EuroWire November 2019

Spring into 2020 and wire Düsseldorf

Whilst we are heading into the winter season, the thoughts of those in the wire and cable industry are already drifting towards spring – and wire Düsseldorf. The biennial staging of the largest and most important exhibition in the industry calendar is already beginning to loom a little larger on the horizon, some ve months ahead of the week-long fair. And as if to emphasise this, organisers Messe Düsseldorf have already announced that it is likely that the 2020 edition will provide a record number of exhibitors, all willing to share the latest technologies and advances in the industry. Registration of companies from Turkey, India and Taiwan has already exceeded that of two years ago, whilst strong participation from businesses in Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Central and Eastern Europe a rms the con dence.

65,000m 2 of net exhibition space – has already outgrown the exhibition of two years ago as companies display machinery and equipment for wire manufacturing and nishing, process technology tools and auxiliaries, special wires and cables, measuring and control equipment and inspection engineering. For the latest information, turn to page 20 in this issue of EuroWire .

New machinery, plants and sta feature in this issue, as does a closer look at the industry in Britain with our regular feature ‘Focus On’ highlighting the industry in the UK. This starts on page 40. investment,

David Bell Editor

Halls 9 to 17 at the Fairgrounds – currently covering some

Publishing Team

Editor:

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

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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: Beneke See page 96 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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November 2019

Contents

November 2019

Regulars

Market News

Deutsch Inhalt 56

8

Diary of events

Neuigkeiten

96

Inserentenverzeichnis

9

Corporate News

Содержание на русском языке 64 Ηοвости рьінка 96 Перечень рекламодателей

24

Transatlantic Cable

Sommaire Français 72

30

Technology News

Nouvelles du Marché Index des Annonceurs

96

I ndice Italiano 80

40

Focus on the UK

Notizie del Mercato

96

Indice degli Inserzionisti

96

Editorial Index

Indice Español 88

Noticias de Mercado Indice de Anunciadores

96

96

Advertisers’ Index

6

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Next Issue GettingTechnical Cables in Wet Environments

Feature wire Düsseldorf 2019 preview

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Technical Articles

51

74

Study on Process Simulation and Quality Control of Copper Rod Continuous Casting and Rolling By Hui-shuang Ji, Yang Liu, Yan Peng, Shuang-lei Wang, Yu-rong Gao, Dong-ya Qian, Jia-huan Gao, National Engineering Research Centre for Equipment and Technology of Cold Strip Rolling, and Jiangsu Hengtong Precision Metal Material Co Ltd, China Studie über Prozesssimulation und Qualitätskontrolle des Stranggießens undWalzens von Kupferrundstäben von Hui-shuang Ji, Yang Liu, Yan Peng, Shuang-lei Wang, Yu-rong Gao, Dong-ya Qian, Jia-huan Gao, National Engineering Research Centre for Equipment and Technology of Cold Strip Rolling, und Jiangsu Hengtong Precision Metal Material Co Ltd, China Исследование процесса моделирования и контроля качества непрерывного литья и прокатки медной катанки Хуэй-шуан Цзи, Ян Лю, Ян Пэн, Шуан-лей В ан, Ю-Ронг Гао, Донг-я Цянь, Цзя-Хуан Гао, Национальный инженерно- исследовательский центр по оборудованию и технологии холодной прокатки и Jiangsu Hengtong Precision Metal Material Co Ltd, Китай

Étude de la simulation du procédé et du contrôle de la qualité de la coulée continue et du laminage de barres de cuivre Par Hui-shuang Ji, Yang Liu, Yan Peng, Shuang-lei Wang, Yu- rong Gao, Dong-ya Qian, Jia-huan Gao, National Engineering Research Centre for Equipment and Technology of Cold Strip Rolling, e Jiangsu Hengtong Precision Metal Material Co Ltd, Chine Studio della simulazione del processo e del controllo qualità della colata continua e laminazione di tondi di rame A cura di Hui-shuang Ji, Yang Liu, Yan Peng, Shuang-lei Wang, Yu-rong Gao, Dong-ya Qian, Jia-huan Gao, National Engineering Research Centre for Equipment andTechnology of Cold Strip Rolling, e Jiangsu Hengtong Precision Metal Material Co Ltd, Cina Estudio sobre la simulación del proceso y el control de calidad de la colada continua y laminación de redondo de cobre Por Hui-shuang Ji, Yang Liu, Yan Peng, Shuang-lei Wang, Yu- rong Gao, Dong-ya Qian, Jia-huan Gao, National Engineering Research Centre for Equipment and Technology of Cold Strip Rolling, y Jiangsu Hengtong Precision Metal Material Co Ltd, China

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Dates for your diary. . .

