wiredInUSA February 2018

Issue No. 80 - February 2018

www.wiredInUSA.com

America’s online magazine for wire and cable

wiredIn USA

Mill set to re-open Page 9

Rebar boost. Page 10

Swinging wind. Page 31

International recognition. Page 37

EDITOR

Encouraging news from South Carolina in this issue of wiredInUSA comes in the shape of the former ArcelorMittal steel mill in Georgetown reopening under the new ownership of Liberty House. Liberty House, part of GFG Alliance, announced the finalization of the purchase and its plans to reopen the mill – with the rehire of 125 former ArcelorMittal employees and plans to expand the workforce to 250 in the future. “Under an agreement with the United Steelworkers, the company expects key roles on the furnace, casters and rolling mill to be filled by experienced former employees of the plant,” said Liberty spokesperson Eoghan Mortell. “[Liberty is] also in discussion with Georgetown Council about training programs to prepare a new generation of workers for the industry.” Full details on page 9. Additional optimistic news for the industry is that Commercial Metals Co (CMC) has reached a $600 million deal to buy 33 US fabrication shops and four steel mills from Gerdau. CMC stated that it will look to optimize production synergies in the markets served by both CMC mills and the newly acquired Gerdau facilities, and could also add wire rod to its product portfolio with the acquisition of a plant in Jacksonville. Turn to page 10 for the full story.

David Bell Editor

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wiredInUSA - February 2018

February 2018 Issue No.80 CONTENTS

06 PAGE

SHOW DIARY 2018

09 PAGE

MAKING THE NEWS Industry news from the USA

30 PAGE

EUROPE NEWS The latest news from Europe

36 PAGE

ASIA & AFRICA NEWS The latest news from Asia & Africa

42 PAGE

PRODUCTS, MACHINES & TECHNOLOGY The latest news from machine industries

wiredInUSA - February 2018

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wiredIn USA

INTRAS INTRAS LIMITED

© 2018 Intras Limited UK ISSN 2046 - 9497 Publishers of EuroWire and Wire & Cable ASIA magazines

INTRAS OFFICES Europe: 46 Holly Walk, Leamington Spa Warwickshire CV32 4HY, UK

Tel: +44 1926 334137 Fax: +44 1926 314755

Email: read@wiredinusa.com Website: www.wiredinusa.com

USA: Danbury Corporate Center, 107 Mill Plain Road, Danbury, CT 06811, USA Tel: +1 203 794 0444 Email: doug@intras.co.uk NEWS Editor David Bell david@wiredinusa.com Features Editor (USA) Dorothy Fabian Features Editor (Europe) Gill Watson Publisher Caroline Sullens

SALES & MARKETING (INTERNATIONAL) Sales Manager Jason Smith jason@wiredinusa.com +44 1926 834 684 Accounts Manager Julie Case juliecase@intras.co.uk

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wiredInUSA - February 2018

DIARY Shows & Events 2018

FEBRUARY 27-28 February 2018 Advanced Cable North America 2018 Georgia, USA www.integer-research.com

MARCH 6-8 March 2018 AMI Cables 2018 Cologne, Germany www.ami.international

APRIL 16-20 April 2018

MAY 16-17 May 2018 WAI Operations Summit & Expo Nashville, Tennessee, USA www.wirenet.org

wire Düsseldorf Düsseldorf, Germany www.wire-tradefair.com

JUNE 6-8 June 2018 The 19 th China International Spring Industry Exhibition

SEPTEMBER 26-29 September 2018 wire China 2018 Shanghai, China www.wirechina.net

Guangzhou, China www.julang.com.cn

For more info visit: www.wiredinusa.com/showinfo.php

wiredInUSA - February 2018

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EASIER QUICKER LIGHTER Unique, original-content news and information for the domestic US wire and cable market.

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Delivered direct to your email inbox or available on-line FREE... so pass on to colleagues !

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Mill set to re-open M A K I N G T H E NEWS

discussion with Georgetown Council about training programs to prepare a new generation of workers for the industry.”

ArcelorMittal, former owner of a Georgetown, South Carolina, steel mill, has finalized the sale of the plant, with new owner Liberty House announcing plans to reopen the mill and resume production during spring 2018. Liberty House, part of London-based international steel firm GFG Alliance, announced the finalization of its purchase and its plans to reopen the mill following “successful negotiations” with the United Steelworkers union, plus state and local governments. Liberty House said in a statement that it will rehire 125 former ArcelorMittal employees, and expand the plant’s workforce to 250 employees in the future. “Under an agreement with the United Steelworkers, the company expects key roles on the furnace, casters and rolling mill to be filled by experienced former employees of the plant,” said Liberty spokesperson Eoghan Mortell. “[Liberty is] also in

Production at the mill will focus on wire rod.

