June 3, 2021 – Subsea cable supplier SubCom will provide two next-gen subsea cables to support data capacity for Reliance Jio Infocomm (Jio), a mobile digital service provider in India.
A press release said that the two systems, each of which will provide more than 200 Tbits of capacity, will require cable to span some 16,000 km. They will employ open system technology and the latest wavelength switched RoADM/branching units ensures rapid upgrade deployment and the ultimate flexibility to add/drop waves across multiple locations.
The first system, the India-Asia-Xpress (IAX) system, will connect Mumbai and Chennai in India eastbound to Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. The second system, the India-Europe-Xpress (IEX) system, will connect India westbound to Italy, landing in Savona, and additional landings in the Middle East and North Africa.
Both systems will be connected to the Reliance Jio Global Fiber Network beyond Asia-Pacific and Europe, connecting to both the east and west coast of the U.S. IAX is expected to be ready for service mid-2023, while IEX will be ready for service in early 2024.
“To meet the demands of streaming video, remote workforce, 5G, IoT, and beyond, Jio is taking a leadership role in the construction of the first of its kind, India-centric IAX and IEX subsea systems,” said Reliance Jio President Mathew Oommen.
Industry News
June 3, 2021 – Alphagary announced that, pending certain customary closing conditions, it will acquire a majority share ownership in Shakun Polymers Private Limited, a privately held and family-owned market leader in the production of compounds for the wire and cable markets in the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Africa.
A press release said that the transaction represents “an important strategic investment.” The investment will allow Alphagary to expand its product and regional footprints as Shakun continues to provide next-generation materials designed to meet the high safety and performance standards in Asia and Africa’s markets. Shakun has four manufacturing facilities in India that have a total installed annual capacity of more than 40,000 metric tons. Its compounds are used to make power cables, building wires, telecommunications and fiber optic cables, instrumentation cables and photovoltaic cables. Shakun’s product development focus is on halogen-free, flame-retardant compounds and PVC-based compounds for data and power cables, a mix that is a direct complement to Alphagary’s specialty product offerings that support a connected world. Shakun’s semi-conductive and cross-linkable compounds will also expand Alphagary’s portfolio, offering a growth platform and meeting customer requirements.
Key members of the Shakun management team will remain with the business, underlining the commitment of both organizations to create added value for customers and stakeholders. “We are very excited by Alphagary’s investment in Shakun and the opportunity it creates to deliver on our customers’ requirements,” said Shakun Joint Managing Director Rakesh Bansal. “I am delighted to be part of a team that will work together to offer a wider portfolio of materials and more efficient supply chains that help us focus on service.”
“While Alphagary has a broad reach from its facilities in the U.S., Europe and Mexico, the addition of Shakun’s market position in Asia and Africa coupled with the team’s entrepreneurial spirit will enable us to broaden our innovation horizons,” said Alphagary President Gautam Nivarthy.
Alphagary operates eight facilities in the U.S., U.K., Mexico and Colombia, and has a global sales and distribution network. It is a business of Orbia, which is active in 110 countries, with operations in more than 50. Orbia has five business groups, one of which is Polymer Solutions.
Orbia CEO Sameer Bharadwaj said in the release that while India faces difficulty with the current pandemic, he is confident in the resilience of the Asia-Pacific and African markets and long-term growth coming from these regions. “This investment provides us with a local presence, a wider scope for future-focused development and a strong customer base for our products and services that help to advance life around the world. We welcome Shakun to the Orbia family and look forward to their immediate contributions to our success together.”
June 3, 2021 – Nexans announced that it has won two contracts from Equinor, an international energy company present in more than 30 countries worldwide, for two offshore projects.
The first contract, a press release said, calls for Nexans to design, manufacture and supply 44 km of steel tube umbilicals and accessories for an offshore Brazilian project: the Bacalhau ultra-deep water, oil-field development project. It targets pre-salt reservoirs in the Santos Basin estimated to contain up to two billion barrels of oil equivalent (bboe) recoverable reserves.
