WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo | May 22-23, 2012
Omni Dallas Hotel | Dallas, Texas, USA
Overview
The Wire Association International (WAI), Inc. will hold its WAI Operations Summit and Wire Expo May 22-23, 2012, at the Omni Dallas Hotel, Dallas, Texas, USA. The new program, designed for operations personnel, features a plant operations focus presented through a diverse selection of case studies, conference sessions, and production solutions surrounding an operational excellence theme. Highlights include:
Safety | Eco-strategies| Patent Law| Machinery Reliability | Commodity Outlooks | Warehousing & Distribution | Fuel & Truck Options | The Encore Success Story | Logistics |
Local hosts Encore Wire Corp. and Gerdau Corp. will offer facility tours. The Wire Expo exhibition is expected to include participation from more than 250 companies displaying wire and cable making solutions and supplies.
WAI’s event will be held in conjunction with the American Metal Market (AMM) & American Wire Producers Association (AWPA) Wire Rod Supply Chain Conference (SCC) planned for May 21-22. Look for developing program details on this page and in upcoming issues of Wire Journal International.
Schedule of Events
Keynote Speaker | Dr. W. Michael Cox
Operational Excellence Case Studies
Conference Sessions
Fundamentals of Wire Manufacturing
Production Solutions
Mordica Memorial Lecture | Paul Van Houtte
Plant Tours | Encore Wire & Gerdau Corp.
Exhibits | View Interactive Floor Plan
Conference Programming Committee
VISA Information
Exhibiting Information
Speaker Biographies
Keynote Speaker | Dr. W. Michael Cox, Director, Southern Methodist University's Cox School of Business
"The Imagination Age: Fourth Wave of American Economic Progress"
Tuesday, May 22 | 12:30 p.m. - 1:15 p.m.
Dr. W. Michael Cox, a leading economic expert, educator, and former Fed Chief Economist will focus on America's progression through the Ages—with emphasis on the current transition—and what that means for us as American entrepreneurs, managers, and workers. Cox investigates the main factor behind recent economic turmoil and concludes that we are in the midst of an Age Shift in the U.S. economy, specifically an epoch transition from the Information Age to the Imagination Age. Find out how America can stay on top in an expanding global economy and how we can make our companies and ourselves more valuable.
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Operational Excellence Case Studies
Tuesday, May 22 | 1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
The Operational Excellence program spotlights accomplishments in the wire and cable industry deserving of recognition for excellence in manufacturing and operations. It comprises five independent case studies, each of which will be followed by a brief Q&A period.
Case Study 1 | 1:30 p.m.
The Encore Success Story
Presenter: Daniel L. Jones
President/CEO, Encore Wire Corp., USA
Jones will share the amazing story of Encore’s growth which is based on their continuous reinvestment in the company, and their collaborative approach with suppliers and customers, as well as their ability to maintain a high-quality team of employees. Encore Wire, which was formed in 1989, operates from a single 192-acre campus in McKinney, Texas, that includes a new R&D center, as well as state-of-the-art manufacturing, an expansive warehouse, and rod mill. Encore manufactures commercial and residential building wire as well as Metal-Clad and Armor-Clad cable.
Case Study 2 – 1:55 p.m.
Expanding Supplier Integration to Logistics |
Presenters: Paul Kasinski, Director of Logistics, General Cable, and Ken Gray, Branch General Manager, C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc., USA
For decades, General Cable sourced transportation services based largely on lowest initial cost and had at best a transactional relationship with carriers. Entering the recession, the company challenged its core carriers to become integrated business partners, and embraced their expertise and resources to maximize overall relationship value. The integration model with CH Robinson is an excellent example as it has evolved into a highly effective transportation and load planning management process. This integration has resulted in lower cost per unit, improved quality and increased capacity, especially critical given the tightness of the current transportation marketplace.
Case Study 3 – 2:20 p.m.
