Green Focus: Managing Waste

WIRE JOURNAL NOVEMBER 2011 OCTOBER 2011

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I N T E R N A T I O N A L w w w. w i r e n e t . o r g

GreenFocus: managingwaste

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WIRE JOURNAL

®

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

CONTENTS

Volume 44 | Number 11 | November 2011

F EATURE

Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Industry News . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Asian Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Fiber Watch . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Fastener Update . . . . . . . . . . 26

wire Southeast Asia wrapup . . . . . . .32

WAI News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Organizers, industry associations and exhibitors alike all had good things to say about the 2011 staging of wire Southeast Asia in Bangkok, Thailand.

Chapter Corner . . . . . . . . . . . 30

GREEN FOCUS: Managing waste . . .34

Technical Papers . . . . . . . 50-61 Products. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Managing waste can be a lot of things for industry, from sending less volume to landfills to reducing or avoiding use of hazardous materials, but it can also be seen as good business practice. In this feature, a range of companies discuss what they have done and why.

Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

T ECHNICAL P APERS Career Opportunities . . . . . . . 67 Advertisers’ Index . . . . . . . . . 70

Mordica Lecture: My 35 years of research on wiredrawing Prof. Kazunari Yoshida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 Quenching steel wire in a fluidized bed Jacob Friedman, Peter Kordt and Sanjiwan Bholet . . . .57

Next issue December 2011 • Industry Trends

Cover: General Cable recycles copper, aluminum and various jacketing compounds at all of its manufacturing facilities worldwide. The photo was taken at its plant in DuQuoin, Illinois. Photo courtesy of General Cable Corporation. See p. 34.

NOVEMBER 2011 | 3

INSIDE THIS ISSUE MEETING HAS RANGE

CONTENTS

ON-LINE WAI

. .29

WAI President Dominique Perroud presided over the on-line meeting of the Association’s Board of Directors, which saw 18 members participate, one of the best-ever showings for a BOD meeting that was not linked to a trade show. The WAI volunteers called in from six countries.

4 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

A

CAREER OF WIRE DISCOVERIES

. . . . .50

Kazunari Yoshida, a professor of precision mechanics at the school of engineering at Tokai University, Japan, and a well-known and highly respected award-winning author of numerous technical papers, looks back at some of the technology advances he has been involved with in his Mordica Lecture, which was presented on May 2 at WAI’s 81st Annual Convention in Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

EDITORIAL WIRE JOURNAL

®

EDITORIAL

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

The goal is to deliver a good magazine; the question has become: how to send it I like getting magazines in the mail. Always have, as there is a certain heft to them, a glossy cover to take in and the promise to come from the pages to be flipped through. That’s my choice though, and I recognize that there are those who embrace electronic delivery for a lot of different reasons. Even I’m not a print purist, because I already get the vast majority of industry and consumer publications electronically.

There’s no right or wrong answer, but for Wire Journal International, there is a question, and that is: is the time nearing for us to take the next step by sending a digital version to all our readers? Should we offer readers the option of getting both?

There are no plans to stop sending the physical copy, but what if some readers prefer to get just the digital version? The “issue” is not so clear as there are side matters involved too, such as whether advertisers would feel as comfortable with their ads being sent digitally to some readers who requested it that way.

We have been told by BPA that sending WJI digitally would be okay for their audited circulation reports. The technology has continued to improve, making it easy to do searches on the content of issues, both current and past. Another big plus for doing this would be that ads could become interactive. That would offer up whole new opportunities to reach potential customers, but the flip side is that some advertisers, with an image of someone striking a “delete” key in their mind, may not want that change.

At this point, nothing has been decided, and that’s the basis for this editorial, which I frankly admit is more of a fishing expedition, because the one aspect that WAI staff agrees on is that we’d like to get a better sense of what you, the readers, think. This is one of those questions for which there may well be no clear-cut consensus, but that’s part of the challenge, and the reason for this request.

To that end, we hope you will take a few minutes to go to www.wirenet.org and click on the box with the headline that reads “Should WJI offer a digital issue?” There is also a place to note your perspectives as well as any suggestions.

Mark Marselli Editor-in-chief

Publisher | Steven J. Fetteroll Editor-in-Chief | Mark Marselli Senior Graphic Designer | Bill Branch Director of Sales | Robert Xeller Advertising Sales | Anna Bzowski Director of Marketing & Corporate Communications | Janice E. Swindells Graphic Artist | Adrienne E. Simpson Proofreader | Livia Jacobs Publications Advisory Board Dane G. Armendariz | Henkel Corporation, USA Ferruccio Bellina | TKT Group/President ACIMAF, Italy Peter A. Funk | Talley Metals Technology, USA Malcom Michael | AWIA Australia Don Schollin | Q-S Technologies, USA Ralph Skalleberg | Skaltek USA Dave Stackpole | Nutmeg Wire, USA Giulio Properzi | Continuus Properzi, Italy Robert Wild | Niehoff Endex North America, USA Technical Advisors John Drummond | Scotia Group R. M. Shemenski | RMS Consulting, Inc.

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 1570 Boston Post Road, P.O. Box 578, Guilford, CT 06437-0578, USA, and can be contacted at tel.

203-453-2777; fax 203-453-8384; Internet wirenet.org; e-mail mmarselli@wirenet.org. Address all correspondence concerning advertising production, editorial and circulation to the above address. WJI is printed in 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 Guilford, CT 06437, 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, P.O. Box 578, Guilford, CT 06437-0578, USA. © 2011 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: 313761-4700.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Wire Journal International, P.O. Box 578, Guilford, CT 06437-0578, USA.

6 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

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» We are working to see our products make a global impact. « Katja Leese, International Controller at SIKORA

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DIAMETER [in]

1.10535 NOM: 1.10550

40 %

1.10940 1.10550 1.10160

TOL: + .00195 / - .00195

TREND T TR REN ND D

30 %

STATIS STATISTICS TISTICS STICS

20 % 10 % 0%

We work for your success.

CALENDAR

CALENDAR March 26-30, 2012: wire Düsseldorf 2012 Düsseldorf, Germany. To be held at the Messe fairgrounds. Contact: Messe Düsseldorf North America, info@mdna.com, tel. 312-781-5180.

May 9-10, 2012: 2012 National Electrical Wire Processing Technology Expo Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. To be held at the Frontier Airlines Center. Contact Expo Productions, Inc., tel. 800367-5520, www.expoproductionsinc.com/wire_home.htm.

May 21-22, 2012: AWPA 2012 Wire Rod Supply Chain Conference Dallas, Texas, USA. To be held at the Omni Dallas Hotel, this event, being put on by the American Wire Producers Association, is being held in conjunction with Wire Operations Summit & Wire Expo 2012. Contact: AWPA, tel. 703-299-4434, www.awpa.org.

May 22-23, 2012: 2012 WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo Dallas, Texas, USA. To be held at the Omni Dallas Hotel, this WAI event includes the Association’s 82nd Annual Convention and trade show. www.wirenet.org.

June 11-13, 2003: CRU 6th Wire and Cable Conference Vienna, Austria. To be held at the Vienna Mariott hotel, this event by U.K.-based CRU International, a global forum designed for key executives, also provides networking opportunities between cable manufacturers and their customers. Contact: CRU International, tel. 44-207903-2444, conferences@crugroup.com, and the event website at www.wireandcableconference.com.

Sept. 25-28, 2012: wire China 2012 Shanghai, China. To be held at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC). Contact: Messe Düsseldorf North America, tel. 312-781-5180, fax 312-781-5188, info@mdna.com, www.mdna.com.

Oct. 3-5, 2012: SpringWorld 2012 Rosemont, Illinois, USA. To be held at the Donald E Stephens Convention Center. Contact: Tom Renk, The Chicago Association of Spring Manufacturers, Inc. (CASMI), tel. 630-369-3466, fax 630-369-3773, info@casmi-springworld,orgwww.casmi-springworld.org.

Oct. 29-31, 2012: Wire & Cable India Mumbai, India. This event is organized by Messe Düsseldorf. Contact: Messe Düsseldorf North America, tel. 312-781-5180, info@mdna.com, www.mdna.com.

April 23-25, 2013: Interwire 2013 Atlanta, Georgia, USA. WAI returns to the Georgia World Congress Center for the trade show, technical programs and the Association’s 83rd Annual Convention, www.wirenet.org.

May 2013: wire Russia 2011 Moscow, Russia. This event is organized by Messe Düsseldorf. Contact: Messe Düsseldorf North America, tel. 312-781-5180, info@mdna.com, www.mdna.com.

Sept. 17-19, 2013: wire Southeast Asia Bangkok, Thailand. This event is organized by Messe Düsseldorf. Contact: Messe Düsseldorf North America, tel. 312-781-5180, info@mdna.com, www.mdna.com. ■

W IRE ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL E VENTS For more information, contact the WAI, USA. Tel. 001-203-453-2777; fax 001-203-453-8384; www.wirenet.org.

Nov. 7-8, 2011: CabWire World Conference Düsseldorf, Germany. To be held at the Congress Center Düsseldorf, this technical conference is being co-organized by ACIMAF, CET, IWCEA, IWMA and WAI. See www.cabwire-duesseldorf.com.

May 22-23, 2012: 2012 WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo Dallas, Texas, USA. This WAI event at the Omni Dallas Hotel includes the Association’s 82nd Annual Convention and trade show. www.wirenet.org.

8 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

April 23-25, 2013: Interwire 2013 Atlanta, Georgia, USA. WAI returns to the Georgia World Congress Center for the trade show, technical programs and the Association’s 83rd Annual Convention, www.wirenet.org.

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INDUSTRY NEWS

INDUSTRY NEWS South Korea company energizes first superconductor cable in power grid Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO), LS Cable & System and American Superconductor Corporation announced that the world’s longest distribution-voltage superconductor cable system has been energized at the I’cheon substation located near the city of Seoul.

Representatives from LS Cable and Korean partners hold a banner citing their efforts in superconducting cable technology.

Powered by AMSC’s Amperium™ superconductor wire and installed in KEPCO’s electricity grid, the 22.9 kV alternating current (AC) cable system is capable of carrying approximately 50 megawatts of power, a press release said. It noted that the project represents two firsts: the longest HTS cable in the world to be energized in the grid utilizing second generation (2G) superconductor wire and the longest distribution voltage superconductor power cable in operation.

“Already over-taxed power grids around the world are being challenged to meet rising electricity demands associated with today’s growing and increasingly networked economy. Because superconductor technology provides a reliable, cost-effective solution, we see it as a tremendous growth opportunity,” said LS Cable & System President Jong-ho Son. “Beginning with helping to fulfill KEPCO’s vision and expanding into a global business, we plan to capitalize on superconductor technology to meet the growing power demands of Korea and the world.” LS Cable & System and KEPCO, along with the Korea Electro-technology Research Institute and the Korea Electric Power Research Institute, “are embarking on extensive R&D to implement a next-generation superconducting power transmission network project initiated by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy to develop smart grid technologies until 2016.”

Per the release, KEPCO, South Korea’s sole power distributor, serving 13 million households, generates approximately 90% of Korea’s power supply and is one of the world’s top 10 electric utilities, with an installed capacity of nearly 64,000 MW. The release said that LS Cable & System and AMSC entered into the world’s first large-scale commercial superconductor wire supply agreement last October, and 10 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

that AMSC recently made its initial wire shipment to LS Cable & System under this new agreement to allow it to begin qualification work for Korea’s next superconductor cable projects. It added that KEPCO is now planning a 1 km, 154kV AC cable system and a 500 meter, 80kV DC cable system in the grid on South Korea’s Jeju Island.

“This installation represents a significant milestone in our close strategic relationship with LS Cable & System and KEPCO,” said AMSC President and Chief Executive Officer Daniel McGahn. “KEPCO is focused on ensuring that Korea’s power grid is unparalleled in terms of its strength, its reliability and its efficiency. We are proud to work alongside them, providing the high-quality wire they require to begin manufacturing superconductor cables to upgrade their electricity network and others around the world.”

The Amperium wire is manufactured at AMSC’s headquarters in Devens, Massachusetts, an operation that represents the world’s largest commercial-scale HTS wire manufacturing facility, the release said.

Nexans wins marine cable contract Nexans reports that it has won a 3 million euro turnkey contract to supply lead-in cable systems by February 2012 for the advanced GeoStreamer seismic array technology that Petroleum Geo-Services (PGS) is deploying on its fleet of offshore survey vessels.

A press release said that the contract “provides an important market reference for Nexans as it makes a key strategic move, from its well-established position as a supplier of seismic and oceanographic cables, to delivering a complete service for lead-in cable systems, including fairings and terminations.” The deal calls for Nexans Deep Sea Sensors to deliver 35 systems for the GeoStreamer deployment, with the cables being produced at the company’s specialized seismic A view of the specialized Nexans cable cable manuwith ribbon fairings. facturing facility in Rognan, Norway, working with MøreNot AS for the fairing installation and Siemens Subsea Products (formerly Bennex AS) for terminations, it said.

PGS, which sells seismic data worldwide for customers such as oil and gas companies, uses vessels for its survey

Advanced Digital Cable plans to open a new plant in Georgia The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) announced that Advanced Digital Cable (ADC) will locate a new facility in Blairsville, Georgia, creating 60 jobs and investing $4.2 million.

Georgia.org reported that ADC is purchasing an existing building in Blairsville Airport Regional Industrial Park where it will begin later this fall to manufacture larger cables for instrumentation and control, QPL cables, PV cables for solar arrays and flat cabling for pumping and irrigation. Georgia Quick Start, “the state’s top-ranked provider of customized workforce training, will help the company begin operations the day it opens,” it said.

The report noted that ADC, founded in 1997 in Hayesville, North Carolina, manufactures a broad range of communications and industrial cables. “ADC spent the majority of its first seven years private labeling its products for other leading manufacturers in the electrical and electronic industries. ADC’s level of quality has consistently met the stringent standards of some of the biggest names in the industry. We now offer these same quality products under the ADC label.”

WAI unveils WIRE BULLETIN web site The Wire Association International (WAI), Inc. and its India subsidiary, WAI Wire & Cable Services, Pvt Ltd, have introduced the WIRE BULLETIN web site, an electronic companion presence—www.wirebulletin.net—that extends the reach of the quarterly publication of the same name, which is distributed exclusively to subscribers in India.

The web site features industry, product, and global news; industry trends; a calendar; a corporate focus section; and a digital archive of WIRE BULLETIN issues.

The latest edition of WIRE BULLETIN can now be accessed on line at www.wirebulletin.net.

Of note are the site’s robust cloud-based searching functionality that enables visitors to search articles on the site and in past issues of the quarterly publication by keyword; and the convenient contact form for submission of press releases or inquiries directly to the editor.

“This new WIRE BULLETIN medium gives readers continuous access to industry developments between issues and the interaction will help shape pertinent content of future issues,” said WIRE BULLETIN Editor Huned Contractor.

“Subscribers to the new site will be able to experience and contribute to the WIRE BULLETIN brand. This especially benefits readers outside India who want to learn more about the wire and cable marketplace there and it increases exposure for the advertisers who support the publication,” said Janice Swindells, WAI’s Marketing & Corporate Communications Director.

Social networking links to Facebook, Twitter, Digg, and Delicious are offered as a convenient means to connect with colleagues, and an RSS feed link ensures that readers remain aware of new content and article feedback.

The site’s many features can be accessed through free registration at www.wirebulletin.net.

Contact: Huned Contractor at tel.: 91-09881084-002 or hcontractor@wirenet.org. For advertising information, contact either Contractor or WAI at sales@wirenet.org.

NOVEMBER 2011 | 11

INDUSTRY NEWS

process that typically tow between 8 and 18 cables that are up to 8 km long, in an array that may be over 1 km in width, the release said. The cables, each of which has a lead-in and are about 1.1 km long, are packed with sensitive electronic listening and recording devices, it said, adding that the cables contain various electrical and fiber optic internal cores protected by three layers of steel wire armoring. Those cables play a vital role in transferring the seismic signals from the recording devices in the array to the processing and analysis equipment onboard the vessel, it said. “The reliability of the lead-in cable is crucial as it reduces unwanted noise and protects against potential corruption of the data. Bad data is unacceptable, and means parts of the acquisition have to be repeated, which could delay the survey, or even result in operational losses.”

The ribbon fairings, in the form of short polymer strips attached to the outer armoring, play an important role in reducing the vibration of the cable as it is towed through the water, the release said. This helps improve the quality of the signal passed to the survey vessel’s sophisticated analysis equipment.

“Nexans is already well established as a leading supplier of marine seismic cables,” said Nexans Telecom Division Marketing and Sales Director Ragnar Vogt.

“However, there is a considerable change in the market as many customers are now calling for complete, coordinated turnkey solutions. That is why we have developed our new strategic approach to increase our market share by operating as an effective ‘one-stop-shop’ for lead-in cable systems.”

INDUSTRY NEWS

Asia Pacific Wire & Cable to sell its share in fiber optic joint venture Taiwan’s Asia Pacific Wire & Cable Corporation Limited, a manufacturer of wire and cable products for the telecom and electric-power industries in selected Asia-Pacific markets, announced that it has agreed to sell its 51% interest in the Shandong Pacific Fiber Optic Co., Ltd. (SPFO), a joint venture, to a group of investors for approximately US$2.9 million.

“The divestiture…is an important goal of APWC’s board of directors and management to enable the company to focus on its core wire and cable businesses that are more profitable and thereby increase shareholder value,” a press release said. “While SPFO has been one of the larger manufacturers of fiber optic cable in Shandong Province, APWC believes that an oversupply of fiber-optic cable products limits the opportunities for sustained development of what is a non-core product line for the company. In addition, the fiber-optic cable sector throughout China has been dominated by a few large players, who together account for more than 80% of sales of fiber-optic cable products. This market concentration has made competition difficult for companies, such as APWC, that have not committed substantial resources to the fiber optic industry, and SPFO faces addi-

12 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

tional challenges, such as obtaining raw materials like optical fiber at prices that are competitive in the market place.

Moreover, the Chinese government is encouraging further consolidation of fiber and cable manufacturers, which is not part of APWC’s current business strategies to put substantial investment in this market sector.”

The release added that APWC “remains committed to the growth of its core wire and cable business in the Chinese market and continues to explore opportunities to enhance its penetration of the Chinese market within its core product lines.”

Italian workers switch to part-time Italian steelmaker Lucchini has switched its 90 full-time workforce at its Lecco wire rod mill to part-time status for a year.

Steel Orbis reports that, starting from Sept. 27, the 90 employees of the mill were switched to part-time work.

“The mill can currently count upon orders amounting to 12,000 mt, which is enough for about two weeks of fulltime work but which is still low compared to the average normal monthly output of 30,000 mt,” it said.

The labor unions, the report said, have indicated that they are okay with the decision. “We are pleased that Lucchini has accepted to face this critical situation through this job-

Boskalis wins contract to lay a fiber optic cable across Strait of Magellan Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. (Boskalis) reports that it has been awarded a contract worth approximately 30 million euros to provide and install a submarine fiber optic cable across the Strait of Magellan.

A press release said that the contract calls for the Netherlands-based company to connect the city of Rio Gallegos in the province of Santa Cruz with the city of Rio Grande in the province of Tierra del Fuego. The fiber-optic cable will be used by a state-owned corporation, Empresa Argentina de Soluciones Satelitales S.A. (AR-SAT). The submarine fiber optic cable, approximately 40 km long, will be placed in the water at depths down to 70 meters, including places with strong currents and high tidal conditions making for a challenging operating environment, it said.

Boskalis will execute this project with subcontractor Alcatel Lucent, using a large trailing suction hopper dredger and a seagoing cable-laying vessel, the release said. The cable will be trenched, using both a jetting sledge and a plough, with dredging required for some parts of the seabed. Boskalis will be responsible for the shore approaches on both sides as well as for installing about 60 km of land cable on the mainland of Argentina and on Tierra del Fuego, it said.

Work on the project should take about eight months, it said.

Amaral along with industry veterans Joe Snee and Tom Siedlarz represent over 90 years of experience in the extrusion industry, primarily in wire and cable.

Based in Wisconsin, Repco Industries will cover territory that includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, North and South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

Owner and President Nicholas Liotus has more than 30 years of wire industry experience, including 19 years with Dearborn/CDT, most recently as senior vice-president operations.