ArcelorMittal first announced a tentative agreement to sell the plant in early 2017. The plant was closed in August 2015, citing economic challenges caused by Chinese imports, domestic competition and some Georgetown-specific production and transportation costs. The mill closed previously in 2009, amid economic struggles, only to reopen in 2011. “Liberty now aims to restore [the plant] to its former position of prominence, and bring hundreds of skilled jobs back to the plant and to the local and state economy.”

Cover image © Copyright 2010 ArcelorMittal – All Rights Reserved

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wiredInUSA - February 2018

Rebar boost

rebar share to around 40 percent of US consumption.

Commercial Metals Co (CMC) has reached a $600 million deal to acquire 33 US fabrication shops and four steel mills from Gerdau. The assets account for 23 percent of Gerdau’s North American melt capacity. The deal will leave Gerdau with three fabrication shops and give CMC 79 downstream fabrication facilities. Gerdau will retain the capability to produce rebar at several of its US facilities, but the acquisition could boost CMC’s US

The company stated that CMC will look to optimize production synergies in the markets served by both CMC mills and the newly acquired Gerdau facilities and, with the acquisition of the Jacksonville facility, CMC could also add wire rod to its product portfolio.

The mills in Knoxville, Rancho Cucamonga and Sayreville produce only rebar.

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Wind power route

The route is being finalized for a $4.5 billion wind farm project in Oklahoma. The Wind Catcher Energy Connection project will include the wind farm, a 350- mile power line and two substations. The wind farm is to be built on 300,000 acres in Cimarron and Texas counties with a power line connecting the farm to Tulsa.

and southwestern Oklahoma, and parts of Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana.

Plans for three portions of the power line route are now open for public comment.

The project is a joint venture between the Public ServiceCompany of Oklahomaand Southwestern Electric Power company.

The project is expected to produce 2,000MWof energy for customers in eastern

The connection is expected to be completed by 2020.

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Image; www.te.com

North Atlantic crossing

A consortium of technology companies, including Facebook, Aqua Comms and Bulk Infrastructure, has awarded a contract to TE SubCom to supply undersea communications equipment for the new 108 TBps Havfrue cable system. Havfrue is the first new cable system in almost twenty years to connect mainland northern Europe to the US, crossing the North Atlantic. Route survey operations for the system have begun and the system is expected to be in service in late 2019. The system comprises a trunk cable connecting New Jersey to the Jutland Peninsula of Denmark, with a branch landing in County Mayo, Ireland. Optional branch extensions to northern and southern Norway are included in the design.

As supplier for the system, SubCom will incorporate its wavelength selective switching reconfigurable optical add drop multiplexer (WSS-ROADM) for flexible wavelength allocation. The Havfrue system will be optimized for coherent transmission, and will offer a cross-sectional cable capacity of 108 TBps, scalable to higher capacities utilizing future generation SLTE technology. The combination of these elements is said to make the Havfrue system a powerful and flexible solution for current use, while also providing an easy upgrade path to accommodate future advances in subsea connectivity technology. Aqua Comms will serve as the system operator and landing party in the US, Ireland and Denmark. Bulk Infrastructure of Norway will be the owner and landing party for the Norwegian branch options.

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Wire harness conference

Loren Smith, CEO of Blue Valley Capital LLC

Loren has spearheaded the sale and purchase of dozens of mid-market manufacturing companies and, at this year’s conference, he will share his expertise with a presentation entitled “How to get a deal done”. His session will cover the “four factors that must be present” to complete a deal; give case studies to illustrate each factor; and explain the “ownership treadmill” — what it is, and how to get off. Full details of the conference and accommodation can be found on the WHMA website.

February’s Harness Manufacturer’s Association (WHMA) annual conference, in Scottsdale, Arizona, will be addressed by Loren Smith. Between 1976 and 2001, Smith was CEO and majority shareholder of MWC, a manufacturer of electrical wire harness assemblies. MWC grew to join the world’s leading suppliers of electrical wire harness assemblies for the construction equipment industry. After Mr Smith negotiated the sale of the company, he started up Blue Valley Capital LLC, and now serves as the CEO and lone shareholder. 2018 Wiring

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Conference agenda at a glance

DAY 2

DAY 3 Breakfast Breifing: Trends in Automotive Cable Demand

North American Cable Market Outlook

Policy Trends and New Opportunities

Cabling solutions for Electric Vehicles (Part I)

Morning Networking Break

Morning Networking Break

DAY 1

Regulatory Complance and Quality Improvment

Cabling solutions for Electric Vehicles (Part II)

Lunch and Networking Break

Registration Opens

Lunch and Networking Break

Renewable Energy Supply and Transmission

Fibre in the Wireless World (Part I)

Afternoon Networking Break

Welcome Ceremony

Afternoon Networking Break

Data Communications and Connectivity

Fibre in the Wireless World (Part II)

Networking Cocktail Reception

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Discuss and explore strategies underpining the current and future economic climate

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Associate sponsors

Canada calls for smarter grids

Canada’s minister of natural resources, the Honourable Jim Carr, has announced a $100 million call for proposals to fund more smart grid systems. By increasing the hosting capacity of renewable energy, increasing resiliency, and improving energy efficiency and conservation, smart grids are a key enabler for greenhouse gas mitigation. These systems will build a foundation

for the next generation of technologies and systems, supporting more customer- owned energy generation and service options, and leading to entirely new applications. The funding will be provided as part of the 2017 budget commitment of $21.9 billion for green infrastructure in support of the Pan-Canadian framework on clean growth and climate change.

