1/3/2022 – People hires/promotions

The Copper Development Association Inc. (CDA) has promoted Andrew G. Kireta Jr. to president and CEO. He brings nearly 30 years of copper industry experience to the role. He has been with CDA since 1992, having previously served multiple roles in market development, strategy, and organizational management in regional and national roles, most recently as vice president of market development across all copper and copper alloy product and market areas. He has served in various team roles with the International Copper Association (ICA), as leader of the global strategy team, and as a board member on the executive committee of ASTM International, including a term as the 2020 board chair. He succeeds Thomas S. Passek, who retired at the end of 2021 after seven years with the organization. He had previously worked for 12 years for ASM International, where he was managing director, and two years for The American Society for Nondestructive Testing, where he served as the executive director.

Service Wire Co. reported three staff changes. Bruce Kesler has been promoted to director of commercial and industrial sales. The newly created role will see him responsible for the company’s commercial and industrial effort in North America. He will oversee regional sales directors and managers, and national sales managers for industrial. He has more than 35 years of experience in the electrical industry, 15 with the company, where he started out as a central regional manager in 2007 and became director of sales in 2018. Corey Jarvis has been promoted from assistant sales manager for the Eastern/Central United States and Canada to sales manager of the company’s sales office in West Virginia. He has been with Service Wire for more than 11 years. Aaron Patten has been promoted from territory account representative to assistant sales manager of the West Virginia office. He has more than 11 years of sales and management experience, including four with the company. Based in Culloden, West Virginia, Service Wire is a second-generation, family-owned wire and cable manufacturer.

Mike Cunningham is the new European director of sales and service for Montalvo. He is responsible for developing and coordinating partnerships, forming new alliances with key players while bringing new innovations into the market. He holds an engineering degree from the Brunel University School in London. Based in Gorham, Maine, the Montalvo Corporation specializes in tension control products for multiple industries that include wire and cable.

1/3/2022 – Sweden’s Elcowire reports at its website that the company has entered into an agreement to acquire KME’s rod and wire assets and business located in Hettstedt, Germany, with 180 employees.

“For Elcowire this means doubling the capacity to 300,000 metric tons for copper rod and adding a large share of the market with a wide range of capabilities for wire and strands solutions,” the company stated. It noted that the deal will strengthen Elcowire and give access to a larger customer base and product portfolio, as well as expand the geographical coverage.

“The acquisition has a perfect strategic fit and will add capacity and capability for a wider product range as well as being able to serve a larger market with our solutions, which substantially will contribute to lower the CO2 footprint,” Elcowire Group CEO Paul Gustavsson said.

Together with the acquisition and the current operations in Sweden and Germany, Elcowire will be a much stronger player in the rod and wire business and be able to build further on its value-added offering in Elcowire’s other business units (high voltage, rail and specials).The closing of the transaction is subject to regulatory approval.

Elcowire is one of the leading suppliers in Europe, developing products and services based on copper and aluminum wire rod for the electrical and infrastructure industry. Operations are located in Sweden and Germany. Elcowire consists of four business units: Rod, Rail, High Voltage and Specials. Elcowire, which employs 200 people, is one of seven businesses owned by the Liljedahl Group.

The KME Group was described as one of the world’s largest manufacturers of copper and copper alloy products and high-performance copper and copper alloy special products.

1/3/2022 – The GFG Alliance reports that it plans to re-open its LIBERTY Steel Georgetown (LSG) rod mill in Georgetown, South Carolina.

A press release initially said that the reopening was expected to happen in mid-January. LGS will integrate operations with LIBERTY’s plant in Peoria, Illinois, to meet a strong order book and clear a customer backlog. Billet will be manufactured in Peoria, taking advantage of the plant’s additional melt capacity, then delivered to Georgetown for conversion into 10,000 metric tons of finished rod a month. LGS has also implemented efficiencies such as utility cost savings, rental equipment returns and contractor reductions to improve profitability and develop a sustainable long-term plan for the plant.

The rod mill has had a storied history. Founded in 1969 by German industrialist Willy Korf, it at one time had as many as 1,500 employees. It had multiple owners, including the government of Kuwait in 1984 and the International Steel Group in 2004. It was bought in 2005 by Lakshmi Mittal. The mill closed in 2009, and following the Mittal merger with Arcelor, it was reopened by Arcelor Mittal in 2011, only to be closed in May 2015. The Liberty House Group, part of the GFG Alliance, purchased ArcelorMittal’s Georgetown steelworks in 2017.

The news was part of a larger update by the GFG Alliance, which included restructuring and refinancing progress for all its operations. LIBERTY Steel Group’s Restructuring and Transformation Committee (RTC) was formed in May 2021. Chief Restructuring Officer Jeffrey Stein said that the restart of the Georgetown plant reflects “further evidence of healthy market conditions and strong infrastructure spending across much of the globe.”

1/3/2022: The Prysmian Group announced that it has won two milestone offshore wind farm projects in the U.S. worth nearly $900 million, and that—pending final okays—it will build a U.S. power cable plant to manufacture some of the submarine power cable.

A press release said that Vineyard Wind, a 1,200 MW wind farm project, is a joint venture between Avangrid Renewables and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners. The contract, worth about $300 million, is for cabling to connect the 804 MW Park City offshore wind farm to the electricity grid in the state of Connecticut. Prysmian will deploy HVAC 275 kV three-core cables with XLPE insulation and single wire armoring. The cables will be produced by Prysmian’s plants in Arco Felice, Italy, and Pikkala, Finland, and installed by the Leonardo da Vinci and Ulisse vessels. Delivery and commissioning are scheduled for 2026.