The order extends Nexans’s long-standing relationship with the Subsea Integration Alliance (SIA) formed between Subsea 7 and OneSubsea. It is responsible for the SURF (subsea, umbilical, risers, and flowlines) front-end engineering and design (FEED) contracts for the Bacalhau project. Nexans’s Halden plant in Norway will provide the SIA with steel tube umbilicals to provide vital services for subsea equipment operating at water depths down to
2,100 m. This includes 2.5 km of gas-lift umbilical, 35 km of static umbilical, 6.9 km of dynamic umbilical and accessories. Nexans is scheduled to deliver the Bacalhau umbilicals in the last quarter of 2022.
The second order was for the fabrication of umbilicals for the Askeladd Vest project, which is in the southern Barents Sea. Nexans will provide static subsea umbilicals with a complex cross-section of power, fiber-optic communications and hydraulic elements for chemical injection, along with a range of connection and termination accessories.
The subsea template on Askeladd Vest will be tied back to the Askeladd field through a pipeline and an umbilical. The distance from the onshore production plant at Melkøya to the subsea field is 195 km, which is the longest distance ever for such a field development.
The main activity of assembling umbilicals and loading them onto installation vessels will be performed at Nexans’ plant in Halden. The control cables will be assembled at Nexans’ plant in Halden and unloaded on installation vessels. Fiber optic cables and power cables will be manufactured in Rognan. The contract value is estimated at nearly $12 million.
May 12, 2021 – Due to the effects and uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic, Messe Düsseldorf India decided to reschedule the combined staging of the wire India, Tube India, METEC India and India Essen Cutting & Welding trade fairs. Originally scheduled for September 2021, the four events will now take place from November 23-25, 2022 at the Bombay Exhibition Center in Mumbai.
“Our objective remains to support the economic recovery by providing a leading platform for conducting businesses safely and effectively at our trade fairs," Messe Düsseldorf India Managing Director Thomas Schlitt said in a press release. He noted that the recent development in the pandemic situation does not allow a reliable planning for the trade fairs in India for the next few months. "These circumstances make it impossible to hold the Indian Metal Fairs in September 2021. The decision to reschedule the trade fairs to November 2022 was made after careful evaluation of the situation together with our partners and key stakeholders.”
With this decision, Messe Düsseldorf India is taking into account its obligations towards its partners in the metal and metallurgy industry in India and worldwide, the release said. The postponement to a later date will ensure that the events will continue to provide a leading platform to bring global industry stakeholders together again. “We trust that by 2022 the international travel restrictions will be lifted and we will again see a large international participation given the international nature of our events. We are grateful to all our partners for their continued support in these unprecedented times. We stay committed and will take every possible measure in supporting and creating resilient business at India’s leading industry events for the metal and metallurgy sector,“ Schlitt said.
For further information on visiting or exhibiting at wire India, Tube Indi or METEC India 2022, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America, tel. (312) 781-5180, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., or visit www.wire-india.com, www.tube-india.com, www.metec-india.com, www.iewc.in and www.mdna.com. You can also follow on twitter at http://twitter.com/mdnachicago
May 12, 2021 – Vineyard Wind has received approval from the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), the final major step in the federal review process for a project that, when completed, will be the first commercial scale offshore wind farm in the U.S..
“Today’s (decision) is not about the start of a single project, but the launch of a new industry,” Vineyard Wind CEO Lars T. Pedersen said in a press release. “Receiving this final major federal approval means the jobs, economic benefits and clean energy revolution associated with the Vineyard Wind 1 project can finally come to fruition. It’s been a long road to get to this point, but ultimately, we are reaching the end of this process with the strongest possible project.”
Vineyard Wind 1 is an 800 MW project located 15 miles off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard The project design includes the world’s most powerful wind turbine, the GE Haliade-X, with a capacity of 13 megawatts (MW). The larger turbine capacity has allowed the project to reduce the total number of turbines from 108 to 62 while still delivering a total capacity of 800 MW to Massachusetts ratepayers. The turbine layout, which features consistent spacing of one nautical mile between turbines, was endorsed by the United States Coast Guard for transit, fishing and navigational safety. Vineyard Wind will reach financial close in the second half of 2021 and begin delivering clean energy to Massachusetts in 2023.