Based in Texas, Southern Industrial Equipment will be responsible for Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. Owner and President Troy Shaffer has served the Southwest extrusion industry for over 16 years. Prior to creating Southern Industrial Equipment in 1998, he worked directly for Texas Extrusion Service where he represented Merritt-Davis and the complete line of Davis Electric wire and cable equipment, now brands of DavisStandard. For the past eight years he has represented American Kuhne and Entek co-rotating twin screw extruders.

Davis-Standard reports 3 new wire and cable representatives U.S.-based Davis-Standard, LLC, announced the appointment of three new sales organizations (Amaral Automation Associates, Repco Industries and Southern Industrial Equipment) as exclusive sales representatives for the company’s Wire and Cable Systems group.

Based in Rhode Island, Amaral Automation Associates will be responsible for the states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island. Owner and President Rick

NOVEMBER 2011 | 13

INDUSTRY NEWS

security agreement, as it guarantees the workers the payment of 80 percent of their salaries and the conservation of their workplace,� it cited a representative as saying.

WAI’s global resources can help me reach Venice.

Venus is another story.

Q: Why did you join WAI? A: To broaden my professional network and use additional resources offered through WAI.

Q: Why have you renewed your membership over the years?

A: Even though I have only been a member for two years it makes sense to stay directly connected to KEIR’s primary business segment: the wire and cable industry.

Q: What can you help people learn more about?

A: Time and sales territory management skills; identifying, prioritizing; closing key opportunities; and the importance of various follow up techniques because the fortune is in the follow-up. Also, effectively promoting a value proposition with high quality products and service.

Q: What do your co-workers say about you?

A: They think I am energetic, very passionate about sales and the

Mike Walters Sales & Marketing Mgr. | KEIR Mfg. Inc. Member Since: 2009

Meet Mike Walters.

One of WAI’s worldwide members.

One compelling story.

He manages time against a shot clock. Presides over territories with stealthy dominion. He’s an energy factory. Command central in terms of organizing, strategizing, and prioritizing. He can close a key deal from the sidelines, but deep down he’s a road warrior having fun selling top-notch products.

Simply put, Mike likes hoops. He hugs every curve in the sales cycle. He’s as invigorated by the thrill of the hunt as the fortune in the follow-up. A concept he also applies to rebounds and bank shots. His Plan “A”? His “A” game, of course...The one that eclipses his closest competitor.

thrill of the hunt, and organized—sometimes to a fault.

Q: If you were to nominate yourself for an award, what would it be for?

A: Road warrior of the year, for several consecutive years.

Q: Where would you most like to visit?

A: Italy. I have been to Venice but want to see much more of this awesome country.

Q: What do you like about the wire industry?

A: The great diversity of wire products and manufacturing processes.

Q: Who was your mentor?

A: My wife because she is a professional communication skills trainer, has excellent intuition, and is usually right. Guys have to face it: the women in our lives are probably our greatest support and resource. You know, the Venus and Mars thing; a lot of men laugh at the same stupid beer commercials over and over and women just stare at us in amazement!

Multitasker | Time Traveler | Pace Setter | Coach | Road Hungry | Plan Setter, Go-getter | Type A | Champion He leads by example. While off road he spent a decade holding court with Olympians, teaching them not to travel in pursuit of a regional title. His assists are out of this world.

So with his mentor’s orbital support and pointers from the locals in WAI’s Italy chapter, this first-class coach will reach his dream destination with time to boot.

Q: What is something almost no one knows about you?

A: I was a Special Olympics coach for 10 years.

Q: What is your greatest accomplishment?

A: Coaching my Special Olympics basketball teams to several regional titles and two Texas State Championships.

MNEMONIC TIP: MIKE WALTERS. A CLOSER WHO COMMITS TO ASSIST.

Meet your peers. Achieve your goals. Join WAI’s community at www.wirenet.org.

The Wire Association International, Inc.

1570 Boston Post Road | P.O. Box 578 | Guilford, CT 06437-0578 USA | Telephone: (001) 203-453-2777 | Fax: (001) 203-453-8384 | www.wirenet.org

Bekaert and American Spring Wire (ASW) jointly announced that they will work together to supply engine valve spring quality (VSQ) wires to Asian markets.

A press release said that the companies entered into a Definitive License Agreement establishing the terms of a technology transfer to Bekaert’s wire plant located in China’s Jiangsu Province. ASW will provide Bekaert technical assistance in the design and installation of equipment as well as process knowledge and commercial support to develop the VSQ wire markets throughout Asia, China and India in particular, it said. The agreement specifically identifies the licensed technologies, products and territories targeted by the partnership and establishes ASW as Bekaert’s representative for VSQ wires sold in North America, it said.

The new VSQ wire line in Bekaert’s Jiangyin wire plant will be modeled after ASW’s U.S. operation located in Bedford Heights, Ohio, the release said. Both partners believe the new capacity will produce the first qualification coils in the course of the second half of 2012, it said, adding that engineers from both companies will be working together to assure that a thorough transfer of technology takes place.

ASW President and CEO Timothy Selhorst said in the release that he looked forward “to soon positioning Bekaert’s Jiangyin plant to offer these products to the fastest developing markets in the world.”

capacity and expand the spectrum of qualities and sizes.

The project, it said, is scheduled to be carried out in three phases, from 2011 to 2014, during planned annual shutdowns to minimize downtime. Siemens is responsible for all the mechanical and electrical equipment, the planning and execution of related infrastructure works, while civil engineering will be undertaken by BSW.

Siemens to upgrade BSW wire rod line Siemens VAI will upgrade a wire rod rolling line for Badische Stahlwerke GmbH (BSW) at its plant in Kehl, Germany.

Steel Orbis reports that Siemens will make an extensive upgrade, modernizing the automation system of the two-strand wire rod mill, as well as installing two new rod outlets.

The project, the report said, is designed to increase production

NOVEMBER 2011 | 15

INDUSTRY NEWS

Bekaert and American Spring Wire announce license agreement

INDUSTRY NEWS

growth of the SCS market, and that the impact could be severe by 2016.

“Until recently, wireless did not provide the performAn industry study from U.S.-based FTM Consulting, ance capability of structured cabling systems (SCS) “Wireless Impact on the SCS Market,” reports that wireusing copper and fiber cabling,” FTM President Frank less has become more competitive with structured cabling Murawski said in a press release. He noted that newer systems (SCS), and that it will gradually cut into the technologies, such as 802.11n, have now placed wireless on a par with structured cabling systems’ performance, and that future technologies, including 802.11ac and 802.11ad, will provide further performance improvements. Further, the proliferation of newer mobile devices, such as newer smartphones and tablets, Features: especially the Apple iPad, has • Improved Bow Strength placed increasing pressures on (No Holes) enterprises to allow for these • Wire is Out of the Air devices to be connected to the Stream enterprises’ network, he said.

• Bow Shaped like a Wing The outlook, the release said, is for Improved that wireless will have a modest Aerodynamics and Low impact over the short term, with Cw Factor SCS market growth declining from • Wear Strip eliminated and 22.9% in 2011 to a 14.7% growth replaced by Wear by 2016. That will be followed by Bushings with Windows for a severe impact starting in the easy Inspection and Dust 2016 to 2017 time period, it said.

Cleaning Some of the factors that went into • Wear Bushings can be the study include: sunken investChanged while Bow is ment in current networks; the likeMounted on the Rotor lihood of newer networks going wireless, bypassing SCS, especialAdvantages: ly for small remote offices; high• Lower Power (AMPS) speed applications, such as data Consumption and centers and video, to be mainly Reduced Noise immune to wireless; and the LAN • Higher TPM - Maintaining network impact starting at the Wire Quality “edge,” with some impact between • Reduced Elongation @ the edge and the core, the core higher TPM remaining mainly SCS. • Reduced Bow Breakage For more details and to buy the • Increased Life on Wear report, contact FTM Consulting Surfaces Reducing at Frank Murawski, tel. 717-533Downtimes and 4990, ftm.consulting@verizon.net.

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Industry News briefs For the sixth year in a row, Southwire Company has been named by the Atlanta Business Chronicle as one of the top 10 Best Places to Work in Metro Atlanta.

The company came in eighth among large companies, up two spots from last year. “This is a big honor for us,” said Gary Leftwich, Southwire’s manager of corporate

ed to CommScope Fellow earlier this year, the highest level of professional achievement for CommScope’s engineering and technical employees. … Berk-Tek’s Dave Hess, technical manager, LAN Standardization, is one of this year’s recipients of the 2011 International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 1906 Award, which recognizes technical experts from around the globe who have contributed significantly to the work of IEC and the electrotechnical industry. The award recognizes Hess’s achievement in the development of subcommittee SC46C, which focuses on defining balanced twisted pair cable transmission properties as well as physical material properties specific to these copper cables. Hess is the chairman of the U.S. National Committee for the IEC standard, corresponding to TIA568 standards, which is incorporated into the ISO 11801standard that specifies generalDave Hess purpose telecommuni-

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INDUSTRY NEWS

communications. “The people of Southwire ensure our success when they come to work every day engaged and ready to tackle a challenge. To have them consistently vote their company among the best places to work clearly demonstrates that Southwire indeed is a special company.” … Paul Kolesar, a CommScope Fellow, is one of this year’s recipients of the 2011 International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 1906 Award, which recognizes technical experts from around the globe who have contributed significantly to the work of IEC and the electrotechnical industry. Kolesar is one of 15 people in the United States to earn the award this year. As an active member of IEC committees and work groups, Kolesar has contributed significantly to the standards development of OM3 and OM4 multimode fibers, benefitting customers and the broader industry by providing the most cost-effective means of supporting faster applications and greater distances over optical fiber cabling. Kolesar, based in Paul Kolesar Richardson, Texas, was promot-

INDUSTRY NEWS

cations cable systems globally for a wide range of IP and network applications. Berk-Tek is a business of Nexans. … U.S.-based Belden reports that Yokogawa Electric Corporation, a Japanese provider of industrial automation and control solutions in a wide range of process markets, will deploy Belden’s Hirschmann brand industrial ethernet switches in Yokogawa’s global industrial application solutions that require highly reliable network performance. “This relationship demonstrates Belden’s leadership position in industrial networking and expands our growth opportunities in Japan and throughout the world,” said John Stroup, president and CEO of Belden. …

Republic Engineered Products has changed its name to Republic Steel in conjunction with its 125th anniversary of corporate existence. “We saw it as an opportune time to reset to a name that has more meaning,” said company spokesman Mark Huemme. Republic Steel is more representative of the company, which specializes in special bar quality steel, he added. A press release noted that as recently as 2003, the company was known as Republic Technologies International. Before that, it had been USS/KOBE, Lorain Cuyahoga Works of U.S. Steel, National Tube Company of U.S. Steel, Lorain Steel and Johnson Steel. Over the years, the sprawling steel mill

that lies between the Black River and E. 28th St. in Lorain has gone by a variety of names and ownership, it said.

Now, as in the beginning, the newest company name includes the word “steel.” “It does a better job of describing who we are and what we do,” Huemme said. “We make steel.” … U.S.based Metro Wire & Cable Corp., a Detroit, Michigan, distributor of electrical and electronic wire and cable products, recently celebrated its 35th anniversary, highlighted by a trip to Las Vegas for its entire staff. Since its founding in 1976, Metro Wire notes that it has supplied customers across a wide range of industries, evolving from an early focus on automotive and OEM market segments to today’s focus on a wide range of markets, notably utility-based companies and electrical contractors.

“I believe our service is second to none,” said company founder and President Donald Ezop. “It’s much more than just selling wire; our people actually enjoy finding solutions that will make our customers’ jobs easier. This focus, coupled with our 24/7 availability, keeps our customers coming back to us.” ■

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ASIAN FOCUS

ASIAN FOCUS Former IWMA Chairman: India’s wire and cable industry is well positioned The below report/ Q&A is from Huned Contractor, the editor of WIRE BULLETIN, the quarterly publication of WAI’s subsidiary in India, WAI Wire and Cable Services, Pvt. Ltd. See page 11 for news about WIRE BULLETIN. The below report and other news can be seen at www.wirebulletin.net.

In an economy that is gaining momentum despite a few financial hiccups on the way, India is poised to witness a tremendous demand for wire and cable, says Stephen Wood, former chairman of the International Wire & Machinery Association (IWMA). Wood, now an executive member of the IWMA board, attended the wire Southeast Asia 2011 show at Bangkok, where he discussed the global opening up of the industry and the market movement to better quality products along with technological innovations. IWMA, an influential corporate membership association (iwma.org) for the wire, cable and wire product industries, offers a wide range of benefits, services and events to promote new technology and growth within the industry. It has almost 300 member companies in more than 50 countries worldwide. Below are excerpts from the interview.

Huned Contractor WIRE BULLETIN: What’s your perspective on the global wire and cable industry?

Wood: Even though there is an economic slide across many nations, the fact remains that most of the wire and cable industries are doing pretty well. Look at companies like Niehoff, Rosendahl, Gauder or Wafios that are very busy with huge projects in different countries. What has happened is that companies which were cash-rich have reinvested in equipment and technology to be able to cater to the fresh slew of demand and that equation is working out well. Then there is the rising demand for steel scrap in countries like India and China. So I would say that the growth pattern is being maintained, especially in the ferrous sector.

WIRE BULLETIN: What about Southeast Asia?

Wood: As is evident, China is now in the lead and

investing heavily in the wire and cable sector. The tables have turned over the years. Earlier we used to (see) greater participation from Taiwan and the Philippines, but now it is China and India. In fact, India has great potential and it would be interesting to see who finally emerges at the top.

WIRE BULLETIN: What is the key to growth in the wire and cable sectors?

Wood: Without a shade of doubt I would say that the biggest key to growth in today’s time is technology.

The focus in each of the companies is on how to reduce the manpower and use technology to greater effect so as to maximise the production levels with the highest amount of efficiency. This emphasis on techStephen Wood. nology is also helping improve the quality of products. And that is the demand of the hour because the consumers have started to produce quality products as well.

Look, for instance, at the automobile industry across the globe. We have today cars and trucks and two-wheelers that demand the best in raw material because the finished products have to stand up to the tests of international benchmarking.

WIRE BULLETIN: What are the other factors that are growing in importance?

Wood: I think the requirements of prospective buyers are very much conditioned by the changing world in which we are living. As such, other factors growing in importance (include) energy efficiency, reduction in effect on the environment (pollution and carbon emissions), health and safety, computer simulation systems, etc.

WIRE BULLETIN: A lot of Indian companies are now rushing in to collaborate with established wire and cable companies across Europe and the USA. Do you see this as a beneficial prospect?

Wood: It’s a smart thing to do. Why re-invent the wheel? India has the advantage of making wire and cable products at a lesser cost because of the availability of skilled and semi-skilled manpower and the small- and medium-sized companies are eager to join the learning graph so that it does make sense to get into partnerships with global companies that have the technology and the resources of R&D at their command. This is helping the

Have news that belongs here? If so, e-mail it to editorial@wirenet.org.

20 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

WIRE BULLETIN: But how will these JVs be sustained?

Wood: The trick is in sharing technology through the levy of a user fee. It’s like collecting a royalty on each of the products you make in return for the technical expertise that you have provided access to. The relationship can continue for a long time because both partners stand to benefit. Also, foreign companies are finding it feasible to not only just outsource their production but also set up plants in collaboration with their Indian partners.

WIRE BULLETIN: Why is India a big market?

Wood: India has potential because the consumption of wire and cable is going to steadily increase. For example, the healthcare system in India is improving and there is a rising demand for products used in hospitals and laboratories. Many of these products require spring wires, (so) the demand for spring wires will keep rising. Similarly, look at the automobile sector in India, which is booming because even the middle-class is now able to afford cars,

and it is quite common to see a household having a car and a couple of two-wheelers. This (will create more) demand for wiring harnesses and cables and so on. Thus, the market for wire and cable products in India is growing in tune with the changing lifestyle of its people.

WIRE BULLETIN: What challenges lie ahead?

Wood: As the world moves towards a higher level of environment consciousness, companies will have to install and implement processes that do not harm the eco-system of the world. For example, new processes are being developed for heat treatment so that the residual acids and lubricants do not pollute the air and the rivers. This environmental shift will soon gain momentum in India too and companies will have to adapt to the new requirements.

WIRE BULLETIN: Why are we witnessing lesser participation of visitors in each of the wire and cable shows?

Wood: That’s mainly because there now are too many shows following each other and that has led to some level of exhaustion. There should be one big show for one particular geographical location. If you have five shows in a year in India, the footfalls are going to decrease. ■

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Indian companies to now sell their products in markets outside their own country because of the improvement in product quality. The entire equation becomes cost-effective for both the partners.

PEOPLE

PEOPLE Teknor Apex Company has promoted two people with broad experience in sales of thermoplastic elastomers (TPEs) to manage European marketing for the company’s thermoplastic elastomer divisions.

Stef Hordijk has been named senior market manager for Non-Automotive TPEs, Europe, responsible for construction, consumer, industrial, medical, packaging and wire and cable markets for Sarlink®, Medalist®, Monprene®, Elexar® and other TPE brands. He will also supervise the company’s network of distributors in Stef Hordijk Europe. He entered the plastics industry in 2005 as a global marketing coordinator for DSM Elastomers, and has worked exclusively with TPEs, specializing in sales of Sarlink thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV) elastomers.

Since the 2010 acquisition of the Sarlink business by Teknor Apex, he has carried out sales and marketing responsibilities for Teknor Apex TPEs. He holds an M.S. degree in business economics from Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam. Ger Vroomen has been named senior automotive market manager for TPEs, Europe, responsible for the European automotive market for all Teknor Apex TPEs as well as global oversight for Sarlink TPVs for sealing systems. He has more than 30 years of plastics industry experience.

He joined DSM Plastics in 1980 and for six years held technical positions involving polyolefin and styrenic resins. In 1986 he joined DSM Elastomers, and in 2003 he was made automotive business development manager for DSM’s Sarlink TPV business. In 2008 he became global Ger Vroomen business development and senior account manager, retaining the position after Teknor Apex’s acquisition of the Sarlink business. He holds engineering degrees in chemistry and in rubber and plastics technology.

Both men will be based in the Netherlands. Based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, USA, Teknor Apex Company is a global supplier of products that include compounds, insulation and colorants for the wire and cable industry.

American Spring Wire Corp. announced that it has hired Ronald Mann as a sales and technical services representative. He has more than 35 years of experience in the PC strand industry, and is well known in the construction markets. He will work from his office in Jacksonville, Florida.

Based in Bedford Heights, Ohio, USA, American Spring Wire Corp. notes that it is North America’s largest manufacturer of valve and commercial quality spring wire as well as a major supplier of PC strand.

Jersey Strand & Cable, Inc., reports that Richard Filandro has joined the company as director of worldwide sales. He has more than 30 years of experience in different arenas, having started out as a high school mathematics teacher, then working as a software engineer for word processing and graphic manipulation. He then saw the need for a new breed of sales strategies, and moved to bridge the gap between technological developments and sales and marketing efforts, which led to success in many vertical markets for both large and small companies. He holds a bachelor’s Richard Filandro degree from Adelphi University and a master’s degree from Long Island University at CW Post. Based in Phillipsburg, New Jersey, USA, Jersey Strand & Cable, Inc., is a privately held manufacturer of custom strand and cable.

Oman Aluminum Industries LLC (OAPIL) announced earlier this year that Frederic Rouyer has become its CEO. He holds a master’s degree in mechanical and materials engineering and has worked in the aluminum industry for more than 20 years. He served in senior management positions at a leading aluminum producer, including as CEO. He has implemented multiple greenfield projects in Europe, U.S., Asia and Far East. Based in Sohar, Oman Aluminum Industries LLC is a joint venture company between Takamul Investment Company and Oman Cables Industry, a manufacturer and exporter of medium-voltage, low-voltage electric cables, building wires, instrumentation cables and overhead transmission line conductors in the Middle East.

OBITUARY William D. (Bill) Hylwa, an applications engineer for Industrial Rivet & Fastener Co., died Saturday, Sept. 24, at age 57. The resident of Orange, Connecticut, was known in the industry as an innovative problem solver who worked with executives to provide high level think-

22 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

ing and deep knowledge of how rivet and fastener applications could best serve customers, his family said. A 40-year industry veteran, he was well respected by customers, peers and competitors alike. He is survived by his wife, Rosalie, his mother, Henrietta, and six children. ■

FIBER WATCH

FIBER WATCH FTTH gains 18% in homes served by fiber networks in North America The Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) Council reports that more than 7.6 million North American homes now receive their internet, video and/or voice services over end-to-end fiber networks, according to a report commissioned by the organization.

