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REPORT TO MEMBERS By Steve Fetteroll, executive director There was a flurry of activity for much of the wire and cable industry in 2023, as a return to more active times continued, especially for the power sector. In May, WAI returned to Atlanta after a Covid-induced skip cycle, to stage Interwire 2023. It also took to the road once again for international technical conferences, holding not one but two, and announced a new educational initiative. This section looks at some of what transpired during what, overall, should be seen as a good year.
WAI live events back on track
At Interwire 2023, Southwire President and CEO Rich Stinson, l, accepts the inaugural WAI Champion Award from WAI President Kurt Breischaft. Stinson also delivered a memorablekeynote address, “The future is electrified.” Siripurapu, chief innovation and R&D officer of the Prysmian Group. He was followed by two themed conference sessions, the first of which was Industry 4.0. That session included an enthralling interview by Oden Technologies CEO Willem Sundblad of Southwire
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This report leads off with Interwire 2023 because the Association’s officers, volunteers and staff worked hard to make sure that the bi-annual event serves the wire and cable industry. Having lost the live event in 2021 due to Covid, what was seen and heard at the Georgia World Congress Center was most important. I’m most pleased to report that Interwire delivered. The event, held in Atlanta, Georgia, on May 9-11, drew 3,184 people from 43 states and 42 countries. A total of 285 wire and cable operations were represented. The show floor, as ever, was a marquee attraction. It featured 335 exhibiting companies, including more than 30 new to Interwire—that collectively filled some 80 product categories in the Show Program. The exhibits and the educational program were both memorable. The theme for the event—which started off on Monday with WAI’s iconic Fundamentals of Wire Manufacturing program—was Rising to the Challenge. On Tuesday, following the Awards Ceremony, was the engaging keynote presentation—Innovation, investments & incentives–electrifying the wire and cable industry for a brighter future—by Dr. Srinivas
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Senior Vice President of Modernization Will Berry about his company’s multiple-year digital transformation journey. Following that came the second themed session on the Workforce, which included an executive panel discussion on adapting to the workforce challenges with senior industry leaders. The next day saw two riveting highlights, the first being the keynote address by Southwire President and CEO Rich Stinson on the outlook for electrical demand, followed by the first of two “lofty” presentations by Astronaut Dr. Mary Ellen Weber. She was followed by the third themed session, the Industry Outlook, which included two executive panels: the Steel Market, moderated by James York, Insteel Industries; and then Copper Supply and Demand, moderated by Kurt Breischaft, SDI LaFarga COPPERWORKS. Both men are WAI Past Presidents. The above may read like an event wrap-up, but the individual pieces that went into the event reflect the scope of what is covered. I could go on and on, such as noting that the “big picture” was presented at Interwire by CRU Analyst Aisling Hubert, that our live Fundamentals course drew a record 206 participants, that there were a slew of networking opportunities, that the Association’s board of directors voted in favor of allocating $50,000 for funding a new video technical initiative, and that the WAI Theater hosted many presentations, including the Mordica Memorial Lecture by Dr. Bruce Kiefer, the second quite colorful address by Dr. Weber, and Production Solutions, but I think the message is clear: Interwire served an important role.
The return to international events While the Interwire stage is large, a WAI International Technical Conference (ITC) also serves the industry, albeit on a much smaller scale. The backdrop is different as ITCs have a more measured pace, one that suits longer discussions between participants as there are no
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The fifth Italian ITC, put on by WAI and its partner ACIMAF in Milan, drew the largest-ever audience. long “must do” check lists to rush through. The ITCs held in Milan, Italy, and Monterrey, Mexico, were among the finest ever held. It started on Oct. 16 with Wire & Cable Milan, which marked the fifth such event put on in the last 20 years by WAI and its reliable partner, the Associazione Costruttori Italiani Macchine per Filo (ACIMAF). The prior events were in Stresa, Bologna and Verona, with the return to Milan being held in the Giureconsulti Palace, near the Duomo of Milan, an Italian landmark. The Milan conference event attracted the largest attendance of any previous event with 275 wire and cable professionals representing 30 countries. It included 24 presentations balanced between two concurrent tracks: ferrous and nonferrous. The sessions provided best practices in wire drawing technology and timely information on industry 4.0 and market conditions. The conference, which had many presentations by notable industry figures, was also quite elegant. Attendees are likely to long remember the Palazzo Serbelloni, which that night hosted nearly 200 of them. It started with a welcome reception in the open courtyard on the ground floor, then was followed by walking
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inside and up a long winding staircase to a grand hall for the gala dinner, a superb way to cap an unforgettable day. The sessions provided best practices in wire drawing technology and timely information on Industry 4.0 and market conditions. Some of the featured presenters included Luca De Rai, group vice president R&D and innovation for Prysmian Group; CRU Wire and Cable Research Analyst Emir Ersahin; and a 40Factory presentation delivered by Andrés Cartagena Ruiz of MFL Group. The next month, the WAI returned to Monterrey, Mexico, to put on the 2023 ITC on Nov. 13-14. The event attracted 208 participants that represented 70 different organizations. The two-day conference, which included 17 sessions, received strong reviews from all involved, especially those representing the nonferrous and electrical sectors. The educational content extended into the Suppliers Market that included 33 companies and ran concurrently with sessions. This is the sixth time that the Association has held this event in Mexico and the fourth in Monterrey (2008, 2010, 2016). All the Monterrey events have been held at the Crowne Plaza, which is convenient for the local attendees and well suited to accommodate the networking and program elements.
