WAI’s Paper Awards Committee will once again be rating presentations, and to that end it is seeking veteran volunteers to assess those made at 2025 events.

The committee will evaluate technical papers submitted from this year’s Interwire Conference Program, the Global Continuous Casting Forum and the Wire & Cable Kraków International Technical Conference. Serving on the committee gives members the opportunity to review new research, contribute to WAI’s educational mission, and connect with technical experts from around the world. It also is a way to give back to the industry.

WAI invites members interested in participating to join the committee and help recognize excellence in the wire and cable industry. For more details on what is entailed, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The WAI is seeking applicants for the 2026 Wire Link Traveling Scholarship, a program that sends a wire professional to England where he or she can see how different companies operate as well as to attend the wire Düsseldorf show in Germany. That date is April 13-17, 2026. The deadline for applications is Jan. 1, 2026.

The Association is looking for ambitious wire professionals who have been employed for at least two years in the wire and cable (or related) industries, including manufacturers and suppliers. The program—which started in 2000—alternates between a U.S. representative going to Europe, and a U.K. representative going to the U.S. through the program’s co-sponsor, the Worshipful Company of Tin Plate Workers alias Wire Workers of England.

The scholarship will be awarded to the candidate who best demonstrates to the judges how the award will help him or her grow professionally, gain a broadened knowledge of the industry and share those benefits with his or her company. All expenses will be met by the sponsors during the trip to the U.K. and Germany. The only employer cost is the employee’s time, and travel to and from the departure airport.

The most recent WAI Wire Link Traveling Scholar, in 2024, was Avery Caraker, who when he applied was a process engineering technician at Prysmian’s medium-voltage plant in Du Quoin, Illinois.

Some past WireLink Scholars have fared quite well in the industry, such as Kurt Breischaft, the 2006 winner, who at the time worked for Belden CDT. He later became president of SDI LaFarga COPPERWORKS, and most recently was named CEO of Advanced Digital Cable, LLC. He also served as the 2023 Association president.

 Official rules, regulations & entry requirements

Candidates must:

• Be employed full-time in the wire and cable industry

for at least two years at the time of travel.

• Be a Wire Association International member in good

standing at the time of application and travel.

• Be available for an interview.
• Be able to attend the Award Presentation at the WAI annual meeting in the following spring.
• Be able to travel to England and Wire Düsseldorf

for two weeks that same spring.

• Be employed by his/her nominating company

at the time of travel.

• Have a signed letter of recommendation from an

appropriate company official.

• Be able to present a full report of his/her visit to the director of the company that recommended him/her as well as a separate one for the WAI for potential publication in WJI.
• Submit an essay submission explaining how the applicant can meet the objective of the scholarship, and how the experience would broaden his/her knowledge of wire and the wire industry for his/her benefit and the benefit of his/her company.

Submissions or questions can be sent to WAI’s Wire Foundation via wirenet.org. Questions can also be sent by applicants and employers to WAI Executive Director Steve Fetteroll at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Wire Expo 2026 got off to a very strong start at the Oct. 2 Points Meeting at WAI headquarters in Madison, Connecticut, where 111 units were assigned for the show floor on May 6-7 at the Baird Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

WAI staff, joined by Mike Mathiasen, Mathiasen Machinery, were busy much of the day for the procedure of allocating show floor positions based on past activity. WAI Sales Director Shannon Timme reported that a total of 91 companies accounted for 111 of the 179 available units. There are other spots that could be converted to an additional 12 booths.

“At this point, all the remaining booths will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis,” said Timme. She noted that there is much interest in the event, especially as it will once again be co-located with the Electrical Wire Processing Technology Expo. That previously happened at the same venue in 2010.

For more information, visit the event website at www.wireexpo2026.com.

The annual Clock Winding ceremony was held Oct. 6 at WAI’s headquarters in Madison, Connecticut, continued a long-time tradition that has never gotten old.

Introduced by WAI President Eric Bieberich, Bev Page took on the honored role of winding the stately timepiece. He well understood what this ritual meant—not just for his organization, but for the broader wire industry. As a longstanding member of the Worshipful Company of Tin Plate Workers alias Wire Workers of England, his talk prior to the winding of the clock covered a lot of turf.

Page, a long-time engineer whose past experience included serving as chairman of the U.K.’s Packaging Manufacturers Association, shared anecdotes of his colorful past, which included mentoring students and welcoming industry newcomers. He observed that ties formed through associations and the ongoing Wire Link Scholar program the WAI and Wire Workers share, last far longer than any one job or generation.

What echoed—a sentiment present in many past ceremonies—was his conviction that the clockwinding tradition goes beyond mere symbolism. That even in a digital age, the hands-on act of winding the clock connects people in ways that no virtual meeting ever could, reflecting the importance of tangible, shared experiences in the wire community.

Page captured the tradition as a unique experience, one that he hopes will not be forgotten or allowed to fade away. “Year after year, as representatives, we come to wind this clock not simply to keep it running, but to remind ourselves and each other that what was started in the aftermath of war is still alive in the everyday friendships and shared learning

we enjoy.

“I’ve seen, time and again, how these exchanges—whether between organizations or individual careers—breed innovation, resilience and a genuine sense of belonging. Tradition isn’t about looking back; it’s about carrying forward the spirit of gratitude and camaraderie that first brought us together.”

Page’s comments were well received by those in attendance, which also included WAI 1st Vice President Dave Fisher.