A press release said the report, by market analysis firm RVA LLC, showed an increase of 1.15 million FTTH households over the past year, for an annual gain of 18% in the number of homes served by fiber-to-the-home networks in Canada, Mexico and U.S. It added that FTTH service is now available to 22 million homes on the continent, a gain of about 10 percent in FTTH “homes passed” over the past year.

RVA President Mike Render said in the release that Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean have begun to register significant FTTH deployment activity in 2011, with 4% of total new connections happening in Canada and 5% in Mexico and the Caribbean. “While Fiber-to-the-Home deployment in Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean had barely scratched the surface in previous years, it appears that the FTTH providers in those countries are now out of the starting gate, and I expect see continued growth in their fiber activity going forward,” he said.

Australian project will use pit, pipe and optical fiber for 26.5 km route The Public Transport Authority of Western Australia State (Australia) has awarded a AUD 5.4 million contract to install and commission a pit, pipe and fiber-optic cable system to Downer Australia.

An announcement said that Downer will trench and bore alongside the railway line, build about 160 pits all linked by conduit and install the fiber-optic cable. “In some instances it will replace and rationalize multiple existing cables within a single pipe,” it said, adding that the cable will carry data for the extensive network of CCTV, passenger information systems and the train signalling systems. The contract covers the railway from Perth as far as Joondalup, work that is required to facilitate the extension to Butler, it said.

Techint Mexico wins 2 contracts In Mexico, Techint S.A. de C.V. together with Isolux de México recently signed two contracts with CFE (Comisión Federal de Electricidad) for the supply and erection of 4,618 km of guard cable from north to south (center: 1,954 km and north: 2,664 km) with associated optical fiber and communications equipments.

The projects, a press release said, will be carried out for CFE (Comisión Federal de Electricidad) and belong to an ambitious plan that will replace the steel cables in most

24 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

of the electric transmission lines. It noted that CFE “will replace one of the current steel cables by a new one that has an outer layer of steel or aluminum but carries an inner optical core formed by 36 optical fibers in most of the electric transmission lines.”

The optical fibers and new communications equipment to be installed will allow voice, data and video transmission at a maximum speed of 10 Gb/sec, the release said, noting that a fast home internet connection reaches 1 Mb/sec. It added that, to ensure optimal transmission, the cable that carries the optical fibers within must be handled with extreme caution, and that connections between fibers must be established approximately every 5 km.

Cyta launches optical fiber cable from Syria to European countries Cyta, which notes that it is the largest telecom operator in Cyprus, has launched a project to build a new cable, Alasia, that will serve to provide redundancy service to Europe.

Syriaonline reports that the Alasia cable will duplicate an existing cable to provide redundancy.

Syrialonline reports that Alasia, which is designed to work at 25.6 terabits a second with eight fiber pairs, is scheduled for completion before the end of 2012. It will be interconnected with Cyta’s Alexandros cable subsystem to connect to European destinations and beyond. It will complement the existing Ugarit cable, which also connects the two countries, to offer an alternative routing and improve resilience, it said.

Ugarit has been upgraded to form a ring system with the existing Berytar and Cadmos cables, connecting Syria to Lebanon and Lebanon to Cyprus respectively, the story said. The seamless self-healing ring between the three countries, it noted, is designed with 40 wavelengths, each capable of achieving up to 40 Gb/sec.

Columbia fiber project draws 4 bids A national fiber optic project in Columbia that is designed to expand the country’s internet connections to 8.8 million by 2014, has brought four bids.

Global Telecoms Business reports that the bids have been submitted by Telmex Colombia; a joint venture (JV) between Telefónica Moviles and Colombia Telecomunicaciones; a second JV between Total Play and TV Azteca, called Colombian Optical Fibre Company; and a third JV by Connectivity For All, involving ZTE, Media Commerce Partners, Anditel and Exicom.

The story said that the winner was to be named this month. The Colombian government, it noted, is spending $415 million on the project, which is designed to increase the number of internet connections to 8.8 million by 2014. It added that a total of 700 towns and cities will be connected, compared with 325 today. ■

FASTENER UPDATE

FASTENER UPDATE Wurth Group North America enters $3.9 million bid for Cardinal Fastener Wurth Group North America, Inc., announced that it has agreed to pay $3.9 million for the assets of U.S.-based Cardinal Fastener & Specialty Co. (Cardinal), which last June filed for bankruptcy and was scheduled to have been auctioned off on October 26.

A report by Dan Shingler in Crain’s Cleveland Businss traced the highs and lows of Cardinal, which gained national attention for its focus on products for renewable energy, highlighted by a 2009 visit by President Barack Obama.

The company, Shingler wrote, actually fared well, with its overall business up by 38% in 2010, and wind-related sales up by more than 200%. That growth, however, was not enough to keep up with payments for the new equipment and other capital expenditures, which led to Cardinal’s filing for bankruptcy last June, he said in the story.

As noted above, Cardinal was to be sold Oct. 26, pending Bankruptcy Court approval, but the article noted that the Wurth bid could be topped by other bidders. It also cited the company’s attorney, Tom Wearsch, who said that his client hopes to take over Cardinal’s wind energy business, which he said fits with Wurth’s global strategy to expand in the renewable energy sector. The story added that Wurth’s goal

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26 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

is to continue operations at Cardinal, where there are about 20 remaining employees at the plant that at its peak in 2010 had 60 employees.

Industrial Rivet & Fastener opens German office, co-owner wins award U.S.-based Industrial Rivet & Fastener Co., which produces the RivetKing™ line of products, announced that it has furthered its presence in Europe wth the opening of sales and distribution offices in Neumarkt, located near Nuremburg, Germany. It reported that the operations are headed by Bill Holler, who will enable the company to expand its manufacturing and distribution services in central Europe. The company, it said, will have direct access to the complete European market.

The company also reported that Joanne Goodman Sherman, a co-owner of Industrial Rivet, has been chosen as a Professional Woman of the Year in Manufacturing by the National Association of Professional Women. The award is a distinction awarded by the group’s 200,000-strong membership. Raised in a family of entrepreneurs, Sherman represents the third generation of the Goodman family to lead the firm that her grandfather founded nearly a hundred years ago, it noted. ■

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WAI NEWS

WAI

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Association’s final webinar of 2011 will focus on ISO 9001/AS9100 WAI’s next webinar will be a presentation by Michael Weiss, president of Whitmor/Wirenetics, and Doug and Carole Anton, AEM Consulting Group Inc., about ISO 9001/AS9100, the quality management standard specifically written for the aerospace industry.

The hour-long presentation, “12 years with ISO

9001/AS9100—reflections on benefits, challenges, and the future,” is scheduled for 11 am EST on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2011. The webinar is free for WAI members.

The focus will be on the ISO/AS system of Whitmor/Wirenetics, which has played a key role in the company’s recent success, supporting steady growth and profitability. In this webinar, Weiss will share his candid view on developing and living with a quality management system. He will be joined by Doug and Carole Anton, the

WAI Q&A Why WAI is raising its annual dues This occasional section covers topics of general interest involving WAI. This one is answered by WAI Executive Director Steve Fetteroll.

At its Oct. 12 meeting, WAI’s Board of Directors approved a membership dues increase of $15 per year. As a result, the annual dues will rise from $95 to $110 per year. The option to pay for two or three years at a discounted rate will continue to be available, with those rates $205 and $300 respectively.

The dues increase will become effective Jan. 1, 2012. However, all members will be given the opportunity to pay for their next renewal before the end of this year, which will be at today’s lower rate.

As always, you will be given the option to renew for one, two, or three years, which means that some of you could delay the increase until 2015. More than 30% of the membership takes advantage of the multi-year discount.

The decision to increase the cost of membership was presented by the Member Relations Committee, which had previously considered the matter and voted to recommend the increase to the board. Appropriately, the proposed dues increase was presented at same meeting where the Board reviewed the 2012 budgets. In evaluating the matter, The Board and Member Relations Committee also reviewed the dues rates from other similar organizations as seen in the accompanying chart.

Worth noting is that the last dues increase occurred in 1999, when it went from $75 to $95. While the potential existed for a dues increase over the past several years, we delayed any action given the struggling economy. At the

28 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

same time, we were also hesitant to enter into the triple digit mark.

In the end, we realize that membership is an option and we know that it is an extremely competitive market for

your money. Over the years, we have heard from many of you that the return on investment has been very good, and we remain committed to returning value in the areas of education, information, and networking.

If you have any questions, please contact me at sfetteroll@wirenet.org or call me at tel. 203-453-1777, ext.

115. And, in case you were wondering, when the Association was formed in 1930, dues were $10.

WAI volunteers meet by conference calls and web as part of Reconvene

Some of the topics included an update on the WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo 2012 in Dallas, potential locations for future WAI trade shows, membership issues, nominees for the BOD, a review of WAI’s Operating & Capital Budget plans, growth of the India subsidiary, goals for WAI’s webinar program, winners of the Mordica and Donnellan memorial awards (to be included in December issue), plans for WAI’s website, and goals for the Corporation Outreach program, among others.

Points Meeting for Wire Expo 2012 sees 75% of floor space allocated The WAI trade show booth selection process, known as the Points Meeting, saw a total of 126 booths allocated on Thursday, Oct. 6.

A total of 97 companies made their booth choices to exhibit at WAI's 2012 Operations Summit and Wire Expo, which will be held in the Omni Dallas Convention Center Hotel in Dallas, Texas, on May 22-23, 2012. During the interactive meeting, held at WAI’s headquarters, exhibitors called in to make their booth choices, the order determined by a points system based on past exhibitor activity.

Periodic meetings are a fact of life for any business, and that includes Wire Association International. Most of the Association’s boards and committees met for Reconvene, the WAI’s second business meeting of the year, during October to discuss a wide range of business.

WAI Executive Director Steve Fetteroll and Sales Representative Anna Bzowski review booth allocations, while Manager of Information Technology Chuck Szymaszek oversees the electronics.

WAI staff at headquarters during the Oct. 12 meeting of the Board of Directors.

“These meetings have always been important to the Association because we depend on the outlooks and suggestions from the members who volunteer to be on our boards and committees to guide us,” explained WAI Executive Director Steve Fetteroll. “In a perfect world, these meetings would take place face-to-face in one site, and that’s a major plus for us when we hold them during one of our trade shows, but this is our second business meeting of the year, and it’s just not possible for many of our volunteers to take a day off to attend, so taking part in a conference call is a good option. We had 18 board members take part, as well as four past presidents, and a lot of ground was covered.”

“We were pleased with the results,” said WAI Sales Director Robert Xeller. “There’s always interest in going to a new location, like Dallas, because it will open up the likelihood of getting attendees from areas that otherwise may not travel. Also, Dallas is a thriving area for the wire and cable industry, so its base is a good one to work off.”

Xeller said that companies interested in exhibiting can go on-line to www.wirenet.org, click on “EXPOCAD,” and see the layout of the show floor, which booths have been allocated and by which companies, and more.

To reserve a booth, an exhibitor must submit a license and make the appropriate deposit. WAI’s sales staff can help make the arrangements. For more details, call Robert Xeller or Anna Bzowski at 203-453-2777, ext. 119/ext. 126, or e-mail sales@wirenet.org. ■ NOVEMBER 2011 | 29

WAI NEWS

principals of AEM Consulting Group Inc., who guided the company through the ISO/AS process to provide a concise look at the methodology used to design, document, implement, maintain, and improve that system.

AEM Consulting Group Inc., based in Ashland, Oregon, USA, specializes in assisting companies in developing and implementing systems and strategies for quality, process/facility design, planning and organization, and employee development. Company founder Doug Anton’s prior career experience includes 10 years with two Black & Decker companies, where he served as director of quality and total quality coordinator, along with other management roles in metal products production, manufacturing engineering, and facilities. He received his B.A. degree from California Polytechnic State University at San Luis Obispo, and did his graduate work at Utah State University. He has published articles and has been a regular guest speaker for a variety of organizations, including WAI/Wire Journal International, and universities. He has developed and delivered a dozen public ISO 9000 seminars through AEM.

CHAPTER CORNER

CHAPTER CORNER Strong showing at Southeast Chapter’s golf tourney honoring its late president Having never been at the Southeast Chapter Golf Tourney, I was glad my schedule allowed me to go and to report on this special event, now in its 10th year. Given my experience in beverages and driving (not in combination), I was assigned to drive the beverage cart but as luck would have

The Davis-Standard team of Charlie Arthur, Commscope; Catawba Orlando Martinez, Davis-Standard, Keith Greer, Corning Hickory; and Rodney Burns, Corning Hickory.

From l-r at the tourney are Sue Kos, Beth Vannais (Vannais’ wife), Woody Holland Clinton Instruments, Tim McElhany, and his wife, Cheryl McElhany. Not shown: Treasurer Mike Kos, CNA Technologies. it, I was re-assigned to fill an open spot on what would have otherwise been a terrific team. I know this is doesn’t sound like tough duty, but my golf game is especially terrible.

The chapter’s return on Oct. 13 to the Rock Barn Golf Club in Conover, North Carolina, was not the same as past stagings. The mood was somber for the 89 golfers because the event’s heart and soul, Steve Vannais, the chapter founder and president, was not at his post welcoming participants. Vannais died in a plane crash in January 2011, and the chapter’s Board of Directors reacted by doing what Tim McElhany of Tulsa Power described as, “the only possible way forward.” McElhany, who had worked alongside Vannais since the first tournament in 2001, said there was no doubt in his mind that the event would continue, “because this is a tangible extension of Steve that brings comfort to his many friends in the industry.”

After a moment of silence for Vannais, Golf Chairman McElhany, Chapter President Art Deming of Nexans, and Jack Fleissner, the course golf pro, reviewed the format before play started. Speaking later, Deming said that he was anxious to maintain the high standard that Steve had consistently delivered when producing the past events. However, as the many friendly faces arrived, the pressure quickly turned to pleasure. “It was clear that everyone was going to 30 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

enjoy a beautiful day of golf in Steve’s honor,” he said.

The chapter’s BOD, aided by volunteers, made sure that all of the logistics were covered. This was one of the chapter’s largest-ever fields, and it was obvious that par golf was not going to earn any prizes. Many players took advantage of the opportunity to purchase mulligans, which were put to good use on this extra long Robert Trent Jones, Jr. course.

The first-place foursome from Insteel, Eric Kessler, Larry Blood, Dean Hatley, and Jack Welbourn, was not intimidated by the course, the site of the 2011 PGA Champions Hickory Classic. They birdied 15 of 18 holes and finished with a 57. As I played directly in front of their group, I was more surprised that they didn’t also win all of the long-drive contests, as they hit the ball well off the tee all day.

Second place honors went to the team of Bob Mailloux of JJ Lowe, John McMahan and Marshall Hogan of Okonite, and Darryl Deitsch of Gateway Recovery, who shot a 61.

The third place team (by tie breaker) was Jeff Rudisill of CommScope, David Gluth and Jay Swetenbury of Sonoco Products, and Brian Berry of Progressive Packaging.

The event was also a fundraiser for Eric Vannais, the son of Steve Vannais. The December issue will report on those results as well as all the sponsors who helped make the event possible.

Report by WAI Executive Director Steve Fetteroll.

New England Chapter sets date for 2012 meeting at Mohegan Sun The New England Chapter will hold its 18th Annual Dinner Meeting on Thursday, Jan. 26, 2012, at the Mohegan Sun Casino. The event will, as ever, feature great food and plenty of networking opportunities, but—unlike last year— chapter officials promise that it will not feature 20+ inches of snow. ■

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EVENT WRAPUP

Activity at wire Southeast Asia up briskly from 2009 Organizers of the wire Southeast Asia report very good results for the recent 2011 staging of the event, the 3rd Wire & Cable Trade Fair for Southeast Asia, and its concurrent sister event, the 3rd International Tube & Pipe Trade Fair for Southeast Asia, at the BITEC Exhibition Centre in Bangkok, Thailand.

A press release from Messe Düsseldorf said that the combined events drew a record 392 exhibitors, with more than 5,300 quality trade visitors from 60 countries. “This marks a 30% increase in exhibitor participation and a 20% rise in visitor attendance compared to the 2009 events, confirming the status of wire/Tube Southeast Asia as the region’s leading platform for the wire, cable, tube and pipe industries,” it said.

More than 40% of the attendees came from outside of Thailand, with about 80% of the visitors hailing from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a geopolitical and economic organization of 10 countries that include Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei, Burma (Myanmar), Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam, the release said. It observed that those results indicate “that ASEAN buyers consider Thailand the leading forum for trade and business and the gateway to Southeast Asia for product distribution in the region.” It added that the strong visitor attendance—particularly from India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore—further highlights “the increasing significance of ASEAN as a ‘collective whole’ and dynamic common market moving towards a single economic community by 2015.”

Attendee delegations also came from China, Malaysia,

Japan, Philippines and Vietnam, the release said.

The exhibitions included eight country pavilions, with groups from Austria, China, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Singapore, Taiwan and the U.S. (supported by the Wire and Cable Industries Suppliers Association - WCISA), and there was also a creative design showcase on stainless steel industrial products presented by members of the Thai Stainless Steel Development Association (TSSDA), the release said.

The heads of three key industry trade associations roundly praised the event in the release. “Thailand has progressed quickly in the past years and has the best market position in Southeast Asia to date,” said Ferruccio Bellina, president of the Italian Wire Machinery Manufacturers Association (ACIMAF). Dr. Kurt Eder, president of the Austrian Wire & Cable Machinery Manufacturers Association (AWCMA), said that the trade fairs attracted high quality visitors and the right target audience: “We were very impressed by the international origin of visitors, with industry professionals coming from as far as Australia.” And Dr. Gerhard Bartz,

Organizers report that attendance for wire Southeast Asia and the concurrent Tube event topped 5,300.

Al Kozlowski, Parmount Die Co., Inc., explains his company’s technology to wire Southeast Asia attendees.

32 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Industry representatives at the opening ceremony for wire Southeast Asia.

EVENT WRAPUP Activity at the Beta LaserMike booth at wire Southeast Asia.

From l-r at the Wire & Plastic Machinery booth: Rishi Narang, Vinny, a booth hostess, Greg Malcervelli and Rahul Sachdev.

president of the German Wire and Cable Machine Manufacturers Association (VDKM), said that “wire and Tube Southeast ASIA have proven their status as the leading regional events for the wire, cable, tube and pipe industries, with highly increased number of foreign visitors from all over Asia.”

Gernot Ringling, managing director of Messe Düsseldorf Asia, said in the release that the results were very pleasing, both for the double-digit growth as well as the quality of the visitor turnout and exhibiting companies. The results, he said, exceeded expectations, proving “that business in the wire, cable, tube and pipe sectors in the region is expanding strongly, driven by continued economic growth in Thailand and the Southeast Asian region.”

Four exhibitors told WJI that they found the event worthwhile.

Nicholas Chua, service and support manager for Southeast Asia for U.S.-based Beta LaserMike, said there were three goals going into the conference. “First of all, we wanted to get a concrete feel for the Southeast Asia region, meaning that we wanted to know what factors were influencing demand for precision, non-contact measurement systems in this fast growing marketplace. Second, we wanted to start testing the business environment for Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam and other countries to better understand how non-contact measurement technology and Beta LaserMike is perceived there. Finally, we wanted to know if this market is ready to invest. The event was very successful. We had numerous companies stop by. At times, we had teams of visitors consulting our market specialists about specific measurement challenges, and we were very pleased with the number and quality of leads we received. We had some great opportunities which we feel will turn into real projects.”

Al Kozlowski, international sales manager for U.S.based Paramount Die Co., Inc., described the show as being fantastic for his company. “We have a lot of interest in our product. We met with many customers from all over Southeast Asia. This is new technology for this area and there was a very positive response to our presentations. I

will be doing a follow-up visit to this area for trials in November.

Rahul Sachdev, executive vice president, U.S.-based Wire & Plastic Machinery Corp., said that he was pleasantly surprised with attendance. “We had more visitors to our booth this time and had meaningful discussions with customers that had capital projects in the pipeline. We had considerable interest in our offering as more customers these days seriously consider the option of purchasing high quality second-hand equipment. Not only did we see potential customers from the ASEAN region, there were quite a few visitors from India and some from the Middle East. Despite soft economic conditions, I hope to see some orders from this region over the next few months as this part of the world is poised to grow at a faster rate than the developed world economies. I would say that overall we were pleased with our participation as we made several new contacts and picked up another agent for the region.

