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Highland Holdings LLC announced that it has signed an agreement to purchase Precision Manufacturing Co. Inc., (PMCI) of Dayton, Ohio, a deal slated to close this year.

A press release said that PMCI, a family owned business founded in 1967, employs more than 100 people. It will continue to manufacturing operations under the Precision Manufacturing name in Dayton. It follows a prior related purchase in 2020 of a Bovey, Minnesota, wire-harness manufacturer, MNSTAR. That operation saw its sales double, and there are big expectations for PMCI.

“When a company like ours has more resources and facilities, we are able to better meet the needs of customers, putting us in the next level of growth,” said George Klus, CEO and president of Highland Holdings, in a written statement. In it, he said that the PMCI acquisition “will substantially increase its production capacity in the wire-harness industry and help meet growing demand for electrical components.”

MNSTAR employs about half as many people in Bovey, where it is also laying plans for an expansion. The company’s clients include manufacturers of equipment in the marine, automotive, agriculture, construction, transportation and emergency response industries.

Last modified on August 2, 2022

Nexans has signed a three-year partnership agreement that calls for it to supply Eiffage with charging stations for electric vehicles at a thousand French sites, representing more than 4,000 charging points.

A press release said that after 20 years of successful collaboration, Eiffage has renewed its trust in Nexans with its order for Nexans’ AGICITY charging stations, which are produced at its Donchery site in the Ardennes region of France. The compact charging stations can be customized for indoor and outdoor car parks, including numerous services and options for integrating high-performance digital solutions. The AC and DC charging stations supplied by Nexans operate at between 22-50 kVA, allowing two cars to charge at the same time. A 45-minute charge gives up to 80% of the electric range, depending on the vehicles and the power of the station.

An initial project overseen by Nexans to equip the Eiffage head office in Vélizy Villacoublay with 200 charging points was successfully completed in 2021.

With these developments, Nexans is once again displaying its industrial agility and its capacity to support its customers in their energy transition.

“This partnership enhances our collaboration even further, offering exciting development prospects in the rapidly expanding EVCI market,” said Jean-Louis Tisnes, Nexan’s French sales director for the Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure (Evci) activity. “It also demonstrates the commitment of our two groups to the energy transition.”

“Both companies are strong players and highly respected in the wire harness industry,” said Highland Holdings COO Tammy Wersal. “We are excited to continue our robust performance in the marketplace, and adding this family business puts us in a great position to continue that trend,” she said.

At its website, Precision Manufacturing reports that the company, founded by Marshall and Faye Ledwick, grew over the years with the Dayton automotive industry. After Marshal Ledwick passed, Faye Ledwick hired Donnie Hill in 2002 to be president. He expanded the company’s focus, enabling the company to become a world-class wire harness manufacturer, doubling its size multiple times.

Last modified on August 2, 2022

7/3/2022 - 

SAMP has agreed to sell its 45% stake in SETIC to Gauder & Co., as part of a deal in which SETIC will transfer some of its POURTIER low- and medium-voltage business to SAMP Srl.

Per the announcement, SAMP will have exclusive rights to produce and sell POURTIER-designed machines for low- and medium-voltage applications under the SAMP POURTIER brand. SETIC will continue to supply POURTIER high-speed, concentric stranders and single-twist machines as well as rigid stranders for overhead cables. C2S, the service division of Setic S.A.S, will also continue to develop a complete and modern services portfolio for existing and future POURTIER and SETIC equipment.

SETIC will continue to rely on production and commercial support from SAMP for SETIC machines made in China, which will continue to be manufactured in SAMP’s facilities in Changzhou, China, with oversight from SETIC’s French engineers. SAMP will also act as SETIC’s agent in selected markets in South America, Africa, Middle East and Asia as well as the Balkans.

 SAMP China will continue to supply and support its Daloo machines. Part of the POURTIER low- and medium-voltage products, Daloo and the existing SAMP rotating machinery businesses will be combined to form a new, integrated SAMP rotating product line. SAMP further retains the rights to utilize the Pourtier product name for five years.