2020

June

20 - 24 April: MACH – trade exhibition – Birmingham,UK Organisers : MTA (Manufacturing

Technologies Association Email : mach@mta.org.uk Website : www.machexhibition.com 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 11–14 October: IWCS – technical symposium – Providence, Rhode Island, USA Organisers : IWCS Tel : +1 717 993 9500 Website : www.iwcs.org 3–5 November: wire India – trade exhibition – Mumbai, India Organisers : Messe Düsseldorf India Pvt Ltd Fax : +91 112 697 1746 Email : info@wire-india.com Website : www.wire-india.com November October

wire 2020 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

(photo courtesy: Messe Düsseldorf/ctillmann)

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Corporate News

▲ ▲ Bespoke products from 30,000 tonnes of steel a year fromWrexhamWire

40 years of service to the wire and cable industry

chain so that all goods are manufactured, shipped and delivered in strict compliance with the relevant European standards, including ISO 9001 and ISO 14001. The in-house technical team is positioned to liaise directly with customers to create bespoke products for their precise requirements. Together with experienced manufacturing operatives and a team of dedicated, proactive and responsive support staff, Wrexham Wire is a good choice for quality and service in the sector. WrexhamWire Ltd – UK Website : www.wrexhamwire.co.uk

the automotive and construction sectors. This customer base comprises Europe’s elite fastener manufacturers, supplying automotive, aerospace and industrial sectors with advanced and technically challenging bolts, screws, rivets and modern fixing solutions. It also provides wire for other applications including bedding and seating springs, engineering wires and electro galvanised wire. The company delivers to the exacting quality and performance parameters demanded by its customers. To ensure this, it operates stringent quality control processes at every phase of the supply

ESTABLISHED UK-based Wrexham Wire employs 80 people and handles approximately 30,000 tonnes of steel annually. The company has been at the forefront of the wire drawing industry for more than 40 years, supplying bespoke products to meet customers’ specific requirements. Priding itself on its ability to meet demanding production and delivery deadlines, it maintains its reputation for cost-effective, high-quality products with comprehensive testing facilities and excellent customer service. in 1971,

Wrexham Wire’s core customers are from

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Corporate News

AWI invests £250,000 into production capacity

ONE of the UK’s manufacturers of round, flat and profile wire has completed a £250,000 investment drive to help it build on a record year. Alloy Wire International (AWI), which employs 31 people across two manufacturing sites in the UK, broke through the £11m turnover barrier in 2018 and immediately initiated the acquisition of 560mm single block and 200mm multi-block drawing machines. These installations will help increase capacity and ensure AWI continues to deliver its three-week lead times, crucial for customers in the automotive, aerospace, nuclear and oil and gas sectors. There have also been a number of infrastructure improvements, including internal and external refurbishments, new floors in the flat wire rolling department and, following consultation with employees, a re-organisation of the manufacturing plant to deliver further production efficiencies. Mark Venables, managing director, added: “The investment isn’t going to stop there. We already have plans in place to purchase a multi-hole oil drawing machine and laser-guided re-spooling winders. “None of our purchases are off-the-shelf. There is always the opportunity to configure the machines to our exact production requirements and this means we can manufacture the best quality wire, quickly and in the varying volumes demanded by our global client base.”

▲ ▲ Fine wire technology with Alloy Wire’s Dan Hollyhead

Alloy Wire makes round, flat and profile wires in a range of materials, with more than 60 currently available to choose from, each offering corrosion resistance and/or performance at high temperatures. The company holds more than 200 tonnes of stock at any one time, ensuring it can offer customers in 55 different countries fast response times for demanding requirements.

AlloyWire International – UK Website : www.alloywire.com

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November 2019

Corporate News

Increased interest in the production of smaller wire diameters

high-frequency heating systems and proven oil quenching troughs to ensure uniform heat treatment and minimal risk of distortion or cracking when quenching. The mechanical handling equipment on the line includes a quick load pay-off unit, an accumulator for tension control, straightening rollers, three sets of pinch rollers for driving the wire along the line, wire cleaning devices for the removal of drawing soaps and quench oils, and take-up units. The whole system is controlled and monitored by a Siemens software package, providing a result for the customer that is an efficient, repeatable process capable of production speeds of up to 150m per minute. Inductotherm Group – UK Website : www.inductothermhw.co.uk induction

Typically, the wire processed on these lines is cold coiled into automotive suspension springs and offers better dimensional tolerances than traditional hot coiling. This cold coiling technique gives the coil manufacturer the ability to produce a wider range of spring shapes. Over recent months, Radyne has seen an increasing interest in a segment of this industry – that of smaller wire diameters. This includes wire that is subsequently wound into automotive clutch and valve springs, as an example. As an immediate response to this growing interest, Radyne is promoting its 3mm to 7mm spring wire processing line. With a design based on the standard larger diameter line, this latest equipment uses a combination of modern,

SINCE the mid-1990s, the Inductotherm Group-owned Radyne brand has been synonymous with induction processing of spring wire for cold coiling applications. By offering turnkey solutions, Radyne has built up a leading reference list and an impressive level of knowledge. The continuous IT (induction tempered) spring wire processing lines can be found all over the world, including North America, Europe, China and South Korea. The latest offering is currently on its way to a well-known Indian wire manufacturer, with a production start date towards the end of 2019. As a standard process, this equipment is designed to heat treat a wire size range of 7mm to 17mm diameter and is supplied with a performance and process guarantee.

