EuroWire July 2019

Featuring Focus on China

Supermac now Represents SIMPACKS in India for Coiling Machines

SIMPACKS is dedicated to providing excellence in the manufacturing and design of coiling, spooling, wrapping and packaging solutions for the wire & cable industry. SIMPACKS manufactures customized systems to meet market demand

and customers’ requirements. • Automatic Dual Head Coiler • Automatic Single Head Coiler + Strap • Automatic Single Head Coiler + wrapping • Semi-Automatic Dual Spooler

• Heat Shrink • Palletizer

• Automatic Single Head Coiler • Automatic Crossing Winder • Fully Automatic Dual Reel • Accumulators • Payo s • Automatic Wire Length Cutting

• Dancers • Take Ups

Coiling Technology

Supermac Industries, established in the year 1974, is a leader in manufacturing high-end systems and process technology for wire & cable in the power and telecom sector and related industries. The ISO 9001 certi ed company specializes in o ering customized and tailor-made solutions to ful l speci c needs of a variety of customers all across the globe.

With a highly skilled design team, with the best of manufacturing and highly talented commissioning team, and trained experts in cable processes and technology, we o er design to process expertise to bring in the best product for you. The company has established one unit in New Delhi and two units in Manesar, Haryana. The combined area of Supermac manufacturing units adds up to 95000 Sq. ft. The state-of-the-art facilities are equipped with international and domestic machinery to carry out the process of manufacturing as per the customer's requirements. Supermac has recently had its products approved for CE Mark, enabling export to the European market. Supermac has received repeat orders fromdomestic and international markets: DUBAI, ABUDHABI, SHARJAH, RAS AL KHAIMAH, OMAN, NIGERIA, UGANDA, KENYA, BANGLADESH, SRI LANKA, SAUDI ARABIA, DOHA QATAR, EGYPT, LEBANON, JORDAN, MALAYSIA and PHILIPPINES (under implementation). Supermac is now endeavoring to expand its presence to NORTH & SOUTH AMERICA, EUROPE, and CIS COUNTRIES & RUSSIA.

Supermac specialises in the following areas: · State-of-the-art CCV Line with Scholz Vulcanisation system for Power Cables up to 132 KV XLPE and 33 KV for Rubber · Proven Triple Extrusion Line for SIOPLAS (XLPE) cables · High-speed Insulation Line and Sheathing Line for House Wiring & Control Cables and medical equipment sector · High output and best in class Insulation Line and Sheathing Line for Power Cables · HCV Rubber insulation and sheathing line · Hybrid and composite CCV lines for both XLPE and Rubber · Rubicon make Rubber extruders for Insulation and sheathing materials · Silicone extrusion lines with infrared vulcanisation system · Extruders for variety of applications – up to 175 mm · Cross-Head Single/Dual/Triple · Haul-O Caterpillar · Capstan · Take-up and pay-o of all types and sizes and as per requirement above 4.5 meters and 40 MT

Supermac Scholz CCV 132 KV Line

www.supermacindia.com

SUPERMAC INDUSTRIES (INDIA) LIMITED

UNIT-I : Plot No-2, Sector-6, IMT Manesar, Gurgaon Haryana, INDIA Ph.: +91-0124-4690500 | Fax: +91-0124-4690501 E-mail: jasvinder@supermacindia.com, vkohli123@gmail.com

OFFICE : A-28 & 29, NARAINA Industrial Area Phase-1, New Delhi-110028, INDIA Ph.: +91-11-45574317 E-mail: o ce@supermacindia.com

UNIT-II : Plot No. 18-19, Sector-2A, IMT Manesar, Gurgaon, Haryana, INDIA

Future-proofing business and growth

Growthhas allowedone company to future-proof its business and expand its site to more than three times its original size. Sikora has recently put its new production, logistics and development building at its HQ in Bremen, Germany, into full operation after nearly one-and-a-half years of construction. This investment in the future is the answer to the company’s strong growth and diversi cation into newmarkets, and also provides further space to expand in the future. The full story can be found on page 9. Wire and cable companies looking for a potentially new market will be heartened by the announcement of a new conference being staged in South Africa. Africa Wire, Cable & Tube Conference, co-organised by CRU and the South African-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, will be staged at the Emperors Palace in Johannesburg from 11 th to 13 th November this year.

bring together the international wire, cable, tube and pipe supply chain and key African stakeholders. More details can be found on page 11. A new look combined with solutions on the exhibition oor and educational programmes saw more than 3,500 wire and cable industry professionals attend Interwire in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Attendees from 47 countries headed to the three-day exhibition, which also saw the staging of the Global Continuous Casting Forum, the Fundamentals of Wire Manufacturing course, and the International Fastener

Manufacturing Exposition. See our round-up on pages 21, 22 and 23.