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wiredInUSA - February 2018

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Medical cable

To meet the growing demands for medical products, Northwire has completed the additional testing needed to certify its BioCompatic material line in accordance with ISO 10993-10 irritation and skin sensitization requirements. Northwire’s BioCompatic cables are optimized medical cables, meeting some of the most stringent standards including optimal biocompatibility under USP class VI and compliance to ISO

The Beta LaserMike brand has been faithfully serving the wire and cable industry for over 50 years and we have thousands of satisfied customers that rely on our measurement systems every day to improve quality, increase productivity and deliver manufacturing savings. We are committed to your success. Precision Measurement & Control Solutions Free of phthalates, halogens, and latex, BioCompatic is also compatible with steam, H 2 O 2 , gamma, and ETO sterilization. 10993-5 cytotoxicity. To further ensure its biocompatibility in the most critical medical applications, Northwire has completed laboratory testing to validate the additional compliance to ISO 10993-10 irritation and skin sensitization requirements.

In-Process Gauging Off-Line Inspection Quality Cable Testing

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New addition

an operating temperature range of –20 to +105º Celsius.

Mouser Electronics is stocking receptacles and cable assemblies for the miniBOSS M22 power distribution system from Amphenol Sine. power distribution system is offered in 3-, 4- and 5-position configurations. The 16 AWG cable assemblies and receptacles feature a maximum current of 13A, maximum voltage of 600V, and Amphenol miniBOSS M22

The factory assembled, code-compliant system is designed to eliminate field wiring errors and cable pullout, and uses a UL STOOW/CSA type ST cable, as well as a high-flex, TPE-jacketed, UL-listed TC-ER cable.

All cables are crush- and oil-resistant.

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Presidential appointment

Richard T Wagner general manager at Insteel Wire Products

that have served as president in the past. The WAI provides a crucial forum for our industry to further develop its most important resources, which are the people committing to careers in the wire industry. “Associating with colleagues in the wire manufacturing arena, whether for ferrous or non-ferrous applications, results in a deeper understanding of excellent practices, world class technology, and approaches to our changing world through thediversityof ideas that emanate from collaborative exchange. We look forward to a successful and prosperous 2018 for all of our manufacturers, providers of capital equipment, and suppliers for our plant operations.”

The Wire Association International (WAI) Inc has appointed Richard T Wagner as president of the association for a one-year term, beginning 1 st January 2018. Wagner will serve as chairman of the board of directors and as the 65 th president of the 88-year-old association headquartered in Madison, Connecticut.

A veteran of 40 years in the wire industry, Wagner joined WAI in 2013.

In addition to his role as president, and his forthcoming second term on the association’s board, Wagner will continue to serve on its conference programming committee. Commentingonhis newpost,Wagner said: “I am honored to have the opportunity to lead the organization for 2018 and follow in the tradition of distinguished professionals

Richard T Wagner is the vice president and general manager at Insteel Wire Products.

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Molex LLC, a manufacturer of complete interconnect solutions, has announced its acquisition of certain assets of Triton Manufacturing Company Inc. The acquired Triton business specializes in fabricating flexible power cable assemblies and custom bus bars used in a range of current and heat transfer applications, including power transfer devices for computers, industrial electrical power distribution, transportation, aerospace and telecommunications. “Triton has built a solid reputation providing high quality bus bar solutions to many leading manufacturers,” said Tim Ruff, senior vice president, Molex. “The strategic acquisition of the Triton business complements our extensive portfolio of power products.” Adequate heat dissipation and electrical performance result in a lower risk of device failure. Triton’s custom copper and aluminum insulated, laminated and flexible bus bars deliver thermal management with consistent and reliable power distribution to varying power loads in control panels, switchgears, inverters, battery systems and other electronics. Complex 3D configurations and the multiple-current carrying capacity of Triton bus bar assemblies offer more efficient space utilization. “The Triton team is excited about the new opportunities this transaction brings. Combining our proven bus bars and Molex high power connectors and harnesses will give the combined team the capability to design and manufacture a robust and fully integrated high power solution,” said Kyle Edwards, president, Triton. Triton was founded in 1967 by Michael J Edwards Sr and is headquartered in Monee, Illinois.

