Dr. Horace Pops, the industry guru for fines and wire breaks, set an Association record with his recent three-part webinar series.

Registration for the webinars—held Jan. 27 (annealing), Feb. 3 (fines) and Feb. 10 (wire breaks)—was closed when all 500 per presentation slots were filled. The total attendance for the three presentations topped 700. The reviews were consistently very positive.

“We are fortunate that not only is Dr. Pops a genius in his field, but that he has been so willing over the years to share his knowledge with the industry,” said WAI Executive Director Steve Fetteroll. He noted that Pops, a fixture at the WAI’s Fundamentals of Wire Manufacturing course, will return in that role as one of the presenters in the course that will run on seven consecutive Wednesdays, beginning March 17. A prolific author of technical papers, Pops is the principal of Horace Pops Consulting, Inc.

The WAI has extended the deadline for submitting technical papers for the Association’s technical program at Interwire 2021, which earlier this year due to Covid-19 was rescheduled from May 10-13 to Oct. 26-27.

The WAI is focusing on Industry 4.0 at Interwire, (more on that in future issues). Eligible topics that relate to wire and cable manufacturing include: Industry 4.0, new ways to use automation in factories, The Internet of Things (IoT), the Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Smart factories, dark factories (lights-out manufacturing) and changes in plant management. Other topics, however, are also welcome.

Abstracts should be sent to WAI Executive Director Steve Fetteroll at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by March 31. Interwire will remain at its longtime location at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia. More information will be presented about the event in future issues, including a “Prequel” of the Atlanta show in the August issue, then the full preview in the September issue.

As most of the world continues to adjust to Covid-19, three WAI chapters fully intend to continue their scholarships programs, all of which largely depend on their annual golf tournaments for funding.

It was not easy in 2020: WAI’s New England Chapter was able to reschedule and stage its tourney at a later date, with a smaller field; the Midwest Chapter canceled its golf tourney; and the Southeast Chapter canceled its event. However, that did not stop the cause. The New England Chapter awarded five scholarships, the Midwest Chapter awarded three and the Southeast Chapter awarded four.

Looking forward in 2021, it is not a certainty that all of the three chapters will be able to hold their events. The New England Chapter and the Southeast Chapter have scheduled dates, but the Midwest Chapter has not made a final decision. Despite the challenges, the chapters want to continue their scholarships. The goal is far from abstract as the dozen of 2020 scholarship recipients can attest.

“We’re very proud of how the chapters have continued to support their scholarship programs,” said WAI Executive Director Steve Fetteroll. “That chapter members are so willing to support the programs says a lot about who they are.”