EuroWire July 2021

Editor ....................................................................................... David Bell

Editorial Assistant .......................................... Christian Bradley

Regional expansion Alphagary, a US designer and manufacturer of polymer compounds, is expanding its product and regional footprint with the purchase of Shakun Polymers Private Ltd. A producer for wire and cable markets in the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Africa, Shakun will continue to provide next-generation materials to meet the high safety and performance standards in the Asian and African markets. The company’s product development focus is on halogen-free, flame-retardant compounds and PVC-based compounds for data and power cables. More details can be found on page 10. Mr Sharma will be responsible for implementing and managing sales activities, identifying new market opportunities for the company’s product offering, and “defining the actions required to bring a new dynamic” to NDC’s business in the region. Targeting the Turkish market is something which Alloy Wire International (AWI) has also taken an interest in with the appointment of Gürfil San Ve Elek Cih Paz AS to help grow its Turkish business by 20 per cent over the next 12 months. Angus Hogarth, director of R&D at AWI, said: “Orders to Turkey have enjoyed consistent growth over the last two years and we are now in a position to invest in a local agent that will give us an even stronger presence in the area.” See page 20 for more details. A by-product of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the worldwide reduction in the use of fossil fuels. This has created a vacuum in the supply chain of base oils, used to create lubricants, which are now either unavailable or in short supply. Also looking at growth in the Asian market is NDC Technologies, following the appointment of Dipesh Sharma as director of sales for the rest of Asia (page 17).

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As a result, UK company Metalube’s research and development team is bringing to market new product variants that avoid the most severely affected base oils. An in-depth look at this is on page 23.

David Bell Editor

Front cover courtesy of FMS – Force Measuring Systems AG showing their automatic tension control

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July 2021