The executive committee of the Spring Manufacturers Institute (SMI) announced that it has canceled its Metal Engineering eXpo event, which had been scheduled for Sept. 12-14, 2023, at the South Point Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

A press release said that SMI has entered into an agreement with the Chicago Association of Spring Manufacturers, Inc. (CASMI) to combine their trade shows in 2024. The combined CASMI SpringWorld and the SMI Metal Engineering eXpo will now take place Oct. 2-4, 2024, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois. The 2024 event will combine the strengths of the two associations into one trade show for the good of the industry where SMI provides technical education and CASMI provides the venue.

“In light of the recent decision to combine the shows, we made the decision for the good of the industry to cancel our show so we can put all our energy and resources toward the event in 2024,” said SMI President Gene Huber, Jr., of Winamac Coil Spring.

SMI had been scheduled to host the next ISO/TC227 meetings on Sept. 14-15, 2023, in Las Vegas, Nevada, in conjunction with the 2023 Metal Engineering eXpo. SMI will continue to host the meetings with a date and location to be announced soon.

SMI serves as the technical advisory group to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) for ISO/TC227. The role of the U.S. delegation is essential to ensure that the interests of American spring manufacturers, designers, and consumers are represented in international standards development.

Exhibitors who reserved space for the eXpo will receive a refund for any payments made.

América Móvil and Telxius announced that they will deploy a new subsea cable linking Guatemala and the United States that will be supplied by ASN.

An announcement said that the cable, named “AMX3” by América Móvil and “Tikal” by Telxius, will be a high-capacity undersea cable that connects Puerto Barrios in Guatemala with Boca Raton in the U.S., with an additional possible landing in Cancun, Mexico. The line will feature an initial estimated capacity of 190Tbps and will serve a key route in the Caribbean with reliability and security, the companies said in a release. It should be operational in 2025.

The supply contract is already in force with ASN and will offer options to increase capacity and to incorporate additional branching units to serve other destinations.

For América Móvil, the project is a new step to build a substantial subsea network in the Americas, delivering a capacity through more than 197,000 km, including the AMX-1 submarine cable that extends 18,300 km and connects the U.S. to Central and South America with 13 landing points.

South Korea’s Taihan recently announced that it has completed the development of a 500kV LCC (Line Commutated Converter) XLPE HVDC (High Voltage Direct Current) land cable system and obtained internationally accredited certification.

A press release said that 500 kV is the highest voltage for deployed LCC XLPE HVDC cable systems. Taihan is the first South Korean company to accomplish KEMA international certification and the second in the world after Japan to complete KEMA internationally accredited certification for 500 kV LCC XLPE HVDC cable.

By obtaining the certification, Taihan is officially recognized for its technology and stability while at the same time securing an opportunity to participate in large-scale projects. This certification has high significance in that the test was conducted by applying technical specifications higher than international standards, so the cable can be immediately used in large-scale HVDC projects scheduled to be conducted in Korea.

Further, Taihan also succeeded in the KEMA international certification test for the VSC (Voltage Source Converter) 500 kV HVDC cable. As a result, Taihan is equipped with technical capabilities for all conversion methods, such as XLPE LCC and VSC, including the 500 kV MI-PPLP HVDC developed in 2017, which allows Taihan to be able to respond to the market actively.

“It is very encouraging that Taihan has been recognised for its HVDC technology through international certification at a time when the global demand for long-distance transmission and the spread of new and renewable energy sources are becoming active,” said Taihan President
Na Hyeong-gyun. “We will actively seek business
opportunities in projects that are in full swing in Europe and the United States, etc., as well as participating in large-scale HVDC projects scheduled to be carried out
in Korea.”

Milwaukee, Wisconsin – IEWC has been named a “2023 Top Workplaces USA” award-winner. This is the second consecutive year that IEWC has been recognized with the Top Workplaces honor. In 2022, IEWC received its first Top Workplaces award as a regional winner. For 2023, IEWC has been recognized as a national winner.

The Top Workplaces honors are awarded by Energage, a company that specializes in surveying employee engagement. The awards are given to those companies that demonstrate “exceptional workplace cultures.” The global survey allows US-based companies to measure their performance against other companies, and awards are given for regional, national, and market-specific categories.

IEWC performs this annual survey for its 600+ global employees, measuring employee engagement and assessing various aspects of IEWC’s culture. The employee feedback is used to identify and ultimately address areas where IEWC can continue to improve as a company. It’s that commitment to continuous improvement which allows IEWC to build upon its successful culture.

“The fact that we are being recognized in two consecutive years, and that we’re being recognized on a national level, is something all of us at IEWC can be very proud of,” said Brian Hinton, Chief Human Resources Officer at IEWC. “Our wonderful culture is built on a foundation of strong values, none of which is possible without an incredibly engaged workforce. The IEWC team is thrilled to be recognized once again as a “Top Workplaces” winner.

 “The companies recognized as Top Workplaces have high performance, people-first cultures,” said Greg Barnett, Ph.D., Chief People Scientist at Energage. “These companies are successful because they put their people at the center of all they do. By prioritizing the employee experience, they are known to out-produce, out-innovate, and out-deliver the competition.”

About IEWC - (www.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 a partner to thousands of companies in a wide array of manufacturing and infrastructure industries, IEWC has been an entrusted partner supporting customer supply chain, logistics and product quality initiatives for 60 years. IEWC is an employee-owned company with nearly 30 locations in seven countries, serving customers in almost 100 countries. Having grown organically and through acquisition during its 60-year history, today IEWC spans the globe with divisions in North America, Asia-Pacific and Europe (under the Premier Cables brand) and serves the telecommunications industry under the Cablcon brand.