David Bell Editor

wire and Tube Düsseldorf, the world’s largest trade shows in the eld, are the lead sponsors of the event, which will

Publishing Team

Editor:

................................................................................................................................David Bell

Features Editor (USA):

............................................................................................................................. Gill Watson

Editorial assistant:

..................................................................................................................Christian Bradley

Design/Production:

............................................................................................................................Julie Tomlin

Production:

..............................................................................................................................Lisa Wright

Sales & Marketing: UK & ROW sales.............................................................................................Jason Smith (International) Italian speaking sales...................................................................Giuliana Benedetto Chinese speaking sales ............................................................................................Linda Li Advertisement Coordinator: ..............................................................................................................................Liz Hughes Accounts Manager: ...............................................................................................................................Karen Low Subscriptions: ...............................................................................................................................Karen Low Publisher: ....................................................................................................................Caroline Sullens Founder: ..........................................................................................................................John C Hogg

* US$33 purchase only Front cover: Fortuna Federn See page 75 for further details US copies only : EuroWire (ISSN 1463-2483, USPS No: 022-738) is published six times a year, January, March, May, July, September and November by Intras Ltd and distributed in the USA by Asendia USA, 701 Ashland Ave, Folcroft PA. Periodicals postage paid at Philadelphia, PA and additional mailing o ces. POSTMASTER : Send address changes to EuroWire, Intras Ltd, C/O 701 Ashland Ave, Folcroft PA 19032. www.read-eurowire.com © 2019 Intras Ltd, UK ISSN 1463-2438

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July 2019

Bigstockphoto.com – Great Wall of China, Beijing, Cnina. Photographer – askoldsb

Regulars

Market News

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Deutsch Inhalt 45 Neuigkeiten 75 Inserentenverzeichnis

Diary of events

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Corporate News

Sommaire Français 57 Nouvelles du Marché 75 Index des Annonceurs Indice Italiano 63 Notizie del Mercato 75 Indice degli Inserzionisti Содержание на русском языке 51 Ηοвости рьінка 75 Перечень рекламодателей Indice Español 69 Noticias de Mercado 75 Indice de Anunciadores

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Transatlantic Cable

28

Technology News

36 Focus on China

75

Editorial Index

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Advertisers Index

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Focus on the USA wire Southeast Asia 2019 wire South America 2019 IWCS show issue

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Technical Articles

41

Technique d’exploitation pour un entretien e cace des câbles optiques souterrains Par Miho Akamatsu, Chihiro Kito, Koji Mine et Takashi Ebine, du Strategic Network Management Department, NTT East, Tokyo, Japon 59 Tecnologia operativa per una manutenzione e ciente del cavo ottico interrato A cura di Miho Akamatsu, Chihiro Kito, Koji Mine e Takashi Ebine, del Strategic Network 65 Tecnología operativa para el mantenimiento e ciente de cable óptico subterráneo Por Miho Akamatsu, Chihiro Kito, Koji Mine y Takashi Ebine, de Strategic Network Management Department, NTT East, Tokio, Japón 71 Management Department, NTT East, Tokio, Giappone

Operation technology for e cient maintenance of underground optical cable By Miho Akamatsu, Chihiro Kito, Koji Mine and Takashi Ebine, of Strategic Network Management Department, NTT East, Tokyo, Japan Betriebstechnologie für eine e zienteWartung von erdverlegten Lichtwellenleitern von Miho Akamatsu, Chihiro Kito, Koji Mine und Takashi Ebine, des Strategic Network Management Department, NTT East, Tokyo, Japan Технология эксплуатации для эффективного обслуживания подземного оптического кабеля Михо Акамутсу, Чичиро Кито, Коджи Майн и Такаши Ибайн, Strategic Network Management Department, NTT East, Токио, Япония

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Dates for your diary. . .

wire Southeast Asia 2019 18-20 September: wire Southeast Asia – trade exhibition – Bangkok, Thailand Organisers : Messe Düsseldorf Asia Pte Ltd Fax : +65 6337 4633 Email : wire@mda.com.sg Website : www.wire-southeastasia.com

2019

September

29 September-2 October: IWCS – technical symposium – Charlotte, North Carolina, USA Organisers : IWCS Tel : +1 717 993 9500 Website : www.iwcs.org

October

1-3 October: wire South America – trade exhibition – São Paulo, Brazil Organisers : Messe Düsseldorf GmbH Fax : +49 211 4560 668 Email : info@wire-south-america.com Website : www.wire-south-america.com

2020

March

30 March-3 April: wire 2020 – trade exhibition – Düsseldorf, Germany Organisers : Messe Düsseldorf GmbH Fax : +49 211 4560 668 Email : wire@messe-duesseldorf.de Website : www.wire.de

June

2–4 June: Wire Expo – trade exhibition and conference – Uncasville, Connecticut, USA Organisers : Wire Association International Fax : +1 203 453 8384

Email : sales@wirenet.org Website : www.wirenet.org

September

23–26 September: wire China – trade exhibition – Shanghai, China Organisers : SECRI and Messe Düsseldorf (Shanghai) Co Ltd Fax : +86 216 169 8301

Email : shanghai@mdc.com.cn Website : www.wirechina.net

October

11–14 October: IWCS – technical symposium – Providence,

Rhode Island, USA Organisers : IWCS Tel : +1 717 993 9500 Website : www.iwcs.org

Bigstockphoto.com “Grand Palace and Wat phra keaw at Bangkok, Thailand” Photographer maca0

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Corporate News

▲ ▲ Three times the space after building completion at Sikora

Ready for the future with new build at Sikora HQ

headquarters 14 international subsidiaries, Sikora serves customers with innovative product solutions and individual service. The measuring, control and inspection systems are solely manufactured at the headquarters in Bremen, Germany. Sikora AG – Germany Website : www.sikora.net in Bremen and

Mr Früchtenicht. The four-storey building accommodates production, logistics and research and development departments. An extended communication area in the upper-stacked storey with its flexible meeting and creativity rooms builds a bridge between technology and communication.