The transaction clarifies the relationship between the two companies, ensuring continuity of products and services for each firm’s demanding international clients. It was described as a win-win deal.

“This is a big step for both of our companies,” said SAMP Chairman Jouni Heinonen. “It allows each firm to better serve its customers without losing any of the benefits of our complementary products and services.”

“This acquisition is a wonderful homecoming,” said SETIC/Gauder & Co. CEO Thierry Collard. “It allows SETIC to focus on its core business and implement appropriate strategies and developments for each product range. It strengthens our global leadership in the production of equipment for data, industrial Ethernet, communication and automotive cables for the benefit of all stakeholders. The reorganization of the POURTIER portfolio will also allow SETIC to offer POURTIER equipment for overhead, high and very high voltage cables. Ultimately, this is a big step forward for SETIC and its subsidiaries, for SAMP and above all, for our customers and the wire and cable manufacturing industry.”

Last modified on August 1, 2022

7/3/2022 - 

Earlier this year, ZTT Australia delivered the first lot of conductors and OPGW to Rye Park Wind Farm 330kV transmission line and 33kV OH power line, safely and on-time.

A press release said that the contract won by ZTT Australia calls for the supply of 368 km of conductors, 39 km of OPGW and a wide range of items needed to commission them. “This is another project that demonstrates that ZTT Australia is the key player in the market who can manufacture and supply a full product solution on overhead transmission line beside the steel poles or towers.”

The Rye Park Wind Farm, a 396 MW wind farm project, consists of 66 wind turbines and associated infrastructure, located to the north of Yass and east of Boorowa, New South Wales, on the edge of the Southern Tablelands and the South-West Slopes near Rye Park. Scheduled for commissioning in the first quarter of 2024, the wind farm is expected to generate up to 1,188 GWh of electricity a year.

ZTT embarked on optical fiber communications in 1992. It began to provide access to the “smart grid” in 2002, and commenced work on renewable energy products in 2011. In 2020, ZTT decided to spin off the Zhongtian Technology Submarine Cable Company as a new public company. ZTT is the biggest taxpayer of private enterprises in Rudong, the largest advanced manufacturing enterprise in Nantong, one of Top 500 Chinese Enterprises, National Key High-tech Enterprise as well as the winner of the China Quality Award and China Grand Awards for industry.

Last modified on August 1, 2022

7/3/2022 - 

Nexans has been awarded a German turnkey contract for the manufacturing and installation of the direct current (DC) subsea and land cables for BorWin 6 by TenneT.

A press release said that the 235-kilometer-long 320 kV direct current connection will transmit up to 980 MW from the BorWin cluster. Germany is seeking to increase its offshore wind capacity, targeting 30 GW by 2030, and BorWin6 project will help Germany achieve these milestones.

To electrify the BorWin6 project, Nexans will manufacture, install and protect 320 kV DC XLPE 1 core cables for TenneT. The subsea part, manufactured in Nexans’ flagship site in Halden, Norway, will be 2 x 190 km and the land part, manufactured in Nexans’ site in Charleroi, Belgium, 2 x 46 km. The HVDC-link will be 320 kV. The contract includes full Engineering, Procurement, Construction and Installation (EPCI) turnkey offering.

BorWin6 is TenneT’s last 320kV HVDC project to connect the remaining almost 1GW from the BorWin cluster in the German North Sea to the onshore grid. The project is included in German Area development plan (FEP from BSH) and will start operations in 2027.

The release said that the contract reflects Nexans’s commitment to innovation and sustainability, focus on electrification and continued investments.

Last modified on August 1, 2022

7/3/2022 - 

The Aluminum Association (AA) fully supports steps announced by the U.S. Department of Commerce (DoC) to prevent aluminum foil from China to evade restrictions by shipping through Thailand and South Korea.