Steve Mepsted, managing director of U.K.-based PWM, also reported solid activity. “Visitor quantity and quality at the show were both up from 2009, and we received a good number of serious enquiries about our cold welders, mainly from wire and cable manufacturers looking for an alternative to electrical welding. Due to the high price of copper, manufacturers are increasingly interested in high-quality machines that perform consistently and reduce material wastage to a minimum. Southeast Asia continues to be an important market for us and we were pleased...to meet existing customers and make new contacts.”

Representing a group of Chinese exhibitors, Wu Lianshe, senior economist of the Metallurgical Council of China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (MCCCPIT), described the two events in the release as “the biggest and most important exhibitions for the steel and wire industries in Southeast Asia.”

The next staging of wire/Tube Southeast ASIA will take place from September 17-19, 2013, in Bangkok.

For further information on visiting or exhibiting, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America at tel. 312-781-5180, info@mdna.com, www.mdna.com. ■

NOVEMBER 2011 | 33

FEATURE

Green Focus: managing waste his feature, the third of three Green Focus stories in 2011, looks at managing

T

waste, a topic that either directly or indirectly matters to any wire and cable

company, from incoming materials to shipment of finished goods. The subject is as encompassing as the elements that go into production, as reflected in the “All Green” Product section that starts on p. 62. Below, a range of companies discuss what they are doing and why.

Champlain Cable: a cross-company effort U.S.-based Champlain Cable Corporation is a leading designer and manufacturer of high performance wire and cable. Below, Roberta Rocheleau, the company’s document/environmental coordinator, discusses the scope of activities pursued at the Colchester, Vermont, plant.

Champlain Cable has been active in a wide range of areas that cover just about every aspect of its operations.

The company was already ISO 9000 registered, and our commitment to continual improvement led to us becoming ISO 14001 registered in 2003. A cross functional team assessed the impacts and aspects our processes had on the environment. Flow charts were developed; assessments were made as to where we could modify our processes to lessen the impact on the environment. We set up an Environmental Management System (EMS) that piggybacked off the QMS documentation, and proved to be effective in many of the projects, outlined below, that we have accomplished over the last six to seven years.

34 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Water Usage. The first modification made was the installation of closed-loop water systems on the 13 extrusion lines and a chiller for our electron beam accelerators.

Prior to this, our water usage was 3,000,000 to 4,000,000 gallons per month; following the project our water usage averages 104,000 gallons per month. Besides conserving a natural resource, we were able to close out our National Pollution Discharge Elimination Permit System (NPDES), which eliminated one of our regulatory liabilities. By consuming less water, we lessened the cause of unnecessary chemicals entering the atmosphere as the water was potable water, where the main chemical used is chlorine for disinfection. The financial savings amounted to approximately $11,000 a year as well as well as the time saved by reduced paperwork/record keeping.

Electrical usage. Another heavy hitter was the electrical consumption. The manufacturing floor used metal halide lamps for lighting. A consulting company was hired to assess our lighting and provide an alternative. The metal halide lighting in the production area was replaced with high resolution fluorescent lights with electronic ballasts.

Champlain Cable Corporation’s Roberta Rocheleau, docment/environmental coordinator.

The initial total project cost was $147,611.16, but we got $60,000 of that from an Efficiency Vermont program. The estimated annual savings are more than $44,000, so our investment return was approximately two years.

Further electric savings came last year from installing a new 75 HP variable-speed, energy-efficient compressor that replaced a 16-year-old, single-speed compressor.

The initial cost of the project was $40,000, and we got a $12,500 grant from Efficiency Vermont, so the final cost was $27,500. The new compressor will reduce electrical usage by 134,000 KWh/year, reducing our carbon footprint by 198,320 lb/year. The estimated savings is $9,000 and the investment return is about three years.

Air Emissions. Eight new inkjet printers were purchased to replace older models. The new printers emitted 1/3 less volatile organics than the old ones. The printer heads could only be cleaned with a MEK-moistened Kem Wipe, so there was no more “squirting” solvent, which reduced the amount of solvent that was used. This also reduced the amount of flammable solids hazardous waste being generated that went into 55-gallon drums for disposal at $315 a drum. Flammable solids went from 496 lb/year to 350 lb/year.

To further reduce our air emissions, we moved our hazardous waste storage area inside the main facility, reduc-

Stripping cables to their basic elements remains a goal that is easier said than done Per the Copper Development Association, No. 12 (AWG) copper wire is the most common size used for branch circuit wiring in buildings, and the amount of copper products consumed in the U.S. in a recent past year would make a size 12 wire that could encircle the earth 2,630 times or make 140 round trips to the moon.

All of which would seem to make it a big plus to recycle all copper wire, especially based on its high scrap value, but for some cable products it just doesn’t work out well. While great strides have been achieved over the years in the percentage of steel and aluminum that are recycled, the reality is that some cable types are limited by their inherent design focus.

Pete Doyon, vice president of product management for Schleuniger, Inc., explained that some cable is not simple to strip because the foremost goal for wire insulation is to meet the electrical and environmental requirements for the particular application. “So, less emphasis, if any, is placed on strippability,” he said.

Good intentions have made the process more challenging, Doyon said. “There's more emphasis on using wire insulations that are halogen-free, which are less toxic to humans and less corrosive to electronics if they were to catch on fire.

However, these insulation types are typically even more difficult to strip than conventional PVC Schleuniger’s UniStrip 2300 insulations.” model for stripping cable.

That said, stripper technology has continued to improve over the years, and the problems with stripping halogen-free wire can be overcome by using precision stripping equipment that is very repeatable, said Doyon, noting that special radius or die blades must be used instead of universal V blades for very difficult to strip wires.

Newer machines have made the process much easier, Doyon said, citing Schleuniger’s UniStrip 2300 as an example. He said that the fully programmable benchtop wire stripper features a color touchscreen user interface and can strip wires from 10- 2 AWG, without changing blades.

Some of the advanced features, he said, include programmable wayback (to prevent nicking or scraping), re-cut (for perfect strip lengths) and multiple step stripping (for difficult to strip wire) just to name a few.

For more details on the company’s line of stripping equipment, go to www.schleuniger-na.com.

NOVEMBER 2011 | 35

FEATURE

The stockroom area and cafeteria lighting also have motion sensors as these areas are not in continual use.

Prior to this project, we used approximately 970,000 KWh/year. Through our overall efforts, which include the above measures, we use approximately 502,000 KWh resulting in a reduction of about 467,000 KWh per year (48%). That amount of electricity that did not have to be generated would have resulted in 691,000 lb of carbon emissions, nearly 7,500 lb in sulfur emissions and nearly 3,300 lb in nitrogen emissions. The reduction is equivalent to removing 69 cars from the road or planting 95 acres of trees. The project was also very cost-effective.

FEATURE

ing the need for a separate source of propane fired heat.

Our total air emissions went from 6.69 tons/yr in 2005 to 2.18 tons/yr in 2010. A new product required the use of oil mist, and as a preventive measure we installed a mist master, thereby capturing the fugitive mist and recycling it.

Paper Usage. To reduce our paper use, all of the QMS, EMS, engineering change orders, department Standard Operating Procedures and revision records have been converted to electronic versions and are available to all employees via our intranet site.

Facility. We reduced our cleaning materials to just three “Green Seal” products bought in concentrate form and dispensed from a station. This eliminated the 32-ounce plastic bottles that were used by staff and disposed of.

Nearly 100% of our compound purgings go to a recycling facility where it is ground up and used for other products. That’s approximately 2,500 lb a month not going into the landfill. The same company takes the scrap conductor, scrap metal and wire as well.

In 2009, we initiated a more vigorous recycling program. In addition to recycling paper and cardboard, we included all our shrink-film, Gaylord plastic liners, FEP compound plastic bags, broken pallets and plastic banding. This reduced the amount of material going into the landfill from 10 tons/month by nearly 50%.

To better serve the customer base and address expan-

sion issues, our warehouse in El Paso was converted into a manufacturing facility to be closer to our end user. We removed three tractor trailer trucks a week off the road, the annual equivalent of more than 95,000 lb of carbon emissions and 9,500 lb of hydrocarbon emissions.

Not all of our projects were successful. We tried replacing the petroleum base oil used on the braiders with soybased oil. Unfortunately, it could not stand up the heat caused by the friction. Also, we first tried regrinding purgings, but that did not work as there was too much conductor contamination.

The fiber drums we buy are 100% virgin material, but the material comes from a Certified Sustainable forest.

With a slight modification, we ship some spools to our customers with spools that we receive our materials on.

Finally, this year we started a composting program. In 2010 we were recognized as an environmental leader by the Vermont Small Business Development Center, and in June 2011 we received a Governor’s Award for our environmental achievements.

“Not every project is big or impressive, but collectively we believe that over the years Champlain Cable has been a very responsible business, one that cares about its customers, employees and community,” Rocheleau said. “We also have done this as part of a good business plan, saving money, which allows us to look into further steps.”

General Cable’s ongoing ‘War on Waste’

“At the manufacturing level, our associates have made great strides to conserve natural resources such as water, oil and gas, and comply with environmental regulations through investments that save us hundreds of thousands of dollars annually,” said Mark Thackeray, Senior Vice President, North American Operations. “We feel it is vital to our growth and sustainability that we consistently work to decrease our carbon footprint.”

Recently, General Cable’s manufacturing teams have concentrated their ongoing War on Waste in seven key areas: lighting replacement; air circulation; reducing electricity usage; natural gas reduction; recycling; waste reduction; and environmental compliance. For example, over the last decade there have been substantial developments in lighting fixtures that have made them more energy efficient and environmentally friendly. Several of the company’s manufacturing facilities have moved forward with large scale lighting replacements, and have consequently helped reduce their carbon footprint and energy usage. General Cable’s Jackson, Tennessee plant installed new high-bay fluorescent light fixtures, which resulted in a 53% energy reduction while providing a brighter and safer work environment for associates.

General Cable’s facilities, by nature, produce a lot of heat during the manufacturing process. The addition of large fans has helped circulate this air to reduce heating costs in the winter, as well as keeping the plant floor cooler in the summer. At the same time, the company created a more

U.S.-based General Cable Corporation is a global leader in the development, design, manufacture, marketing and distribution of copper, aluminum and fiber optic wire and cable products for the energy, industrial, specialty and communications markets. Below, the company outlines its approach to green issues such as managing waste.

As a global leader in the wire and cable industry, General Cable recognizes that its business has an impact on the environment, and to reduce this impact, the company incorporates responsible “Lean-Green” practices into its daily business operations around the world.

At General Cable, preserving the environment through the reduction of energy consumption, the elimination of or substantial decrease in the use of hazardous materials and recycling has been part of its continuous improvement culture since it started its Lean journey a decade ago. All of the company’s plants have facility-specific waste reduction objectives, addressing areas such as energy usage, Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHGEs), water usage, recycling, and waste and packaging reduction. Teams of General Cable associates deploy Lean manufacturing processes every day in an effort to consume less energy and fewer raw materials while still maintaining the highest level of quality that satisfies their customers’ needs and delivers maximum value.

36 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Alpha Wire: a sustainable product focus U.S.-based Alpha Wire manufactures wire, multi-conductor cables, tubing and related products for electronic and electrical markets. Below, Alpha Wire Corporate Marketing Specialist Kaitlin Janne explains why the company has focused on developing effective “green” products, a direction that she said has helped the company as a business while contributing to efforts to reduce the amount of halogen materials being used by industry.

When “green” products and technology became an increased focus in the marketplace for both design engineers and consumers, Alpha Wire wanted to lead the way in supporting efforts for sustainable designs. A large amount of wire and cable contains PVC insulation that can present environmental issues due to its halogen content. Halogens, when burned, can release toxic gases, smoke and acids into the environment.

We knew we could provide a high-quality product that would serve as a recyclable alternative to PVC hook-up wire yet not sacrifice performance. In November 2009, Alpha Wire introduced EcoWire™ to the market with a

FEATURE

comfortable work environment for their associates. As utility costs rise globally, General Cable continually looks for opportunities to make small but impactful differences in its energy consumption. In one plant, an old water chiller was replaced with a unit that utilizes a more environmentallyfriendly refrigerant and has decreased energy usage, pushing General Cable’s efforts of social responsibility forward once again.

Proper utilization of natural resources is a key driver in social responsibility and sustainability. General Cable strives to continually innovate the way it saves and impacts the environment. For example, the company replaced natural gas heaters in its Lincoln, Rhode Island plant, which improved energy efficiency and eliminated the need for propane in the plant.

It is a natural continuation of General Cable’s “LeanGreen” mindset to consider waste reduction a crucial part of its social responsibility. Therefore, the company has comprehensive recycling and conservation programs in place to reduce, reuse and recycle the materials used to manufacture and deliver its wire and cable products. Extensive Lean initiatives have been implemented to minimize waste, and all of the copper and aluminum contents in all scrap wire and cable are recycled. Compound re-use is another recycling initiative. Scrap jackets are reground and reintroduced into the manufacturing process. Other materials being recycled include paper, cardboard, shrink-wrap, empty cans, and all other non-metal waste.

“As a leader in the industry, it is our responsibility to set an example for environmental standards and corporate compliance to governmental regulations,” said Michael Sharkey,

A before and after shot showing the improvements brought by new lighting at a General Cable plant.

Director, Environmental, Health & Safety for General Cable North America. “With phased projects, our plants can move in a direction aligning with these standards.”

“For many years, General Cable has been committed to meeting or exceeding environmental and safety regulations worldwide,” Thackeray said. “We continually strive to reduce our environmental impact and to respect and protect the environments where we live and work, from our local neighborhoods to the entire planet. We applaud and encourage the efforts of all our associates throughout our facilities who support our continued commitment to be an environmentally conscious company.”

simple goal: to give design engineers an option when specifying wire that minimized its environmental impact and also provided the same performance as traditional PVC hook-up wire. Since then they have seen tremendous demand for the product, coupled with very positive feedback from their customers.

EcoWire uses a modified polyphenylene ether (mPPE) insulation that is inherently lighter, tougher and more durable than PVC insulation. And because it contains no halogens, phthalates, or heavy metals, it meets RoHS and WEEE requirements. Those characteristics make EcoWire 100% recyclable while also allowing a reduced wall thickness that provides better dielectric properties than PVC hook-up wire with up to a 45% smaller OD. Based on our success with EcoWire, we launched EcoWire™ Plus in September, which provides all the benefits of the original EcoWire and improved fluid resistance for industrial applications. Alpha Wire’s commitment to providing high-performance quality products that offer environmentally friendly options is sure to remain a priority for the future.

The biggest challenge we have found with manufacturing green products is finding materials that can meet the

NOVEMBER 2011 | 37

FEATURE

temperature, tensile, elongation, dielectric and flame retardant requirements without using halogen or heavy metal additives. For UL and CSA approvals, cables have to pass numerous tests and it took some trial and error to find “green” materials that could meet these stringent requirements. Additionally, there was a learning curve that came with running these new types of environmentally friendly materials.

Sales of the EcoWire product lines are expected to increase due to a larger consumer awareness of the benefits of using environmentally friendly products.

Additionally, using halogen-free products provides benefits for companies that need to comply with the increasing number of regulations and directives, like ROHS, Reach and WEEE. While this premium wire does cost marginally more than standard hook-up-wire, the benefits greatly outweigh the costs. Customers have been willing to pay the premium when the tradeoff includes a smaller diameter, decreased weight, and various ecological benefits.

At Alpha Wire, we understand the importance of improv-

Johnstown Wire: we’ve invested in tech, the environment and good business practices Johnstown Wire Technologies, located in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, USA, a leading producer of high-quality cold heading, spring wire, electro-galvanized and aluminized wire, recently announced the installation of a new state-of-the-art clean-and-coat line in its production facility. Total investment for the upgrade is roughly $2.5 million and will offer improved quality and extensive environmental controls. The company plans to have the new clean-and-coat line fully operational by early 2012.

The company discussed its actions with WJI.

From l-r at Johnstown Wire Technologies are Jason Giebfried, production supervisor, Mark Kishlock, project engineer, Eric Ferpas, project engineer/operations manager, and Ted McClucas, maintenance manager, who were among those key to planning the company’s new cleanand-coat line. Photo courtesy of Johnstown Wire.

38 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Alpha Wire’s EcoWire™, developed as a “green” alternative to PVC hook-up wire. ing performance characteristics while developing new products that have less of an environmental impact. All too often products that are considered ‘green’ are given a pass for lower performance due to their reduced environmental impact. Alpha Wire is committed to combining increased performance with less environmental impact, and that is what we feel sets us apart from the competition.

WJI: Why is Johnstown Wire making this significant investment for a new clean-and-coat line? Was it strictly based on production capability, or did environmental aspects also play a role?

Johnstown Wire: The environmental aspects of the project are every bit as important to Johnstown Wire as the production capability. The line being replaced is many years old, and wasn’t designed with environmental controls as a high priority. The new line will be able to clean and coat larger payloads, which will allow us to anneal larger coils and thereby reduce costs. It will be equipped with an in-line drying tub that will reduce inter-strand rust on the coils and have two cranes that allow for both automated and manual operation. The cranes, by either manual or automated action, will have the capability to roll the coils during the clean and coat process to offer a better clean and prevent inter-strand rust. The clean-andcoat line is also equipped with a scrubber that will provide vastly improved fume controls that will reduce the amount of emissions into the atmosphere, creating a much improved working environment for the employees.

WJI: What other advantages does the new line offer?

Johnstown Wire: All crane motions will have computer control capability. Improved software from Adroit will allow us to better use our acid to clean the steel, and allow us to have less solution dragged from tub to tub than our current manual line. This will prolong acid life, as much as 20%, and result in a less frequent need to dump the acid tubs, which means less waste. The new line will also make a big difference in water use. Our current manual cleaning house uses approximately 450 gallons of water per minute. The new automated cleaning house will only use about 200 gallons per minute. The

Johnstown Wire: Environmental impacts are undoubtedly something that every successful company should, and needs to consider. We certainly hope that our customers view the value in our products not only being the superior quality, but also that our products are provided with the least impact to the environment. To support this, we have already seen an increase of customer interest in our housekeeping, 5S, and environmental standards within our plant. We believe that the “green” aspect of this project will provide an improved environment for our employees, improved products for our customers, and a positive impact on the environment as a whole.

WJI: Do you think your customer base cares?

Encore Wire: a steward of the environment At Encore Wire Corporation, we understand our responsibility as a steward of the environment. We are committed to the use of technology and work practices that safeguard the environment with low impact and high sustainability, while maintaining the highest standards for product quality. We strive to minimize our environmental “footprint” through a multi-prong approach which includes recycling and reuse, pollution control technolo-

gy, energy efficiency, and product development. Our philosophy of continuous improvement includes the consideration of the environment in our business strategy.

Encore Wire’s commitment to the continuous development of sustainable operations is exhibited in our new 13,000 sq. ft. Research & Development Center. The R&D Center has received LEED-certification at the highest level (Platinum). Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) is an internationally recognized green (continued on p. 42)

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NOVEMBER 2011 | 39

FEATURE

new line will also have yokes which are more than twice as long as the existing manual line, and this will allow us to spread out the coils further for better cleaning and coating. The new line’s design will make it much easier for us to stay in compliance with all of our permit limits and result in an even better workplace for our people, but it’s also good business sense as there will be less need for re-cleaning of coils and also allow for larger coils to be cleaned at one time.

The ability to produce larger coils will offer cost savings throughout the entire mill.

You’ll have to This open forum features new ways to advance your plant processing techniques:

go to Texas

Manufacturing innovations

Focus on materials

to find a more

Good news about plant efficiencies

expansive

Problem solving Q&A Government regulations & industry standards

workspace.

Field training, expert round-up sessions

9

I N T R O D U C I N G :

WAI OPERATIONS SUMMIT wire expo 2012 ~ a wire & cable industry solution center ~

Exhibition: May 22-23, 2012 Omni Dallas Hotel | Dallas, Texas, USA

Learn more at: www.wirenet.org

How safety affects the bottom line Group luncheon & networking Accolades to WAI award winners Work-related fun, southern style

Wire Expo 2012 is organized by The Wire Association International, Inc. 1570 Boston Post Road | P.O. Box 578 | Guilford, CT 06437-0578 USA | Telephone: (001) 203-453-2777 | Fax: (001) 203-453-8384 | www.wirenet.org

9

WAI OPERATIONS SUMMIT

wire expo 2012

~ a wire & cable industry solution center ~

LIST OF EXHIBITORS As of October 2011 Ace Metal Inc.