Southwire has previously been named a key supplier for the project. Southwire will manufacture more than 32 miles of high voltage cable at its facility in Huntersville, North Carolina. The company’s high-voltage field services team, working with local laborers, will install the cable with a projected onshore site completion by the first quarter of 2023.
Vineyard Wind LLC is a joint venture between Avangrid Renewables, a subsidiary of Avangrid, Inc. and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP). Since 2017, the Vineyard Wind 1 project has been through an unprecedented and exhaustive public review process that generated more than 30,000 public comments, more than 90% of which supported the project, the release said. The Construction and Operations Plan (COP) was reviewed by more than two dozen federal, state, and local agencies over the course of more than three and a half years.
The announcement of the federal approval was lauded by the participating suppliers as well as Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, U.S. Senators Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren, Congressman Bill Keating, Massachusetts Senate President Karen E. Spilka, Speaker of the House Ronald J. Mariano, State Representative Patricia Haddad, New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell and Frank Callahan of the Massachusetts Building Trades.
The release noted that. since 2017, the Vineyard Wind 1 project has been through an unprecedented and exhaustive public review process that generated more than 30,000 public comments, more than 90% of which supported the project. The Construction and Operations Plan (COP) was reviewed by more than two dozen federal, state, and local agencies over the course of more than three and a half years.
May 12, 2021 – What do the Cleveland Browns football team, The Estée Lauder Companies, Goodyear and CM Furnaces all have in common? This year each celebrates its 75th anniversary. Below, Vice President Jim Neill outlines the start of CM Furnaces—which has kept all its design and manufacturing in the U.S.—its evolution, its market broadening and where it is now. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., www.cmfurnaces.com
CM Furnaces was started in January 1946 by Seth Combs and James Murphy. The primary business was making coils and filaments for the electronics industry and lighting. Coils were made out of molybdenum and tungsten wire.
Both Combs and Murphy came out of the refractory metal industry and were very knowledgeable on moly and tungsten. Coils needed to be hydrogen-fired to shape, set and clean them. CM started to build its own hydrogen furnaces to support the coil business. We had some very interesting designs that attracted the attention of the three major lighting companies, GE, Sylvania and Westinghouse. At that time, CM started to build furnaces for all of them.
Word soon spread to other industries. Furnaces became a larger portion of the business. Technology was changing and the need for electronic filaments decreased slowly over time, while the furnace business continued to grow and expand.
Because we were so used to working with refractory metal wire, early on we moved into the wire industry. At first, it was moly and tungsten, then copper, stainless steel, nickel-based alloys, and titanium. These furnaces led to other uses in tubing, rod and small width sheet.
Continuous wire annealing furnaces are a very important part of CM’s business. The furnace business has grown into laboratory furnaces for all types of high-temperature research applications in a variety of atmospheres.
After 75 years, we are now in 12 major industries building both standard and custom units for a huge variety of applications. This base is a perfect platform for our continued growth into the future.
The future looks bright. The design of the furnaces continues to improve. The days of building your own are behind us. Most companies do not have the manpower or knowledge to do this. They would also be building a brand-new, 30-year-old piece of equipment, whereas we are building furnaces every day. The more furnaces we build, the more that we learn. This constantly helps us improve the product. We are looking forward to our 100th anniversary.”
May 12, 2021 – Alloy Wire International (AWI), a specialist producer of round and profile wire, straight bars and wire rope in ‘High Performance’ nickel alloys, has appointed Gürfil San.Ve Elek.Cih.Paz.A.S to help it grow its Turkish business by 20% over the next twelve months.
Angus Hogarth, Director of R&D at AWI, commented: “We are now supplying our wire into more than 60 countries worldwide and this is only possible thanks to the network of Sales Representatives we have developed around the globe.
“Orders to Turkey have enjoyed consistent growth over the last two years and we are now in a position to invest in a local agent that will give us an even stronger presence in the area. Yusuf Gunes’ knowledge and business experience will open up new contacts for us, as well as meeting the requirements of existing customers.”