Development of a 230 kV System, Cable, and Accessories |
Presenter: Patricio G. Murga, Director of Technology & Development, Viakable SA de CV, Mexico
This presentation describes the development of the 230 kV System, made by Viakable from 2008 to 2011. This project included the development of an insulated power cable, for 230 kV, 2,000 mm2 – copper, and a system using ABB-Kabeldon accessories. The presentation includes the technology development, the cable and process design, the extra-high voltage (EHV) testing area design and construction, and alliances with well-known international laboratories for the witnessing process. The 230 kV system was tested for more than a year in Viakable’s state-of-the-art EHV laboratory, and met the proper international specifications.
Case Study 4 – 2:45 p.m.
Interconnecting Operations and the Environment
Presenter: Bruno Lioi, Regional Director of Operations, Gerdau – Wire Products, and Thomas Sondgeroth, Sales Manager, Gerdau – Carrollton Wire Products, USA
In 2011, Gerdau’s Carrollton wire operation received the Environmental Distinction Award from the City of Carrollton (Texas). This presentation will discuss the various factors that have positioned this specific facility for excellence, including steadfastly applying Kaizen, the installation of an oil recovery system, and other environmentally friendly facility modifications.
Case Study 5 – 3:10 p.m.
Marlin Wire's Engineered Solutions | Presenter: Drew Greenblatt, President, Marlin Steel Wire Products, USA
Marlin Wire has a growingly diverse and demanding customer base for their wire fabricated products. This presentation illustrates their keys to success when working with such industries as aerospace, medical, and the military.
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Production Solutions
Tuesday, May 22 | 3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Session 1 - 3:30 p.m. | Lubrication/Coatings
Session 2 - 4:00 p.m. | Measurement & Testing | Ray Pahler, R&D Manager, Encore Wire Corp.
Session 3 - 4:30 p.m. | Wire Breaks | Dr. Horace Pops, Horace Pops Consulting Inc.
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Mordica Memorial Lecture | Paul Van Houtte, Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium
"Texture and anistrophy: only a major issue in steel for car body sheet? Or also for steel wire?"
Wednesday, May 23 | 10:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
For many car body parts, automotive companies specify a high degree of a certain type of anisotropy. Consequently, steel suppliers are conducting substantial research to understand the relation between texture and mechanical behavior as well as the technology needed to control steel texture. In the wiredrawing industry, the “texture-anisotropy” phenomenon also deserves serious attention. This lecture by Mordica Memorial Award winner Paul Van Houtte, demonstrates that the fundamental knowledge that the metal physics community has gathered about the crystallographic texture and its effect on anisotropy can also be used to better understand a certain number of issues which occur during drawing of wire or the application of drawn wire. It considers only metallic wires, mainly though not exclusively carbon steel. It may be clear that in the case of pearlitic steel, anisotropy is affected by not only the texture in the ferrite, but also the directionality of the cementite lamellae.
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Plant Tours
Space on both of the following tours is limited. Rates for the tour are USD $50 and $75, respectively, for WAI members and non-members which includes motor coach transportation. Each tour will depart from the Omni Dallas Hotel at 1:00 p.m., returning by 5:00 p.m. Individual registration for the tour is subject to approval by the host company.
Encore Wire Corp. Plant Tour
Wednesday, May 23 | 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Encore Wire Corporation manufactures commercial, residential, and industrial building wire as well as metal-clad and armored cable.
Visitors to Encore’s headquarters and manufacturing facility in McKinney, Texas, will see one of the buildings for which the company has been recognized recently by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®), the nation’s preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of high performancegreen buildings.
The tour will include the company’s new 13,000 sq. ft. LEED Platinum Research and Development center, a building that has achieved the highest rating by the U.S. Green Building Council for its environmentally sound achievements in architectural design, building materials, andoperating systems.
Additional stops on the tour include Plant 1—the Residential Building Wire Plant (copper conductor); Plant 2—the Commercial Feeder Wire Plant (bare conductor and photovoltaic conductor); Plant 3—the Circuit Wire Plant; Plant 4—the Armored Cable/Metal Clad Cable Plant; Plant 5—the Industrial Wire Plant (control or instrumentation-shielded wire, power and control cable); the Copper Rod Casting Mill; and the Distribution Center.
