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Gibbs & Elgiloy enter alliance

Gibbs Interwire and Elgiloy Specialty Metals Wire report that they have entered a strategic alliance to create a comprehensive product lineup.

A press release said that the alliance will combine Elgiloy’s expertise in precision-drawn nickel, cobalt and specialty stainless steel wire alloys with Gibbs Interwire’s spring wire and strip product lines. The affiliation brings together knowledge across many industries, including: aerospace, automotive, chemical processing, commercial, medical and dental, nuclear, power generation and oil & gas. Customers will have access to a broad selection of wire, strip, and coil products in a wider variety of sizes, catering to diverse industry needs, with a single point of contact for both companies. 

 

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March 29 WCMA Awards Dinner in Hartford will honor 8 industry veterans

The Wire & Cables Manufacturers Alliance (WCMA) will honor the winners of its 2025 Distinguished Career Award at The 39th Annual Awards Dinner and Investiture Ceremony that will take place on March 29, 2025, in Hartford, Connecticut, at the Downtown Hartford Marriott Hotel.

The Award Ceremony recognizes individuals in wire and cable who served the industry for a minimum of 25 years and during that time demonstrated outstanding professional acumen along with personal attributes of an exceptional degree. The Award was originally named for the late Charles D. Scott (1915-1983), founder and president of Northeast Wire Co. The 2025 recipients are listed below.

  • Bob Allen, Engineering Manager, James Monroe Wire & Cable
  • Lenny Argentine, VP Sales & Marketing, International Wire
  • Mike Canterino, VP Engineering, Fluoropolymer Resources
  • John Gross, Publisher, Copper Journal
  • Hamid Haophsy, VP Manufacturing, Fisk Alloy Wire
  • Trent Hayes, Engineering Manager, CommScope
  • Joe Iamartino, VP of Technology, Marmon Electrical
  • David Kiddoo, CEO, IWCS/CCCA

To make a reservation or for more information about WCMA or the Distinguished Career Award, go to www.wcmainc.org, and click on premier events or contact WCMA Executive Director Ed Fenton at 860-331-7074 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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Sumitomo Electric to be the cable supplier for SSEN Transmission Scottish project

Japan’s Sumitomo Electric reports that it has been named by SSEN Transmission as the preferred bidder for the Shetland 2 project that will deploy 525 KV HVDC cable for a 330 km link from Shetland— an island archipelago about 160 km off the north east coast of Scotland—to the mainland.

A press release said that the cable will be made at Sumitomo’s new £350 million facility in Nigg in the north east of Scotland, which is under construction. It noted that this will be the first such cable type and technology manufactured in the U.K. The deal was crucial to Sumitomo’s decision to build the Nigg cable manufacturing facility.

Per an article in Shetland News, the announcement is a major milestone as it represents the second subsea HVDC cable between Shetland and the Scottish mainland. The first HVDC link between Shetland and Caithness on the mainland, went live last year with a capacity of 600 MW that is exported. Once the Lerwick Power Station goes into standby mode next year, Shetland as a whole will then be connected to the national grid via the cable. Van Oord Offshore Wind UK will serve as the subsea cable installation partner.

“We are delighted to reach this major milestone with Sumitomo and Van Oord for the Shetland 2 project,” said SSEN Transmission Managing Director Rob McDonald. “It’s great to see the progress being made at Sumitomo’s new cable manufacturing facility and we are extremely proud to be supporting their investment and the major boost to the Highland economy this will unlock.”

The need for a second HVDC link from Shetland to the main GB transmission system was confirmed by the independent electricity system operator National Grid ESO as part of its nationwide strategic network plan, Beyond 2030. It will make possible the connection of three ScotWind offshore wind farm sites adjacent to Shetland that will have a combined generating capacity of up to 2.8 GW. The plan will require more than £20 billion to upgrade the network infrastructure across the north of Scotland between now and 2030 as the region plays a leading role in the clean energy transition.

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Meta subsea cable plan could top $10 billion

On Oct. 2, 2024, a posting by Sunil Tagare was the first to discuss purported plans from Meta to invest in a fiber optic subsea cable project—potentially 40,000 km long, with a world-wide scope that includes the U.S., India, South Africa and Australia—that would take years to arrange and potentially cost more than $10 billion. Further, Meta reportedly would be the sole owner of the cable.

An article in TechCrunch said that while the route would avoid areas considered vulnerable to political and military tensions, few contractors would be capable of building out that infrastructure and many are tied up with commitments to other customers. “If the project does come to fruition, it’s likely to take several years before the cable is laid and switched on.”