W. Gillies Technologies LLC

Refractron Technologies Corp.

AIM Inc.

Guill Tool & Engineering Co.

RichardsApex Inc.

Amacoil Inc.

Heany Industries Inc.

Rosendahl Maschinen GmbH

Amaral Automation Associates

Heatbath Corp.

Roteq Machinery Inc.

Anbao Wire & Mesh Co. Ltd.

Heritage Wire Die Inc.

SAMP USA Inc.

AXIS Computer Systems Inc.

IDEAL Welding Systems

SIKORA International Corp.

Aztech Lubricants LLC

KEIR Manufacturing Inc.

SIMPACKS

B & H Tool Co. Inc.

LaserLinc Inc.

Sivaco Wire Group

Balloffet Die Corp.

Leggett & Platt Wire Group

Sonoco Reels

Bartell Machinery Systems LLC

LEONI Wire Inc.

Stolberger Inc. dba Wardwell Braiding

Beta LaserMike

Lesmo Machinery America Inc.

T & T Marketing Inc.

Brookfield Wire Co.

Lloyd & Bouvier Inc.

Talladega Machinery & Supply

Carris Reels Inc.

Magnetic Technologies Ltd.

Taubensee Steel & Wire Co.

Cemanco LC

Mathiasen Machinery Inc.

Teknikor

Clinton Instrument Co.

MGS Manufacturing Inc.

Tri Star Metals

Commission Brokers Inc.

Micro Products Co.

Tubular Products Co.

Condat

Morgan-Koch Corp.

US Synthetic Wire Die

Conneaut Industries Inc.

Mossberg Associates Inc.

Vandor Corp.

Cortinovis Machinery America Inc.

Niagara Composites Industries Inc.

Vollmer America Inc

Davis-Standard LLC

Niehoff Endex North America Inc.

Wafios Machinery Corp.

Die Quip Corp.

Oklahoma Steel & Wire

Weber & Scher Mfg. Co. Inc.

Engineered Machinery Group Inc.

Paramount Die Co.

Windak Inc.

ERA Wire Inc.

Parkway-Kew Corp.

Wire & Cable Technology International

Esteves Group USA

Phifer Wire Inc.

Wire & Plastic Machinery Corp.

Eurolls Group/Eurolls SpA

Pittsfield Plastics Engineering Inc.

The Wire Association International, Inc.

Fabritex Inc.

Polytec Inc.

Wire Lab Co.

Filtertech Inc.

Power Sonics LLC

Wire Journal International

FLYMCA & FLYRO

Precision Die Technologies Inc.

Wire Machine Systems Inc.

FMS USA Inc.

PrintSafe

Witels Albert USA Ltd.

Foerster Instruments Inc.

Properzi International Inc.

Woodburn Diamond Die Inc.

Fort Wayne Wire Die Inc.

Queins & Co. GmbH

Yield Management Corp.

Gauder Group Inc.

Radyne Corp.

Zumbach Electronics Corp.

Gem Gravure Co. Inc.

Rainbow Rubber & Plastics

Genca/Canterbury Engineering

Reel-O-Matic Inc.

FEATURE Encore Wire Corporation staffers in front of the company’s LEED certified R&D facility.

building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building was designed utilizing sustainable engineering practices. The LEED program was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

As part of our product development environmental goals, lead has been eliminated as an ingredient in our wire insulation. A green alternative to cleaning solvents is used in general plant cleanup operations.

Pollution control technologies are incorporated through-

out our process operations to minimize air and wastewater releases from the property. Air emissions from dust intensive activities are minimized through the use of addon pollution control devices. A major voluntary air pollution control project was implemented in 2009 with the installation of a baghouse system to filter the exhaust from the copper melting furnace.

Water recycle/reuse is designed into all water-using processes. In March 2008, a recycling project was voluntarily instituted which eliminated the discharge of the facility’s copper rod casting wastewater. The facility approached zero discharge of process wastewaters with the startup of new wastewater evaporator systems in the first quarter of 2009. Since early 2010, Encore Wire has experienced a drastic reduction in cooling water makeup through the development of a special water chemistry which maintains metals in solution for prolonged periods of time thereby decreasing the frequency of blowdown.

On a day-to-day operational basis, Encore Wire utilizes an aggressive recycle and reuse program, along with waste minimization practices. Energy efficient burner systems and lighting are in place. The bulk of scrap materials and wastes are routinely recycled. Internally generated and purchased wire scrap is routed through an onsite sorting/baling line or “chopping” process to recover scrap components. The reclaimed copper is reused as feedstock

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42 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Southwire Company: the idea was to take a deliberate green path to sustainability Since the very first order of wire Southwire produced in March 1950, we look forward years—even generations— and not months when making key decisions. Our success in inextricably linked to building a more sustainable company. If we’re not in business, all focus on quality, customer service, environmental responsibility and community development means nothing.

Several years ago, we charted a roadmap, a set of tough goals to guide us on the journey to a more sustainable Southwire. Chief among those was a desire to grow green. We did not seek to go green all at once. Rather, we wove environmental responsibility into our overall plan for growth.

Southwire’s recycling efforts extend to aluminum cans.

Staffers Sue Johnston and Joel Dicks consolidate aluminum cans at one of the company’s recycling centers.

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NOVEMBER 2011 | 43

FEATURE

material, and the plastic is sold.

Copper scrap in many other forms (mud, skulls, scale, fines, filter paper) is generated on a regular basis and is collected and sold to recyclers. Plastic and nylon scrap (chunks and strippings) produced in the Wire Plants and Plastic Mill is recycled in these plants or sold. Scrap resulting from other metals use (aluminum and steel cable production, structural steel, miscellaneous steel components) is accumulated and sent to recyclers. Plastic, steel, and wooden reels are continuously reused in production. Purchased plastic reels include recycled plastic.

Damaged wooden reels are repaired offsite and returned.

A variety of other wastes which are generated from core and ancillary activities are sent to recycling facilities and include shrink wrap packaging film, lamps, batteries, electronic waste, oil, oily water, wooden pallets, spent ink and parts washer solvents, cardboard, and paper.

As Encore Wire Corporation grows, we will continue to evaluate sustainability on a project-by-project basis and will remain committed to our environmental protection efforts.

FEATURE

Copper: an eons-old recycling success story Copper has been used for more than 10,000 years, and according to the International Copper Assocation (ICA), 80% of all copper ever mined is still in existence, likely used over and over and over for various products.

Copper product life can vary greatly, from a few years for electronic devices to electrical cable and water pipes that can last several decades to roofing and other architectural copper products that can last more than a century.

Per the Copper Development Association, the world’s known copper resources are estimated at nearly 5.8 trillion pounds, of which only about 12% has been mined. It notes that nearly all that copper is still in circulation, because its recycling rate is higher than that of any other engineering metal. Further, each year in the U.S., nearly as much copper is recovered from recycled material as is derived from newly mined ore.

The building construction industry uses about 40% of the copper in the U.S., with residential construction accounting some two-thirds of the market. There are roughly 195 lb

In terms of success, copper represents one of recycling’s superstars. of copper electrical wire in the average new home built in 2010, a figure that does not include copper wiring for home appliances, plumbing and air-conditioning systems.

According to the International Copper Association, the purest copper is used for the most critical of electrical applications, such as the production of fine and superfine enamelled wires. Since the applied enamel layers are thin but have to withstand voltage, they must have no surface flaws; consequently the basis copper wire must have an excellent surface quality. Copper used for power cables is also drawn from high conductivity rod but to a thicker size than fine wires, while electrical uses of copper, including power transmission and generation, building wiring, telecommunication, and electrical and electronic products, account for about three quarters of total copper use. Building construction is the single largest market, followed by electronics and electronic products, transportation, industrial machinery, and consumer and general products.

44 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Knowing the elimination of waste played a crucial role in growing green, we set the ambitious goal of becoming zero landfill by 2017, a 10-year time frame. Not only did we strive to reduce waste, but we sought to reduce cost and risk as well. That’s a big goal requiring support and commitment from every employee—every day—from product development to the plant floor to shipping.

We started with simple changes, putting a strong emphasis on waste reduction. Employees formed teams.

They bought into the process fully and made it part of their daily jobs. They searched entire operations and found ways to reduce waste. They set up internal recycling centers – including bins in our parking lots that allow people to bring in recyclables from home – and found local and regional partners to take our waste. We partnered with Keep Carroll Beautiful on a community electronics recycling drive, something we now do twice a year.

To track our progress, we now keep monthly scorecards and prepare quarterly reports, which our board of directors review. Each year, we publish updates for our external stakeholders, including customers, suppliers, government representatives and our friends and neighbors in the communities where we have operations.

To date, we have cut the amount of waste we send to landfills by 71 percent from a baseline set in 2007. We’re quite proud of that accomplishment, especially as Southwire has grown by nearly 20 percent during the same period. Six of our facilities have become zero landfill and others continue moving closer to that goal.

Not all of our efforts have produced the +same level of success. In fact, we’ve had to adjust goals in some areas.

Another key sustainability objective was reducing our carbon footprint by 10 percent by 2010. We met that goal – actually reducing our footprint by 13 percent. However, we became less efficient and actually increased our carbon intensity. Now we are working to improve energy efficiency by 10 percent by 2020.

Reels & spools One area that, depending on the application, lends itself to recycling, is moving of product via reels and spools.

Below, WJI posed the same questions to two industry suppliers about their business practices.

Carris Reels: recycling a key component: WJI: How large a role does recycling play in your business today? Has that role become more important over the years? Has it become an integral component versus an “added service”?

WJI: Where have you seen the best results and what aspects of this are most challenging (i.e., transportation, logistics, etc.) ?

Carris: The varied specifications among cable companies present the single largest challenge. If we can evolve to a set of common specs across the largest cables producers, we would have an opportunity to minimize transportation and logistics. The most successful situations are those where customers truly partner with their customers and their vendors. We define this as “closing the loop.”

We will partner with end users to ensure a steady flow of material, a true win-win.

WJI: Do you think customers really care?

Carris: Many customers care about recycling but economics will always dictate the level of enthusiasm and participation.

Public awareness has grown and new solutions have been found. For example, wind farm developers must get the reels off the sites. Mobile crews are going into the field to break down reels, repackage and return for re-use.

WJI: In your own production processes, what has your company accomplished in terms of reducing waste (meaning anything that has to go to landfill)?

Carris: 100% of our wood waste is reused – the lowest value for waste is generation of heat and co-generation of electricity. The higher waste values are in shavings for horse farms and animal bedding as well as material for particle board plants. Our highest priority is to reduce waste which translates to maximizing lumber and plywood yields.

Harold Stotland, president of J. Hamelin Industries, which has partnered with Carris Reels in Canada.

Our partner in Canada, J. Hamelin Industries, receives approximately 50,000 reels annually back from the end users of wire and cable in Canada. Of these, roughly 20% are deemed scrap and no longer usable for shipping cables. However, these reels are dismantled and the components are recycled in various ways: flanges are used for fiber board or cogen, staves can be reused and some steel can be re-used.

The remaining 40,000 reels are repaired at two facilities in Canada. Reels are inspected, cleaned, tightened and any damaged boards are replaced. Repair costs vary by size of reel and extent of damage. Freight costs both inbound and back to the plants bring total costs to between 45-70%.

Continuous Casting Technology

Advancing Metals Technology

www.rautomead.com

www.rautomead.com

Rautomead Limited PO Box 100, Dundee, DD1 9QY Scotland, UK

Tel: +44 (0)1382 622341 Fax: +44 (0)1382 622941 email: sales@rautomead.com

Rautomead Limited PO Box 100, Dundee, DD1 9QY Scotland, UK

Tel: +44 (0)1382 622341 Fax: +44 (0)1382 622941 email: sales@rautomead.com

NOVEMBER 2011 | 45

FEATURE

Carris: Over the past 10 years, reel recycling in the U.S. has migrated from “it would be nice” to a more critical component in customer expectation. In the early years the end user of wire and cable (utilities for instance) began to seek help in disposal of used reels. The wire and cable producers came to the reel manufacturers for help.

Over the years both the cable producers as well as utilities have overcome the appearance differences of new vs. used – even when mixed on a given load. As more recycled reels were in the market, the reluctant (hold out) producers were willing to open their arms to reel recycling.

Recycling has become a requirement when meeting customers’ expectations. Specific volume objectives are in place with customers, ensuring diligence on both the sourcing side as well as the recycling side.

FEATURE

Sonoco: recycling is part of the culture WJI: How large a role does recycling play in Sonoco’s business today? Has it become an integral component versus an “added service”?

Sonoco: Reel recycling has been a key component in how well Sonoco has served its wire and cable customers since the program’s inception back in 1991. It started as a way for us to help our customers better serve their customers. The EcoReelTM recycling program is yet another manifestation of a corporate culture at Sonoco which encourages all divisions to develop and support sustainable packaging solutions.

Editor’s note: see p. 62 for more details on Sonoco’s EcoReel recycling program.

used far away from that particular wire/cable manufacturer, the economic and environmental benefit of recycling is lessened significantly when they have to be shipped long distances for reuse.

WJI: Do you think customers really care?

Sonoco: Thanks to increased public pressure and awareness, many customers do care, especially in the energy sector. As both energy costs and “green” awareness increase, more and more companies are eagerly searching for ways to eliminate solid waste which will ultimately boost the bottom line. As we struggle to sate the world’s appetite for clean energy, it doesn’t hurt to do it in a cleaner way whenever we can.

WJI: In your own production processes, what has your company WJI: Where have you seen accomplished in terms the best results and what of reducing waste (anyaspects of this remain the thing that has to go to most challenging (i.e., translandfill)? portation, logistics, convincSonoco: As far as ing customers it’s worthwhile reels go, this summer to do this)? our Hartselle, Alabama, Sonoco: The best results wood reel facility began typically appear when reel producing wood fiber consumption and wire and plugs used in packaging cable manufacturing are both large rolls of paper. All in the same region. At no cost View of Sonoco reels in the recycled and unrestored condition. of the scrap wood left to the end user, Sonoco will from cutting round reel pick up a truckload of reels flanges and custom from utilities, contractors and length barrel staves (and distributors, our customers’ customers. When reel more) is used in making those plugs. Also, Sonoco turnover is quick and volume is high, the economics of Recycling, a company subsidiary, recently launched a breaking down, loading and transporting viable used reels Sonoco Sustainability Star Award program. It was created to a nearby Sonoco recycling center work to benefit all to give recognition to customers and Sonoco facilities for parties and the environment. If reels are allowed to deteriachieving significant milestones in landfill diversion and orate before a truckload can be accumulated, they cannot waste stream reduction. It is Sonoco’s goal to achieve be refurbished to like-new condition, and that makes landfill-free status at 10 percent of our plants by 2015. recycling impossible. As well, if special reels are being

46 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Investments in technology are not taken lightly, and U.S.-based Leggett & Platt has now teamed up twice with Acid Recovery Systems, Inc., to use its acid pickling technology, originally developed by Crown Technology, that processes spent acid and generates byproducts that are bought by Crown Technology, which further processes them into iron sulfate crystals that are then sold for use in water treatment plants, fertilizers and remediation of hexavalent chromium sites.

Talk about a win-win deal, but this story is not a new one for any of the parties, each of which provided the following information.

Leggett & Platt. U.S.-based Leggett & Platt has a history of recycling across its varied operations. The company uses significant amounts of recycled materials within its manufacturing processes, and many of its employee-partners have established recycling activities within their respective responsibility areas. Leggett’s waste stream management focuses on maximizing recycling and minimizing the need to landfill. Its operations use close to a half-million tons of recycled scrap steel each year. More than one million gallons of spent sulfuric acid from its operations are used per year by municipalities for wastewater treatment or converted into a fertilizer product.

Lubricant recovery systems have reduced the company’s lubricant requirements in its drawn wire operations by 25%; reducing annual landfill requirements over one-half million pounds.

A Leggett & Platt spokesman said that the technology, which it first used 13 years ago at its plant in Kouts, Indiana, provides a consistent iron and acid ratio and eliminates any liability of spilt pickle liquor by trucks.

“We eliminated the waste hauling expense and produce a product that we get paid for.” He added that the company may make further use of the technology in the future.

Acid Recovery Systems, Inc. Since 1984, Acid Recovery Systems, Inc. (ARSi), part of the Salof Companies, has been an ISO 9001 manufacturer of acid recycling facilities that help eliminate spent acid dumping and waste, while simultaneously creating a saleable co-product, which noted the following about industrial acid use.

A sulfuric acid-water mix remains the most effective way to remove scale from steel for demanding end-use products. The scale is removed when hydrogen gas is generated between the scale and the base metal as the acid solution penetrates open pores in the scale and chemically reacts. The removed scale slowly dissolves into the pickling solution. During the steel cleaning process, the sulfuric acid is converted into ferrous sulfate, water and hydrogen. Fresh sulfuric acid has to be periodically added to the pickling bath, but over time the amount of iron in the bath will reach a level where effective cleaning of additional steel is not possible and the ferrous sulfate starts to crystallize in the pickling tub.

“That’s where we come in,” said ARSi Vice President Bob Luhrs, who provided information on the following page about the company’s technology.

A view of the Acid Recovery Systems process.

NOVEMBER 2011 | 47

FEATURE

Investing for both increased productivity and ‘green’ pluses

FEATURE

“Our acid recovery system is largely based on technology developed in the 1970s by Crown Technology, which uses a patented closed-loop system design to create a controlled crystallization process. The system operates continuously by pumping a side stream of the high temperature (and iron) pickling acid solution from the pickling tub into a cross exchanger tank where it is cooled with low temperature (and iron) recovered acid solution which is being pumped back into the pickling tub through a special alloy coil located in the cross exchanger tank. From the cross exchanger tank, the pre-cooled pickling solution overflows into the crystallization tank where the acid is further cooled with direct contact mechanical refrigeration to approximately 32oF. As the acid is cooled, the iron precipitates out of the solution in the form of a ferrous sulfate heptahydrate crystal which is bluish-green in color and is similar in texture and particle size to common table sugar. The formed crystals are then removed from the solution with a centrifuge as the solution is pumped from the crystallization tank. The ferrous sulfate crystals are discharged from the centrifuge into a bag or into a containment area from which they are bulk shipped for direct third party use or further processing by value added companies such as Crown Technology.

“The pickling solution gravity drains from the centrifuge after the ferrous sulfate has been separated and pumped back to the cleaning process as mentioned above through the cross exchanger tank. The process has been refined over the past 40 years but the basic principal is unchanged and has been successfully used by over 70 processors world-wide in reducing their waste output.”

Crown Technology. The value that Crown Technology brings to the wire industry is over 65 years of pickling technology, purchasing iron sulfate from acid recovery systems, and then drying this for use in water treatment plants, fertilizers and remediation of hex chrome sites.

“Whenever a wire plant that acid cleans wire rods has a

Ferrous sulfate can transition from a pickling tank to the kitchen table, courtesy of technology developed by Joe Peterson, Crown Technology.

48 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

FEATURE Crown Technology founder and President Joe Peterson (c) with (l-r) sons, Brad Peterson, Miles Peterson, Scott Peterson and daughter Carrie Peterson Benko. pickling problem, they call Crown for help,” said Crown Technology President Joe Peterson. Particularly when they have over-pickling problems with 70/80/90 carbon rods, Crown Technology has developed acid additives that eliminate this condition, he said.

Peterson said that there is a shortage of iron sulfate in the U.S., and Crown purchases over 15,000 tons/year of recovered (moist) iron sulfate heptahydrate from the wire industry. There are only two companies in the U.S. that dry iron sulfate heptahydrate, and Crown dries the most U.S. produced iron, he said. By purchasing the iron sulfate moist crystals, “Crown helps the wire plant get a payback on their investment for the Acid Recovery System within about two years. This solves the liability of hauling hazardous waste acid across the highways and losing the valuable acid left in this waste. The recovery system also helps their quality of pickling and less time dumping tubs, as we normally have them put in a continuous system instead of the old style batch systems.”