SEE OUR“FOCUS ON THE UK” FEATURE – PAGE 40

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November 2019

Corporate News

New plant for Madem

New staff at Technetics Technetics PTFE & Polymer Solutions, based in Houston, Texas, USA, recently completed the structuring of its product management and strategy department. The team is responsible for the creation and maintenance of the business’s long-term strategy, and also responds for new product development activities. Andrew Bastian has been appointed director of product development and strategy. He has been with the Technetics Group for five years, having served as process engineer and operations manager in other facilities before joining the PTFE & Polymer Solutions team in Houston. Rodrigo Costa has been appointed product manager. He has been with the PTFE & Polymer Solutions business unit for eight years, having worked with the PTFE tapes products in production, quality and engineering functions. Samuel Abiodun was recently hired as product design engineer. He holds a Master of Science in Engineering Chemistry/Polymer and Material Science from Queen’s University, Ontario, Canada. Technetics Group – USA Website : www.technetics.com

▲ ▲ Madem Reels’ new plant in Colombia

MADEM Reels Group has opened its new factory and distribution centre in Colombia, named Madem Carretes de Colombia.

The new operation will supply local cable producers.

Leandro Mazzoccato, global sales director, said: “We have been supplying Colombian cable manufacturers for almost 15 years. This new factory will give a better and fast supply support to our Colombian customers. “Madem already has other manufacturing plants in Brazil, Spain, Bahrain, Mexico and the USA and supplies 200 cable manufacturers in 45 countries. Through this new operation Madem Reels Group will create 50 direct jobs,” added Mr Mazzoccato. Madem Reels – UAE Website : www.mademreels.com

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November 2019

Corporate News

Putting customer care first

Ms Wolstencroft said: “Adding Lewis to the team has meant that we are able to offer our customers unparalleled service. “As a company we pride ourselves on the personal approach and being able to deliver operational excellence, and great customer service is a high priority. Lewis has all the attributes to take this new role, and the company, to great heights. I am delighted to welcome him to the Metalube family.” Metalube is part of the Bishopdale Group, a private holding company for a group of industrial lubricants brands – Metalube, Molyslip and UOP. The company exports 95 per cent of its production to over 90 countries worldwide and has offices in Manchester, UK; Dubai, UAE; Mumbai, India; São Paulo, Brazil; and Shanghai, China. At its headquarters in Manchester the company has a fully integrated lubricant manufacturing facility, including new laboratories. Metalube Ltd – UK Website : www.metalube.co.uk

AS part of a strategic growth plan focusing on customer care, Metalube has appointed Lewis Cornish to lead the customer service operations. As commercial coordinator, Mr Cornish will take ownership of ensuring that customers enjoy a seamless process in sourcing and procuring across the three brands, adding value to the customer experience. He has previously worked within management and creative roles, having consulted on fine art collection portfolios across the UK and internationally. He was most recently employed as an art gallery manager and is described as a strategic thinker with a specific eye for detail. Lauren Wolstencroft, head of marketing and commercial administration. Within his new role he aims to implement new initiatives to further enhance the company’s relationships with customers globally. He will work alongside

▲ ▲ Metalube’s new commercial coordinator, Lewis Cornish

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Corporate News

Harting’s new ‘Cathedral of logistics’

▲ ▲ There was an open day for employees and their families after the official inauguration, giving them the chance to take a tour of the EDC

A SPECTACULAR show, musical interludes and an open day with a folk festival feel: the official inauguration of the Harting Technology Group European Distribution Centre (EDC) was celebrated with a programme for all to remember. The day was staged before an audience of around 330 invited guests, including Detmold’s district president Marianne Thomann-Stahl; president of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) of East-Westphalia Wolf D Meier-Scheuven; district administrator Ralf Niermann; Espelkamp’s mayor Heinrich Vieker, and local members of parliament Bianca Winkelmann and Ernst-Wilhelm Rahe. CEO Philip Harting looked back to the company’s beginnings, when the first buyer had to fetch raw material on the train with a rucksack, and his grandmother Marie Harting delivered goods to the surrounding area by bike. Over 70 years later, the EDC is essential for opening up new markets and achieving €1bn turnover in the near future, said Mr Harting. The strong growth of the company and the demand of customers for fast delivery were the pivotal factors in the decision to build this large logistics centre. The centre is an endorsement by Harting of Eselkamp and the Minden-Lübbecke region. The EDC is a flagship project showcasing the company’s technological logistic competence when it comes to innovative and flexible intra-logistic solutions. “Our products are everywhere in this building, in its technology, in its systematics and in its inner workings,”said Mr Harting. IHK president Mr Meier-Scheuven said that, thanks to innovative and courageous companies like Harting, the district of Minden-Lübbecke is the most powerful economic region in Ostwestfalen-Lippe after Kreis Gütersloh.“The EDC has brought world class to Mühlenkreis,” added Minden-Lübbecke district administrator Ralf Niermann. The highlight of the opening ceremony was the handing over of the key, featuring a show under the roof of the high-bay warehouse and on a stage. Performers from the GOP Variety Theatre used the entire area of the 20m-high warehouse.