In a statement, AA President and CEO Charles Johnson said that the imports in question are inappropriately avoiding the payment of antidumping and countervailing duties on imports of aluminum foil from China, pursuant to unfair trade orders published by the Commerce Department in April 2018. “We commend the Commerce Department for taking this important step to enforce our trade laws. We look forward to working closely with the department to ensure a successful outcome as these inquiries progress.”

The Commerce Department will soon issue questionnaires to suspected duty evaders, provide opportunities for interested parties to submit information relevant to the agency’s proceedings and issue a preliminary determination, which will likely occur in the coming months. The investigation is expected to take approximately one year to complete.

The aluminum foil subject to the inquiry is flat-rolled aluminum products that are 0.2 mm or less, in reels weighing more than 25 pounds, are produced in China and finished in Thailand and South Korea. The foil is used in multiple products, including cables.

The prior DoC measures included antidumping and countervailing (AD/CVD) that carried combined penalties ranging from 55 to 176%. Since those orders were published, U.S. imports of certain aluminum foil from China declined substantially, but Chinese exports of foil and sheet-gauge products to Thailand and South Korea increased significantly.

Last modified on August 1, 2022

7/3/2022 - 

Hellenic Cables has been awarded an Exclusivity and Capacity Agreement (ECA) to supply 66 kV XLPE-insulated inter-array cables and associated accessories for the Hai Long 2 and 3 offshore wind projects.

A press release said that the Hai Long offshore wind farm project in Taiwan will include two offshore wind farms—Hai Long 2 (HL2) and Hai Long 3 (HL3)—that will have a total installed capacity of 1,044 MW. The overall project is one of Taiwan’s largest offshore wind farms. It is jointly developed by Northland Power Inc., Yushan Energy Pte Ltd and Mitsui & Co.

The project will be located 40-50 km off the Changhua coast, at a water depth of 35-55 m. HL2 itself is split between two sub-wind farms: HL2A, with a maximum installed capacity of 300 MW, and HL2B, with a maximum installed capacity of 232 MW. HL3 has a maximum installed capacity of 512 MW.

Under the ECA, Hellenic Cables will supply approximately 140 km of 66 kV XLPE-insulated inter-array cables and associated accessories. They will be made at the company’s plant in Corinth, Greece. The manufacturing is expected to be completed in Q1 of 2024 for Hai Long 2 and in Q4 of the same year for Hai Long 3.

“We are delighted to have secured Hellenic Cables as our cable manufacturer and to be establishing this cooperation,” said Hai Long Offshore Wind Project Director Felipe Montero. “Hellenic Cables is taking a critical scope in our project, and we’re pleased to have this scope taken care of by a market leader in submarine cables manufacturing, such as Hellenic Cables.”

Last modified on August 1, 2022

7/3/2022 - 

The below report is about as far downstream as one can get, but a social media-challenged trade editor who came across the torrid story of a social influencer posting her love for a charging cable felt compelled to share it. Below are excerpts and WJI commentary.


Sophie Cachia, an Australian social influencer, recently shared her feeling about her new Cygnett charging cable. Her Instagram story declared her utter love for the cable.

““Found my baby!!!! @cygnett Nobody charges my phone like this cord here. Whenever I lose it, it’s devastating (aka Bobby steals it for his iPad) I will neverrrrrrr go back to any other cord. Not spon, just simply life changing when you need your phone constantly & charged SO fast.”

It is safe to say that such words have never been seen in Wire Journal, but the posting led to a complaint being filed with the Ad Standards, Australia’s advertising complaints adjudicator. Why the accusation? It turns out that Cygnett pays Cachia to be a social influencer on their behalf, as was noted in the complaint: “Sophie is obviously getting paid to be an ongoing ambassador for this product/brand (Cygnett) and should clearly display that it is a paid post.”

A statement from Cygnett said that it had nothing to do with the post. “This promotion by Sophie Cachia was created and published without Cygnett having any prior knowledge, nor was it financially supported by Cygnett in anyway. ... This is the first time to our knowledge that Sophie has ever posted about Cygnett outside her paid agreement.”