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Madem-Moorecraft doubles production of its U.S. manufacturing plant in Texas

Madem-Moorecraft Reels USA reports that it has doubled its production capacity for nailed wooden reels at its plant in Denton, Texas.

A press release said that the newly opened plant has seen the installation of a second manufacturing line for nailed wooden reels. The new line integrates cutting-edge technology for smart production, energy efficiency and customization. A second assembly and distribution warehouse, dedicated for the Texas market, was also added, so the Denton site has more than 200,000 sf of space for making wood and plywood reels, wood reel recycling, and distribution.

 Madem-Moorecraft, a joint venture between Madem Brazil and Moorecraft Reels (USA), also has a plant in Tarboro, North Carolina. The plywood reel manufacturing line is located in Denton. Madem-Moorecraft also has assembly and distribution warehouses in six states.

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AFL reports plans for further expansion of its U.S. optic fiber manufacturing capacity

AFL, a manufacturer of fiber optic products and equipment, announced that it is investing $155 million to expand its manufacturing operations across Spartanburg County in South Carolina.

A press release said that the initiative will create more than 150 new jobs over the next two to five years. A subsidiary of Japan’s Fujikura, Ltd., AFL’s product lines include fiber optic cable and hardware, transmission and substation accessories and more, that is marketed to some 130 countries.

AFL will expand all of its fiber optic cable manufacturing operations located across Duncan. Last March, AFL announced that it would invest more than $50 million to expand its operations in Spartanburg County to support AFL’s portfolio of products compliant with the Build America, Buy America Act (BABA).

AFL was formed on Nov. 2, 1984, by Alcoa Securities Corporation, a subsidiary of ALCOA and Fujikura Ltd. AFL manufactures fiber optic ground wire (entrance cables for sale to the public utility industry) at its Duncan facility. In 2005, Fujikura assumed 100% ownership of AFL and moved its headquarters to Duncan.

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Consortium makes $200 million investment in Essex Solution unit, plans to go public

Mirae Asset Global Investments (Mirae) announced that it has made a $200 million investment in Essex Solutions, a U.S. magnet wire manufacturer through a holding company owned by South Korea’s LS Cable & System.

Last August, Superior Essex, as part of its buyout of Essex Furukawa Magnet Wire, announced that the company would change its brand name to Essex Solutions. Under the new name it would encompass all current Essex Furukawa Magnet Wire locations worldwide. That includes Essex Energy in Italy. Also, to further strengthen operations, the related businesses Lacroix + Kress, IVA Insulations and Hi-Wire would join the Essex Solutions organization, while continuing to operate under their existing brand identity.

A January press release said that the latest news fits in the company’s plans. “With the investment, the market capitalization of Essex Solutions is to jump to around $1 billion, bolstering its initial public offering plan. LS Group seeks to make Essex Solutions go public within this year.”

Per a report in Korea JoonAng Daily, the consortium of Mirae Asset and the Korea Climate & Governance Improvement Fund secured around a 20% stake in Essex Solutions. The pre-IPO valuation of Essex Solutions was approximately $1 billion. It noted that Essex Solutions holds a dominance in the U.S. magnet wire market as the leading supplier, with production bases across North and South America, Europe and Asia. The company aims to secure a market share of more than 70% in North America and 50% in Europe in the next five years. The LS Group holding company plans to list the company on Nasdaq.

Founded in 1997, Mirae Asset notes that it is one of the largest independent financial groups in Asia, providing comprehensive services to clients worldwide. It has a presence in 19 global markets and the group’s managed assets worldwide exceed US$632.3 billion.

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New name for Gauder Group, Inc.

Gauder Group, Inc., has changed its official name to Setic-Pourtier of America, Inc.

A press release said that the new name was chosen to reinforce brand recognition for Setic-Pourtier and create consistency across all Setic-Pourtier subdivisions. The rebranding will create cross selling and support opportunities, operational efficiency as well as generating growth and expansion.

Setic designs and manufactures high-speed rotating machines to produce special & LAN cables as well as double-twist bunchers/stranders for the power cable and automotive industry. Pourtier develops heavy-duty rotating machines to produce power cables, specializing in high voltage and extra-high voltage cable.

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Southwire makes investment in Ndustrial

Southwire Company, LLC, announced that it has made a strategic investment in Ndustrial.Io, Inc., an AI-powered energy intensity platform for industry.

A press release said that Ndustrial is the largest deployment of energy management and digitization solutions in food logistics and cold chain, processing 100 million data points daily. In the last 12 months, the company has deployed its technology in 122 facilities across 17 countries. As the first and only platform to integrate with over 60 different industrial data systems, Ndustrial empowers customers to access critical analytics and proactive suggestions to reduce energy consumption and emissions.