Integrated acquisition

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wiredInUSA - February 2018

Powering the cloud

Google has announced plans to build three new subsea cables as part of its investment drive for cloud infrastructure. With the news that it will be adding a further five regions to its network – which, the company claims, already delivers 25 percent of worldwide Internet traffic – the additional cable investment will be essential to maintain and improve performance. Regions in the Netherlands and Montreal areset toopen inearly2018, followedbyLos Angeles, Finland and Hong Kong. This will be followed in 2019 by the implementation of the three subsea cables. Curie (namedafterMarieCurie) is aprivate cable connecting Chile to Los Angeles. Designed, deployed and launched

for the company by TE SubCom, the four fiber-pair system will span over 10,000km, linking Los Angeles, California, to Valparaiso, Chile, and will include a branching unit for future connectivity to Panama. Once deployed, Curie will be Chile’s largest single data pipe, serving users and customers across Latin America. The Hong Kong to Guam Cable System (HK-G), for which Google is partnering with RTI-C and NEC, is a consortium cable, interconnecting major subsea communication hubs in Asia. Together with the planned Indigo system, the new cable will increase the organization’s resilience in the Pacific.

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Logix Communications has completed its acquisition of Alpheus Communications. With the completion of this transaction, Logix gains network scale and expands its offerings in Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and Houston. Logix now has over 5,800 route miles of network spanning 180,000 fiber miles; the company serves over 12,500 enterprise and carrier customers across Texas. In addition to connecting to 75 data centers in Texas, Logix operates its own data center facilities. “We are excited to welcome Alpheus employees and customers to the Logix family, and we’re eager to rapidly integrate our combined networks, products and customer care operations,” said David Dane, new COO of the company. “Our dedication to providing superior, local customer servicewith the most technologically advanced services to our enterprise and carrier customers will allow us to drive continued strong growth for our company and our clients.” The combined company has been renamed Logix Fiber Networks.

Texan expansion

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wiredInUSA - February 2018

New York connection

Empire State Connector Corp has completed stage one of a two-stage open solicitation process for interested parties to reserve space on the proposed 265-mile, 1,000MW fully buried Empire State Connector (ESC) HVDC electric transmission line. The open solicitation is the next step in the development of the ESC, following the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) order authorizing Empire State Connector to sell transmission rights and services for the project at negotiated rates. Stage one of the process, which ran during November and December, involved identifying transmission service customers as well as power suppliers interested in

utilizing the line to transport their energy from upstate New York, into the heart of New York City. Stage two, which will take place during early 2018, will solicit interest fromcompanies servingenergyconsumers in New York city, to purchase the electrical power being offered through the line. The ESC will support New York state’s Clean Energy Standard, which outlines aggressive, low-carbon power goals for the state’s power suppliers. Bypassing the major congested transmission interfaces and delivering directly into the heart of New York City, ESCwill provide a key piece in the state’s energy and environmental solution.

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Funding is tied up

The US company that invented a concrete rebar-tying robot has received $4 million from investors to commercialize the machine, which promises to automate a tedious and labor-intensive part of heavy construction. The TyBot uses a robotic arm, rigged to a gantry crane, to find rebar junctions and attach a tie before a concrete pour, potentially saving many hours of back- breaking labor on bridge and other construction projects. TyBot, a development from Advanced Construction Robotics (ACR), is expected to be available in spring 2018, and produced by the ACR subsidiary TyBot LLC. Investors are said to include heavy civil contractors, equipment dealers and a labor union.

activity that is becoming harder to staff amid a nationwide scarcity of skilled labour. Replacing an entire rebar-tying crew, the robot needs just one technician to monitor quality and reload the tie wire spool. “In bridge construction, contractors often bid for work without knowing where their deck crew labor will come from, despite it being a critical path activity that can trigger costly liquidated damages for projects that run past completion deadlines,” the company said, adding that TyBot “Works continuously, day or night, rain or shine, and without breaks or injuries.” TyBot services will be leased to the heavy civil engineering market from March this year, and in 2019 unitswill be solddirectly to contractors and specialist rebar installers.

ACR claims the TyBot puts an end to a laborious, unpopular and accident-prone

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EUROPE NEWS

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A special purpose company has been created for the development of floating wind projects in Japan

Swinging wind

Saitec Offshore Technologies and Univergy Internacional have created a special purpose company for the development of floating wind projects in Japan, implementing SATH (swinging around twin hull) technology. According to Saitec, Univergy will contribute offshore development expertise to the new company, having developed around 800MW of projects in Japanese territories over the last five years. Saitec will provide technical knowledge about the basic engineering, producing layouts for the development of the projects, implementing the SATH technological solution in the projects and equipment selection, and project construction.

SATH is a floating unit, made of concrete, comprising two twin hulls bonded to a single point where a bearing allows the platform to swing. The single point mooring approach, commonly employed in the oil and gas industry, is said to reduce pressure on the platform. Saitec commented that the main advantage of its platform is the capacity to reduce the levelized cost of energy (LCoE), targeting both capital and operational expenditures, and making it cost-competitive to monopile foundations.