HartingTechnology Group – Germany Website : www.harting.com

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Corporate News

THE biggest change to the manufacturing industry since the Industrial Revolution is how the collection of improvement technologies commonly known as Industry 4.0 is often described. Whilst an advocate of Industry 4.0, Cimteq CEO Ali Shehab knows that investing in this area needs to extend beyond the purchase of the technology. Unless implemented in an intelligent way the concept of the Smart Factory can never become a reality. “Introducing smart assets to a factory is probably the most important action a manufacturing company can take to improve its efficiencies,” he said, “but it is only the first step on a transformational journey where adapting mindsets in communication, continuous improvement and collaboration must also play their part.” How can a company introduce smarter mindsets amongst its management team and workforce? The answer lies in the implementation of the software. Design engineers live and breathe innovation. That is, of course, the appeal when men and women across the globe train for this career. In reality, however, the day-to-day activity of these experts can often be tedious. Cimteq’s cable design and manufacturing software liberates design engineers from repetitive tasks and allows them to get back to what they do best – designing innovative products that boost the company’s bottom line. The benefits to the company are clear: a long-standing and personally invested workforce achieves more, quicker. Companies embracing the Smart Factory take a holistic view. Different functions no longer ‘own’ their machines and reporting systems. Instead, there is a single virtual environment where key stakeholders can assess performance at the touch of a button. CableMES’s dashboards and automatic alerts flag up any issues in real time. At a strategic level, they allow benchmarking of different areas of the factory or different factories. Cimteq’s team of experts are available to empower customers through appropriate data migration and system configuration of CableBuilder and CableMES. Cimteq Ltd – UK Website : www.cimteq.com Where the Smart Factory meets the smart workforce

Supermac Scholz CCV 132 KV Line

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-Off Caterpillar · Capstan · Take-up and pay-off of all types and sizes and as per requirement above 4.5 meters and 40 MT

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• Electrolytic plating • Candojet hot water cleaning • Electrolytic & Ultrasonic degreasing • Welding wire cleaning and copper coating • Pickling & phosphating www.candorsweden.com

Multi wire cleaning plant

Ultrasonic & Electrolytic

Single wire plating plant

CANDOR Sweden AB Tel: +46 11 21 75 00 Fax: +46 11 12 63 12 Email: info@candorsweden.com

▲ ▲ A Smart way to do business…Cable Builder from Cimteq

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30 th March -

3 rd April 2020

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Corporate News

ATS rises under new ownership

AUTOMAZIONI Industriali Capitanio (AIC) has acquired Applicazioni Tecnologiche Siderurgiche SpA (ATS), a producer of machines for long product hot rolling mills, located in Trasaghis, Italy. The acquired assets include know-how, designs, brands, buildings, equipment and warehouses in addition to other strategic technical possessions. ATS has been operating since 1993. Over the years, the company has established itself as a service company for steel and rolled product manufacturers around the world due to the production of machines with personalised settings based on individual customer needs. In particular, tying machines for bundles and packages have reached a high level of customer satisfaction and become a dependable product in the market, according to ATS. After the bankruptcy procedure initiated by ATS in October 2018, AIC intends to resume operational activity through a more dynamic and flexible structure. A new company provides an opportunity for AIC to meet the needs of customers and to

Tying machines from ATS

▲

name ATS Mechatronics Srl and will have its registered office in Trasaghis, Italy. Automazioni Industriali Capitanio – Italy Website : www.aicnet.it

offer tying machines through the existing network, which has a direct presence in the USA, Brazil and India, as well as representatives in many other countries. The new entity will operate under the

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Corporate News

Records expected to be broken at wire 2020

▲ ▲ The countdown is on to wire 2020 in Düsseldorf, Germany. Photograph courtesy of Messe Düsseldorf

on currently 65,000m 2 of net exhibition space. This is an excellent result about five months ahead of the trade fair. For the duration of wire 2018 a total of 65,222m 2 net was rented. and equipment for wire manufacturing and finishing, process technology tools and auxiliaries, raw materials, glass fibre technologies, special wires and cables, measuring, control equipment and inspection engineering. Mesh welding machines will be located in Hall 15; spring making technology and products as well as fasteners and finished products follow on from this in Halls 16 and 17. In addition to wire and Tube in Düsseldorf, the growing portfolio of metals and flow technologies exhibitions organised by Messe Düsseldorf can be found at www. metalflowalliance.com Messe Düsseldorf GmbH – Germany Website : www.wire.de Exhibitors display machinery

WITH just five months to go until wire and Tube 2020 in Düsseldorf, Germany, a strong increase in attendance of companies from Turkey, India and Taiwan, is already exceeding the final exhibitor numbers from 2018. Running from 30 th March to 3 rd April, wire and Tube attracts more than 2,500 exhibitors from around the world. The registration figures for wire 2020 are already promising at this stage. Strong participation from the traditional exhibitor regions of Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Central and Eastern Europe points to new record exhibitor figures for next year. “The registration figures for wire 2020, which are very promising so far, confirm that our exhibitors refuse to be influenced by global economic fluctuations in this industry,” said Daniel Ryfisch, deputy director metals and flow technologies at organisers Messe Düsseldorf. technical innovations in exhibition halls 9 to 17 wire 2020 presents its

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Düsseldorf Preview & Show Issues

30 th March - 3 rd April 2020

UK, ROW, USA, CANADA & S. AMERICA, GERMANY, AUSTRIA, SWITZERLAND Jason Smith Email: jason@intras.co.uk | Tel: +44 1926 834684 ITALY Giuliana Benedetto Email: giuliana@intras.co.uk Tel: +39 342 397 7383 | Tel: +44 1926 834686 CHINA, TAIWAN, HONG KONG Linda Li Email: linda@intras.co.uk | Tel: +44 1926 834685

D o w n L o a D y o u r 2 0 2 0 m E D i a p a c k n o w !

