EuroWire March 2025

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WAI’s 2025 president announced The Wire Association International, Inc (WAI) has appointed Eric P Bieberich as the 72 nd president of the association for a one year term that commenced on 1 January. Mr Bieberich will chair the board of directors of the 95-year-old association, which is headquartered in Madison, Connecticut, USA. The Wire

Association International is governed by a network of volunteers from around the world. Joining Mr Bieberich for the 2025 term are members of the association’s 2025 executive committee: first vice president David M Fisher (James Monroe Wire & Cable Corp); second vice president Rebecca Cranford (Southwire Co); Raúl García Martínez (Viakable); and immediate past president Daniel Blais (Prysmian). Fort Wayne Wire Die, a fourth-generation family business founded in 1937, manufactures precision tools from diamond, tungsten carbide and other super-hard materials. With facilities in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Germany, China and the Philippines, and a worldwide network of representatives, it serves the global wire and cable industry. The Wire Association International, Inc www.wirenet.org Eric P Bieberich development, at Esslingen University of Applied Sciences, he joined Nagel Maschinen- und Werkzeugfabrik GmbH as a development engineer in 2007, and left that company 15 years later as technical director. From 2021 to 2023 he was the founder of and partner in a recruitment consultancy, before returning to the mechanical engineering sector. Dr -Ing Weigmann studied forming technology at Technische Universität Berlin. During his doctoral studies, he worked with Prof Dr Günter Spur as a senior engineer in the field of manufacturing technology and machine tools and obtained a doctorate in the same area. He has been part of the executive board, heading engineering, since 2008. In 2012, he was appointed speaker and broadened his remit to include HR; he assumed responsibility for sales and finance in 2017. The supervisory board determined how the duties were to be allocated among the members of the executive board. Dr –Ing Weigmann will continue to be speaker of the board and will be responsible for development, IT, finance, HR and automation. Mr Mayer will take care of mechanical production, assembly, logistics, quality management and purchasing, while Mr Eisele will head the sales, marketing, service and legal departments. Dr -Ing Weigmann and Mr Eisele will be jointly responsible for the new spring, tube, wire, e-mobility and digital services divisions, which incorporate customer-oriented functions such as sales, machine and tool design as well as commissioning of the corresponding products. In his retirement, Mr Holder will continue to support Wafios in an advisory capacity. He joined the company in 1973 as a mechanics trainee, and spent two years working in mechanical production before moving to IT. In 2009, Mr Holder assumed the position on the executive board that he held until his retirement. Wafios AG www.wafios.com

Mr Bieberich is president of Fort Wayne Wire Die, Inc (Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA), a position he has held since 2013, and has 24 years’ experience in the wire industry. He has been a WAI member since 2001, and joined the board of directors in 2016 and the executive committee in 2021. He was the co-chair of WAI’s 2024 conference programming committee, and was executive committee liaison to both the memorial awards and oversight committees. He holds a BS degree in materials science engineering and an MS degree in metallurgical engineering, both from Purdue University, as well as an MBA degree from the University of Michigan. Commenting on his new appointment, Mr Bieberich said, “I am eager to champion the association’s vision to be the most valued, critical resource for the global wire and cable industry. The Phase One launch of the Education Center is especially exciting, showcasing the dedication and hard work of the association’s volunteers and staff in creating a cutting-edge training resource for the next generation.”

A change to the Wafios executive board The start of 2025 saw a change to the executive board of Wafios AG, with the retirement of Martin Holder after 51 years with the company. The new executive board will be made up of Dr -Ing Uwe-Peter Weigmann (speaker of the board) and new members Dipl -Ing Jörg Eisele and Dipl -Ing Martin Mayer.

Mr Eisele joined the company in 2004. After completing his degree in mechanical engineering, he began his career at Wafios as an assistant to the head of design. Alongside his work, he studied for an MBA at the Technical University of Munich, which he completed in 2009. At Wafios, he then went on to lead the tool centre and, later, the technical development department for various machine areas. Since 2017, he has been responsible for the entire tube and wire division, including the technical development, sales and commissioning departments for various machines, such as spring coiling, wire bending, CNC tube bending, straightening, chain manufacturing and e-mobility machines. In 2021, he also assumed overall responsibility for sales. Mr Mayer joined Wafios in 2023, and is responsible for the tool centre and mechanical production. After completing his degree in mechanical engineering, majoring in design and The new Wafios executive board: (from left) Jörg Eisele, Dr -Ing Uwe-Peter Weigmann and Martin Mayer

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March 2025