He continued: “You can’t beat having that country specific knowledge for understanding how the market will react to changes, new trends that are developing and where opportunities may exist.”
Yusuf Gunes went on to add: “I’m looking forward to travelling in Turkey and meeting with AWI’s customers to find out how we may further help with their wire needs in ‘Exotic’ alloys such as Inconel, Nimonic, Hastelloy, Monel, MP35N, Phynox and Waspaloy.
“They are already used by manufacturers of springs, fasteners and mesh for example, with these materials often used because of their excellent performance in high temperature or very corrosive environments.
“AWI has a very good reputation in Turkey and customers are switching on to its ability to make small order quantities in short 3 week lead times and in such a wide size range, starting from 0.025mm to 21mm. Our technical expertise will also be crucial when discussing product application or a wire specification.”
Alloy Wire International currently supplies in excess of 5000 customers involved in automotive, aerospace, defence, medical, nuclear, oil and gas and renewables.
A 60-strong range of exotic alloys, including Phynox, Inconel and Hastelloy, is available from 0.025mm (.001”) to 21mm (.827”) in small batches or medium/large volume – all within a three-week timeframe.
Strong demand has come from the Far East, Eastern Europe and Australia, with new international sales agents also appointed in Russia and Singapore to explore new opportunities.
For further information, please visit www.alloywire.com or follow Alloy Wire International on LinkedIn. Yusuf can be reached on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
May 12, 2021 – Prysmian Group strengthens its commitment to Diversity & Inclusion with the aim of further enhancing its human capital made up of around 28,000 employees worldwide. The increase in the percentage of women, both among white-collar workers and at the level of top managers, is among the sustainability parameters to which the payment of the company managers’ variable remuneration has been linked.
As evidence of the strategic importance of gender and cultural diversity, Prysmian has also set up a new global Diversity & Inclusion Steering Committee, tasked with overseeing the achievement of the objectives that the Group has set itself. The Diversity & Inclusion Steering Committee has the responsibility to define D&I objectives at each organisational level and support the definition of the actions to achieve and to promote a cultural change to facilitate Diversity & Inclusion within the work environment. The Committee is composed by Prysmian Turkey Human Resources Director Aysun Kalmik, acting as Leader, and Product Development Manager of the Lincoln (Rhode Island) plant Prasha Sarwate, as Deputy Leader.
In order to improve the gender balance in its workforce, the Group has committed to achieving the following Diversity & Inclusion objectives by 2022:
• Ensuring 40% of women hired (female white collars hired with a permanent contract) on total hirings (34% in 2020 compared to 30% in 2016);
• Increasing from 21.9% to 25% the percentage of women managers (from junior to top positions);
• Improving gender balance with regard to executive positions: from 6% in 2016 to 18% in 2022.
In addition, fundamental indicators (e.g., security) have been implemented in all the Groups’ 104 plants.
The D&I parameters are part of the sustainability objectives, to which the payment of the company managers’ variable remuneration has been linked.
In addition, the Group’s first Global eNclusion Week, a five-day digital event, will take place from 17 to 21 May, featuring a series of digital panels and workshops on the importance and advantages of building diverse and inclusive workspaces. The programme will focus on four main themes: Gender Diversity; Diversity & Inclusion in all its forms; Inclusive Culture in the workplace; and Generational D&I.
The Global eNclusion Week will be opened on 14 May by Fabrizio Rutschmann, Prysmian Group CHRO, followed by speeches by: Valerio Battista, Prysmian Group CEO; Mimi Kung, Prysmian Group Independent Board Member; Eric Rondolat, Signify CEO; Sabrina Ritossa Fernandez, Sycomore Asset Management; Maria Cristina Bifulco, Chief Sustainability Officer & IR Director Prysmian Group; and Massimo Battaini, Prysmian Group COO. For further details on all the events click here. The Global eNclusion Week will offer the opportunity to know more about how Countries, Companies and Associations are promoting Diversity & Inclusion around the world.
With the participation of an international and multicultural community, this initiative will feature one week of events open to everyone, where speakers from different industries and with different background will share their knowledge and best practices related to Diversity & Inclusion.