Advertising Deadline 20 th November 2019

JANUARY PREVIEW ISSUE

MARCH SHOW ISSUE

Advertising Deadline 13 th February 2020

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Corporate News

SINCE 1955, Spoolex has been engineering and manufacturing converting equipment for various industries. Having delivered machines in more than 100 countries, Spoolex has made an important step by extending its core competences to become a global partner for converting solutions. Spoolex has, through its worldwide brand Calemard®, expertise in slitting and rewinding/spooling. To meet the needs of high productivity, operator safety and line flexibility, Spoolex’s R&D department has developed several automated solutions around these brands’ know-how to provide complete cell from initial handling to final product packing. Calemard has been involved in web converting machinery design and manufacture since 1955 in a wide range of markets and applications. This know-how has enabled the company to become a technical partner for converters for power or special cables, searching quality while increasing productivity. Its slitter-rewinders and spooling lines are engineered to respond to four main targets: modularity, flexibility, versatility and quality. Every piece of Calemard equipment consists of three modules, for unwinding, slitting and rewinding. Regarding rewinding modules, its range includes either standard bobbin/pancake rewinding and also spooling technology. Its slitter-rewinders can be fitted with individual friction shafts to compensate the thickness variations of foils/adhesive tapes/ laminates, or standard pneumatic shafts, lay-on arms with adjustable pressure, and cantilevered shafts for easy unloading. Spoolex range extended

The extended range from Spoolex

▲

Different spooling technologies exist depending on the customer’s need: digital self-traversing spooling lines for sensitive products and fixed spooling technology for stable products. Each of the spooling lines proposes the common advantage of full computer control of winding profiles and individual setting of each position to ensure flexibility, consistency, stability of the spool (especially for narrow width materials) and exact repeatability thanks to a recipe storage system. The digital function allows managing of shapes and spooling technology (conical/pineapple/pyramidal, step-winding). Based on a modular design, the Calemard spooling lines can be easily increased with spooling units to follow the increase of customer production. The company offers single machines to complete converting cells thanks to several automated loading and unloading solutions to boost productivity and operator safety. Spoolex – France Website : www.spoolex.com

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November 2019

Transatlantic Cable

Image: www.bigstockphoto.com Photographer Adrian Grosu

Job gains averaged 172,000 per month in the rst half of 2019. This was below the monthly average of 223,000 in 2018, but was felt to be due to a shortage of quali ed workers. Overall, the unemployment rate held steady at 3.7 per cent in July while job gains continued above the 100,000 per month necessary to keep pace with the growth in working age population. Daniel Silver, an economist at JP Morgan, commented: “The trend in job growth likely has slowed to some degree. But the claims data signal that any softening in the labour market is likely to be modest, and don’t point to any sort of substantial downshift in activity.”

Manufacturing

Industry and government reports showed that US manufacturing activity slowed to a near three-year low in July

Spending on private construction projects dropped to its lowest level for 18 months; data from the Commerce Department showed construction spending had dropped 1.3 per cent in June, the biggest decline in seven months, after falling 0.5 per cent in May. The Federal Reserve made a pre-emptive move on the slowing market and, on 31 st July, announced the rst cut in interest rates since 2008. Jerome Powell, chair of the Federal Reserve, said that the rate drop was intended to help, but was not expected to mark “the beginning of a long series of rate cuts.” The Institute for Supply Management (ISM) July index of national factory activity fell for the fourth consecutive month to 51.2, from 51.7 in June. An ISM index reading over 50 shows expansion in the manufacturing sector. Economists polled by Reuters had expected the ISM June index to be up to 52.0. Import tari s continued to disrupt supply chains with particular e ect on manufacturing, which accounts for around 12 per cent of the US economy. The slow take-up of manufactured goods meant that businesses were placing fewer new orders with suppliers. However, the ISM new orders index rose to 50.8 in July, an increase from 50.0 in June, though factory employment fell to 51.7 from 54.5 in June. Labour market standing rm On 1 st August, a Labor Department report showed initial claims for state unemployment bene ts rose 8,000 to a seasonally adjusted 215,000 for the last full week of July. This was higher than the anticipated gure; economists had estimated 214,000. Claims data, however, was not necessarily an accurate re ection of employment patterns: according to a Reuters survey of economists, non-farm payrolls increased by 164,000 jobs in July, hot on the heels of a 224,000 increase in June.