Peterson said his company has a long-standing contract with Acid Recovery Systems to help sell the systems and purchase all the iron sulfate crystals generated by each unit. “All companies that generate iron sulfate from recovery systems sell to us or end users,” he said.

“Nobody pays to haul any iron sulfate away. It is a much needed commodity. The only environmental rules we have to follow are not to allow dust to escape from our drying operation.”

Peterson noted that his company also provides food grade iron sulfate as an iron supplement for rice and other foods for third-world countries. “We are the only U.S. producer of this iron sulfate monohydrate food grade.”

Looking back over what he and his company—which includes family members Brad Peterson, Scott Peterson, Miles Peterson and daughter Carrie Peterson Benko— have accomplished, Peterson observed, “After working more than 53 years at Crown Technology, I take great pride in knowing that the business, led by my children, will carry on the family tradition of providing great products and services for the steel industry. We have not only helped our customers, we have done our share to promote responsible use of chemicals for a safer, healthier world, and that makes all my hard work worthwhile.” ■

NOVEMBER 2011 | 49

TECHNICAL PAPERS

MORDICA LECTURE My 35 years of research on wiredrawing This recollection of advances in technology achieved during a lengthy career reinforces that academia and professional associations can provide industry and reflects the need for such research and development efforts to continue.

By Prof. Kazunari Yoshida

I would like to look back on my 35 years of researching wiredrawing. I first studied at the Department of Precision Mechanical Engineering at Tokai University and majored in machine engineering and plastic forming, then went on to graduate school. I was kindly taught by Professor Tanaka (see Fig. 1) from the beginning of my study until the time I finished my doctorate.

Professor Tanaka taught me not only the basics of plastic forming but also many things I needed to learn.

Fig. 1. Professor Tanaka (left), and the author with Prof. Avitzur (right).

He insisted that when carrying out a study, it is important to get to the crux of the matter without being pated in their studies with zeal, and wrote more than 200 influenced by trends. Therefore, he provided me with papers, resulting in many awards from academic societies opportunities to tour plants and have discussions with based both in and out of Japan. I have been a board memresearchers and workers in the field. The subject of my ber of the Japan Society for Technology of Plasticity, the doctoral thesis was cupping defects in copper wiredrawing.

Japan Copper and Brass Association, and the Iron and Steel At that time, however, research by Professor Avitzur (see Institute of Japan, and a chief editor of papers and a chairPhoto 1), an eminent researcher, was dominating this man of conferences. I am also proud to have served as secresearch field. I advanced my own study from a slightly retary of the Japan Wire Drawing Technical Committee for different viewpoint from that of Professor Avitzur. nearly three decades.

After receiving my doctorate degree in 1982, I took over In April 1995, I was given the opportunity to study in the Prof. Tanaka’s laboratory, where research on plastic formU.S. under Professor Avitzur at Lehigh University in the ing was being carried out. Since then, 300 graduate stuU.S. for one year. During that time, I relearned the upperdents, 39 graduates with a master’s degree and three docbound method and obtained experience in laboratory mantoral graduates have studied there. These students particiagement. After returning home, I was promoted to professor at Tokai University and was put in charge of its plasticforming laboratory. Since 1997, I have lectured three or four times a year at two universities in Thailand: King Editor’s Note: Mongkukkut’s of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT) and This presentation includes a limited number of King Mongkkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang (KMITL), and have conducted joint research with profesthe 35 figures. To request a PDF of the figures sors from these universities. In November 2009, I received as well as the references, send an e-mail to an honorary doctorate of engineering from KMUTT. editorial@wirenet.org.

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It is considered that the refining and drawing of nonferrous metals in Japan were first performed in 1590. Until the mid-twentieth century, Japanese wiredrawing technology lagged about 300 years behind that of European countries. In the earliest years, wire was drawn using the power of humans, horses or cows. Productivity showed a marked improvement when waterwheels began to be used for drawing around 1850. See Fig. 2. This marked the first step toward modern drawing technology. In the 1940s, it became possible to increase processing speed by applying an electric motor.

The present state of the Japanese wire industry is described by showing changes in the production of raw steel, steel wire and rods, which increased rapidly during the era of rapid economic growth, and peaked in 1973. See Fig. 3. After that, the growth in output stopped because of two oil shocks, the decline of the Japanese steel industry, high value of the Japanese yen, international monetary turmoil, and worldwide recession. Production output has remained at the same level for about 35 years.

The Japan Wire Drawing Technical Committee, which manages research on drawing, was founded in 1976. It has promoted university-industry partnerships that have led to advances in Japanese technologies. About 80 companies and about 20 universities are affiliated with this organization.

Japan can be proud of its excellent environment for carrying out combined research in material development and heat-treating techniques, as well as in processing technology. High-purity materials, high surface-quality wire rods, and cold drawing technologies have been developed by many Japanese researchers. Moreover, Japan is a world leader in production of wire ropes for suspension bridges as well as high-quality tire cords, super fine bonding wires and springs for valves.

Fig. 3. Output of crude steel and steel bar and wire rod in Japan.

My wiredrawing research Initial research on drawing and the contents of my Master’s thesis (1975-1977). The subject of my first study on drawing was to take measures of the uneven wall thickness that results when a tube was drawn. The deformation behavior of a tube wall was examined when it was drawn repeatedly by hollow sinking or mandrel drawing, and measures were considered to prevent the decrease in thickness of the uneven wall thickness. During this period, I read many textbooks, such as Plasticity by Hill, Engineering Plasticity by Johnson, et al., and Analysis of Metal Forming by Geleji, and learned a lot.

During my master’s course, I learned about the slab method, which forms the basis of plastic-forming theory, the slip-line method and the upper-bound method. I also studied the effects of the die angle and single-pass reduction in drawing on the plastic deformation area and the uniformity of deformation. At that time, there were few drawing studies that applied finite element method (FEM) analysis, but I attempted to use this method. The results derived from the theory were examined by comparison with those obtained by the recrystallization method, and it was verified that both results corresponded well with each other. Fig. 4 shows the results for the plastic deformation area after plate drawing by the recrystallization method, along with that derived from the slip-line method and FEM. On the basis of the fact that the size of recrystallized grains is correlated to the strain applied by drawing, I demonstrated that it is possible to estimate the degree of uniformity of deformation. I examined the effect of friction on the deformation area and hydrostatic pressure in plate drawing by using the slip-line method. The results are shown in Fig. 5. It was found that the larger the die angle and friction coefficient and the smaller the single-pass reduction, the more the hydrostatic pressure at the material center tends to become tensile stress.

Contents of my doctoral thesis (1978-1981)11-16. I studied cupping defects (inner cracks) in copper wiredrawing for my doctoral thesis. This well-known defect is also known as central bursting or chevron cracking. See Fig. 6. At that time, Avitzur’s study by the upper-bound method was the bestknown work. It clarified the die angle and single-pass reduction required for flaw-free copper wiredrawing.

In addition to the upper-bound method, I applied the slipline method and FEM to clarify the relationship between defects and conditions such as the die angle and singlepass reduction. The results, which are shown in Fig. 7, were compared with those of Avitzur’s study, and I found that they were in good agreement. See Fig. 8. However, industry was not satisfied with the demonstrated results because defects still occasionally occurred during the production process, even when the optimal die angle and single-pass reduction derived from the above theory were applied. I attempted to resolve this problem. In my subsequent study, I considered tough-pitch copper wire, and focused on its oxidation products, Cu2O. Then I studied the effects of the amount of oxygen in copper and the size of NOVEMBER 2011 | 51

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The history of Japanese wiredrawing research and technology

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Cu2O is required in copper from the viewpoint of wire mechanical properties. However, it was clarified that the larger the size of Cu2O, the more likely it is to become the origin of voids and wire breaks at its periphery during drawing. See Fig. 9.

I also performed FEM drawing process analysis on wires containing oxidation products and inclusions. The obtained relationship between the size of Cu2O and the occurrence of cupping is shown in Fig. 10. It was found that the larger the size of Cu2O, the more easily defects tend to occur, even if the oxygen content is nearly the same.

Regarding the relationship between oxygen content and drawability, Fig. 11 shows that the greater the oxygen content in copper, the more likely it is for defects to occur. I concluded that the optimum oxygen content to ensure desirable mechanical properties and the drawability of fine wire is 200300 ppm. In addition, it is important for the distributions of Cu2O and oxygen to be homogeneous.

Slide 1. Findings from research into oxygen content and copper.

In superfine wire drawing, most wire breaks particle size. Additional material presented in Mordica Lecture. are caused by inclusions or oxides. See Fig. 12.

Therefore, I analyzed the inclusion size that Cu2O particles in copper wire on the occurrence of cupcauses most wire breaks by FEM. See Fig. 13. I clarified ping defects. that the likelihood of a wire break increased when the In those days, the method of manufacturing copper wire inclusion size became 40% of the wire diameter. rod was shifting from rolling a cast ingot after reheating to Therefore, it is essential to choose a continuous casting and new methods where the casting and rolling are performed rolling method in which Cu2O can be broken down into in a series, such as the Southwire Continuous Rod System smaller particles and distributed evenly. For the case of the (SCR) method, Contirod速 Process, UPCAST速 method and occurrence of cupping defects in the production, I also conDip Forming (DIP) method. I examined which method was ducted a study on the detection of cupping defects by an suitable for the prevention of cupping defects and for acoustic emission (AE) method to prevent the production obtaining wire rods with good mechanical properties. I of faulty products. See Fig. 14. also examined the optimal oxygen content and Cu2O particle size. See Slide 1.

Drawing of new materials

Fig. 6. Cupping defect in copper wiredrawing.

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Drawing of shape memory alloy wires and tubes. Alloys that have shape memory characteristics, such as Ni-Ti alloy, Cu-Al-Ni alloy, and Fe-Mn alloy, were developed in the 1980s and they attracted considerable interest. Most of these alloys are processed into wires that are used as actuators in home appliances, components in medical devices, frames of glasses, components of brassier, and orthodontic wires. However, all shape-memory alloys have a problem of poor plastic formability. Therefore, I conducted a study to clarify the optimum conditions for heat treatment, lubrication, and wire and tube drawing. Then I focused on the development of applications for wires and tubes by applying the results of my study. As a result, orthodontic wires, easy-release screws to promote the recycling of rare metals and medical stents are now coming into practical use.

I have proposed new easy-release screws (See Figs. 15 and 16) that are used with a washer made of drawn shape memory alloy wire to facilitate the recycling of resources.

Fig. 17 shows the fabrication process of a shape-memory alloy washer and the appearance of an easy-release screw.

A shape-memory alloy wire with the desired diameter was obtained by repeated drawing and annealing. The obtained

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alloy wire was bent, subjected to shapememory heat treatment and rebent to form a washer. An easy-release screw is obtained when this washer is combined with a conventional screw. The temperature at which the washer starts to open and the screw is released predominantly depends on the transformation temperature of the original wire. By controlling the temperature of the shape-memory treatment and the bending strain, it is possible to fabricate a washer that opens at a desired temperature.

Drawing of superconductive wires26-28.

Metal-based or ceramic-based superconductive wires are used for ultra high-speed railways, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) devices and electric power cables. See Slide 2. Many superconductive wires are composite wires that consist of a brittle superconSlide 2. Typical applications for superconductive wire. Additional ductor material in a soft copper or silver material presented in Mordica Lecture. tube. The drawing of these wires is tough.

Through many examinations, I revealed that drawability can be improved by decreasing the racy and manufacturing cost of components made from die angle as much as possible and increasing the reduction magnesium alloys. I investigated the possibility of coldrate, but not to a point at which it can cause wire and filadrawing alloys and clarified that it is possible to reduce the ment break. cross section of a wire rod by about 40% (see Fig. 21) and Fig. 18 shows cross-section images of superconductive that of a tubing material by slightly over 70%. I also wires used for experiments. Some examples of defects that showed that the drawn wire can be used for welding, small occur in drawing are shown in Fig. 19. All defects, includrivets and as a screw wire. For instance, I fabricated an ing filament breaking, have a fatal effect on wire use. extremely small (1 mm in diameter) screw by applying These defects are attributed to an inappropriate die angle, heading and thread-rolling using a commercially available reduction rate and heat-treatment conditions of the wire carbide conical die with a die half-angle of 6째 and resin rod. lubricant.

Fig. 20 shows examination results of filament breaking.

Wire with a 4.2 mm diameter was repeatedly drawn under the conditions of a die half-angle of 6째 or 13째, and a singlepass reduction of 5%, 10%, 15% or 20%, which resulted in a wire with 1.3 mm diameter. After that, the copper content was dissolved by acid to investigate filament breaking. It was found that filament breaking resulted when the die angle is 13째, which is excessively large, and when the single-pass reduction is 5% or 10%, which is excessively small.

I examined the possibility of applying detection by the AE method detection in the drawing process line to prevent the production of superconductive wires with broken filaments. I demonstrated that it is possible to detect filament breaking in a superconductive wire during drawing by the AE method.

Cold drawing of magnesium alloy wires and tubes29-31.

Magnesium alloys are attracting attention because they are the lightest known actual alloys, and they are expected to be used in various fields such as small home electric appliances, cars, and so forth. However, as magnesium alloys have poor cold-plastic workability, they are usually hotworked or warm-worked. Therefore, concerns have been raised about the mechanical properties, dimensional accuFig. 17. Fabrication process for easy-release screw.

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drawn wires, wire samples with various total reductions (Rt) from 0% to 62% were prepared and subjected to a tensile test. On the basis of the results the relationships between Rt and the mechanical properties of the wire material were redefined as shown in Fig. 23. It was found that a wire material with high strength can be obtained through work hardening by cold drawing. Fig. 24 shows images of the metallic structure of wires: (a) before drawing (φ2.1mm), and after drawing at a die half-angle of 6 degrees and 20% of R/P, (b) Rt = 22% (c) Rt = 33%, and (d) Rt = 44% . The crystalline grains of the mother wire are large and round before drawing. After cold drawing, the wire is subjected to work hardening in the drawing direction. I demonstrated the possibility of forming microscale magnesium alloy screws by upsetting and form rolling, as Slide 3. Schematic showing shaped wiredrawing process for shown in Fig. 25. experiment. Additional presentation at the Mordica Lecture.

Shaped wire drawing32-37. It is possible to draw a wire rod with a shaped cross-section, provided it is not round. Shaped drawn wires Fig. 21 shows the cold-drawing limit obtained for each pass are used as components in linear motion guides and bearschedule. Up to R/P = 25%, the cold drawing of magnesium ings, as coil springs for cars, as a core material in electric alloy AZ31 was possible. Since the hydrostatic stress during motors and as trolley wires. The process of shaped drawthe drawing causes compression, it is judged that the cold ing creates added value because it is possible to remove or drawing of magnesium alloys is possible. Fig. 22 shows surshorten the subsequent cutting process. I demonstrated that face cracks on a drawn magnesium alloy wire. These cracks it is possible to draw materials for use as rails and blocks are shear cracks, which develop from the free surface in the in straight guide bearings (see Fig. 26 and Slide 3), leading 45 degree direction. To investigate the work hardening of to reductions in processing cost and lead time and improved mechanical properties. I also examined the optimum processing conditions for the shaped drawing of titanium steel, stainless steel and shape memory alloys. Fig. 27 shows the hardness (HV) and equivalent strain in shaped wire drawing obtained by FEM. Residual stress distributions after drawing are shown in Figs. 28 and 29 show an example of block drawing by 3D-FEM. I also demonstrated a method of processing of shaped wire rods to enable their use as parts in medical devices.

Drawing of composite materials and clad wires38. I studied the drawing of composite materials consisting of a tube and a wire made of different materials.

Wire rods processed by composite-material drawing can be given special properties, such as a highly corrosionresistant surface, a light weight and high mechanical strength. I formed clad wire rods of Cu-Al, Ni-steel, Custeel and Al-steel. It is necessary to employ the optimum die angle and use a single-pass reduction when there is a large difference in the strength of the materials to be clad.

Drawing of tubes39-40. I carried out the hollow sinking (see Fig. 30) and mandrel drawing of single tubes and internally grooved tubes for use in a radiator. Referring to the drawing results, I proposed a method of predicting the degree of unevenness of the thickness and the state of the inner surface after drawing. I also prepared large-diameter pipes in which another several other pipes were inserted, Fig. 28. Residual stress distributions of drawn shaped and performed bundle drawing on them. On the basis of the wire.

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results, I devised a manufacturing process for pipes with complicated cross-sections. Fig. 31 shows the cross section shape in drawing of tube with small tubes and wires in it.

General technologies for drawing of wires and tubes41-53. Demands for superfine wires subjected to drawing such as saw wires, electrode wires for semiconductors, have been increasing yearly, being requested finer diameter (see Table 1), high tensile strength and increased need for dimensional accuracy with low production cost. I have studied the effect of back tension in drawing and alternate drawing direction on drawn-wire properties.

Also, the improvement of surface flaw of a drawn wire and die life extension by using shrinkage fitting (see Fig. 32) and diamondcoated die were investigated. It was clarified that tension straightening is effective in not Slide 4. Continued research is needed to further identify problems only improving straightness but also in and solutions for superfine wire inclusions. Additional presentation decreasing the residual stress of a drawn wire. at the Mordica Lecture.

Education of researchers and engineers for wire drawing. Each year, there are about eight undergraduate students and about six gradulearned in my laboratory. Moreover about 300 graduates ate students in my laboratory. As described earlier, many who studied in my laboratory are now employed in a broad students have graduated after studying at laboratory. range of fields. The continued activity of my ex-students is Among them, three graduates have earned a doctoral one of the most rewarding aspects of my role as a professor. degree.

The first person was Tsutomu Yamashita, who investigatConclusion ed the break of fine gold wire during drawing and devel54-57 There has been a long history of drawing technology. oped a next-generation super fine bonding wire . See Some people say that drawing technology has matured and Fig. 33 and Slide 4. He is now an active researcher and there are few remaining research projects, so drawing is an manager in a manufacturing company with a large share of unattractive research field. But there are a lot of drawnthe world market for bonding wire.

The second person was Tetsuo Shinohara58-60, who examined the behavior of rod-shaped wire surface flaws caused during rolling (see Fig. 34) and drawing (see Fig. 35). In particular, he developed measures to prevent the formation of surface flaws which is the most common complaint from customers. He is now working as a researcher in a company involved in the plastic forming of precious metals.

The third person was Somchai Norasethasopon61-62 from Thailand, who performed drawing analysis on wire rods with inclusions and voids. He now is as an associate professor at a university in Thailand.

Although it is now considered that joint research between industry and academia is essential, my laboratory has been collaborating with industry for many years. Persons from industry can join my laboratory and pursue specialized learning and carry out research. This has not only given me an opportunity to directly learn of social needs and the latest industrial trends but it has also alowwed me to conduct research more efficiently.

Most of the 39 graduates with a master’s degree who Fig. 31. Cross-section shape in drawing of tube with belonged to my laboratory are now in the front line of busismall tubes and wire in it. ness and research, using the technical knowledge they

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wire products that are used in advanced fields such as tire cord, saw wire and bonding wire. Today, value-added wires with high mechanical strength, good surface quality, fine in diameter and available in shaped sections are expected. Moreover, there are still more research subjects, such as wire rod made from new material, reduction of production costs and so on, and thus it is important to develop researchers and engineers who work on those subjects.

I have conducted research on wire and tube drawing for 35 years, and during that time I received a lot of cooperation and valuable advice from many members of academic societies, such as the Wire Drawing Technical Committee, the Japan Copper and Brass Association and Iron and Steel Institute of Japan as well as from members from industy, whose cooperation and advice has been a great help in my research.

Acknowledgment It is the greatest pleasure of my professional life to receive the 2011 Mordica Memorial Award from the Wire Association International, which has a worldwide reputation for wiredrawing technology.

I greatly appreciate my university, Tokai University, for its continuing support, and I heartily appreciate the many people who have supported me. I would especially like to thank the late Professor H. Tanaka, the late Professor Y. Matsuura, Professor B. Avitzur, Professor M. Sato, Professor M. Asakawa, Dr. H. Kawakami, Dr. H. Pops, Professor B. Golis, Professor J.W. Pilarczyk, Professor M. Elices and Professor J. Luksza as well as members of the Japan Wire Drawing Committee and Wire Association International for giving me your valuable advice. Also, I would like to express my utmost gratitude to coworkers, and grad students of my laboratory for their continuing support.