The opening session was a panel session that was moderated by WAI president Kurt Breischaft of SDI LaFarga COPPERWORKS and included Felipe Martinez of Kobrex, Wesley Rios of Viakable and Andres Guerra Siller of DeAcero. The attendees heard a range of perspectives on critical factors affecting the industry including nearshoring, geopolitics, AI, environmental responsibility and market conditions. Other company presentations were made by representative for Borealis, Condumex, CTC Global, Enkotec, innovAction Srl, Niehoff Endex North America, Química Iberoamericana, Rosendahl Nextrom, Paramount Die Company, Schneider Electric, SDI LaFarga COPPERWORKS, SKET, Tecnológico de Monterrey, Troester and Viakable.
Board supports further education In 2023, WAI’s Board of Directors authorized a fund of $50,000 to go to the creation of more educational products for the wire and cable industry. The goal of the pilot program is to develop video-based training in different disciplines that would be of value to employees that are either new to the industry or have new responsibility. WAI has already created a number of videos—one of which, on cleaning an extruder screw, has had more than 83,000 viewings online—and will now focus on creating a new training series. This is still in the early stages, and WAI President Kurt Breischaft noted that this will be a long-term project that will serve both the ferrous and nonferrous sectors.
A timely tradition continues
The Suppliers Market at Monterrey offered an ideal place to talk with different company representatives.
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On October 20, Elizabeth Bonfield visited WAI’s office in Madison, Connecticut, to wind the stately grandfather’s clock that was given in 1948 to the Association by British industry representatives for support during World War II.
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Bonfield has worked at the director level in the engineering, manufacturing and construction sectors for the past 20 years, most recently for Skills 4 UK, a Leedsbased consultancy firm. She observed that “we should pay our respects to John Rigby, and the forefathers who brought this clock here.” Bonfield proved to be a most competent and congenial representative. She and her husband, Steven, were welcomed by WAI President Kurt Breischaft. The audience also included WAI BoD members Rebecca Cranford, David Fischer and Chris Tucker; WAI Past President Jim York; and Association staff, including WAI Executive Director Steve Fetteroll.
Staffing updates As with any company, staff changes, and the goal is to adjust. Last year, Anna Bzowski returned to WAI in a new role: director of international sales & business development. She joined Shannon Timme, director of sales, as the other half of the two-person department. Bzowski is well known to the industry as she worked in the sales department for 17 years, including 15 years as sales manager. She returned in May to assist WAI in the production of Interwire.
WAI’s Membership Director John Markowski left the industry. He joined the WAI as an intern in 2018 and became full time in 2021. It’s worth noting that his replacement, Corey Flynn, a senior finance student at The University of New Haven, had been a WAI intern. There may be other staffing news to report this year as WAI seeks to fill a position directly related to the previously described educational initiative.
Looking back I’ve left out a lot of other news that could have been here, but one final thought is that much of what happened this year—both in the light and behind the scenes—was possible because of the incredible effort put in by WAI President Kurt Breischaft. This was evident as he graciously began his term as president a year earlier than originally planned. Throughout, he has cared about what happens at WAI and during one visit talked one-on-one with each staff person. I will never forget Kurt’s help and willingness to represent the Association in many matters. Even better, he has indicated that his full support of the organization did not end with the conclusion of his term, which is good news for both the Association and the industry.
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