Broadband

US broadband capex growth propels deployment

Posted on The Broadband Association’s website, ustelecom.org , Patrick Brogan, vice president for industry analysis at USTelecom, provides an overview of his organisation’s latest research on 2018 broadband capital expenditures and its analysis of 2017 FCC broadband deployment. Key ndings of the research were said to be that the US broadband industry – wireline, wireless and cable providers – has made capital investments totalling over $1.7 trillion since 1996; broadband providers invested approximately $80 billion in network infrastructure in 2018; and annual capital investments have grown for the last two years, following a two-year decline from 2015-2016. In 2017, broadband provider capital expenditures reversed the two-year decline that began in 2015, when a drop of $500 million accelerated to a $2.7 billion decline in 2016. Annual broadband provider capital spending was over $3 billion lower in 2016 than at its previous peak in 2014. By contrast, broadband provider capex grew $3 billion in 2018. Overall, 2018 broadband provider capital expenditures were around $5 billion higher than 2016 and exceeded the peak of $78 billion reported in 2014.

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The 2015-2016 decline in spending coincided with a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) move in 2015 to impose common carrier regulatory classi cation on broadband providers. Mr Brogan believes the question, with respect to the impact of regulation, is what investment would have been over the long term under di erent regulatory scenarios, if relevant factors remained constant. These factors include competition, nancial market developments, product cycles, government mandates and taxes. USTelecom’s analysis of 2017 broadband deployment data demonstrates the bene ts of broadband capital investment. The data shows more Americans with access to increasing broadband speeds, and the gap between rural and urban broadband availability continuing to narrow. At the end of 2017, nearly 99 per cent of American homes had access to a xed broadband network; 93 per cent had xed broadband available at speeds of 25/3 megabits per second (Mbps); and at least one mobile broadband network using 4G or higher was available to 99.8 per cent of American homes. At the same point, 86 per cent of Americans had a choice of at least two wired broadband networks at any speed; 56 per cent had a choice of at least two wired broadband providers at 25/3 Mbps; and 98 per cent of Americans had a choice of three or more mobile broadband providers. USTelecom’s analysis of the FCC deployment data shows the bene ts of competitive investment in the form of increasing speeds and upgraded networks. At the end of 2017, 88 per cent of US homes had xed broadband available at 100/10 Mbps – up by 18 per cent in the year – with FTTH ( bre to the home) reaching 31 per cent of US homes. The narrowing gap between urban and rural broadband deployment appears to be a bene t of private investment incentives, combined with targeted government support for broadband deployment in economically challenged rural areas. Mr Brogan believes that broadband investment remains critical to modernising the nation’s network infrastructure, concluding: “While progress is strong and ongoing, the need to upgrade networks is constant. Moreover, signi cant challenges remain in eliminating rural broadband gaps. It will be necessary to maintain a policy environment that encourages greater investment to meet ever-growing demand for data usage as well as the need to expand networks further into currently unserved areas.”

Energy

A growing energy industry for California There are opportunities for the Golden State that will utilise its natural assets while addressing its energy challenge. Having handed itself the goal of running on 100 per cent zero-carbon energy by 2045, California will need to use land previously dedicated to agriculture and horticulture to produce electricity. A new report from the Nature Conservancy, “Power of Place: Land conservation and clean energy pathways for California”, estimates an area of at least 1.6 million acres will need to be given over to solar panels and wind turbines. Ambitious? Perhaps. But water scarcity is an issue for the state, with groundwater levels dropping. For 50 years, California has been taking more water out of the ground than lters back into aquifers, and a state law demands water regulators nd a way to prevent the looming drought. According to a study by the non-partisan Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), farmers need to stop irrigating at least half a million acres, and that land could be used for renewable energy. Nathanael Johnson, writing for grist.org on 6 th August [“Low on water, California farmers turn to solar farming”], looked at farmers who are already turning to energy production over foodstu s. “California farmers have already begun embracing solar panels,” he wrote. “For some grower operations, installing a small number of solar panels has been a way to save on energy bills. A few years ago the Bowles Farming Company, near Los Banos, California, put up solar panels on four acres to partially o set the electricity needed for a new drip-irrigation system. Derek Azevedo, the executive vice president of Bowles, said the solar investment has paid o , and the company is planning on more panels.” However, the Nature Conservancy cautions of a negative impact on native ora and fauna: unless new solar operations are carefully sited, miles of panels will destroy wildlife habitat as well as take viable farmland out of production. Mr Johnson cited other enterprises that are taking these concerns seriously: “Maricopa Orchards, at the southern end of the Central Valley, is putting up 4,000 acres of solar panels, and setting aside 2,000 acres of habitat for kit foxes and burrowing owls, as environmental mitigation.”

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Renewable energy needs to be stored and, if battery deployment on a vast scale has to be undertaken, lithium exploration and mining will need to be assessed for its own impact on habitat and agriculture if we are to avoid simply kicking the environmental can down the road.

But it hasn’t been only high-input (if pro table) agricultural land that is being chosen for solar development. Far from installing solar panels on areas of high irrigation need, many have been placed on low-pro t cattle pasture that has never been irrigated. According to Ellen Hanak, who directs the Water Center at the PPIC: “A lot of it is going on non-irrigated rangeland,” adding that, according to PPIC estimates, if farmers do stop growing on irrigated land to avoid overdrawing aquifers, solar panels will “make sense” on only about nine per cent of that idled land. Some of California’s biggest and most in uential agri-executives are among those quick to seize the opportunity. Lynda and Stewart Resnick own the massive Wonderful Company, said to be the world’s largest grower of tree nuts and America’s largest citrus producer. The company’s vice president of strategy, Steven Swartz, told The Times that within a few decades the company will make as much money selling solar power as it does “selling almonds and pistachios”. And what of the rest of the acreage that California needs to meet its clean energy goals? The Nature Conservancy believes that if California builds major transmission lines to other states, it can meet its target without impacting on vital wildlife habitat. Many other states have also set themselves zero-carbon targets, and this could make generous supplies of renewable energy available for exchange. There’s much talk of solar siting versus productive land use, and with the upscaling of renewable energy and the planned phase-out of nuclear this is obviously signi cant for the 2045 target, but generating energy is only part, if a signi cant part, of the problem.