No doubt you noted that Sophie’s post said “Not spon,” so one could say that she was sending this on her own, professing her (financially unsupported) love for her cable.

So, was Sophie wrong? Was this in essence a paid Cygnett ad ... even if it was not paid for?

The Ad Standards Community Panel considered whether this advertisement breaches the AANA Code of Ethics 2.7. Per the Distinguishable Advertising Code, “social media advertising which compensates influencers for promoting a product should be clearly distinguishable as an advertisement. Advertising on all platforms should be easily distinguishable as such.”

The Panel found that posting “not spon” was confusing to viewers and made it difficult to tell whether the posting was or was not an ad. While the content was “not spon,” it clearly was about the product, and thus the endorsement made it advertising.

In its unofficial (and unasked for) ruling, WJI finds that the real violation is the lack of any technical details that led to such unconditional cable love.

Last modified on August 1, 2022

SAMP reports that it has agreed to sell its 45% stake in SETIC to GAUDER & Co., as part of a deal in which SETIC will transfer some of its POURTIER low- and medium-voltage business to SAMP Srl.

Per the announcement, SAMP will have exclusive rights to produce and sell POURTIER-designed machines for low- and medium-voltage applications under the SAMP POURTIER brand. SETIC will continue to supply POURTIER high-speed, concentric stranders and single-twist machines as well as rigid stranders for overhead cables. C2S, the service division of Setic S.A.S, will also continue to develop a complete and modern services portfolio for existing and future POURTIER and SETIC equipment.

 SETIC will continue to rely on production and commercial support from SAMP for SETIC machines made in China, which will continue to be manufactured in SAMP’s facilities in Changzhou, China, with oversight from SETIC’s French engineers. SAMP will also act as SETIC's agent in selected markets in South America, Africa, Middle East and Asia as well as the Balkans.
 SAMP China will continue to supply and support its Daloo machines. Part of The POURTIER low- and medium-voltage products, Daloo and the existing SAMP rotating machinery businesses will be combined to form a new, integrated SAMP rotating product line. SAMP further retains the rights to utilize the Pourtier product name for five years. 

The transaction clarifies the relationship between the two companies, ensuring continuity of products and services for each firm’s demanding international clients. It was described as a win-win deal.

 “This is a big step for both of our companies,” said SAMP Chairman Jouni Heinonen. “It allows each firm to better serve its customers without losing any of the benefits of our complementary products and services.”

“This acquisition is a wonderful homecoming,” said Setic/Gauder & Co. CEO Thierry Collard. “It allows SETIC to focus on its core business and implement appropriate strategies and developments for each product range. It strengthens our global leadership in the production of equipment for data, industrial Ethernet, communication and automotive cables for the benefit of all stakeholders. The reorganization of the POURTIER portfolio will also allow SETIC to offer POURTIER equipment for overhead, high and very high voltage cables. Ultimately, this is a big step forward for SETIC and its subsidiaries, for SAMP and above all, for our customers and the wire and cable manufacturing industry.”

 

 

 

Last modified on August 2, 2022

7/3/2022 -  FENN, LLC, to announce that it has acquired the intellectual property of Engineered Machinery Group Inc., which includes the rights to MacBee Engineering Group, and will continue to build and support their product lines.

Per the company, MacBee Engineering, founded in 1966, was known as an American manufacturer of sink and draw machines, drawbenches, payoffs, take-ups, and a variety of ancillary equipment. In 2004, former MacBee Vice President John Stevens purchased MacBee Engineering, adding the MacBee product line to his own company, Engineered Machinery Group.

Although Stevens closed the company in 2013, the MacBee product line continued after being licensed to Steven’s son, who operated his own firm—also named MacBee—until the pandemic forced its closure. Despite the closure, Stevens continued to maintain ownership of all MacBee designs & intellectual property, supporting the product line with his newly formed “John Stevens Consulting” firm. While customers have continued to rely on Stevens for assistance with their MacBee equipment, he was eager to find a new, permanent home for the MacBee rights. This would allow customers to not only purchase new machinery, but also enjoy a greater depth and breadth of service and spare parts availability.