AFTER around one-and-a-half years of construction, Sikora has put its new production, logistics and development building at its headquarters in Bremen, Germany, into operation. With its total area of 7,000m 2 , the building provides more than three times the previous space. The new building is a strategic investment in the future and the answer to Sikora’s strong growth and diversification into new markets as well as the accompanying technological new developments. “The building provides the needed space to further expand and is, in every respect, state-of-the-art”, said Peter Früchtenicht, director operations at Sikora. Special attention was put on assuring optimised material flows from incoming goods to production and further to the shipping based on modern lean production concepts. enables us to flexibly and quickly react to technological developments and customers’ wishes, at consistent high quality and delivery reliability”, added “An efficient production

With about 300 employees at the

New die technologies Paramount Die manufactures wire drawing dies and has developed innovative wire drawing systems for decades. Moving forward, this market position will be reinforced with new products in large/bar/shaped dies, shaving dies and holder product segments. The company has worked in the large die market for a number of years but is now fully engaged in this market segment and is working to deliver added value to large wire and bar producers. Paramount claims to have perfected the art of shaving wire with its new wire shaving dies. Available in both insert and cased options, coated and uncoated and with a wide array of geometries, these shaving dies can be tailored to achieve any shaving requirement. Paramount recently released its new ParaLoc S, which is a smaller pressure system for use in die boxes that have historically been too small to fit a pressure and draw die. This new technology holder has both in a smaller size, allowing full pressure system functionality where only a single die could previously be housed. Paramount Die Company – USA Website : www.paradie.com

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Revamping of machines and lines

high-performance workshops, based in Europe, China and the USA. When the rebuilding takes place at one of the Sampsistemi sites, machines are completely dismantled, cleaned and stripped of their paint. This allows for the complete cleaning of the pipes and to check if the frame and tanks are in good condition or corroded. Afterwards, technicians take care of the full substitution of all the damaged components, aiming to maintain performance and restore productivity of all production lines by implementing up-to-date technologies. With regard to the electrical cabinets of industrial machinery, the best solution is often a complete modernisation of drives and PLC systems according to the latest technology, including Fieldbus communication and a new HMI. Engineers provide customers with a wide range of solutions and technical skills for the upgrade of electrical cabinets and control systems. Sampsistemi Srl – Italy Website : www.sampsistemi.com

THANKS to its expertise, Sampsistemi and its service division C2S are equipped to manage the reconditioning or revamping of a machine, line or electrical cabinet, enabling customers to increase equipment reliability and minimise costs with a guaranteed result. The expertise ranges across three main business sectors: drawing, extrusion and rotating equipment. The advantages of revamping in comparison to a new purchase are lower costs and shorter delivery times, in the case of machines and lines that have been used in line with the original maintenance and operating instructions. The main advantages of a retrofit, upgrade and rebuilding by Sampsistemi and C2S are: • Expertise in machines and relative technology • Technical documentation for rebuilding and reconditioning parts • A proactive stock of thousands of items, ready for shipment, for all brands • Technical validation of the components that have been replaced

The rebuilding procedure begins with a C2S engineer inspecting the machine or line at the customer’s site. During the inspection, the technician can see the machine in operation (whenever possible) and, based on customer information and know-how, determine if complete reconditioning is needed or if only some parts must be replaced to restore the original quality and technical efficiency of the machine. The complete reconditioning or modernisation can be done either at the customer’s site or in one of Sampsistemi’s ▲ ▲ Sampsistemi and C2S are equipped to manage the reconditioning or revamping of a machine

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Boosting production and trade across Africa ▲ ▲ Johannesburg will host Africa Wire, Cable & Tube in November this year

mining, utilities, oil and gas, construction and infrastructure. Attendees will gain insights into the current political and investment climates across the continent from local experts and international organisations with real case studies. Investors will also have the chance to assess greenfield and brownfield project showcase presentations. In other sessions, industry experts will discuss the latest global technological advances in wire, cable, tube and pipe manufacturing. CRU Events – UK Website : www.crugroup.com

wire and Tube Düsseldorf, the world’s largest trade shows in this field, are lead sponsors of this important new conference. This partnership is the basis for creating an event in which the international wire, cable, tube and pipe supply chain will meet and make new trade partnerships with key African stakeholders. Discussions at the conference will explore the main trends impacting the global steel, copper and aluminium wire, cable and tube products and what this means for Africa. Delegates will also be brought up-to-date on the expected consumption trends within Africa for these products in

METALLIC wire, cable, tube and pipe products are crucial to industries that are key pillars of economic development across Africa, such as mining, power supply and construction. For the first time, a conference is being held to bring together local stakeholders and international experts to discuss how to boost production and trade in these products throughout the continent. The inaugural Africa Wire, Cable & Tube Conference, co-organised by CRU and the Southern African-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AHK), will be held from 11 th to 13 th November at the Emperors Palace in Johannesburg, South Africa.

