wiredInUSA September 2020

Issue No. 111 - September 2020

www.wiredInUSA.com

America’s online magazine for wire and cable

wiredIn USA

Pipe-type retrofit Page 9

Bremen expansion. Page 11

Ongoing investment by wire manufacturer. Page 27

Power sharing. Page 33

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EDITOR

Modernization and growth are at the forefront of Southwire’s plans as it starts work on a $46m extension to its manufacturing campus in Bremen, Indiana. The company expects the expansion, to be completed by early next year, to create a further 115 jobs over the next three years at the site. “With this expansion we will now have more capacity in Bremen to support our OEM customer base, enhance our Southwire SPEED services, and better serve the commercial, institutional, factory automation, electric vehicles and telecom markets,” said David Skinner, vice president of manufacturing. The full story can be found on page 11. Another new fiber cable will be spanning the Atlantic, with Google announcing the ‘Grace Hopper’ cable connecting New York with Bude in the UK and Bilbao in Spain. The cable will consist of no fewer than 16 fiber pairs and will be constructed by SubCom. Named after Grace Brewster Murray Hopper, a major figure in early computer science and a long-serving US Navy officer, the cable is expected to be operational in 2022. Turn to page 20 for more details.

David Bell Editor

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wiredInUSA September 2020

September 2020 Issue No.111 CONTENTS

06 PAGE

SHOW DIARY 2020/21

09 PAGE

MAKING THE NEWS Industry news from the USA

26 PAGE

EUROPE NEWS The latest news from Europe

32 PAGE

ASIA & AFRICA NEWS The latest news from Asia & Africa

38 PAGE

PRODUCTS, MACHINES & TECHNOLOGY The latest news from machine industries

wiredInUSA September 2020

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wiredIn USA

© 2020 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 and Europe) Gill Watson Publisher Caroline Sullens

Sales & Marketing (International) Sales Director Jason Smith jason@wiredinusa.com +44 1926 834 684 Accounts Manager Karen Low karen@intras.co.uk

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wiredInUSA September 2020

Diary Shows & Events 2020/21

September 22-24 September 2020

September 23-26 September 2020 wire China Shanghai, China www.wirechina.net

The 21 st China International Spring Industry Exhibition Guangzhou, China www.springexpo.com.cn

October 11-14 October 2020 IWCS 2020 Cable &

October 26-28 October 2020

CRU World Optical Fiber & Cable Conference 2020 Milan, Italy www.worldopticalfiberconference.com

Connectivity Symposium A virtual symposium & exhibition www.iwcs.org

December 7-11 December 2020 wire Düsseldorf Düsseldorf, Germany www.wire.de

January 25-28 January 2021 MACH 2021 Birmingham, UK www.machexhibition.com

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

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07–11Dec 2020

SAVE THE NEW DATE

join the best: Düsseldorf Germany www.wire.de www.tube.de

It will be the big industry spectacle: The world’s leading trade fairs for the wire and cable, tube and tube processing industries are extending an invitation. Experience visionary machines, technologies and processes. At wire: For the first time, pioneers in the manufacture of end products – springs and fasteners - will be there. Thus, the complete value chain from raw materials to industry right up to high-end results is represented. At Tube: Trends in OCTG technologies, process solutions, from tube cutting to tube trading. And never before have both trade fairs been so green: The ecoMetals Trails will lead you to the pioneers of sustainability. The field of progress has been prepared - for you as a decision-maker of the future. The best thing to do would be to register today: wire.de/2130 and Tube.de/2130

International Wire and Cable Trade Fair Internationale Fachmesse Draht und Kabel

International Tube and Pipe Trade Fair Internationale Rohr-Fachmesse

For show information: Messe Düsseldorf North America Tel. (312)781-5180 _ info@mdna.com www.mdna.com For hotel and travel arrangements: TTI Travel, Inc. Tel. (866)674-3476 _ info@ttitravel.net

Pipe-type retrofit M A K I N G T H E NEWS

Sumitomo Electric Industries and its subsidiary, Sumitomo Electric USA, have completed a pipe-type cable to XLPE cable system retrofit replacement in San Francisco. The San Bruno Interchange project, developed by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), included the replacement of one existing pipe-type cable system (high pressure gas-filled) with a new solid dielectric cable system, maximizing the reutilization of existing infrastructure, andmaintaining thecurrent transmission capacity of the circuit. New AC 115kV cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) insulated underground power cables were installed into an existing 8˝ steel pipe, to feed into the existing substationsbetweenSanBrunoandSouth San Francisco. The circuit route between the two substations is approximately 1,200 feet (365m) in length. The power

cables were replaced while keeping the existing 8˝ steel pipes intact.

The project included the installation of air-blown fiber optic cable, distributed temperature sensing (DTS) system and related equipment, jointing and terminating work, field testing and commissioning testing. Sumitomo Electric designed, supplied and installed its high voltage XLPE triplex cable, consisting of three stranded single-core XLPE-insulated cables for high current capacity, with the largest conductor of 2,500kcmil. The design mitigates the thermal-mechanical behavior inherent to power cables, while reducing the workload and space required for installation compared with single-core cables.