Automotive

The origin of autonomous vehicles? The Google subsidiary Waymo has been working with its fellow subsidiary, DeepMind, to develop a technique called Population Based Training that uses Charles Darwin’s concepts of evolution. “Training an individual neural net has traditionally required weeks of ne-tuning and experimentation, as well as enormous amounts of computational power,” a telecoms.com blog post stated. “Now, Waymo, in a research collaboration with DeepMind, has taken inspiration from Darwin’s insights into evolution to make this training more e ective and e cient.” Put at its simplest, training algorithms is a matter of trial and error. The algorithm performs a task; its performance is graded by the outcome. Depending on the grade, the algorithm will adjust how it performs the task to bring about a more positive outcome. The challenge for engineers and data scientists is how much freedom to give the algorithms to adjust with each trial. Give too little variance and the ne-tuning is a long, laborious process; give too much and the results can be unpredictable. As a result, engineers monitor the tests and manually remove the poorest performing results. The new approach, under development by Waymo and DeepMind, sets multiple di erent tests before the poorest performing ones are culled from the population. From what are described as “the survivors” (an unfortunate choice of words, under the circumstances) copies are made with “slightly mutated hyper-parameters”. The process continues until the algorithms are seen to be more reliable, resilient and safe. Hopefully, rigorous research into developing autonomous vehicles will put some minds at rest. Earlier this year there was a series of attacks on autonomous Waymo vehicles operating in Arizona, with vandalism and reckless driving directed at the cars themselves, and even threats to the passenger/ driver inside. Although the company described Arizonians as “welcoming and excited” about the technology, clearly some people have yet to be convinced. Con dence and trust will need to evolve too. Competition under scrutiny Apple, Alphabet, Amazon and Facebook may soon be facing scrutiny, similar to that experienced by Microsoft two decades ago when its Internet Explorer browser came under re. The US Department of Justice has launched an investigation into the e ects on competition of the dominant search engines, social-media platforms and online retailers. Apple, Alphabet, Amazon and Facebook are not speci cally mentioned, but are four obvious targets. Internet

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As Microsoft and more recently AT&T discovered, such investigations may or may not reach a result: “But the distractions they cause come at a cost…America’s tech giants may well be able to pull themselves intact from the regulatory quicksand, but the price they pay may not be in dollars alone.” [ Reuters, “Silicon Valley giants face regulatory quicksand”]. AT&T’s regulatory run-in was over its $85 billion acquisition of Time Warner, and it is widely believed that the delay in closing the merger resulted in costly delays with its new video streaming service, HBO Max. Microsoft was investigated by the Department of Justice (DOJ), accused of using its operating system dominance to give customers little option other than to adopt the Internet Explorer browser. Although largely victorious, the company was forced to abide by consent decrees and its stock was pretty much stationary until the order ended in 2011. The DOJ is not alone in taking a look at Silicon Valley and its major players, and this in itself could cause problems. The DOJ’s announcement was followed, just a day later, by the Federal Trade Commission’s announcement of a $5 billion ne against Facebook. With companies “engaging the enemy” on several sides at once, resources are stretched, deals are taking longer to nalise, and executives are distracted. The review suggests that the DOJ is starting to take note of consumers’ feelings and could possibly rede ne the concept of competition. At present, in the United States, the idea of competition is generally viewed in terms of pricing, but that could change.

Telecoms

5G, or not 5G? In early August, AT&T announced the launch of its 5G network in New York City. However, the network is actually 5G+, AT&T’s super-fast, though limited range, millimetre-wave network. “Limited range” means the network, as yet, is limited to certain locations that include East Village, Greenwich Village and Gramercy Park. For the average consumer AT&T has a confusing range of networks to navigate. While 5G+ is AT&T’s 5G o ering, the operator provides a 5G that actually uses sub-6GHz spectrum; this covers a wider area than 5G+ but the speeds are slower. There’s also 5GE, which stands accused of being “not really 5G” but simply an improved version of the company’s existing LTE network. Amy Kramer, president of AT&T’s New York region, said: “While our initial availability in NYC is a limited introduction at launch, we’re committed to working closely with the city to extend coverage to more neighbourhoods throughout the ve boroughs, [introducing] 5G broadly over sub-6GHz in the coming months, with plans to o er nationwide 5G in the rst half of 2020.” In August, AT&T appeared to be ahead of the competition in any form of 5G. AT&T had a 5G service in 21 cities; Verizon had 5G in nine cities; T-Mobile in six cities; and Sprint in ve.