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Corporate News

New download for CIM Lab/Prod users

CERSA-MCI has rolled out the new release of CIM Lab/Prod software for data logging and statistical analysis. This release (v7.4) has been developed to take into account specific requirements from customers (eg to export all measurements from CERSA devices to database) and to improve some features. The main features include: • Continuous data export to database through ODBC link function. Accessible with licence (option to add-on to one licence) • New languages available: French and Japanese • System windows management changes • Buttons for event navigation in Explorer interface • Several bug fixes to increase the stability While waiting for the next availability for download on the website, contact support@cersa-mci.com to obtain a download link. Cersa-MCI – France Website : www.cersa-mci.com

▲ ▲ A new download of the Cersa Instruments Manager is now available

Bulgarian expansion German manufacturer MD Elektronik plans to invest $12.7 million in a new plant in Vratsa, Bulgaria, for making automotive cables. The new entity, to be called MD Elektronik EOOD, will make data cables and electronic components. Production is expected to start in 2020. “The location in Bulgaria, and the associated increase in flexibility, plays an important strategic role in our global production network, in particular for our customers in Europe,” said Ralf Eckert, a member of the company’s management board. The plant is in an industrial area, close to the border with Romania. MD Elektronik is also expanding its Waldkraiburg campus with a new technology centre. Completion and commissioning of the facility are planned for later in 2019.

MD Elektronik GmbH – Germany Website : www.md-elektronik.de

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GLOBAL electronics industry association IPC has partnered with the Switzerland-based technology group Schleuniger to offer IPC members online wire processing training from Schleuniger’s S.University. Making these renowned training courses available through the IPC Edge online portal will allow companies the flexibility to train their employees in a cost-effective, simple and efficient way. IPC has officially contracted with the Swiss technology group Schleuniger, which will now serve as an official online training partner offering IPC members S.University training courses. Schleuniger, renowned for its knowledge transfer in wire processing, debuted S.University in 2013 and launched the storefront globally in 2018. In creating this partnership, IPC has responded to the Wiring Harness Manufacturer’s Association’s (WMHA) request for more wire industry training tools. IPC, known for its leadership and global footprint in providing standards and quality programmes supporting the electronics industry, secures with Schleuniger an online training partner that is also a trusted and competent player in the wire harness industry. Companies will be able to easily train their employees online from the comfort of their offices via the IPC Edge training portal from the fourth quarter of 2019, providing professional, fundamental and innovative knowledge in wire processing to their teams. operators, supervisors and maintenance personnel can be instructed according to their level of expertise. Additionally, new employees and students can get on-board with programmes covering the foundations of wire processing, and the whole team can be kept up to date on the latest techniques and technology developments thanks to refresher courses. All courses will be available in English and Spanish. ▲ Pictured at the launch of the training courses are, from left, Darren Teasck, president and managing director of Schleuniger USA; David Bergman, vice president international relations IPC; Marc Lussier, vice president technical services Schleuniger USA; and Christoph Schüpbach, CEO Schleuniger Group Joining forces to learn from the experts With Schleuniger’s S.University courses,

Schleuniger Inc – USA Website : www.schleuniger.com

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Corporate News

New staff for manufacturing software developer

AS part of the company’s continued commitment to growth, Cimteq has appointed four new members of the team to strengthen and support its ambitious plans for the future. The new members of the team include a new financial director, a development manager, a project manager and an office administrator. Deborah Jones has been appointed as the new financial director and brings with her a wealth of experience gained working within the field of finance. Rob Cox, who joins the business in the role of development manager, will be responsible for the ongoing development of Cimteq’s software products and the management of the development team. One of his key drivers is to improve product quality through the introduction of agile working processes into the business. Francesca Marsh, the new project manager, will take a lead role in the management and implementation of CableBuilder into one of the company’s new key accounts, helping the team prioritise tasks and working to agile methodology. Meanwhile, Jenna Edwards will be supporting the team with general administrative duties, from overseeing customer accounts, to payroll and assisting with financial and management accounts. Director Amanda Shehab said: “We are thrilled to be further developing our team with four such high-quality new appointments. There was an exceptional standard of candidates that applied for the roles, but Deborah, Rob, Francesca and Jenna

stood out from the rest and I believe they will help us continue to progress.” Cimteq offers software solutions specifically designed for the cable manufacturing industry. Its core products are CableBuilder – which has been designed to meet the demand within the cable manufacturing industry to simplify the complex management of cable design data – and CableMES, which maximises plant production, improves quality, reduces inventory and ensures on-time delivery. ▲ ▲ Three of Cimteq’s recent appointments are, from left, Jenna Edwards, Deborah Jones and Francesca Marsh