“We strongly believe that leveraging on gender, age and cultural diversity means creating more value and we are constantly building a work environment where all our employees can feel understood, respected and included, just as they are. This event is more than an aspiration: it is a necessity, or better, a business case for a Group that has to work with customers, suppliers and shareholders with different backgrounds and cultures. In order to improve this approach, it is necessary to raise awareness and build a positive dialogue, which can contribute to advancing the Group’s corporate culture”, commented Fabrizio Rutschmann, Chief HR Officer Prysmian Group.
Prysmian Group believes in the value of individuals, backgrounds, leadership styles and attitudes because each person has the potential to generate value to the Company. Its global footprint enables the Group to promote an inclusive environment, encouraging the development of corporate culture and identity. Side by Side is Prysmian Group’s project that promotes Diversity & Inclusion across the organisation.
The Prysmian Group
Prysmian Group is a world leader in the energy and telecom cable systems industry. With almost 140 years of experience, sales of €10 billion, about 28,000 employees in over 50 countries and 104 plants, the Group is strongly positioned in high-tech markets and offers the widest possible range of products, services, technologies and know-how.
May 12, 2021 – Leoni AG continues positive trajectory in the first quarter of 2021, which saw the initial WCS carve-out achieved.
“We continued our operational recovery of the preceding quarters in the first quarter of 2021,” stated Leoni AG CEO Also Kamper. “We reached initial milestones in the improvement of our portfolio with the sale of Leoni Schweiz AG as well as the agreement on the disposal of business units of Leoni Kerpen GmbH. Overall, our progress in operational and strategic terms gives us confidence that we have embarked on the right course to stabilise our business on a sustainable basis. Our focus continues to be on diligently implementing all measures needed to further improve LEONI’s performance and efficiency in the future.” He cited the following positive news.
• Consolidated sales well up on the previous year in the first quarter of 2021
• EBIT before exceptional items as well as before VALUE 21 costs was, with earnings of €39 million, up substantially from the level of same quarter of the previous year (a loss of € 7 million) thanks to a sales increase and operational improvements
• Resolute implementation of our VALUE 21 performance and strategy programme; about €600 million of the gross cost savings potential realised as of 31 March 2021
• As expected, negative free cash flow of € 100 million substantially below the previous year’s neutral figure, which benefited considerably at the time from sale-and-leaseback transactions; free cash flow in the first quarter of 2021 was weighed down by the trend in net working capital related to the operational recovery
• Progress made with respect to strengthening our portfolio by having closed the sale of the first WCS unit, namely LEONI Schweiz AG, at the end of March 2021
• Agreement signed with a consortium of buyers on sale of LEONI Kerpen GmbH’s low-margin business units based in Stolberg; more than 160 jobs could be saved by continuing to operate these units in the hands of new owners at the site
• Sales and earnings outlook for fiscal 2021 raised: despite the persisting Covid-19 pandemic and bottlenecks in our global supply chains, outlook for Group sales now lifted to a significant increase (previously only a low double-digit percentage range); EBIT before exceptional items as well as before VALUE 21 costs should also improve significantly and now reach at least the break-even point
5/7/2021: Kinderhook Industries, LLC (Kinderhook) announced that it has acquired Cameron Wire & Cable, Inc., a leading distributor of commercial and industrial wire, cable and related accessories.
A press release said that Robert Cameron, who founded the company and served as president, will continue his involvement and be on the board of directors. Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas, Cameron Wire & Cable supplies Cameron-branded copper, aluminum and specialty wire and cable products that are sold to the renewable energy, building wire, industrial and utility end markets. It also provides value-added services that include paralleling, cutting, kitting, harness assembly and development of custom engineered products for unique applications. It serves its customers out of a strategic footprint of distribution centers spanning the continental U.S.
The release did not cite the sales price, but Kinderhook Managing Director Paul Cifelli said that Cameron is “retaining a significant minority stake.” Kinderhook will add two of its operating partners—Ed Flynn, former CEO of International Wire Group, and Craig York, CEO of Kinderhook portfolio company, Copperweld—to Cameron Wire & Cable’s management and board of directors. The two men, who have more than 40 years of collective experience in the wire and cable industry, will provide operational and strategic expertise in support of Kinderhook and management.
