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Wire Journal News

LS Cable & System (LS C&S) has signed a significant contract with TenneT Offshore, the German subsidiary of the Dutch state-owned power company TenneT, for an offshore wind farm project.

A press release said that the contract—valued at 907.3 billion won (approximately $700 million)—is for the TenneT Offshore’s LanWin4 2 GW project. LS C&S will supply ultra-high voltage direct current (HVDC) 525 kV submarine and underground cables as well as provide necessary accessories, perform electrical connection work and conduct on-site testing to ensure the project’s success. The contract will see cable supplied through 2031.

The contract continues LS C&S’s established relationship with TenneT. It had previously been chosen to supply cable for projects that include offshore wind farms in the North Sea of Europe, and others, that were valued significantly more than the latest one.

TenneT, a prominent European electricity transmission system operator, is responsible for the construction and maintenance of the high-voltage grid in the Netherlands and Germany.

Insteel Industries, which recently acquired the assets of Engineered Wire Products (EWP), has closed the EWP plant in Warren, Ohio, and will move production there to other Insteel plants.

A press release said that the Warren plant was part of the company’s recent $70 million asset transaction with EWC through its subsidiary, Insteel Wire Products Co. EWC operates wire drawing, welding and mesh fabrication facilities in upper Sandusky and Warren, Ohio.

The plan is to close the Warren facility, where work has ceased and some 35 positions were eliminated. Production there will be shifted to other Insteel plants. “Given the low capacity utilization levels at our Warren facility and the dim prospects for improvement, we believe this action is essential to reducing our operating costs and strengthening our competitive position” said Insteel CEO President and CEO H. Woltz III. Insteel is the nation’s largest manufacturer of steel wire reinforcing products for concrete construction applications. See p. 47 for more details about the company.

Nexans has won a contract from ScottishPower Renewables, part of the Iberdrola Group, to supply the export cable for East Anglia Two (EA2), a 960 MW offshore wind farm in the U.K.

A press release said that Nexans will supply and install approximately 100 km of 275 kV high-voltage subsea export cables and 55 kms of onshore cables. Production of the cable will be done at Nexan plants in Alden, Norway, and Charleroi, Belgium.

Installation work is scheduled to take place in 2027 and 2028, with the project set for completion by the end of 2028. The windfarm is located in the southern North Sea, some 33 km from the Suffolk coast, at its nearest point off Southwold. There are multiple projects involved, including one Nexans also provided the cable for. East Anglia Two, part of the East Anglia Hub, was approved in March 2022 jointly with East Anglia One North. It will host as many as 75 wind turbines. There is also an East Anglia Three. Nexans provided cable for a prior project.

South Korea’s Hanwha Solutions has established a Wire & Cable (W&C) Division, a strategic move aimed at producing high value-added products that will compete in a field that has significant growth potential.

Per multiple media reports, Hanwha Solutions announced that the new division was created by separating its organization from the Polyolefin (PO) Division within Hanwha Solutions’ Chemical Division, which now consists of three divisions: PO, Chemical Engineering (PVC) and W&C.

The company named Carlo Scarlata, former CCO of Prysmian, to lead the new W&C Division. He has more than 20 years of experience in sales and business development with Prysmian. His background includes managing businesses in Europe, U.S., Brazil, China and Australia, and he is expected to play a crucial role in expanding Hanwha Solutions’ presence in overseas markets. 

Madison, Connecticut, USA – Jan. 2, 2025 – The Wire Association International (WAI), Inc. announces the appointment of Eric P Bieberich as the 72nd president of the association for a one-year term that commenced on January 1, 2025. Bieberich will chair the Board of Directors of the 95-year-old association, which is headquartered in Madison, Connecticut, USA.

Bieberich is president of Fort Wayne Wire Die, Inc., Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA, a position he has held since 2013. He has 24 years’ experience in the wire industry.

A WAI member since 2001, Bieberich joined the Board of Directors in 2016 and the Executive Committee in 2021. He was the co-chair of WAI’s 2024 Conference Programming Committee, and was executive committee liaison to both the Memorial Awards and Oversight Committees. He holds a B.S. degree in Materials Science Engineering, and an M.S. degree in Metallurgical Engineering, both from Purdue University as well as an M.B.A. degree from the University of Michigan.

Commenting on this new appointment, Bieberich said, “I am eager to champion the association’s vision to be the most valued, critical resource for the global wire and cable industry. The Phase One launch of the Education Center is especially exciting, showcasing the dedication and hard work of the association’s volunteers and staff in creating a cutting-edge training resource for the next generation.”

The Wire Association International, Inc. is governed by a network of volunteers from around the globe. Joining Bieberich for the 2025 term are members of the association’s 2025 Executive Committee: First Vice President David M. Fisher, James Monroe Wire & Cable Corp.; Second Vice President Rebecca Cranford, Southwire Co.; Raúl García Martínez, Viakable; and Immediate Past President Daniel Blais, Prysmian.

Fort Wayne Wire Die, a fourth-generation family business founded in 1937, manufactures precision tools from diamond, tungsten carbide, and other superhard materials. With facilities in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Germany, China, and the Philippines, and a worldwide network of representatives, it serves the global wire and cable industry..

WAI, founded in 1930, is a not-for-profit association with 1700 individual members in 38 countries and Wire Journal International subscribers in 94 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 Conference & Trade Exhibition and Wire Expo; it 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.

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