Cimteq Ltd – UK

Website : www.cimteq.com

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Expansion order for Tenova

OJSC MMK-METIZ – a producer of advanced steels for the automotive industry based in Magnitogorsk, Russia – has placed a new contract for the expansion of the existing HPH® Bell-type furnace plant for wire coils with Tenova LOI Thermprocess, a Tenova company, located in Essen, Germany. OJSC MMK-METIZ already operates an HPH Bell-type furnace plant, supplied by Tenova LOI Thermprocess in 2014. This plant consists of two annealing bases, one heating hood and one jet-cooling hood with a maximum net charge weight of 36 tons of wire rod or drawn wire coils. It uses a hydrogen/nitrogen mixture as protective gas atmosphere and features a useable diameter of 3,200mm and a useable height of 2,700mm. In the spring of 2019, a new contract was signed concerning the expansion of the existing plant by two further annealing bases, one additional heating hood and one jet-cooling hood. The start of production of the new plant is scheduled for the beginning of 2020. Besides the spheroidisation annealing of wire rod, this plant also carries out the recrystallisation annealing of drawn wire coils with the HPH® (high performance hydrogen) annealing technology.

LOI Thermprocess GmbH – Germany Website : www.tenova.com

▲ ▲ The existing HPH Bell-type furnace plant for wire coils

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INTERNATIONAL lubricant manufacturers Metalube and HL Blachford Ltd have announced a North American partnership. The two companies exhibited together at Interwire this year. The partnership will initially focus on selling Metalube’s non-ferrous copper and aluminium wire drawing lubricants across the USA, Canada and Mexico. Mike Cundari, president of HL Blachford, said: “This is a very exciting time for us. We have been working to develop our relationship with Metalube for some years now and we are delighted with the exceptional quality of the non-ferrous lubricants they produce. We look forward to a long and fruitful joint venture.” Blachford is a privately owned company, founded in 1921, with production facilities in Canada, the USA and the UK. Its ferrous and non-ferrous wire drawing products are sold under the trade name Chemdraw®. Douglas Hunt, commercial director of Metalube, added: “This partnership is also excellent news for Metalube. Blachford has a highly established presence in North America and like us are a privately owned family business with a similar ethos. They have superb relationships with all of the key non-ferrous wire drawing producers in the region and we are highly confident that our products will be very well received here.” Metalube Ltd – UK Website : www.metalube.co.uk HL Blachford Ltd – USA Website : www.blachford.com Metalube partners with Blachford in North America Komax Group acquires Artos Engineering Artos Engineering Company has been acquired by the Komax Group, Switzerland, a global automation technology company. In acquiring Artos, Komax is expanding its customer base in North America and adding to its expertise in application development. John Olsen, CEO and majority shareholder of Artos, will continue to head the company after the sale, contributing his expertise to the strengthening of Komax’s position in North America. Artos will retain its brand and become one of the Komax Group of more than 30 companies.

Artos Engineering Company – USA Website : www.artosengineering.com

Komax Group – Switzerland Website : www.komaxgroup.com

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Industry heads to the USA for Interwire

FROM 47 countries and 39 states, more than 3,500 wire and cable industry professionals descended on Atlanta, Georgia, USA, for the Interwire exhibition and conference, and the Wire Association International’s 89 th annual convention. Running alongside was the Global Continuous Casting Forum, the Fundamentals of Wire Manufacturing course, and the co-located International Fastener Manufacturing Exposition (IFME). Commenting on the activities, 2019 WAI president WT Bigbee said: “This year’s Interwire was a perfect blend of solutions on the exhibit floor and comprehensive educational programmes. As a representative of one of the 400 manufacturing facilities with personnel in attendance, I saw that the industry was well served by this extensive showcase of everything that makes the wire and cable industry special.” The Interwire conference featured a roster of VIP speakers who addressed the conference’s “Next Generation” theme. Presentation highlights included: • Keynote speaker Dr Shawn DuBravac,

▲ ▲ A collage of activities at this year’s Interwire

• “Positioning for Future Challenges and Opportunities,” by Giacomo Sofia, COO, Prysmian Group North America • “Operations Innovation” Panel, with Andy Talbot, Mid-South Wire; Dave Hawker, Nexans Energy; Richard Wagner, Insteel Wire Products; Tom Heberling, Southwire Co LLC; and Ali Shehab, Cimteq Ltd • “Tariffs & Trade – Steel Wire Impact,” by HOWoltz III, CEO Insteel Industries Inc Wire Association International – USA Website : www.wirenet.org

who discussed “The Future of Wires and Cables in a ConnectedWorld” • The “State of Manufacturing,” by Karl G Glassman, president and CEO, Leggett & Platt, and director, National Association of Manufacturers • “Global Wire & Cable Market Outlook,” by Philip Radbourne, director, Integer Research (an Argus Media Co) • “Sector Insights/Forecasts” Panel, with Bill Reichert, president, Champlain Cable Corp; Brian Parsons, president, Interstate Wire Co; and Paul Wagner, president and CEO of Minnesota Wire