I dedicate my lecture today to the late John Mordica, the Wire Association’s first president (1931-1938).

References To request a PDF of the references as well as figures in this presentation, send an e-mail to editorial@ wirenet.org. ■

Kazunari Yoshida is a professor of precision mechanics at the school of engineering at Tokai University, Japan. He has researched wiredrawing, extrusion and forging processes and has served as a member of the steering committee for Japanese Wire Drawing. He holds a Ph.D. degree in engineering. He authored a prize-winning paper for the Japan Society for Technology of Plasticity in 1984 and won medal awards from Wire Association International for the best paper in the nonferrous division in 1999, 2001, 2003 and 2004. His Mordica Lecture was presented at WAI’s 81st Annual Convention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, May 2011.

Prof. Yoshida presents his Mordica Lecture at WAI’s 81st Annual Convention in Atlanta, Georgia.

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Quenching steel wire in a fluidized bed Fluidized beds are a popular option to the use of quenching in a lead bath to avoid environmental concerns, but the process is not a perfect replacement and requires close monitoring and control to get the required results.

By Jacob Friedman, Peter Kordt and Sanjiwan Bhole

For well over a century, molten lead has been used to quench steel wires as part of the patenting process, which involves heating the wire to above austenitizing temperature, then quickly quenching the wire in lead to approximately 500°C. Molten lead is a highly effective heat transfer medium that can quench small wires in well under a second, and larger wires in a second or two, allowing cooling below the “nose” of the TTT curve. See Fig. 1. The

hardware required for lead quenching is simple and relatively inexpensive, and uses technology that is well established and reliable. Unfortunately, for all its virtues, lead is also highly toxic, and in most jurisdictions its use, if permitted at all, requires extensive and expensive safeguards to prevent contamination of the workplace and the environment. Some jurisdictions forbid the use of lead entirely, and therefore a more environmentally benign alternative is required.

Over the past several decades, fluidized beds have successfully replaced lead for many continuous annealing applications for low- and medium-carbon steel wires1.

Annealing and other wire-heating applications are easily accomplished using fluidized beds as long as fast heat-up rates are not a requirement. Many wire producers are now looking at using fluidized beds in quenching operations as an attractive alternative to lead. However, producers who do so must proceed with caution. While heat transfer rates in a fluidized bed are high, they are only a fraction of what is obtained in lead, and as a result it can be difficult or impossible to achieve the same outcome in a fluidized bed that can be attained with lead. This paper presents some comparative data, and discusses some of the issues that must be addressed in order to assess the viability of a fluidized bed quench for a given application.

The Patenting Process

Fig. 1. Isothermal TTT diagram for a eutectoid, plain carbon steel. A = austenite; F = ferrite; C = carbide; M = martensite; B = bainite; P = pearlite4.

Patenting steel wire is a four-step process. First, the wire is heated to above the austenite transformation temperature, usually in a direct-fired furnace. The wire is rapidly quenched to approximately 500°C, then held at this temperature for approximately 10 seconds while the wire undergoes isothermal transformation to “patenting sorbite”2, a fine-grained pearlite. The quench and hold are usually done in a single piece of equipment, typically a

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TECHNICAL PAPERS Fig. 2. Wire core temperature versus time for a 3-mm wire immersed in lead and a fluidized bed at 500°C.

Fig. 3. Wire core temperature versus time for a 3-mm wire immersed in lead at 500°C and a fluidized bed at 150°C.

lead bath or—less often—a salt, oil or water bath. Finally, the wire is allowed to slowly cool to ambient temperature by exposure to room air. The speed (or rate) at which the wire must be quenched is critical, and is a function of the chemical composition of the particular steel of which the wire is made. It is necessary to quench the wire to 500° (approximately, depending on the steel) at a rate that dips below the “nose” of the TTT curve for the steel in question.

For some steels, the quench may require less than a second, while other steels may require six or seven seconds. The rate is heavily dependent on the steel composition. For example, varying only the Mn content of a 0.7% C/1.5% Si steel from 0.5% to 2% moves the time location of the TTT curve “nose” from one second to approximately six seconds3.

Heat transfer rates in lead versus for those of a fluidized bed In order to determine whether a fluidized bed can successfully quench the steel, one must be able to model the time-temperature response of the wire when immersed in a fluidized bed, and compare this response to the wire’s response in lead.

Heat transfer rates to/from a wire immersed in a fluidized bed have been studied5 and can be approximated by the following equations: Eq. (1)

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Eq. (2)

Eq. (3)

The heat transfer rates from wire to lead have not been reported directly in the literature. However, it is expected that the Churchill and Chu correlation for free convection to/from a horizontal cylinder will give a reasonable, if conservative, estimate6. Results based on this correlation are consistent with measurements made by Luo and Li [7i], who measured the time-temperature history of larger wires immersed in lead. This correlation is valid for all Prandtl number flows, and in a flow dominated by conduction (low Prandtl number systems such as liquid metals), would be expected to be quite good as these flows are not very sensitive to cross-flow advection as they are conduction-dominated. The correlation is given by:

Eq. (4)

Eq. (5)

In order to model the transient response of a wire to a sudden immersion in lead or a fluidized bed, the above equations were used as boundary conditions using a commercial 2-D finite element code, FEHT, that is available from F-Chart Software. This software solves the transient heat conduction equation, and can be configured for variable material properties, such as thermal conduction and specific heat, both of which strongly depend on temperature over the temperature range covered by quenching operations.

Results Fig. 2 shows a plot of wire core temperature versus time for a 3-mm wire immersed in lead and a fluidized bed, both at 500°C. The wire is initially at the austenitizing temperature of 950°C. As can be seen, the wire quenched in lead is cooled to nearly 500°C in less than a second, while the wire quenched in a fluidized bed is still over 800°C at this time, and even after five seconds is still not as cool as the wire in lead after one second. For many steels of interest in

the wire industry, this quench rate is not sufficiently fast. In order to speed up quenching in a fluidized bed, it is possible to run the bed at a much colder temperature than the quench target temperature.

Fig. 3 shows the core wire temperature for a 3-mm wire quenched in a fluidized bed at 150°C, as well as the core wire temperature for the same wire quenched in lead for comparison. As can be seen, in this case the fluidized bed achieves a quench to 500°C time in 3.5 seconds, still not as fast as in lead but fast enough for many steels. However, if left in this bed beyond 3.5 seconds, significant sub-cooling occurs, with potentially unacceptable metallurgical results.

In order to obtain acceptable results using a fluidized bed, it is necessary to operate the system in multiple zones; a cold zone where quenching occurs, and a soak zone where the wire temperature is maintained at approximately 500°C. Fig. 4 shows the wire time-temperature history for such a system. It is likely that wires processed in this twostage system would have very similar physical properties to the same wire quenched in lead. However, results will depend strongly on the type of steel used.

Practical Considerations

While Fig. 4 suggests that it is possible to achieve similar quench times in lead and a fluidized bed, there are some practical considerations that must be taken into account.

The calculations and data presented herein, while very useful as a guide and comparison, are based on correlations that are accurate to ±15% at best, limiting their accuracy.

Furthermore, the assumption that one can build a fluidized bed that has a quench section that can be held at 150°C, followed by a soak section at 500°C with a step transition between the two is not realistic. It is virtually impossible to avoid thermal contamination between zones of the fluidized bed, and there would likely be no “clear” transition between the quench zone and soak zone, but rather an intermediate region in which this transition would occur. Therefore, the exact length of the effective quench zone would be difficult to determine. Furthermore, a fluidized bed in operation does not have a distinct surface, so the exact time of immersion and emergence cannot be precisely defined. As a result, the system would have to be designed according to idealizations, but fine-tuned in the field to meet product requirements.

Another issue to consider is wire DV (wire diameter in mm x wire speed in m/min). Most patenting systems are designed to operate at a constant DV, meaning that a 6 mm wire would travel at half the speed of a 3 mm wire.

However, the quench zone length required does not follow this linear relationship exactly. For Fig. 4. Wire core temperature versus time for a 3-mm wire example, a 9-mm wire actually needs a quench immersed in a fluidized bed at 150°C for 3.5 sec followed length approximately 3.23 that of a 3-mm wire by a fluidized bed soak at 500°C. NOVEMBER 2011 | 59

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The Rayleigh number, Rad, is given by:

TECHNICAL PAPERS Symbols used in technical paper.

to quench to 500°C, so a system designed for the 3 mm wire will be undersized for the 9 mm wire. It may be necessary to vary the speed of wires that are off the design point of the system to prevent under-quenching or overquenching. However, changing the DV of individual wires may affect the performance of other components of the system such as the austenitizing furnace by redistributing the heat loads or other effects.

The quench capacity of a fluidized bed system is strongly dependent on its operating temperature. Many systems rely solely on fluidizing air to remove heat from the quench zone. Therefore, if the quench zone is run cold (say 150°C), it will have only around 25% of the cooling capacity as it would if it were run at 500° C. In many cases, particularly where the system must be run cold, it will be necessary to use auxiliary cooling such as immersed watercooled tubes, adding complexity and cost to the system.

There is also a lower limit to the temperature at which the quench zone can operate, as there must always be a temperature head between the bed and the coolant, whether the coolant is the fluidizing air alone or a combination of fluidizing air and external cooling. Practically speaking, that lower limit is approximately 150°C. Finally, it must be recognized that, unlike a lead quench, the wires will be exposed to a high-oxygen environment while hot, allowing the formation of iron oxides. While the level of oxidation that occurs has not been studied, it is certainly more than what would form in a lead-based system.

Depending on the product requirements, it may be necessary to use some sort of oxide removal system such as acid pickling.

Conclusions Many steel wire producers are looking for an alternative to lead as a quench media in the patenting process, usually for environmental and regulatory reasons. The fluidized bed is a viable alternative to lead in many instances, but care must be exercised in evaluating the viability of the flu-

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idized bed for each application. The dominating factor is the metallurgy of the steel being processed as some steels must be quenched in under a second to miss the “nose” of the TTT curve, while other steels can tolerate a 10-second quench. Alloying elements such as Mn and Si are the major determinants of the required quench speed. Care must also be taken in designing a system that will process a wide range of wire sizes. It may be necessary to process larger wires at a lower DV to ensure adequate quenching. It is also necessary to recognize that quenching in a fluidized bed exposes hot wire to an oxidizing environment, and that some wire oxidation is inevitable. In some applications, it may be necessary to perform post-quenching cleaning if an oxide-free wire is required.

In many respects, a fluidized bed is not as good a quench system as a lead-based system. Its main advantage is environmental, not an inconsequential factor. However, from a quench performance point of view, a lead-based system is cheaper, simpler and more effective than a fluidized bed.

Acknowledgments The financial support of NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada) is gratefully acknowledged.

References 1. W.E.C. Crowle, “Annealing Wire in Fluidised Beds,” Wire Industry, 54:644, 1987, pp. 455-457.

2. V.Y. Zubov, “Patenting of Steel Wire,” Metal Science and Heat Treatment, 14:9, 1972, pp. 793-800.

3. M. Kundu, S. Ganguly and S. Datta, “Simulating Time Temperature Transformation Diagram of Steel Using Artificial Neural Network,” Materials and Manufacturing Processes, 24:2, 2009, pp. 169-173.

4. C.R. Brooks, “Principles of the Heat Treatment of Plain Carbon and Low Alloy Steels” ASM International, 1996, p 25.

7. X. Luo and F. Li, “Metallurgical Behaviours of High Carbon Steel Wires in a Lead Bath and CMC Aqueous Solutions by Cooling Curve Analysis,” International Journal of Materials and Product Technology, 24:1-4, 2005, pp. 142-154. ■

Jacob Friedman is an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada. He has done extensive research in the area of fluidized bed combustion and heat transfer. Prior to entering academia, he spent 10 years working as a design and commissioning engineer for a company specializing in steel wire processing equipment. Sanjeev Bhole is a professor in the mechanical and industrial engiFriedman Bhole Kordt neering department of Ryerson University.

He joined the university in 1999 as chair of the department. He previously belonged to the engi- a mechanical engineer with extensive experience in the neering faculty of the University of Regina, Canada, field of steel wire galvanizing and other processes. He was which he joined in 1982 and where he held the positions graduated from RWTH Aachen University, Germany. of professor, program head and associate dean. He pre- This paper was presented at WAI’s 80th Annual viously worked in the U.K. steel industry on product Convention, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, May 2010. development of structural and transportation steels.

Peter Kordt is the managing owner of Zink Körner GmbH and Wire Körner GmbH, Hagen, Germany. He is

NOVEMBER 2011 | 61

TECHNICAL PAPERS

5. J. Friedman, P. Koundakjian, D. Naylor and D. Rosero, “Heat Transfer to Small Horizontal Cylinders Immersed in a Fluidized Bed,” Journal of Heat Transfer, 128:10, 2006, pp. 984-989.

6. S.W. Churchill and H.H.S. Chu, “Correlating Equations for Laminar and Turbulent Free Convection from a Horizontal Cylinder,” International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 18, 1975, pp. 1049-1053.

PRODUCTS & MEDIA

PRODUCTS ... WITH A GREEN TOUCH PROD DUCTS Recycling offers ‘reel’ benefits to wire and cable manufacturers Sonoco reports that users of wire and cable are finding great value in recycling their wood and steel reels through the company’s EcoReel™ recycling program.

A press release said that the program, initiated in 1991, is designed to provide effortless reel management to utility companies, contractors and distributors. It said that Sonoco typically recycles more than 300,000 reels a year, helping reel users avoid more than $12 million in landfill fees.

EcoReel recycling programs can be customized to meet the specific needs of wire and cable buyers, the release said. Wire and cable customers simply call a toll-free number when they have accumulated a truckload of empty reels, and high-volume users may have a trailer parked on-site for easy storage, it said. Sonoco picks up the trailer and delivers it to one of 13 regional recycling centers, where each real is cleaned and renewed in strict compliance with a seven-step refurbishment process that brings them back to like-new condition.

Contact: Sonoco, tel. 800-633-3962, www.sonoco.com/reels.

Product lines boosts manufacturing processes with ‘green’ industry touch KEIR Manufacturing, Inc., an American-based manufacturer of engineered technical ceramic guides, air wipes and composite flyer bows for the global wire and cable industry, notes that it has focused its products lines to help manufacturing processes run more efficiently and productively.

A press release said that the company’s use of advanced materials has helped it provide solutions focused on continuous process improvement, energy savings and longer operating life. The company’s patented SureShot and SplitShot air wipes provide a far more effective drying method that does not depend on high-volume airflow, it said. A highly efficient design results in both effective drying using a very low volume of compressed air while lasting much longer than other brands due to the rugged ceramic insert lining the wire path, it said, noting that this can equate to a more than 25% reduction in compressed 62 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

air usage and an operating life of years versus months.

The company’s triaxially braided composite standard and backbone flyer bow constructions have greater durability than layered/laminated designs, allowing them to take more hits and endure higher stress yielding increased operating life and less machine downtime, the release said. The more aerodynamic BackBone design functions at lower power consumption (up to 40% less energy) and higher TPM, resulting in improved wire quality and further reduction in bow breakage, it said.

Contact: KEIR Manufacturing, Inc., tel. 828-885-8444, sales@KEIRmfg.com, www.keirmfg.com/www.backbonebows.com.

Technology greatly reduces the amount of bulky package waste U.S.-based REELEX Packaging Solutions offers patented reel-less packaging technology suitable for a wide range of flexible products that can greatly reduce the amount of packaging waste.

Because REELEX® machines produce a self-sustaining interwoven coil that dispenses without rotation, there is no need for a spool, reel or other bulky and difficult-todisassemble packaging components, a press release said.

“Instead, the only waste left behind by REELEX box packages is a small and recyclable payout tube and a cardboard carton that is easy to flatten and recycle. As a result, the amount of packaging waste produced by empty REELEX packages is only a fraction of that produced by spool, reel or reel-in-a-box packages.”

For example, a typical 1,000 ft package of Cat. 6 cable packaged in a REELEX paperboard carton will produce over 80% less waste volume versus packaging in wooden reel or reel-in-a-box packaging, and 50% less waste by weight, the release said. It added that optional packaging for REELEX coils can reduce waste even more by using reusable containers, plastic wrap or shrink film. The technology can wind any flexible filamentary product into a precisionwound, figure-eight coil that is dispensed from the inside-out without

Descaling wire can be both green and effective for manufacturers U.S.-based Wire Lab Company (WILCO) notes that it was a “green” company long before “green” became popular, going back to 1968, when it began supplying two basic models of wire rod descaling systems to steel wire manufacturers. Over the years, a press release said, the technology that replaces acid cleaning has evolved to include wire products that once were not able to be descaled.

Today, the company offers five standard models along with a variety of customer required special configurations and its customer base extends beyond the North American industry into almost every international steel wire market.

Company Vice President and General Manager Robert Fulop reports that customers who felt they had no choice

but use hazardous and expensive acid cleaning can now use WILCO’s mechanical descaling technology and dramatically reduce, and often eliminate, their reliance on the chemical cleaning process.

Fulop said that beyond the reduced costs for processing a ton of rod, mechanical descaling cuts out the risk of ruptures or spills of sulfuric acid as well as exposure to acid fumes that can be significant enough to ruin the control wiring of surrounding machinery, he said. “With the dramatic advances in mechanical descaling technology, more steel wire manufacturers may now replace the expense of acid procurement, reprocessing, permitting and disposal, with those savings flowing directly to the bottom line.”

Contact: Robert Fulop, Wire Lab Company, tel. 216362-0800, e-mail@wirelab.com, www.wirelab.com.

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PRODUCTS & MEDIA

twists, tangles, snags or overruns and may be placed into a wide range of containers from cardboard boxes to shrink film to environmentally-sustainable packaging.

Contact: Timothy Copp, REELEX Packaging Solutions, tel. 845-495-4141, timcopp@reelex.com.

PRODUCTS & MEDIA

Range of low VOC inks is designed to reduce environmental impact Gem Gravure Co., Inc., provides ink jet fluids that are gentle on the environment. Every year, the company reports, it expands its list of low VOC offerings as it continues to design and produce inks that fulfill the Registry of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) stringent requirements.

The products include low VOC ink jet fluids for wire and cable such as its new white ink, WTG5860, which resists transfer on PVC, the company reports. The ink, it said, combines easy operation and excellent adhesion without sacrificing opacity, and is a sister ink to Gem’s GNG5765 Green Opaque ink. Rounding out the family of low VOC inks are two other products: its WTG5260 ink for use on polyethylene and its BKG5861 non-transferring black ink for PVC. Gem has also introduced a new line of halogen-free inks for application with Gravure wheels. The 7600 family of these inks, which includes 10 colors, is designed for adhesion to polypropylene and polyethylene without adding halogens to the final product.

Contact: Gem Gravure Co., Inc., tel. 781-878-0456, www.gemgravure.com.

New reel product line presents a 4-part solution to warehouse space The new line of Reduction Reels from Evolution, offered by U.S.-based Kalas Manufacturing, features a revolutionary product designed to solve the biggest problems in warehouse management.

A press release said that the four-part reel is easy to assemble and just as easy to collapse for consolidated shipping and storage, using patent-pending locking technology that increases product life cycle while reducing storage space, time, overall costs and carbon footprint.

The flanges are offered in plywood, composite, wood, plastic and other customer specific choices, with a reusable ABS plastic core that is made from recycled plastic and a stainless steel latch. Damaged flanges can be replaced as needed, which helps reduce materials, it said.

The reel’s design makes it possible to use up to 70% less storage space than comparable assembled reels, which can result in cutting disposal expenses by as much as 40-80% over 64 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

time due to fewer product purchases and lower transit costs, the release said. The reels are easy to use as the collapsed units are able to be assembled and disassembled in seconds and easy to stack and store, it said. Standard sizes are core diameters/maximum loads of 12 in./1250 lb, 16 in./2000 lb and 24 in./3000 lb.

Contact: Evolution, tel. 888-682-8683, www.evolutionreels.com.

Hatching a natural approach for the wire and cable industry’s needs Skaltek America notes that it has grown its overall business more than 50% this year, with a key success driver related to the company’s changing the packaging equipment standard for the wire and cable industry in South America.

“In this market, (the industry there has) been using a very resource-consuming package, not knowing better, not even asking themselves what can be done differently,” said company President Ralph Skalleberg. “As we have presented an alternative solution, they have embraced our packaging concept because, just like the egg, it uses a minimum of resources.” He summed up the philosophy that has driven Skaltek’s technology as follows.

