The Southeast Chapter enjoyed a picture-perfect day on Sept. 25 at the Rock Barn Country Club in Conover, North Carolina, but it had a weighty start.

Sikora’s John Dognazzi, who emceed the event, started with a moment of silence in memory of Chapter President Christopher Shannon McGill, a plant manager at Southwire’s factory in Huntersville, North Carolina, who died June 2 at age 52 from brain cancer. There was a moment of silence before Dognazi, who is serving as interim chapter president for the remainder of this year, started the tournament.

The field of 100 players found the course in very good shape, and golfers enjoyed the pace. The winning CommScope team of Chris Giddings, Brian Deese, Cody Lail and Paul McConnell shot an impressive 56 (15 under par) to walk away with top honors. The overall feel was so good that the Board plans to lock in a return to the Rock Barn course next year. The other big winner was the chapter’s Scholarship Program, which earlier this year issued four $1,800 scholarships.

Premium sponsors for the golf tourney were Carris Reels, Inc.; Chroma Color Corporation; Commission Brokers, Inc.; Henderson Sales & Service Inc.; The MGS Group; Process Control; Sikora; Sonoco Reels; Teknikor; and Wire & Plastic Machinery. Hole sponsors were: Accel International; Carris Reels Inc.; Chase Corp.; Chroma Color Corporation; Gateway Recovery Inc.; Gem Gravure Co., Inc.; GEON; M. Holland; Magnum Mfg. LLC; Process Control; Sonoco Plastics; Sonoco Reels; Teknikor; and Wire & Plastic Machinery.

The 18th annual Ohio Valley Chapter Educational and Sporting event was one for trying something different and it seems to have worked. With the program increasing in popularity, the OVC board decided to flip the sporting event with the educational portion for a smoother program. On top of that, we added an unsanctioned event for those who prefer firing ranges to fairways.

In a first-ever adjustment, while golfers were busy at the Kennsington Golf Club, a troupe led by former enlisted Marine Brennan Mai of Hobart Brothers rode a battlewagon over to On Target Outfitters (OTO) for some target practice. The sharpshooters matched skills with OTO pro and retired police officer Jeff Solic. Using a variety of firearms, they became the first participants of what we hope will someday become a sanctioned OVC event.

While sharpshooters were piercing targets, the players back at the golf course were busy sinking eagles. The winning team stroked in three eagles, coupled with 10 birdies for an OVC course record score of 16 under par. The inadvertently stacked team of Tom Kern of Condat, Paul Douwes of Advaris and Brett Hambleton of Select Arc, dominated what is typically a very difficult course. Perhaps the most impressive eagle of the day was scored by Chad Betris of Glen Carbide who sunk a 50 yarder on the fly. Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good as his eagle contributed to his team coming in second place.

That afternoon, the technical presentations began with Jeff Danaher of Abbott Furnaces, who provided an education about the keys of furnace optimization: time, temperature and atmosphere. Jeff was followed by Jim Miller of Scientific Forming Technology, whose presentation on the Deform system of the drawing process simulation crossed several industries. His presentation connected fastener deformation in cold heading, stress points in the tooling, and material flow of laminated and superconductor materials. The final speaker was Paul Douwes of Advaris, who served as a last-minute substitute when a scheduled speaker was unable to make the trip. Paul introduced smart manufacturing concepts that connected administration, manufacturing and logistics for tighter process control and scheduling for on-time deliveries. The triose gentlemen made the event a huge success!

If you are new to the wire industry, OVC events are for you! As two-year member Brennan Mai attested, he was drawn to OVC 2022 by “the blend of fun events with the ability to network with people from other industries without the commercial feeling of a formal plant visit.” Added colleague, Jonathan Will, operations manager, Hobart Brothers, “I attended specifically to learn more about the wire drawing industry and network with other people in the wire industry.” OVC events offer a unique blend of education, networking and fun.