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More cable, more data, less space

Wind development

Eolus Vind has signed an agreement with Veidekke for the design and construction of roads, foundations and internal electrical grid for the Kråktorpet and Nylandsbergen wind farms. The agreement is a turn key construction contract. In December 2017 Eolus announced a sales agreement with Aquila Capital regarding the wind farms, Kråktorpet and Nylandsbergen, comprising 61 wind turbines, with a capacity of 232MW. Eolus has also signed a turbine supply agreement with Vestas. Eolus has now signed a balance of plant contract with Veidekke, which includes construction of roads, crane pads, foundations, internal electrical grid and communication network for Kråktorpet and Nylandsbergen. Construction began in January 2018 and is expected to be completed in April 2019. Both Kråktorpet and Nylandsbergen are located close to wind farm Jenåsen, which Eolus is currently constructing in Sundsvall municipality. Jenåsen comprises 23 wind turbines with an installed capacity of 79MW. Veidekke is also responsible for construction services for Jenåsen, and construction works are expected to be completed during February 2018.

Image: www.drakauc.com

Draka’s space-savinghighdensityCategory 6 network cable has been used for a new four-story building for young students and adult learning at Lambeth College’s Brixton centre in southwest London. The Category 6 HD network cable was specified by King Communications, an approved Draka UC Connect installer, working on the project for main contractor Gilbert-Ash. The cables are distributed on each floor of the new block, using cable baskets hidden above the false ceiling. The cable’s compact design enables installers to save both time and money by running increased numbers of cables in cable trays, when compared to standard Category 6 cables. Launched in 2012, the high density cable has an outside diameter of just 5.25mm, less than the 6mm outside diameter of standard Category 6 cable. The reduced diameter means that it has a cross-sectional area 25 percent less than that of standardCategory 6 U/UTP cabling.

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Feel the heat

Island link

Image by designhorf on Unsplash

Delft-based high voltage engineering and consultancy company Energy Solutions BV has won a contract to provide the Dutch transmission system operator TenneT with heat monitoring systems for sea and land cables. The contract covers the design, manufacture, delivery and installation of DTS (distributed temperature sensing) and RTTR (real time thermal rating) cable monitoring systems, suitable for the 220kV sea cables and 380kV land cables that will connect offshore AC platforms with land stations and the existing 380kV grid. The systems will be used for cables installed on the west coast of the Netherlands and in the Dutch North Sea. TenneT has been officially designatedas the offshore grid operator in the Netherlands and will contribute to the fulfillment of the National Energy Agreement by developing offshore grid connections with a total capacity of at least 3,500MW during the period to 2023. Connections will be constructed in accordance with a standardized concept, and will have a capacity of 700MW each.

Several second telecommunication link with Gozo was first proposed, Malta Enterprise has issued a call for tenders for the €3.5 million project, to be completed within nine months of the contract being signed. The link will take the form of submarine and land-based sections at both the Malta and Gozo ends. The proposed route will start at the Xewkija industrial estate, proceed 3.6km to the shore at Tal-Fessej, then underwater for a distance of 13km, landing at Golden Bay before terminating 4.3km away at Żebbiegħ. To minimize disturbance, both on the rocky foreshore and shore end at Mġarr ix-Xini, it is being proposed to use an unemployed pipeline as the cable duct, with the end emerging into the water around 10m below sea level. years after a

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wiredInUSA - February 2018

Sun on the roof

Germany’s power mix

Image: www.enerray.com

Image: www.nkt.com

Global turnkey solar developer Enerray has designed and installed a 964kWp rooftop PV system for Amazon’s new logistics center in Passo Corese, central Italy. Electricity produced at the site will be used to power the facility’s operations. The system utilizes 3,200 monocrystalline solar modules. All the energy produced by the solar array will be consumed onsite, delivering a return on investment in only 5.5 years. Engineering 2K was selected as general contractor on the logistics center construction project. Engineering 2K then chose Enerray to develop the rooftop system, based on Enerray’s expertise in commercial and industrial solar projects. The new logistics center extends to 160,000m 2 , with 5,230m 2 of rooftop photovoltaic system.

NKT has commissioned and delivered the 155kV high voltage AC Nordergründe offshore wind transmission link to the German transmission system operator TenneT. NKT’s contract included the design, engineering, supply and installation of the 155kV underground and offshore cable system, the onshore and offshore shunt reactors, the onshore 155/220kV power transformer and the extension of an existing 220kV substation. The cable system comprises three 4km single-core AC underground cables and 28km of three-core AC submarine cable with integrated fiber optics. The cables were manufactured at the Karlskrona, Sweden, cable facility. The 110MW Nordergründe wind farm, located in the German North Sea, is part of Energiewende, the German government’s strategy to increase the share of renewable energy in the country’s energy mix. TenneT commissioned the grid connection for the wind farm in October, following the installation of the substation.

