EoW July 2008

The International Magazine for the Wire and Cable Industries

The future is wired... The developedworld is being forced to re-think its attitude to energy. We can’t claimwe weren’t warned, but the impact always had to be to our pockets before the question of sustainable energy became real, and the rapid rise in oil prices has provided the necessary catalyst. I arrived in Pittsburgh, for the WAI Wire Expo, in time to witness the outcry that US fuel prices had achieved an all-time high average of 4 USD per gallon. I’d spent much of my flight over catching up with the previous weekend’s Sunday papers and, unsurprisingly, both traditional and alternative fuels were high on the editorial agenda. No news here, I know, but walking to the conference hall one morning I overheard a member of the centre staff comment, “Wire exhibition? Where’s the future in that? Everything’s going wireless!” It had a ring of truth about it and, still musing over a potential energy crisis, it made me stop and think about the future of wire. Walking around the Wire Expo exhibition hall, it didn’t take long to reach a reassuring conclusion. In whichever way energy is produced in the future – and energy will continue to be produced, one way or another, on a domestic or global scale – something has to deliver that energy safely, reliably and efficiently; the wire and cable industry will continue to have an obvious and essential contribution to make. Of course the industry’s contribution needs to extend to energy saving, and developing environmentally safe processes; this is already happening (take a look through the editorial contributions in this issue) but we’ve an industry with a bright, confident future. If this seems complacent or naïve then I apologise but, in a climate of change and uncertainty, isn’t it nice to have some good news for a change? And that was before I considered tele- communications, coat hangers, fencing, springs, suspension bridges …

* US$33 purchase only Front cover: Sikora AG See page 100 for further details E ditor :....................................... Gill Watson F eatures E ditor (USA) : ........Dorothy Fabian E ditorial assistant : ...............Christian Bradley D esign /P roduction : ..............Julie Tomlin P roduction : .............................Lisa Benjamin S ales M anager : ......................Paul Browne S ales & M arketing : ...............Giuliana Benedetto ( I nternational ) Italian speaking sales Hendrike Griffin German speaking sales Linda Li A dvertisement C oordinator : ...........................Liz Hughes A ccounts M anager : ..............Richard Babbedge S ubscriptions : .........................Liz Hughes P ublisher : .................................Caroline Sullens F ounder : ...................................John C Hogg Chinese speaking sales Jeroo Vandrevala Indian sales

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US copies only : EuroWire (ISSN No: 1463-2438) is published bi-monthly by INTRAS Ltd and distributed in the US by DSW, 75 Aberdeen Road, Emigsville, PA 17318-0437. Periodicals postage paid at Emigsville, PA. Postmaster : send address changes to EuroWire, PO Box 437, Emigsville PA 17318-0437 www.read-eurowire.com © 2008 Intras Ltd, UK ISSN 1463-2438

Gill Watson

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