On Dec. 3, the Wire & Cable Manufacturers Alliance (WCMA), hosted its first Virtual Presentation and Annual Meeting, with the below wrapup provided by Executive Director Ed Fenton.

The event included a presentation by John Traynor, executive vice president and chief investment officer, Peoples Bank Wealth Management. A frequent WCMA speaker, he returned to cover key economic, political, and manufacturing topics that will impact the industry during 2021. That included expectations for business growth drivers and what to expect from Washington and from the private equity community. He confirmed what WCMA has reported during the Covid-19 crisis: manufacturing segments, other than the significantly impacted oil/gas and commercial aerospace industries, will finish the year somewhat better than expected. That should be followed by a healthy recovery over the next year, or two, assuming vaccines are in place and effective.

Two individual management presentations were also made. “Cycles in Metal Market Prices,” by John Gross, JE Gross Consulting/The Copper Journal, and “Simplifying Supply Chains: More Important Now Than Ever,” by Mike Kelley, Kelley Productivity Partners. WCMA will schedule a specific follow up by Kelley during Q1 2021 for more details about his topic.

Participants who were able to take part in the virtual event considered the content valuable for their 2021 planning. WCMA has lost revenue dues to events not being able to be held, but dues from members has made it possible for the organization to continue to send charity donations to Toys for Tots and UCONN Health Center Cancer research, as well as scholarship donations to WAI’s Wire Foundation, IWCS and the Copper Club.

WCMA welcomed four new members: Encore Wire, Electrolock, Trans Cable Internatoional, and Quantum Design. The WCMA’s board of directors also approved an extension of Director and Officer terms through 2021 because of the pandemic.

Finally, WCMA is still hoping to be able to hold its Distinguished Career Awards dinner on April 17, and its Annual Golf Outing and Fundraiser (date TBD). Visit www.wcmainc.org, where details will be provided as soon as they become available.

WAI’s Board of Directors (BoD) voted unanimously on Dec. 10, 2020, to change the dates from May 11-13, 2021, to Oct. 26-27, 2021. Interwire will return to the Georgia World Congress Center (GWCC) in Atlanta, when it hosts the Association’s flagship trade exposition in Hall A.

The vote culminated a months-long process where staff had investigated possible new dates, at the request of the BoD. Based on the results—which in this case made it possible to delay Interwire for 22 weeks—the alternative October date was welcomed as a time buffer to allow the expected availability of vaccines and therapeutics, as well as the subsequent and anticipated lift of travel restrictions.

Commenting on the change, WAI President Thomas Heberling said, “We know that Interwire is important to the industry, and we are committed to producing a safe event. Southwire has been a strong supporter of Interwire and WAI, and I’d like to encourage decision makers at all the manufacturers and suppliers to keep an open mind. I’m expecting the months to come to show more promise, and I’m hoping that they will be accompanied by more renewed support for the industry to again meet in Atlanta.”

The new format shifts from two-and-a-half days to two days, likely with longer exhibition hours. “Our staff has been working with the GWCC and area hotels to accommodate the shift and secure desirable dates,” said WAI’s Executive Director Steven Fetteroll. More details will be released as they become available through the event website, www.interwire21.com, and in future WJI issues.

Earlier this year, the Association had to postpone, then ultimately cancel, the WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo 2020 in May at the Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut, and its International Technical Conference in October in Monterrey, Mexico.

Amphenol Corp. announced that it is acquiring Eden Prairie-based sensor manufacturer MTS Systems Corp. in a deal valued at $1.7 billion.

A press release said that the deal was approved by the boards of both companies. With $895 million in revenue last year, MTS is the 30th largest public company in Minnesota, according to Business Journal research. Amphenol had 2019 sales of $8.2 billion.

MTS is organized into two business segments: sensors, and test and simulation. Amphenol said the acquisition will give it the industry’s broadest range of sensors and sensor-based products, while the test and simulation segment has near and long-term potential.

Italy’s Danieli has received an order from Russian steelmaker AO Severstal for a new rolling mill for special steels to be installed at its plant in Cerepovec.

A press release said the new plant will produce 5.5 to 32-mm wire rod and coiled bars for engineering and automotive industries, and 8 to 16-mm quenched rebar for construction purposes. Danieli will provide all the technological equipment, automation and advisory services. A Danieli Centro Combustion walking beam reheating furnace will bring to rolling temperature 12-m-long, 150-mm square-billets, at a pace of 170 tph. A single-strand high-speed roughing mill made of horizontal and vertical housingless stands will feed two independent wire rod lines and a garret coiler to produce the bigger diameters. Startup is planned for by the end of 2022.

Bekaert and Almasa recently agreed to merge Proalco SAS, a Bekaert subsidiary, with the steel wire activities of Almasa SA, both of which are located in Colombia.

A press release said that the partnership intends to create value by combining expertise and resources in offering existing and new steel wire products and solutions to the market. With manufacturing activities in the center and on the Atlantic coast of Colombia, the merger will promote employment, enable export opportunities and facilitate the supply of upholstery steel wire for Bekaert’s recently established mattress spring systems joint venture, Agro-Bekaert Colombia SAS, located in Malambo, Atlantico.

Bekaert Ideal Holding (in which Bekaert holds 80% of the shares) and Almasa SA would each hold 50% in Proalco SAS after the merger. SAS generated €65 million in revenue in 2019.