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Strategic acquisition

Structured cabling

Legrand, a specialist in electrical and digital building infrastructures, has launched its new structured cabling system, LCS3. LCS3 is a comprehensive range of both copper and fiber optic cabling to meet the challenge of rising data volumes exchanged in buildings, the proliferation of networks, and the need for higher data speeds. LCS3 is said to represent a major upgrade of Legrand’s structured cabling offer, enabling increased speeds through high category RJ45 connectors and new fiber optic connectors that can provide speeds up to 100GBps. The systemalsooffers modularity via drawers that enable a mix of fiber optic and copper while increasing the number of connection points. New rack servers allow energy optimizing, and both installation and maintenance are said to be easier using a new connector locking system and automatic pull-out sliding cassettes. According to Legrand, LCS3 is equally suitable for the requirements of local area networks and data centers requiring speed, high density, scalability and guaranteed continuity of service. The new structured cabling system LCS3 from Legrand. Photograph courtesy of Legrand

Lapp Group has acquired SKS Automaatio and SKS Connecto of Finland and Poland. “The acquisition of the SKS companies strengthens Lapp’s leading role in cable harnessing and our market position in north-eastern Europe,” said Andreas Lapp, chairman of the board of Lapp Holding. SKS Connecto Oy produces cables and cable harnesses for machine and circuit board constructions as well as in distributor rails. SKS Connecto Polska Sp is another location of the company, specializing in cable harnesses and wire set manufacturing and electrical assemblies. manufactures automation and electrical components from its location in Vantaa, Finland. Along with its broad range of standard products the company offers tailor-made solutions that fit well with Lapp’s future strategy. The contract with the Finnish SKS Group was signed in December 2017. Lapp Group and SKS have been partners for over 50 years. “We share the same culture and management philosophy. I really would like to thank the owner families of SKS Group for our trustful cooperation, and I am looking forward to our future,” said Andreas Lapp. SKS Automaatio Oy

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ASIA & AFRICA NEWS

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International recognition

The Sri Lankan electrical cable manufacturer Kelani Cables PLC, has been recognized at the “World Class Global Performance Excellence awards – 2017” organized by the Asia Pacific Quality Organization (APQO). The awards ceremony was held at the Okada hotel in Manila, Philippines. “We are pleased to announce that 22 organizations in 11 Asian and Pacific Rim countries are being recognized as exemplary companies of world class quality performance. They have achieved the ‘Global Performance Excellence Award’ modeled after [the] US ‘Malcolm Baldrige Performance Excellenceaward’,” saidCharles Aubrey, chairman of APQO and the global performance excellence award executive committee. Dr Aubrey held top positions at several Fortune 500 companies and worked with Dr Juran at the Juran Institute.

He helped draft the original Baldrige criteria and served as a senior examiner for the Baldrige Program for four years. The GPEA is the only formal international recognition of performance and business excellence and is a strategic enabling tool for global performance excellence. Evaluation of the national quality award and the World Class Global Performance Excellence Awards is based on seven criteria: leadership, strategy, customers, measurement analysis and knowledge management, workforce, operations and results. Mahinda Saranapala, director/ CEO, Kelani Cables PLC, said: “We are on the fast track towards capturing international markets. This award is an endorsement [at] international level in recognition of our product. A company that wins the World Class Global Performance Excellence Awards becomes a world class company.”

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wiredInUSA - February 2018

Underground contract

Africa Energy Indaba

The Taihan Electric Wire Co, a South Korea provider of industrial cables, has won an order to build an underground 500kV ultra-high voltage power cable in the US southwest. Taihan Electric Wire announced that it will install the 53km cable, part of the 830km 500kV Sunzia project linking Arizona and New Mexico, but did not disclose the value of the deal. The Korean company said it has obtained the deal on a turnkey basis from a local joint venture called Sunzia Transmission, established for the project. Under the agreement it will supply the underground cables and related connectors, provide electric grid planning and carry out routing, connecting, and test-running services. It aims to complete the installation by 2020.

The Africa Energy Indaba has announced a strategic partnership with the South African Electrotechnical Export Council (SAEEC) to grow and develop the African energy sector with the SAEEC member companies. The South African Electrotechnical Export Council is a public private partnership between South African business and the department of Trade and Industry, established to facilitate the export growth and internationalization of its members. The partnership creates an opportunity for the SAEEC to be recognized as the trade association partner of the Africa Energy Indaba 2018 (AEI 2018). The Africa Energy Indaba is supported at a strategic level by the World Energy Council (WEC) and the event constitutes the annual WEC Africa forum. In its tenth year of operation, AEI 2018 is a meeting place for African energy ministers and other energy sector leaders and experts from the African continent. The Africa Energy Indaba will take place in Johannesburg, on 20 th and 21 st February 2018.

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Kuwaiti cable deal

Iranian rebar export

Bakheet Al-Rashidi Minister of oil and minister of electricity & water

The deputy head for marketing at Iran’s Esfahan Steel Company, Ehsan Dashtiyaneh, has announced that Iran has exported over 5,000 tons of rebar to Britain and, he added, the company has held talks with UK buyers to sign agreements in a bid to export more rebar. The product is worth $505 per ton, he said, adding that the company is the first Iranian steel maker yet to receive UK care certification for ingot and rebar production. Receiving the certificate makes it possible to export rebar to the UK. Iran’s Esfahan Steel Company exports rebar to 15 countries and aims to raise its exports to over one million tons.