Partnering with Kinderhook will allow us to accelerate our growth plan in Cameron’s core and adjacent industry verticals, said Robert Cameron. “In particular, I’m very excited to pursue complementary add-on acquisitions that will help continue to grow our franchise and value-added capabilities.”
“Robert Cameron has successfully led the company to a position of industry leadership in just over a decade, and we look forward to working with him on expanding the Company’s products, services and end markets,” Cifelli said. “Cameron Wire & Cable is a valuable addition to Kinderhook’s rapidly growing wire and cable franchise, and we are excited to help facilitate the acceleration of the company’s already impressive growth.”
Founded in 2003, Kinderhook Industries, LLC, is a private investment firm that manages over $3.3 billion of committed capital. In 2019 it acquired the Copperweld Group, Inc., which last November acquired Copperhead Industries, a Minnesota-based provider of specialty tracer wire products and related equipment.
5/7/2021: NKT reports that it has been awarded a long-term frame agreement with French Transmission System Operator, Réseau de Transport d’Electricité (RTE) to supply it high-voltage power cables.
A press release said that the agreement builds upon a decade of successful collaboration between NKT and RTE. “This new frame contract is a testament to NKT’s presence in France and a confirmation of the mutually rewarding business relationship between NKT and RTE.”
NKT will supply 25 kV high-voltage AC XLPE underground power cable systems, and install accessories such as joints and terminations. The contract covers from 2021 through 2023, with an option for one additional year, as RTE furthers its goal to renew and modernize the transmission power grid in France to support energy transition.
“We are fully committed to accelerate the sustainability journey as we are the first major power cable manufacturer to commit to the Science Based Target initiative and to become a net-zero emissions company supporting RTE in their ambition of making ‘the Greener Choice,’” said NKT President and CEO Alexander Kara.
NKT is currently supporting RTE by executing a 225 kV high-voltage retrofitting power cable project in Marseille, where old cables installed in steel pipes are being replaced with new armored extruded XLPE type cables. The power cables for both the retrofitting project and the new frame agreement are to be made at NKT’s factory in Cologne, Germany, which runs on 100% green electricity.
5/7/2021: Italy’s Elettrotek Kabel SpA (EK) announced that it has completed the acquisition of Associated Wire Products (AWP), a Canadian leader in automation cables.
Founded in 1987 with headquarters in Burlington, Ontario (Canada), AWP is specialized in providing special cables for the industries. Elettrotek Kabel Group thus continues its growth in strategic sectors such as the industrial automation. The acquisition of AWP allows the expansion of EK’s presence in these markets by providing customers with excellent technical and commercial support.
Announcing the acquisition, EK President and CEO Roberto Gallingani explained, “The addition of AWP to our group represents an excellent value-add for Elettrotek Kabel Group’s Cables Automation division in the Canadian markets. We believe this is a strategic acquisition that will also allow AWP to continue expanding its capabilities while benefiting from the technical expertise and global footprint of Elettrotek Kabel Group.”
“Elettrotek Kabel established another important milestone,” said Nicola Malaguti, president and CEO of Elettrotek Kabel North America Inc. “We are confident that with this acquisition our presence in North America will continue to grow. AWP perfectly fits with the group, embracing the same business model and goals. This investment is essential to support Canadian customers and it confirms that Elettrotek is a leader in the cable industry.”
Founded in 2001, Elettrotek Kabel is a leading company in the design, manufacture and supply of special electrical cables used in harsh environments with a high cost of failure. It is one of the first companies in the world to manufacture and distribute special cables for the industrial automation, steel, mining, port and crane, marine and oil industries. The rapid expansion of the group has been possible thanks to the competence of the management team and their constant attention to the exclusive use of the highest quality products.
Founded in 1987, AWP is a Canadian leader in automation cables, with the main objective of meeting the customer’s needs by offering technical solutions and excellent service. AWP has never stopped listening to the needs of the market for over 30 years, and today is recognized for the highest guarantee of quality and reliability.
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