeting that included the awards ceremony. See p. 30. Keynote Speaker Chris Tuff spoke passionately in his presentation, “Creating a Culture of Connection.” He also appeared later at the WAI Theater in another WAI first: a “Fireside Chat,” during which he spoke further on personnel matters

Prysmian North America CEO Andrea Pirondini’s keynote presentation was about transformative changes shaping the industry.

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