The Kuwaiti minister of oil, and minister of electricity and water, Bakheet Al-Rashidi has announced a deal worth $42 million for the import and assembly of XLPE insulated cables and fiber optics. A statement said that the 132kV cables will be used mainly in the new expansion to the Kuwait International Airport. Around 252km of cables will be imported to cover 84km of the airport’s power grid.

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Growing rebar exports

New power for Nepal

Image: www.tamakoshihydro.org.np Nepal’s national grid was boosted by new installed capacity of around 150MW during 2017. New projects will continue to come online during 2018, including the 30MWChameliya hydropower project that was due to begin generating in January. The 456MW Upper Tamakoshi hydropower project, owned by the NEA, is nearing completion, and is set to generate electricity in July. Together with the hydropower projects, the energy sector has achieved a major milestone in the area of transmission line construction with the 132kV Blanch-Attariya transmission line. The line is already in operation, carrying electricity produced by the Chameliya hydropower facility. Cross-border transmission lines are also to be developed between Nepal and India, and Nepal and China.

The Iranian trade attaché to Iraq, Naser Behzad, has announced that South Rouhina Steel Complex has sent 500 tons of rebar, worth $250,000, to Iraq. “Exports to Iran have paved the way for sending standard goods,” he said. South Rouhina Steel Complex currently has the capacity to produce around 500,000 tons of rebar per year, and the figure is expected to increase to three million tons within two years. The company was founded in 2010, on a 100 hectare site in Khouzestan province, located 7km from Dezful. Rouhina Steel has two steel rolling mills and a steel making facility said to have the potential to be among Iran’s main exporters of steel products. $250,000 worth of rebar has been exported to Iraq

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City transport

Making new connections

Image: www.huawei.com

The Indian mass-transit operator Metro Link Express for Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad (MEGA) has commissioned Siemens to electrify a 39.2km metro line in the Indian city of Ahmedabad. The line, currently under construction, will run through Ahmedabad city in two corridors, east to west and north to south. Siemens will be responsible for the entire electrification program of the new double- track metro line. In addition, Siemens will provide a SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) system for monitoring and controlling the traction power. The order is expected to be worth over €76 million. The metro line is expected to play a pivotal role in boosting quality of life and economic growth in thecity and its region. Including the Ahmedabad project, Siemens is executing electrification projects for six cities in India, the other five being Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Nagpur and Greater Noida.

Tropic Science and Huawei Marine have announced the completion of the PEACE submarine cable desktop study (DTS). Huawei Marine began the marine survey in January and the PEACE system will be ready for service in late 2019. The 6200km first phase of the cable system will link Pakistan (Gwadar and Karachi), Djibouti, Somalia and Kenya. The second phase will provide the extended option to South Africa and Europe with a total length of around 13,000km. The submarine cable system, based on 200G DWDM technology, will provide up to 60T design capacity. The PEACE system will provide a new route for interconnection among Asia, Africa and Europe by connecting with the existing land and subsea cables, greatly reducing the route length and latency between China and Africa, and China and Europe. He Liehui, chairman of Tropic Science, said of the project: “Huawei Marine has demonstrated its ability to plan and implement complex telecom infrastructure projects and we believe this system will become an important infrastructure for Asian, African and European inter- continental communications and promote economic development of the regions.”

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Products, Machines & Technology

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Assemblies will fly TE Connectivity has released a newly developed range of optical flex circuit cable assemblies. These compact, robust fiber optic circuits offer a multi-fiber management solution for high speed electronic packaging. Fully customizable for both card-to-card and backplane applications, the circuits are ruggedized to withstand the harsh environments of commercial and military aircraft. Optical flex circuits consist of thousands of individual fibers, precisely positioned on a single rugged substrate that uses crossovers to minimize stress while maximizing the opportunities for complex routing arrangements. A thin film that encapsulates each fiber provides protection from harsh environments and allows for high density packaging to save valuable space. Added durability and low insertion loss are achieved through controlled optical circuit routing using a computer numerical control (CNC) machine. “These newmulti-purpose fiber optic circuits are designed for a variety of aerospace and defense applications,” said Christophe Prel, product manager, aerospace, defense and marine at TE Connectivity.