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AT Interwire, Wardwell Braiding offered a sneak peak of its new 24-carrier Maypole-style braiding machine. The braiding machine has an independently driven capstan instead of changing gears to vary the pitch. It also features a driven wind-up mechanism for reels with a flange diameter of up to 14", which is rarely used on Maypole-style units. These two features make the B10 a test machine that combines versatility and low cost. Furthermore, the braiding machine works best in a laboratory environment or an R&D environment because users can test run materials or the size of products. Wardwell Braiding Co – USA Website : www.wardwell.com Technology on show fromWindak The Windak Group, together with Axjo Group, exhibited at the recent Interwire exhibition in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, and this gave the company an opportunity to showcase its products and technologies. Also on display were the latest Windak-Axjo solutions and the combined 360° concept; and a wide range of Windak machines plus Axjo spools. Its show-machine – the QuickPac QP400-S_9.0 – was sold on the second day of the show. Sneak peek of new braiding machine ▲ ▲ The Wardwell B10 Maypole-style braiding machine

Windak Group – USA Website : www.windakgroup.com

The Windak team at Interwire ▲ ▲

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Warmwelcome for PWM’s strip welder

▲ ▲ PWM’s EP500 rod welder

Interwire 2019 provided good opportunities for British company PWM to showcase its high-performance cold pressure welding machines, according to managing director Steve Mepsted. “Our innovative ST40 machine, designed specifically for welding non-ferrous strip, was on show for the first time at a US exhibition and generated a lot of interest. “We also exhibited the EP500 cold welder, which provides a cost-effective way to weld rod up to 15mm diameter, and sold the machine during the show. “The booth was busy: we were able to meet customers and prospects and discuss their projects, and came away with a number of promising sales leads.” PWM’s products were presented by Joe Snee Associates Inc, PWM’s exclusive distributor of equipment, spares and dies in the USA and Canada. PWM Ltd – UK Website : www.coldpressurewelding.com

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Transatlantic Cable

At least, writes Mr Dano, that’s the idea.

Telecommunications

DataBank’s Mr Martynek argues that there’s very little need for hundreds or thousands of mini computing locations spread out all over the country. Specifically, he noted that there are already several data centres physically located in most major metro markets in the USA. And Mr Martynek adds that a growing number of regional data centres can already handle most of today’s edge computing needs. For example, he says, DataBank currently operates a data centre in Minneapolis, roughly a thousand miles away from the nation’s three main data centre hubs in Ashburn, Virginia; Dallas; and Santa Clara, California. He wrote that one data centre in Minneapolis essentially eliminates the need to build additional micro data centres in that city. “The incremental improvement of going from one data centre location to five micro data centre locations only improves your round trip latency by less than 1-2ms.” As a result, he argues: “Deploying in tens-hundreds-thousands of micro data centres would only improve latency by 1ms or less, and in some cases [could] introduce latency, depending on where the peering occurs.” Similarly, Equinix’s Mr Poole notes that edge computing is already available in a basic form, considering that Equinix operates roughly 200 data centres around the world. And that raises the question of whether additional computing locations are really needed to support edge computing use cases like remote surgery or cloud gaming. Mr Gedeon acknowledged: “The classical mobile edge is a solution looking for a problem in some respects.” However, most speakers at Big 5G agreed that, eventually, 5G will help spark more demand for edge computing services. “Does 5G need edge computing? I’d say the answer is yes. Does edge computing need 5G? The answer is no,” was Mr Poole’s conclusion, while Mr Gedeon asserted: ”I think edge computing is one of the two or three things that make 5G different.” Mr Poole argued that wireless networks would need to be essentially redesigned to take full advantage of the edge computing opportunity. Instead of routing all traffic through a handful of on-ramps, mobile operators will need to create ways for applications to immediately access local mobile users and to interoperate. For example, an autonomous driving system in Denver must be able to immediately route its traffic to 5G users in the city, rather than through an operator’s central routing location in Dallas, and that system must also work regardless of whether the

Edge computing. A solution looking for a problem?

Mike Dano, editorial director for 5G and mobile strategies at Lightreading , reporting from the Big 5G event in Denver during May, took a round up of views of the future of edge computing [9 th May: “Data centre firms, mobile operators pour cold water on edge computing”] The topic of edge computing has generated a significant amount of hype, and many in the space do agree it could play a key role in the ultimate development of 5G technology, but some top players in the mobile networking and data centre industries are voicing serious concerns about edge computing in the near and even the medium term. “Spend enough time in the telecom and technology industries and it becomes clear that the hype of many new technologies usually precedes the reality by five to ten years. We believe that is the case with micro edge data centres,” wrote Raul Martynek, CEO of DataBank. Jim Poole, VP of ecosystem business development at data centre giant Equinix, said that mobile operators will need to completely revise their network designs away from voice services to get edge computing to work in a 5G world. “This whole thing needs to be changed, rearchitected,” he said. “5G is an extraordinarily daunting change.” Mr Poole likened the process to “turning around an aircraft carrier, in the mud.” Ibrahim Gedeon, CTO of Canadian mobile operator Telus, warns of a serious chance that the edge computing space could become mired in the telecom industry’s standards process. “It took us forever just to come up with ORAN,” he said, of the wireless industry’s work to separate vendors’ various network components from each other. Edge computing proponents argue that the mostly centralised nature of the Internet today won’t support the snappy, real-time services that 5G providers hope to offer, like autonomous vehicles and streaming virtual reality. Such services require almost immediate connections between computing services and users, and an edge computing design would enable that instant connection by physically locating data centres geographically close to the users that need them. Such a design – dispersed computing instead of consolidated in one location – could, potentially, eliminate the tens or even hundreds of milliseconds it takes for a user’s request to travel across a network to a computer that can answer it.