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Gerdau Corp. Plant Tour
Wednesday, May 23 | 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
The ferrous plant tour—also on Wednesday, May 23, 2012, will visit the Gerdau-Carrollton Wire Products mill, an award-winning facility where wire products are manufactured for a number of markets, including appliance, automotive, construction and OEMs.
The Carrollton location, which employs more than 50 people, is frequently recognized for environmental excellence and superior safety performance, as well as the dedication of its employees to social responsibility activities. The production capacity of the mill exceeds 80,000 tons. Products produced at the plant include: black and bright annealed wire; bail wire; bright basic wire, duct wire, shaped wire; high- and low-carbon steel wire, and straightened and cut wire.
Gerdau is the leading producer of long steel in the Americas and one of the largest suppliers of special long steel in the world. The company employs more than 45,000 employees and has industrial operations in 14 countries with operations in the Americas, Europe, and Asia, which together represent an installed capacity of over 25 million metric tons of steel per year. It is the largest recycler in Latin America and around the world it transforms millions of metric tons of scrap into steel every year.
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2012 Conference Programming Committee
William Avise | President Wire Group, Leggett & Platt
Richard Baker | Vice President Technical, Alcan Cable
Anthony De Rosa | President, Cortinovis America
Jose Ranc | CNA Technologies
Thomas Maxwell | President, Die Quip (Committee Chairman)
Patricio Murga | Director Technology & Development, Viakable
Nick Nickoletopoulos | General Manager, Sivaco Wire Group/Ifaste Groupe
Dale Olp | MLP Steel , Operations Manager, General Manager (Chairman WAI Education Committee)
Donald Schollin | President, Q-S Technologies
Jan Sorige | President, Enkotec (Chairman WAI Exhibition Planning Committee)
Gary Spence | VP Nonferrous Metals, Encore Wire
Mark Spencer | Executive Vice President, W. Gillies Technologies
Mark Thackeray | Sr. Vice President North American Operations, General Cable
Bhaskar Yalamanchili | Director Corporate Quality, Gerdau Ameristeel
Marc Murray | Director of Education and Member Services, WAI (Staff Liaison)
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"I see this Wire Expo as a complete success; the short program gave us a lot of continuous activity instead of drawn out over the 3-4 days with lighter traffic. It also saved us money of not flying in early to setup and get ready for a Monday start. The overflow from the other Expo filtered over to us and actually generated potential new business. I like this new format which gave us more leads over a shorter time frame. I liked the combined show and look forward to this format in future Expos. Those that stayed away missed out on the new opportunities presented at this Expo."
John Stevens, CEO,
Engineered Machinery Group, Inc.
"Wire Expo proved that the economy is picking up at a steady pace for Zumbach Electronics. Our collection of leads were not only solid, but give good grounds to assume that the industry is alive and active. It was important for us to meet with existing customers although we met with several likely prospects for active business in the future. With companies traveling longer distances then expected, and to take advantage of the technical program, Zumbach Electronics will make it a priority to teach these courses and present papers to educate the generations to come . The Wire Association has achieved their goal in maintaining a show that gave many companies face time with their customers in a city that has great restaurants, ball games and many other atmospheres that are suitable for business relations."
Carolyn A. Edwards, Marketing Manager, Zumbach Electronics Corp.
"The 2-day show format was good. It cut costs and I think it forced attendees to get focused and decide what they wanted to accomplish at the show. Co-locating the other show was also good since we had many visitors to our booth — with whom we had meaningful dialog — who otherwise would not have talked to us. Now they're in our database and we can follow up to see what develops. The level of activity on Tuesday was very good. And it was steady all day right up to closing at 5 p.m. All in all I was glad Amacoil decided to exhibit."
Wire Expo is organized by WAI and is held biennially in a different industry hub within the U.S. for the wire and cable manufacturing industry. The event incorporates technical paper presentations, a comprehensive exhibit, on-floor production solutions demonstrations, networking activities and more. Wire Expo originated in Boston in 1990 and has since been hosted in the following locations: Louisville, Kentucky; Detroit, Michigan; Charlotte, North Carolina; Cleveland, Ohio; Nashville, Tennessee;Chicago, Illinois, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