“To make a difference we have to start to think differently. In the past century the human race has mainly focused on technical development in order to increase speed. Production volume per minute has been considered equal to efficiency. Competition is increasing and it forces us to produce more to be able to sell it for less. As we know today, this is not the solution. Everyone is struggling with profitability. There is a global economic downturn, except for those that chose to make a difference.

How can a company in the U.S., that serves the cable and wire industry grow 50% in 2011? Today the future offers tremendous opportunities to unique individuals with a pioneering spirit who think differently and make a difference. Slow down. Make time. Create future value.”

Contact: Skaltek North America, tel.770-449-4263, www.skaltek.com.

Double-twister with single-bow delivers impressive results The system may be colored green, but what is truly “green” about the double-twist machines offered by Italy’s OM Lesmo SpA, which is represented in North America by Canada’s Lesmo Machinery America, Inc., is a design that takes a non-traditional approach to provide impressive advantages A press release said that OM Lesmo is the first compa-

Inc., tel.603-935-8992, panchalh@comcast.net, www.lesmoamerica.com, www.omlesmo.com.

Reusable insert holders eliminate the need to scrap worn-out carbide dies Paramount Die notes that it was not very long ago that most wire mills had 55-gallon drums full of worn-out carbide wire dies hiding somewhere in their facilities, and as the time required for extracting the carbide from the steel casing was often cost prohibitive, it was not uncommon for this mix of thousands of pounds of carbide and steel to be sent to the landfill as that combination was undesirable to scrap dealers.

Today, the company reports, this type of waste has been virtually eliminated through the use of carbide drawing inserts that use reusable insert holders that eliminate the need for permanent steel casings.

The elimina-

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ny to introduce and patent a single-bow design for its doubletwist machines.

Instead of the traditional double-bow design, the company uses a single bow that achieves higher rotating speeds and provides energy savings of 20%, it said.

The same bow technology is used in some of the company’s single-twist machines, such as its 1250 mm singletwist model, where an aerodynamically shaped, carbonfiber single arm is used.

Using one bow reduces inertia as well as the energy needed to rotate the bow or arm,� the release said. “One needs to pay attention to every possible variable that could put the company ahead of the competition,� it said, adding that the latest rotating machines from OM Lesmo do just that. The true “green� element is not the machine color but the energy savings that the company’s engineers have incorporated as an integral element of the machine design, it said.

Contact: Harish Panchal, Lesmo Machinery America,

PRODUCTS & MEDIA

tion of the steel casing also makes recycling of the carbide insert extremely cost effective, it said.

The company estimates that more than 95% of the nearly 100,000 lb of carbide that it annually ships ends up being recycled at the end of its life cycle. The company notes that it provides recycling collection buckets free to its customers and that the vast majority of its customers return their used inserts for processing in Paramount’s state-of-the-art reclamation center.

Contact: Paramount Die, tel. 410-272-4600, www.paradie.com.

Offering ‘green’ choices and more The Reel Options® brand of products offered by U.S.based Vandor Corporation includes a variety of reels and reel components for the wire, rope and cable industries made from environmentally friendly reprocessed plastics.

A press release said that most of the company’ products are made with 100% recycled and recyclable post consumer plastics and carry the ENVIROMOLD® trademark.

Two key benefits from using the reprocessed material are its light weight and its strength characteristics, which make it a good low-cost alternative to plywood, it said.

Reel Options also offers several mono-material constructed reels that retain the strength and lightweight benefits of the company’s DEAD~BOLT™ or STAPLED reels without any added bolts or staples, so the entire reel can be easily recycled without any disassembly or segregation of parts, it said. The company also offers paper, corrugated and chipboard reels for cordage and electrical connector industries; three-flange reels for the fiber optics industry; mono-material utility spools; and its ENVIROMOLD plastic-extruded cores for plastic and plywood flanged reels.

Contact: Mark Elder, Vandor Corporation, tel. 248-762-9250, mark.elder@reeloptions.com, www.reeloptions.com.

Take a cold, green touch to welding U.K.-based Pressure Welding Machines, Ltd., reports that its cold pressure welders are “green,” easy-to-operate systems that join nonferrous wire and rod quickly and cost-effectively, minimizing material wastage.

A press release said that the company’s cold-pressure machines produce a reliable permanent weld that is stronger than the parent materials and reduces material wastage as the process involves no heat, flux or fillers.

Further, the company’s manual machines do not require a power source while the powered models in its range are all extremely energy efficient.

66 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

The models, the release said, are precision engineered in PWM’s own U.K. workshops to stringent quality standards. The range, it noted, includes manual and powered cold welders, with capacities up to 25 mm (.984 in.) for copper and 30 mm (1.181 in.) for aluminum. Standard and custom dies are individually hand-made in matched sets

by PWM to tight tolerances, and can be manufactured to suit round or profile wire, it said.

Contact: Pressure Welding Machines, Ltd., tel. 441233-820847.

Reconditioning reels is good for a company’s fiscal condition Italy’s A. Appiani Srl, which next year celebrates 50 years of continuous as a family business supplying highquality steel reels, notes that it has long contributed to reducing its impact on the environment.

The company’s services include reconditioning of steel reels through the repair or replacement of damaged parts, a press release said. A new reel is obviously as good as it gets, but a properly reconditioned reel will perform well and the extended operating life limits material waste and reduces replacement costs, it said.

Appiani’s accessory range includes newly upgraded Appiani designed re-flanging machines for reconditioning of steel cord spools (B-type reels/ B-40, B-60, B-80), said the release, which noted the following. Due to assembly design and material composition, B-type spools may encounter an outward flex of the flanges during regular use, a condition that can be countered by Appiani’s re-flanging machine, which cam bend the flanges—both inward and outwards—to their original alignment in relation to the barrel. The automated hydraulic system is simple to use as the operator just positions the reels at the start of the process into the inspection chutes and the rest is an automatic cycle.

Double-head machines are available so one can recondition, for example, B60 spools on one head and B80 spools on the other head, or B80s on both heads. Single head machines are also available.

The company, represented by Lesmo Machinery America, notes that it also is developing saw wire shipping spools with a reusable design in response to demand for units robust enough for multiple shipments.

Contact: Lesmo Machinery America, Inc., tel. 905761-6165, www.lesmoamerica.com. ■

WIRE ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL MEMBERS seeking positions are entitled to free “Position Wanted” classified ads. Limit: one ad per issue, three ads per year. This benefit is not transferable to nonmembers or to companies.

CLASSIFIED AD RATES: • $1.30 per word for WJI and on-line classifieds at wirenet.org (20-word minimum). • Blind box numbers, add $25. • Boldface headlines, add $6 per line (up to 18 characters per line). Specify category.

BLIND BOX INFO: Responses to Blind Box ads should be addressed to: Wire Journal International, Box number (as it

appears in print or on-line), P.O. Box 578, Guilford, CT 06437-0578 USA. PAYMENT POLICY: All ads must be pre-paid.

DEADLINES: Copy is due a full month in advance, i.e., it must be received by March 1 for publication in the April issue. Classifieds booked on-line, run for at least one-month on-line, from the date of booking. Wire Journal International “Print classifieds” booked on-line as an “add-on” to an “online classified” booking will run in the next available issue.

SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES: • Indentify any potential hazards and ensure that the manufacturing facilities are a safe and hazard free working environment for the operators. Initiate corrective actions to improve health and safety.

Conduct accident investigations and initiate corrective actions. Ensure all staff follows safety procedures. Introduce and explain to team continuous improvement methodology elements. Motivates opera-

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR Location: CHESTER, NY Reports to: PLANT MANAGER PRIMARY FUNCTION: Supervise, manages and leads the production department according to production, delivery reliability and quality standards.

Enforcement of the safety and environment required standards to the team.

COMMISSION BROKERS, INC. EQUIPMENT SPECIALISTS TO THE ELECTRICAL WIRE & CABLE INDUSTRY APPRAISERS • COMMISSION BROKERS • INDIVIDUAL PIECES OR ENTIRE PLANTS

FOR SALE 7 1 1 5 1 3 3 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

-

WARDWELL 12-Carrier Braiders SPIRKA 24-Carrier Braider, Model 24N4, 1990 SPIRKA 16-Carrier Braider, 500mm Take-up and Payoff NEB 12-C, 16-C, 24-C #2 Braiders, Long Legs, Motors NEB 48-Carrier Harness Braider TMW 24-Carrier Cable Braiders, 6” Horn Gears COOK BH30 Bunchers EDMANDS 18-Wire, 6+12, 16” Planetary Cabler Line NEB Model C62-2 12-Wire 8” Vertical Planetary Cablers, 1987 CONAIR 39” Continuous Belt Caterpuller Capstan, Model 6-39 Continuous Belt Caterpuller Capstan, 42” Belt Length x 8” Width DAVIS STANDARD 4.5” 24:1 L/D Extruders D/S 2.5” 24:1 L/D Hi-Temp Extrusion Line D/S 2” 30:1 L/D Hi-Temp Extruder ENTWISTLE 2” 24:1 L/D Extruder, Model TFII-2000-24 WAYNE 1.5” 30:1 Extruder, 15HP Motor, Panel SKALTEK 1600mm Motorized Payoff , Model A16-4K HALL 40” Motorized Payoff w/Dancer CLIPPER DF6 Dual Cone Flyer Payoff (24” Reels) w/Reel Jacks ROSENDAHL 630mm Parallel Axis Dual Reel Take-up, never used NOKIA Model EKP50 Parallel Axis Dual Reel Take-up, 1997 SPHEREX 18” Dual Reel Take-up, refurbished

1 1 1 2 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 1

-

CLIPPER Model SP16 Dual Spooler REEL-O-MATIC Model PRR1 Rim Drive Powered Reel Roller REEL-O-MATIC Model RD-5 Rim Drive Take-up w/Coiling Head STANDARD MILL SUPPLY Bobbin Winders w/Payoffs TEC Model DTC630 D.T. Twister ENTWISTLE 4-Wire 24” D.T. Twisters, Model 4WDT24 FINE Preheater, Model IP4000-180-1, 2007 SCHLEUNIGER JS8300 Jacket Stripper SCHLEUNIGER US2100 Stripper SCHLEUNIGER CS9050 Cut & Strip Machine KOMAX Model KAPPA 320 Cut & Strip Machine, 2009/10 EUBANKS Model 4000-04 Cut and Strip Machine EUBANKS Model 9800-03 Cut & Strip Machine GETTIG Tape and Labeling System ERASER Model TW-20 Wire Twister IDEAL 940 Bench Stripper (now ARTOS 45-940) CARPENTER 3-Head Stripper, Model 74-C CARPENTER Strippers, Model 70-B MICRODIA Crosshead, Model M9000/10XFL TECHMET 183 LaserMike BETA Lump Detector, Model LN1025XY-DL, 12/05 BETA “Accuscan 3010”, 2006

Contact: Martin Kenner

COMMISSION BROKERS, INC.

P.O. Box 8456 • Cranston, RI 02920-0456 • Tel. (401) 943-3777 • Fax: (401) 943-3670 WEB: www.commissionbrokers.com • E-MAIL: marty137@aol.com

NOVEMBER 2011 | 67

CLASSIFIEDS

CLASSIFIEDS

CLASSIFIEDS

WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL CLASSIFIED AD INFORMATION NAME _________________________________________________________________________TITLE _________________________________________________ COMPANY ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ADDRESS ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ CITY ________________________________________STATE _______________POSTAL CODE _____________________COUNTRY _______________________ PHONE ______________________________FAX________________________________EMAIL _______________________________________________________ AD CATEGORY____________ ISSUE YOUR AD BEGINS___________E-mail NUMBER OF ISSUES RUN _______LAST ISSUE ________________RUN TILL FURTHER NOTICE? YES____ NO ____ FULL RUN (WJI & ON-LINE) YES____ NO ____

BLIND BOX? YES____ NO ____

WAI MEMBER? YES____ NO ____ WAI MEMBERSHIP # ______________________ (Applies only to “Position Wanted”)

tors to be proactive in detecting and reporting problems they meet.

• Establish and/or adjust work procedures, estimate work hours required, recommends changes in equipment use, in order to meet production schedules and improve productivity by coordinating machine schedule in order to meet customer order demands. Make necessary product line operator transfers in order to meet schedul-

ing deadlines.

• Provide daily support to the machine operators and as well as maintain the morale of the hourly employees in order to ensure a positive working environment.

Creates constructive and positive team spirit to reach the production objectives and to create autonomy of the team.

Makes sure the performance is kept stable during and after the shift change over.

• Resolve problems with machines or with the product that is being produced (test failures and materials that don’t pass specification) in order to ensure manufacturing efficiency. Optimize available resources within the areas of production.

• Interact with other departments (maintenance, engineering) in order to deal with the breakdown of equipment, process control problems, and quality issues in a timely and efficient manner in order to minimize lost production time.

• Effectively communicate new policies and procedures to machine operators in order to ensure compliance.

• Hire, reward and discipline, terminate, and identify training needs for machine operators in order to ensure that they are adequately fulfilling the responsibilities of their position.

KEY COMPETENCIES: • Production planning and monitoring • Application of production standards • Continuous Improvement • Maintain and optimize impact of cross trained flexible team • Audit • Deployment and monitoring of key indicators • Leadership and management • Customer satisfaction

68 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Please e-mail the requested information to: WAI’s Cindy Kirmss at ckirmss@wirenet.org.

For more details, you can call her at 203-453-2777, ext. 116.

REQUIREMENTS • 3-5 years of supervisory experience in a manufacturing environment • College diploma in Business or Engineering • Specific knowledge in Material Management • Substantial understanding of production methods Please send response by e-mail to Stephanie.ward@nexans.com WIRE OPERATORS WANTED. Experienced in Copper wire fabricating; double twist bunchers, mulitiwire drawing, and rod breakdown. State of the art equipment. Excellent work environment with competitive pay and benefits.

Located in the Mid-West. Contact Box: 11-1.

JOB OPENINGS. Experienced high & low carbon steel wire drawing operators wanted. This person should have at least 2 years experience in drawing of steel rod on tandem block dry drawing machines.

Work schedule is a 10 hour shift for 4 days (Mon-Thurs) Excellent pay and benefits.

Please submit resume to: CAP Technologies, LLC, Attn: Blythe Daigle, 609 Centerville Rd., Denham Springs, LA 70726.

FIELD SERVICE ELECTRICAL TECHNICIAN WANTED: WIRE & CABLE Equipment Manufacturer looking for an experienced Electrical Technician for start-up & service of industrial machinery. Minimum requirements: Working knowledge of Ladder logic to include programming and debug of Siemens Step 7 PLC programs & HMI Panels, experi-

PERSONNEL SERVICES “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 thousands of key individual contributors and managers.

Contact: E-mail Peter Carino at pcarino@wireresources.com or e-mail Jack

Cutler at jcutler@ wireresources.com, or visit the Wire Resources company website at www.wireresources.com.

Wire Resources, Inc., 522 E. Putnam Ave, Greenwich, CT 06830, 203-6223000 or 800-394-WIRE.

MACHINERY W W W. U R BA N OA S S O C I AT E S .

COM. For New (Hakusan Heat Pressure Welders, Ferrous & Non-Ferrous; Marldon Rolling Ring Traverses) & Used Wire & Cable Equipment (buttwelders, coldwelders, color-o-meters and pointers). Tel: 727-863-4700 or by e-mail, please send to urbassoc@verizon.net.

DIES

DIAMOND DIES. Fair prices and excellent lead times. Contact Paulette, OwnerSales, by telephone at 1-508-226-1508 or by e-mail at apollodie@ comcast.net.

MOLONEY DIE COMPANY. Low prices on all sizes of new, used and recut carbide dies. We also recut tapered nibs.

Fast turn-around. Quality service since 1985. Tel. 904-388-3654.

SANCLIFF SHAPED WIRE DIES. All sizes and shapes R2 to R12. Highest Quality, Shortest Lead Times, Lowest Cost and Superior Customer Service. 60+ years of quality products and service to the wire industry. Contact Bill Drumm at 1-800332-0747, or please send an E-Mail to sales@sancliff.com. ■

APOLLO DIA-CARB COMPANY. Buy & sell new/used Natural and PCD

More than 1,200 second-hand machines in stock Reconditioned 6 block double capstan drawing machine

New machines designed for your production New Bongard drawing line for trolley wire

Bongard Machines USA Bongard Machines USA LLCLLC 832160 Mill· 6920 LakePointe RoadInverness Way Suite Fort Wayne, IN. 46845 Fort Wayne, IN 46804, USA Phone 260-338-2634 Phone +1 260 225 4510 Fax 260-338-2635 Fax +1 260 225 4513 E-Mail chris.z@bongard.us E Mail jh@bongard.us www.bongard.us www.bongard.us

NOVEMBER 2011 | 69

CLASSIFIEDS

enced with Digital AC & DC Drives, Motors & Controls. Position requires extensive travel throughout North & South America. Benefits package includes travel differential, 401k, Health, Disability & Life Insurance. Only applicants with the above requirements will be considered.

Please e-mail resume with salary requirements to: sscroggs@sampinc.com.

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX ADVERTISER . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PAGE

ADVERTISER . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PAGE

Anbao Wire & Mesh Co Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65

George Evans Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68

Beta LaserMike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Flymca & Flyro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Bongard Trading GmbH & Co KG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69

FMS USA Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Cable Components Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cover 2

T Fukase & Co Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Carris Reels Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

Gauder Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Commission Brokers Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67

GCR Eurodraw Srl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Dow Electrical & Telecommunications . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Gimax Srl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .insert, between 16-17

MIND THE GENERATION GAP

Great minds are developing. Engineers. Metallurgists.

Innovators. The future of the industry depends on them.

Find them online. Connect with them. Influence them.

And meet them halfway through WAI.

The Wire Association International, Inc. 1570 Boston Post Road | P.O. Box 578 | Guilford, CT 06437-0578 USA | Telephone: (001) 203-453-2777 | Fax: (001) 203-453-8384 | www.wirenet.org

70 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

ADVERTISER . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PAGE

Huestis Industrial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18, 39

Pressure Welding Machines Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43

Keir Manufacturing Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Rautomead ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

Lamnea Bruk AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

Reel-O-Matic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27, 65

Lesmo Machinery America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15

REELEX Packaging Solutions Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Lloyd & Bouvier Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69

Sanxin Wire Die Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Micro Products Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Sheaves Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46-47

Paramount Die Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

SIKORA AG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Parkway-Kew Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9

Sjogren Industries Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63

NOVEMBER 2011 | 71

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX

ADVERTISER . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PAGE

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX

ADVERTISER . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PAGE Talladega Machinery & Supply Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Unience . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cover 3

Wire & Plastic Machinery Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71

January 2012 WJI • Ferrous wire manufacturing • wrapup: CabWire World Conference • wrapup: IWCS

Wyrepak Industries Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63

Advertising Deadline: Dec. 1, 2011 Zumbach Electronics Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cover 4

WIRE ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL ADS WAI Membership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14

WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo 2012 . . . . . . . . .40-41

WAI Webinar (ISO 9001/AS9100) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48-49

WIRE JOURNAL I N T E R N A T I O N A L

NORTH AMERICA

EUROPE

Robert J. Xeller Anna Bzowski Wire Journal International 1570 Boston Post Road P.O. Box 578 Guilford, CT 06437-0578 USA Tel: 203-453-2777 Fax: 203-453-8384 sales@wirenet.org

U.K., France, Spain, Holland, Belgium, Denmark & Scandinavia Jennie Franks David Franks & Co. 63 St. Andrew’s Road Cambridge CB4 1DH, England Tel/fax: 44-1223-360472 franksco@btopenworld.com

72 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

SALES OFFICES ASIA/WAI INDIA OFFICE Germany, Austria, & Switzerland Dagmar Melcher Media Service International P.O. Box 103 D-82402 Seeshaupt Germany Tel: 49-8801-914682 Fax: 49-8801-914683 dmelcher@t-online.de

India Wire & Cable Services Pvt. Ltd. (WCS) 501, Rainbow Plaza, S. No. 7 Pimple-Saudeagar Vil. Rahatani, Pune - 411017, India Huned Contractor mobile - +91 988 1084 202 hcontractor@wirenet.org

It doesn’t emit toxic gases as well as halogen components and shows excellent low smoke property.