“Multiple options in cable assembly design, connectorization and routing give designers the flexibility to help maximize performance and design a solution tailored to their needs.” Optical flex circuits manage high fiber counts in small spaces. They can accommodate up to 12 stacked layers, and up to six fiber crossings. Patent storage SeaTwirl has won a US patent for a kinetic energy storage solution, said to optimize the rotational speed of a wind turbine. According to SeaTwirl, a problem with wind power is the voltage fluctuations that result from wind speed variations; the granted patent offers a solution to store kinetic energy in a flywheel. The flywheel can be used to optimize the rotational speed of the turbine and therefore stabilize the electric grid, the company explained. The solution works by moving mass to, or from, the center of rotation by which the output power can be maintained with less wind and thus be optimized to reduce fluctuations on the electric grid. “The patent is part of our strategic work to build a broad patent portfolio. By protecting technical solutions that optimize operations and reduce the stress on the

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power grid, we can strengthen our market position,” said Gabriel Strängberg, CEO of SeaTwirl. SeaTwirl launched and installed its 30kW SeaTwirl S1 prototype turbine at the Lysekil test site in 2015. The device has endured all weather conditions, including heavy storms, and the company is now in the process of developing a full-scale unit – SeaTwirl S2. The 1MW turbine is planned for completion by 2020. Fire collar Roxtec has introduced its GK multi-cable fire collar to help meet demand for efficient fire-stops for cable bundles.

“It is certified to A-60 marine fire rating and easy to use when you want to ensure protection onboard ships and vessels.” The multi-cable fire collar is tested according to type approval test guidelines, as well as to SOLAS/IMO regulations, and is both RoHS and REACH compliant. It is designed to be quick, easy and safe to use with multiple cables, entire cable bundles, and busbars. “It is cost efficient, thanks to its great fill ratio and since you do not have to separate any bundled cables,” said Johansson.

Next generation compatibility

Leoni is offering 400G QSFP-DD (quad small form factor double density) and OSFP (octal small form factor pluggable) copper cable systems for the two latest standards for broadband data transmission in computer centers. Leoni’s breakout version will facilitate full downwards compatibility with these two next-generation standards.

S S The GK multi-cable fire collar from Roxtec

“This fire collar is designed for use in entries with high cable density, in decks and bulkheads in fire rated divisions above the waterline,” explained Roger Johansson, executive vice president and business area manager marine and offshore at Roxtec.

Both solutions are based on the company’s ParaLink 25s bulk cable.

This high performance cable provides the high signal integrity and low packing

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density of a 16-pair version. For QSFP-DD, Leoni uses its ParaLink 25s with a maximum gauge of AWG 28 over a maximum length of 3m; for OSFP the simulation showed that a maximum of 4m is possible at a gauge of AWG 26. As amember of themulti sourceagreement (MSA) groups for QSFP-DD and OSFP, Leoni was, in line with standardization, early to electromagnetically simulate the development of cable systems with its own components, and to prove the feasibility of active and passive copper solutions for these standards. Initial prototypes have confirmed the findings of Leoni’s simulations: OSFP and QSFP-DD cable systems passively transfer 8 x 25GBps at 25GHz without interference (corresponding to 200G with NRZ transmission) or up to 8 x 50GBps actively (corresponding to 400G with PAM4 modulation). Safety cable Leoni has developed fire-retardant cables that significantly reduce flame propagation and heat generation in buildings, while simultaneously minimizing the release of caustic gases and smoke. The products are now available with CPR (Construction Products Regulation) approval for industrial applications. The cables have been tested according to

the new European EN 50575 standard for cables of copper or fiber optic construction, intended for permanent use in buildings. The specific aim of the cables is to prevent fires in buildings and to reduce the risks of any fire that does occur. The cables are available in seven classifications: ACA, B1CA, B2CA, CCA, DCA, ECA AND FCA. Leoni also provides certified industrial cables withCPRapproval, suchas a Profibus cable and a Profinet cable for automation engineering. The cables are designed for fixed internal wiring in industrial networks and are said to guarantee excellent transmission properties in tough ambient conditions. Leoni also provides CPR-approved EIB (European installation bus) cables, deployed in building automation to regulate heating and for alarm systems. All these cables have halogen-free FRNC jackets to inhibit fire and prevent smoke from developing, and contain no corrosive components.

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EDITORIAL Index

Advanced Construction Robotics

29 27 34 12 12 10 32 28 33 34 32 39 12 10 26 41 37 35 35 9 9

Malta Enterprise

33

Alpheus Communications

Metro Link Express for Gandhinagar and Ahmedabad

Amazon

41 25 22 34 20 40 44 31 43 41 35 35 11 38 43 26 41 31 32

Aqua Comms ArcelorMittal

Molex LLC

Mouser Electronics

Bulk Infrastructure

NKT

Commercial Metals Co

Northwire

Draka

Rouhina Steel

Empire State Connector Corp

Roxtec

Energy Solutions BV

Saitec Offshore Technologies

Enerray

SeaTwirl Siemens

Eolus Vind

Esfahan Steel Company

SKS Automaatio SKS Connecto

Facebook

Gerdau

Southwestern Electric Power

GFG Alliance

Taihan Electric Wire Co

Google

TE Connectivity

Huawei Marine

TenneT

33, 34

Kelani Cables PLC

Triton Manufacturing Company Inc

Lapp Group

Tropic Science

Legrand

Univergy Internacional

Leoni

44, 45

Veidekke

Liberty House

9

Wire Association International 24 Wiring Harness Manufacturer’s Association 16

Logix Communications

27

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