Image: www.bigstockphoto.com Photographer Adrian Grosu

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implications of the UN’s proposed plastic waste controls. Campaigners believe an agreement to tighten controls on trade in plastic waste is very close, so making it harder for the USA, a leading exporter, to ship unsorted plastic for disposal by emerging Asian economies. At present only around nine per cent of plastic is recycled, while global public outrage at marine pollution continues to grow, sparking demands for more recycling and better waste management. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) figures show that Germany, the USA, and Japan each exported over one billion kilograms of plastic waste last year, with an estimated 100 million tonnes of plastic in the world’s seas, and a further eight million tonnes added annually. Officials from 187 countries are considering legally binding amendments to the 30-year old Basel Convention, as yet unratified by the USA, to regulate trade in discarded plastic. “The dynamics are relatively positive because we see an overwhelming majority of countries supporting tighter control on plastic waste trade,” commented David Azoulay of the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL). “I have never seen an issue move so fast through the different hurdles [as] plastics. It is a combination of public pressure, and of the fact that plastic is an easy issue to picture; it is visual, compared to most other environmental problems.” Under a proposal brought by Norway, and backed by Japan and several African countries, shipments of non-hazardous mixed or plastic waste that are not ready for recycling would be added to the list of substances requiring importers’ prior consent. Any plastic on this so-called Annex 2 could not be traded between parties and non-parties to the Basel treaty. “That…would only allow the US to export plastic waste that is already sorted, cleaned and ready for recycling,” Mr Azoulay said, “which is exactly the type of waste they don’t send around because it has value.” Outside of the pact, the United States could ship plastic waste under bilateral deals, provided the equivalent of environmental standards under Basel are guaranteed. Single-use plastic items such as straws, forks and cotton buds will be banned in the European Union by 2021, following a vote by EU lawmakers in March. China stopped processing other countries’ waste in 2017, a move which, campaigners say, has led to more plastic waste being diverted to southeast Asia, especially Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia. “If this [proposal] passes, it actually improves the regulation on plastic waste trade, [and] it becomes much more difficult to dump plastic waste on developing countries that cannot deal with it [or] safely manage it,” explained Eirik Lindebjerg, global plastics policy manager at the conservation group WWF, adding: “The decision should be a no-brainer and an obvious first step” to controlling waste streams from rich countries. No agreement on emissions makes for an uncertain future for car makers A Reuters report in May [David Shepardson: “Auto group tries to steer Colorado clear of California ZEV rules”] revealed that an automotive trade group is in talks with Colorado to try to convince the state not to adopt California’s zero-emissions vehicle (ZEV) mandate.

system uses AT&T or Verizon. “This is real stuff. It has to happen. It can’t not happen,” said Mr Poole, though suggesting that such complexity is akin to getting multiple technologies and companies to “dance on the head of a pin.” Mr Gedeon noted that there is, as yet, no consensus about how 5G operators should design networks to account for these types of edge computing use cases, and predicts isolated solutions. ”There is no fundamental way of rolling out the network,” he said. “I fear we will all do our siloed things.” Bill proposed to fight bias in algorithms Underscoring Washington’s growing interest in regulating Silicon Valley, US lawmakers have proposed a bill that requires technology companies to detect and remove discriminatory biases embedded in their computer models. The bill, entitled the Algorithmic Accountability Act of 2019, would grant new power to the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and force companies to explore whether race, gender or other biases underpin their technology. The rules would apply to companies with annual revenues above $50 million, and to data brokers and businesses handling the data of over one million consumers. Democratic senator Ron Wyden said in a press release: “Computers are increasingly involved in the most important decisions affecting Americans’ lives – whether or not someone can buy a home, get a job or even go to jail. But instead of eliminating bias, too often these algorithms depend on biased assumptions or data that can actually reinforce discrimination against women and people of colour.” If this sounds far-fetched, the press release continued by citing examples of bias: a Reuters report that Amazon.com Inc had scrapped an automated recruiting engine it had found to be biased against women, and US charges that Facebook Inc allowed advertisers to discriminate by race in alleged violation of the Fair Housing Act. Democrat senator Cory Booker and representative Yvette Clarke joined Mr Wyden in introducing the bill, but it faces an uphill battle in the Republican-controlled Senate. “To hold algorithms to a higher standard than human decisions implies that automated decisions are inherently less trustworthy or more dangerous than human ones, which is not the case,” said Daniel Castro, vice president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a Washington-based non-profit that includes industry representatives on its board, adding: “This would only serve to stigmatise and discourage AI use, which could reduce its beneficial social and economic impacts.” Reporter Jeffrey Dastin wrote that, despite requests from Reuters , the Internet Association had no comment to make.

Sustainable industry

What will be the impact of UN plastics controls? And will change come sooner because we can see it?