The 1,200 MW Commonwealth Wind (CW) cable project is worth around $580 million. Prysmian will design, supply, install, and commission as many as three export submarine power cable links to connect CW to the electricity grid in Massachusetts. Prysmian will supply HVAC 275 kV three-core cables with XLPE insulation and single-wire armoring.
Prysmian intends to build a manufacturing facility for submarine transmission cables at Brayton Point, the site of a former coal-fired power plant in Somerset. The CW project agreement is subject to conditions, such as permits and arrangements with the property owner as well as Prysmian."

The CW submarine cables are planned to be produced in the new plant in Massachusetts, as well as at Prysmian plants in Arco Felice and Pikkala. Delivery and commissioning of the export cables are scheduled for 2027. Both cable supply awards are subject to the finalization of Prysmian Group plans to localize its footprint.

Per Common Wealth Magazine, Avangrid Renewables encouraged Prysmian to open a facility in Massachusetts by promising to use it as the supplier for both of the projects. Such a plant would provide some 200 jobs.

The news “confirms the validity of Prysmian’s growth ambition in the fast-developing offshore wind farm industry in the U.S.,” the release said. “Prysmian is also excited to announce significant progress towards its first submarine power cables manufacturing facility in the U.S.” said Prysmian Group Executive President Hakan Ozmen. “While we still have work to do ... it is clear that, with the support of the state of Massachusetts and others, we are in a great position to reach a final agreement that will prompt a major expansion of our company.”
The release said the new projects “are important additions to (Prysmian’s) growing submarine cable and HVDC system portfolio in North America.” The Group’s track record includes interconnections projects like the SOO Green HVDC link, Neptune, TransBay and Hudson River, as well as the Empire Wind interarray projects.

1/3/2022 – Madison, Connecticut, USA – The Wire Association International (WAI) announces the appointment of James R. York as president of the association for a one-year term that commenced on January 1, 2022. York will serve as chairman of the Board of Directors and as the 69^th president of the 92-year-old association, which is headquartered in Madison, Connecticut, USA.

 York is a senior vice president at Insteel Industries Inc., where he has worked since 2018. Prior to that, he spent 15 years in several leadership roles with Leggett & Platt including corporate vice president, Rod & Wire Products; and president of the Specialty Products Division, among others. His earlier experience included positions with CF&I Steel and Bekaert.

 A WAI member since 2012, York became a WAI Director in 2017. He contributed with service as an Executive Committee Liaison to its Exhibition Planning and Nominating Committees. In addition to his role as WAI president, York will serve as Co-Chairman of its Conference Programming Committee and Chairman of its Oversight Committee.

 Commenting on this new appointment, York said, “The WAI has been and continues to be an important resource for industry members. It is my intention to continue this focus by providing contemporary-based data and programs that assist in the success of our members’ organizations and day-to-day operations.”   

 York holds a BSBA degree from the University of Missouri - Columbia, College of Business, Columbia, Missouri, USA.

The Wire Association International is governed by a network of volunteers from around the globe. Joining York for the 2022 term are members of the association’s 2022 executive committee: First Vice President, Daniel Blais, Prysmian Group; Second Vice President, Kurt Breischaft, SDI LaFarga COPPERWORKS; Immediate Past President, Thomas Heberling, Southwire Company LLC.

Insteel Industries is a manufacturer of steel wire reinforcing products for concrete construction applications. The company markets prestressed concrete strand and welded wire reinforcement. Its products are sold primarily to manufacturers of concrete products that are used in nonresidential construction.

WAI, founded in 1930, is a not-for-profit association with nearly 1,800 individual members in 50 countries. The association serves the educational needs of the wire and cable manufacturing industry through a variety of products and services. WAI manages the Interwire Trade Exhibition and the WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo and publishes the Wire Journal International and the Wire Journal International Reference Guide.
 
Media Contacts: Janice E. Swindells, Director Marketing & Corporate Communications, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Tel.: 001-203-453-2777
x. 117; Steven J. Fetteroll, Executive Director, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Tel.: 001-203-453-1777.      
                                                                                               

Jan. 3, 2022 – MADISON, Connecticut, USA  The Wire Association International reports that 70% of exhibit space has been sold for its biennial Wire Expo 2022, which will be staged concurrently with WAI’s 92^nd annual convention at the Hyatt Regency Dallas, Dallas, Texas, USA. Wire- and cable-related exhibits—featuring both supplier companies and manufacturers—will run June 7-8, 2022 in the center’s Marsalis Hall.

“For Wire Expo, 87 stands have been allocated already to 100 exhibiting companies,” said Shannon Timme, WAI’s Director of Sales. “We expect a sold out floorplan by March 2022, which ensures that Wire Expo will deliver a vibrant marketplace for in-person exchanges.”

WAI has issued a call for papers requesting presentations for the convention. Abstracts, which can be submitted online at:  https://bit.ly/WAIAbstracts, are due 2/1/2022.

 
Sponsors to date:

Platinum: Carris Reels Inc. and Wire & Plastic Machinery Corp.; Gold: Lloyd & Bouvier Inc.; Silver: The MGS Group and Sikora International Corp.; Bronze: NDC Technologies and Precision Payoff Systems.

The Wire and Cable Industry Suppliers Association (WCISA) is an industry partner with WAI.

Contact WAI’s Shannon Timme, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for details about exhibiting and/or sponsorships.

 About the Organizer:
WAI, founded in 1930, is a not-for-profit association with nearly 1,800 individual members in 50 countries. The association serves the educational needs of the wire and cable manufacturing industry through a variety of products and services. WAI manages the Interwire Trade Exhibition and the WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo and publishes the Wire Journal International and the Wire Journal International Reference Guide.

              
Media Contacts: Janice E. Swindells, Director Marketing & Corporate Communications, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Tel.: 001-203-453-2777 x. 117; Steven J. Fetteroll, Executive Director, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Tel.: 001-203-453-1777.