With a similar focus in clientele, industries and equipment, FENN was a natural fit. “MacBee’s wire and tube focused product lines are an excellent complement to our existing drawbench, swager and wire shaping offerings. We look forward to utilizing FENN’s existing infrastructure to continue providing MacBee equipment, service, and spare parts for MacBee customers,” said FENN President Ryan Cutter. ”

With more than 50 years of experience with wire & tube machinery, Stevens will join FENN as a consultant to continue supporting MacBee product lines. “I am excited to work with the FENN team to continue building and supporting MacBee machinery. I am thrilled to see the MacBee legacy continue with FENN’s resources, support and guidance,” he said.

Customers with immediate MacBee inquiries can contact FENN at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Last modified on July 3, 2022

7/3/2022 -  UL announced that it has opened Mexico UL, its first laboratory in Mexico, in the city of Querétaro, which is 137 miles northwest of Mexico City.

A press release said that the site represents one of the first multinational testing laboratories to open in Mexico. It tests for product safety and performance for the Mexico market, and for export to the U.S., Canada and countries throughout Latin America.

“Today marks an exciting new day in our three-decade relationship with Mexico as we open UL’s newest state-of-the-art lab in Querétaro,” said Jennifer Scanlon, UL President/CEO. “Given our mission of working for a safer world, UL is dedicated to using its testing/certification expertise to help manufacturers in Mexico grow and prosper by helping to bring their innovations to market quickly and safely.”

Located in the Kaizen Industrial Park complex and near the Querétaro International Airport, the lab offers local testing for the UL Mark for the USA and Canada. Upon accreditation approval, it will also offer the Normas Oficiales Mexicanas (NOM) mark in Mexico and Latin American testing services.

UL notes that it operates in over 140 locations in more than 40 countries across North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia Pacific and Africa with more than 14,000 scientists, engineers, problem solvers and innovators who partner with customers to unlock their potential by empowering them to demonstrate safety, enhance sustainability and strengthen security. UL works with 60% of Global 500 and Fortune 500 companies, the largest companies in the world.

Last modified on July 3, 2022

7/3/2022 - Nexans and its partners have won a project from Bpifrance (French Public Investment Bank) that calls for the installation of two superconducting DC cables near Montparnasse station in Paris, a unique integration of such cables into a railway system.

A press release said that the project is part of the “Investissements d’Avenir” (Investments for the Future) initiative coordinated by SNCF Réseau. It represents the first time that these types of cables will be integrated into a rail network and is set to be the first permanent installation in France on any network. With their revolutionary technology, these power cables will help secure the network

at a time when rail traffic is constantly growing in mega-cities.

Built in 1840 in Paris, Montparnasse is France’s fourth-largest train station, with more than 50 million passengers annually and more than 90 million expected in 2030. SNCF Réseau will thus need more power to run an ever-increasing number of trains. And superconductor cable technology will help provide the increased electrical power required to meet the needs of this growing rail traffic. The superconducting cables will make use of Montparnasse station’s infrastructure by installing the cables in existing conduits.

“Only a superconducting cable can combine a reduced diameter and exceptional power to deliver the performance required by SNCF Réseau: 5.3 MW per conduit, or 3,500 A to 1,500 VDC,” the release said. “This also enables our customer to save on substantial implementation costs related to infrastructure modification, avoid potential disruptions to rail and road traffic, and limit risks in terms of execution time and the commissioning date.”

The release observed that superconducting power cables offer unparalleled advantages as they have zero resistance, so they can transport electricity with minimal power loss and thus contribute to making the world more sustainable. “This project illustrates perfectly how their compact nature enables them to transport very high power through a limited space. A single superconducting cable can replace multiple copper cables. Also, it has a minimal footprint, making high-capacity 1,500 V connections possible, which in turn improves the safety of the stations’ power supply.”

Last modified on July 3, 2022

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