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† And a proposed acquisition appears to be nearing a conclusion. The FCC seems poised to approve the proposed merger between T-Mobile and Sprint. The move was expected to be formally passed at the commission’s September meeting. FCC chairman Ajit Pai circulated a draft order recommending the deal be approved. “After one of the most exhaustive merger reviews in commission history, the evidence conclusively demonstrates that this transaction will bring fast 5G wireless service to many more Americans and help close the digital divide in rural areas,” Mr Pai said in a statement. “Moreover, with the conditions included in this draft order, the merger will promote robust competition in mobile broadband, put critical mid-band spectrum to use, and bring new competition to the xed broadband market. I thank our transaction team for the thorough and careful analysis re ected in this draft order and hope that my colleagues will vote to approve it.” † EdgeConneX has opened its rst edge data centre in South America in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The facility can scale to 10MW of power, providing a local solution to service and content providers. On its website, EdgeConneX indicates that its next targets in Latin America are Bogota, Colombia, and Lima in Peru. † To support the 2020 US census, CenturyLink will be providing secure cloud connectivity to the US Census Bureau. The CenturyLink solution includes Managed Trusted Internet Protocol Services (MTIPS) at speeds of at least 40Gbps. † MTIPS is a development by the US General Services Administration that enables federal agencies to physically connect to the public Internet and other external connections in compliance with the O ce of Management and Budget’s Trusted Internet Connection Initiative. † Global Cloud Xchange has called in quotes for the construction of its proposed 20Tbps Eagle submarine cable between Marseille, France, and Singapore, but is unlikely to start work on the project until the company’s future is settled. Its parent company, Reliance Communications, is currently involved in a dispute with the Indian bankruptcy system. It’s likely that Global Cloud Xchange will eventually be o ered for sale. † Australia’s NBN has completed 85 per cent of its access network, and expects to nish on schedule in June 2020. Originally planned for FTTH, the network now features DSL and other options. However, the Australian government’s independent infrastructure advisor has warned of the possible consequences to the multi-technology model. The advisor’s report stated: “The technology mix for the NBN has diversi ed, meaning di erent users will receive di erent types of connections. This change will deliver varied outcomes for users, and some may shoulder higher costs or receive lower-quality services.” † Frontier Communications Corporation has launched its Managed Wireless LAN for medium businesses and large enterprises, combining hosted and managed technology with network installation, management, maintenance and analytics. Combined with Frontier’s Ethernet connectivity capabilities, the scalable solution allows a company’s employees, contractors, customers and guests to work and interact virtually anywhere within a network. Gill Watson Features Editor

At the time, T-Mobile and Sprint were arguing with regulators that permitting their proposed merger would allow them to expedite the rollout of 5G. [The T-Mobile and Sprint amalgamation looks likely to have been resolved by late September.] Short and shorter † Vonage has acquired the assets of Over.ai, a Tel Aviv, Israel-based Voice and Conversational AI provider for enterprise communications. Vonage bought Over.ai’s intellectual property from i.am+, an AI technology platform co-founded and co-owned by the American rapper will.i.am. Over.ai’s Voice and Conversational AI technology platform provides intelligent virtual assistant functionality via APIs, enabling businesses to handle complex interactions with real-time human-like interactions over phone lines. AI-driven capabilities can provide businesses with a balance between automation and human support. Vonage will incorporate the “Voice over AI” technology, including its proprietary speech to text and Natural Language Understanding (NLU) algorithms, to accelerate the company’s capabilities for applications including the Vonage Business Cloud (VBC) uni ed communications solution and the NewVoiceMedia contact centre solutions. “With the Over.ai talent and technology on board, we intend to make every conversation smarter,” said Omar Javaid, president of Vonage’s API Platform Group. † Verizon has led a lawsuit against excessive charges for deploying its 5G network infrastructure in the City of Rochester, in upstate New York. Verizon is claiming that the fees charged by the city are higher than those permitted by federal law. The FCC imposed a maximum limit of $270 per site for small cell deployment, but Verizon claims to be facing charges of over $1,500 per site. In its court ling, Verizon stated that it would need to deploy an estimated 300,000 small cell cites across the USA as it rolls out 5G and expands its 4G coverage. The excessive charges incurred by such a large-scale deployment of network architecture would seriously inhibit the rollout of next generation mobile networks across the USA. “This signi cant increase in wireless network infrastructure will magnify per-facility fees charged to providers, making such fees more likely to materially inhibit service when they exceed the actual and objectively reasonable costs incurred by the local government,” the ling said. Verizon also objects to other associated fees charged by the City of Rochester, including charges associated with laying bre cabling which, Verizon warns, “could set a dangerous precedent” for its national buildout plans. † Hargray has agreed to acquire the cable and Internet company Kings Bay Communications in Kingsland, Georgia, USA. Hargray will integrate the network and billing systems, and plans further investment in Kingsland Cable’s network. † Another acquisition: this time the cloud voice, network services and uni ed communications provider Momentum Telecom has completed its transaction to acquire DCT Telecom Group. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, DCT develops and supplies cloud voice and network solutions. “We’re happy to welcome DCT into the Momentum family, and we’re looking forward to combining e orts to further our white-glove experience and enterprise customer knowledge,” said Todd Zittrouer, Momentum Telecom CEO.

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