“Our investment in Ndustrial reflects our commitment to advancing solutions that drive both operational efficiency and sustainability,” said Se Oh, Southwire’s vice president, Operational Sustainability. “Their energy management platform empowers industrial facilities to optimize production processes, significantly reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions. We are excited to support Ndustrial as they unlock new opportunities for businesses to enhance performance while contributing to a more sustainable future.”

Using a combination of AI, machine learning, automated devices and IoT technology, Ndustrial is helping more than 400 facilities across more than 10% of the food supply chain do everything from shift production timeframes to minimize costs to optimizing distribution center energy use. The company installed 304 meters, 388 sensors, 47 gateways and 11 edge devices for customers in the past 12 months, empowering companies to make data-driven decisions that optimize energy efficiency and reduce costs.

As a part of its investment, Southwire plans to deploy Ndustrial’s technology at several of its own manufacturing facilities to support its Growing Green initiative to optimize production and reduce carbon emissions. Southwire will also serve as a wire and cable solutions supplier to Ndustrial’s electric transport refrigeration units (eTRU) power infrastructure customers.

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Company to build plant in North Carolina to make high-temp superconducting wire

MetOx International Inc., a manufacturer of high-temperature superconducting (HTS) wire, announced that it will build a major production facility in Chatham County, North Carolina.

In a Dec. 20 report in the Chatham Journal, the company discussed its plans for the nearly $194 million project that is expected to create more than 330 jobs. The company’s project in the Research Triangle region of North Carolina will build a major manufacturing center to produce the company’s Xeus™ HTS wire.

Per the company’s website, Xeus wire can make transmission cables up to 10 times more efficient than traditional copper cables. It is designed to operate at much higher temperatures and can produce much stronger magnetic fields than low temperature superconducting wire. MetOx proprietary manufacturing process is the most advanced in the world for large scale HTS wire production.

“Establishing our new large-scale manufacturing facility in Chatham County is a pivotal step toward securing a reliable, domestic supply of HTS wire for the development of critical infrastructure in the United States,” said Bud Vos, CEO of MetOx.

Last October, MetOx reported that it had been selected to negotiate $80 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to establish an advanced manufacturing facility in the southeastern U.S. “The groundbreaking initiative—Project Arch—will be the first large-scale HTS wire production facility of its kind in the country.”

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Emtelle USA ready to have impact as a ‘Build America, Buy America’ business

Emtelle USA, which just named a new president for its USA division, is poised to provide fiber optic infrastructure that meets the stringent Build America, Buy America compliance standards.

At its website, the company, a division of Scotland’s Emtelle Group, notes that its pre-connectorized blown fiber cable and ducted network solutions are produced at its 300,000-sq-ft manufacturing facility in Fletcher, North Carolina. That includes microduct tube bundles and pre-connectorized fiber solutions.

In September 2024, Emtelle USA enhanced its testing capabilities by adding an advanced test track to the Fletcher facility. This addition allows for rigorous testing of microduct and cable solutions under real-world installation conditions.

The Fletcher facility is positioned to capitalize on the estimated multi-billion dollar investments in fiber rollouts across the U.S. in the coming years. Emtelle’s expansion in North America complements its established global manufacturing network, which includes facilities in the U.K., Denmark, Germany and Dubai.

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Prysmian names 2 new cable vessels

Prysmian announced the names of the two vessels that will join the company’s fleet: the Prysmian Alessandro Volta and the Prysmian Marco Polo.

A press release said that the new additions will expand Prysmian’s fleet to a total of eight operational vessels, further strengthening the company’s leadership in the global submarine cable market. Both vessels will boast outstanding green credentials, including high-voltage shore connection systems for clean energy during loading operations, diesel generators suitable for biodiesel blends, and battery hybrid systems for the deep-water vessel.

The Prysmian Alessandro Volta pays tribute to the esteemed Italian physicist and chemist (1745-1827). The vessel is about 193 meters long and 34 meters wide. It will feature advanced cable installation solutions, including three carousels with a total capacity of 19,500 metric tons. It will be operational in 2027. The name choice marks the strong link with Prysmian core business, which is producing and installing power cable to provide electrical connection among countries.

The Prysmian Marco Polo, named after the famed explorer/merchant (1254-1324), is about 167 meters long and 40 meters wide. It will have two carousels, one split into two concentric sections, with a total cable loading capacity of at least 8,000 metric tons. The vessel will be equipped with state-of-the-art DP3 positioning and seakeeping systems. It will be operational in 2025.

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