Stephanie Nebehay, writing for Reuters on 7 th May [“US could be outlier if UN clinches plastic waste pact”] examined the possible

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increasingly seized on the idea that his trade wars are boosting US growth and, therefore, strengthening his hand (according to people familiar with the White House’s internal deliberations, who asked not to be named because of the confidential nature of the talks). Trump’s alternative theory of economics hinges on two pieces of recent data. A better-than-expected first reading of the US’s gross domestic product in the first quarter of this year had the economy growing at an annual 3.2 per cent, in part because of a full percentage point boost from net exports. And employment data showing the USA added a net 263,000 jobs in April has only added to the case made by the president’s trade hawks. In a 5 th May tweet, Mr Trump declared his tariffs to be “partially responsible for our great economic results.” Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin echoed the view when speaking with reporters the next day, saying: “There’s no question that some of the trade policies helped in the GDP number. “ There’s a grain of truth in these statements. Imports slowed in the first two months of this year which, thanks to the way GDP is calculated, helped boost the growth rate. Trump’s threat of a further hike in tariffs, effective from 1 st January, prompted companies in the US to advance purchases of Chinese goods on the target list during the final three months of 2018. This “supply chain padding” helped lead to both a buildup in inventory stockpiles and a narrowing of the trade gap, according to Carl Riccadonna, chief US economist for Bloomberg Economics . The effect was to make “growth appear stronger than meets the eye,” he said, noting that data on final sales, which excludes trade and inventories, had the economy growing at a rate of just 1.4 per cent. The headline jobs number for April, which put unemployment at a half-century low of 3.6 per cent, also hid weaknesses. Manufacturing employment grew by just 4,000 jobs, with non-supervisory production jobs – those factory line jobs Trump has promised to bring home – declining by 4,000. Meanwhile, there are signs that employment gains in industries protected by Trump’s tariffs are petering out. The primary metals sector, which includes steel and aluminium producers, lost 2,000 jobs in April. To be sure, the US economy is looking healthier than many others. The reality is also that the sort of pain economists talk about when they discuss trade wars can be hard to quantify. It is often said that the political problem faced by proponents of free trade is that globalisation’s broader benefits, such as lower consumer prices, are diffuse, while the pain, in the form of closed factories, is more localised and easier to identify. With protectionism the opposite holds true: the pain is harder to identify than the benefits. The direct impact of tariffs could be consequential. Bloomberg’ s own economists calculate that a 25 per cent tariff on all imports from China would shave 1.5 percentage points off US growth – a cut that would halve the rate seen in the first quarter. Trump’s supporters argue that the sacrifice is worth it in the context of what they see as an existential innovation war with an increasingly muscular China. Robert Lighthizer, the US trade representative leading the negotiations with Beijing, argues that the Chinese industrial subsidies and intellectual property theft that the Trump administration is seeking to address have had a big negative impact on the US economy for years, and that ending them will be good for American workers and businesses.

In January, Colorado governor Jared Polis signed an executive order directing the state to adopt California’s ZEV rules, joining nine other US states including New Jersey, New York and Oregon. His order said the formal rules to adopt the programme would be proposed by May. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, a trade group representing General Motors, Toyota Motor Corp, Volkswagen and Ford, among others, met with Mr Polis on 15 th April in a bid to convince him that voluntary efforts to boost electric vehicles “make more sense.” The group said, in a letter seen by Reuters , that its members would agree that all EVs on sale in California would be made available for sale in Colorado by January 2020, and would commit to additional marketing efforts for EVs. The group would also work with Colorado to allow consumers to take advantage of a $5,000 state purchase incentive at the point of sale by taking on the assignment of the credit at the time of sale. The automakers said they appreciate Colorado exploring “an alternative program that would help Colorado achieve its goals sooner.” In a letter, Colorado state officials said they see “a real opportunity to work together,” adding “we seek to continue discussions about a possible ZEV alternative on a parallel path.” The California ZEV mandate, first adopted in 1990 and revised on numerous occasions, demands an increasing number of zero-emissions vehicles. Last year, California forecast that about eight per cent of the state’s new vehicle sales in 2025 will be zero-emissions and plug-in electric hybrids. In August 2018, the Trump administration proposed freezing fuel efficiency standards at 2020 levels through to 2026, and barring California from imposing its own vehicle emission rules or setting requirements for zero-emissions vehicle sales. California and 18 other states, including Colorado, have said they will fight the Trump administration’s freeze in court, a legal battle that could leave automakers in regulatory limbo for years. Levies of 25 per cent would induce a slow- down, undermining the president’s argument that duties are good for the economy Bloomberg Businessweek on 9 th May [“Trump’s planned China tariff hikes could cut US growth in half”] looked at opposing views of the tariff proposals. It is an almost universal view among economists, derived from history, that tariffs and trade wars are bad for economies. Protect an industry, say, steel, from foreign competition, and you raise costs for a far greater number of domestic companies that depend on steel as an input. You also invite retaliation that hurts other parts of your economy, such as farmers. In short: narrow short-term benefits lead to bigger and broader long-term costs. But what if the leader of the world’s largest economy doesn’t believe that to be true? As he increased pressure on China over the past year, and again in recent days, President Trump has The US/China tariffs debate

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