The chapter would also like to thank the event sponsors, which included Bechem Lubes, Blachford Corporation, CONDAT Corp., Die Quip, GEON, George A. Mitchell Company, Premier Wire Die, Rainbow Rubber & Plastics, SIKORA and Wire Tech.

Mark your calendar for OVC 2023 on August 23, 2023!     

Report by Dave Rascati, Premier Wire Die

IEWC is proud to be named a partner to The Copper Mark, a recognition of and commitment to responsible sourcing policy and strategy. The Copper Mark is an independent assurance framework that promotes responsible copper production and encourages contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. It is the first and only framework developed specifically for the copper industry to demonstrate responsible production performance to customers, investors, final manufacturers and other stakeholders.

Pat Rislov, IEWC Chief Supply Chain Officer, explains, “Adopting The Copper Mark reinforces IEWC’s commitment to procuring copper products that are sourced through responsible environmental and social production practices across our global operations. As a wire and cable solutions, IEWC relies on copper as a metal central to our purpose: Advancing a connected world. Whether it’s for wire and cable for original equipment manufacturers; custom assemblies and power cables that advance reliable telecommunications networks; or cables that expand infrastructure; we are dedicated to supporting this progress sustainably with responsibly produced copper.”

To receive The Copper Mark, copper producers must be assessed independently against a comprehensive set of environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria. The framework is focused on copper producers at the beginning of the supply chain, but also includes The Copper Mark Partners: distributors like IEWC, fabricators, and other related parties, with the goal of establishing a chain of custody for the entire copper supply chain.

“We are delighted to welcome IEWC as our newest partner,” said Michèle Brülhart, Executive Director, The Copper Mark. “A major wire, cable, and wire management supplier, IEWC plays an important part in responsible copper supply chains ― both as a customer of copper producers and a supplier of copper-containing products. We look forward to collaborating with IEWC to promote responsible production practices for copper.”

The Copper Mark was originally developed by the International Copper Association (ICA) with input from financial institutions, commodities exchanges, NGOs, OEMs, and copper fabricators. It is now an independent entity. To learn more, visit coppermark.org.

About IEWC - (iewc.com) IEWC is a global distributor of wire and cable products, manufacturer of custom fiber assemblies, and provider of value-add solutions that advance a connected world.

As part of a company commitment to ‘continuous improvement’, the Calibration Laboratory at Pelican Wire has been registered as ‘ISO/IEC 17025:2017 Accredited’ by ANAB, the ANSI National Accreditation Board.

Pelican Wire Calibration Specialist, Ed Valykeo, says “While the existing ISO 9001:2015 Accreditation covers our quality systems and processes, this newest Accreditation is specific to our Calibration Laboratory. Going through the long & detailed approval process only makes us better & it speaks highly of our ability to produce precise and accurate test results and calibration data. Along with our ISO 9001 Accreditation, the ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accreditation ensures our Calibration Lab will continue to exceed our customers’ needs and expectations.

ISO/IEC 17025 is useful for any organization that performs testing, sampling or calibration and wants reliable results. This includes all types of laboratories, whether they be owned and operated by government, industry or, in fact, any other organization. The standard is also useful to universities, research facilities, governments, regulators, inspection bodies, product certification organizations and other conformity assessment bodies with the need to do testing, sampling, or calibration.

Robert Soares, Quality Manager at Pelican Wire, says “We’re proud to have worked through the process of qualifying for such a recognized standard as ISO 17025:2017. Not only does our scope include thermocouple calibration, but resistance measurements as well which helps us expand our presence as a market leading supplier in several markets such as heat-treating, aerospace, pyrometry, semiconductor, medical, and various mission critical heating applications.”

Pelican Wire is an employee-owned manufacturer of application-driven wire solutions in the areas of thermocouple, resistance, and custom wire. With specialties in the fine-gauge and high-temperature wire fields, Pelican Wire works globally across multiple industries, offering custom solutions in Aerospace, Medical, Industrial, Automotive, Defense and many other fields.