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Bremen expansion

“With this expansion we will now have more capacity in Bremen to support our OEM customer base, enhance our Southwire SPEED services, and better serve the commercial, institutional, factory automation, electric vehicle and telecommarkets,” saidDavidSkinner, vice president of manufacturing. “Through this addition we are creating an agile factory that supports Southwire’s modernization efforts and overall strategic growth.”

Southwire has started work on an extension to its manufacturing campus in Bremen, Indiana. Investment for the new construction is approximately $46 million, and the company expects the expansion to create around 115 jobs over the next three years. The building expansion is projected to be completed by early 2021 with equipment installations to follow.

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New-build in Houston

Service Wire Company has completed the acquisition of land with plans to build a new manufacturing and distribution facility in Houston, approximately 13 miles from the company’s current location. “We’ve been a staple in the [Houston] region for more than four decades, and our new, modern facility in Generation Park will allow us to continue to meet the needs of the growing south and southwest,” said company president Louis Weisberg.

“This modern facility will be a launchpad for our next 50 years and beyond, enhancing our industry-leading service levels.”

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Underground connection

The SOO Green HVDC Link is a 2,100MW, 525KV underground high voltage direct current transmission line, stretching 350 miles between Iowa and Illinois. The developer of the project, which is financially supported by Jingoli Power, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners and Siemens Energy, with a strategic partnership with Canadian Pacific, has launched an open solicitation process to allocate transmission capacity rights on the project to co-locate electric transmission lines underground within an existing railroad corridor.

The HVDC line will link energy markets in Iowa and Illinois, relieve midwestern transmission constraints, and provide energy buyers with direct access to a diverse portfolio of midwestern generation. According to the project owner, Direct Connect, following an existing railroad corridor greatly reduces environmental, visibility and landowner impact. The $2.5 billion interregional backbone transmission project will become operational in late 2024.

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New spooler line will extend product range

Nucor Steel Sedalia’s minimill has a new spooler line for the production of rebars and rounds in coils weighing up to five tons. The new line will be managed by Danieli’s Automation Q-VID system and deliver twist-free, compact and regularly shaped coils at up to 30m per second. The spooler line consists of a four-pass Delta-type fast finishing block (which will extend the Nucor Steel Sedalia product range to rebar #3); five water- boxes for heat treatment; cropping

and high-speed shears; two five-ton horizontal spooler machines; and a coil handling, strapping and collecting area. This is the third spooler line to be installed downstream of a Danieli MIDA ® Micromill, and the first in operation at Nucor Corporation. A second spooler line for Nucor Group is currently under construction at Nucor Steel Florida and will be commissioned by the end of 2020.

DeWAL PTFE Films and Tapes New solutions for challenging applications

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For details and specs, go to www.dewal.com.

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Recognition for latest technology

In recent months, AFL has received 12 new patents for technology and developments in connectivity, fiber management, fiber optic cable, fusion splicing, test equipment and conductor accessory products. AFL’s connectivity team received two patents, AFL Hyperscale received four patents, and AFL’s conductor accessories team received two patents. The test and inspection and fusion splicing team

received three patents, and the cable team received a patent for a new method and design for creating a helical fiber optic buffer tube within a cable.

HIGH-PERFORMANCE RUBBER AND PLASTIC COMPOUND SOLUTIONS

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I N N O V A T I O N S F O R T H E C A B L E I N D U S T R Y

ELECTRICITY IS LIFE

Power Cables are best made on TROESTER Lines

With the expansion of electricity networks, people all over the world use electricity to bring more light into their lives as well as increased joy, comfort and security.

Power cables that have been produced, using TROESTER systems, for high-quality, medium-voltage (MV), high- voltage (HV) and extremely-high-voltage (EHV) cables offer cable manufacturers significant cost benefits in production as well as TROESTER’s outstanding level of quality. This ensures that energy consumers around the world can enjoy the highest level of supply security. www.troester.de

CCV Line from TROESTER for the cost-effective production of MV, HV and EHV cables with perfect concentricity and roundness and long production lengths.

Danieli MIDA ECR ®

Third rolling plant on order

CMC has ordered its third Danieli MIDA ECR ® endless casting rolling plant, named Triple M. Once installed it will produce an estimated nominal 500,000 tons of long products—350,000tonsof rebarand150,000 tons of small merchant sections—per year. Hybrid-ready, it will melt local scrap with the Danieli Digimelter solution (Q-One, Zero-bucket, Q-Melt) to produce clean and sustainable steel. Among the relevant technologies to be installed in the new MIDA ECR minimill are the Q-One solution for EAF and LF power management, to handle irregular power loads with high flexibility and reliability with control capabilities provided by power semiconductor devices. The patent-pending Triple M layout has been specifically developed to fully match the needs of merchant products in terms of high plant uptime and optimum

yield. Danieli will supply technological equipment consisting of the Digimelter steelmaking system, featuring continuous scrap chargingwith theDanieli preheating system ECS ® , a 60-ton side-charge EAF and a ladle treatment furnace. The core of the endless casting and rolling section includes a single- strand, high speed continuous casting machine, featuring the latest design of PowerMould and FastCast Cube oscillator, directly connected to the rolling mill for uninterrupted production cycles. The rolling mill, directly connected to the caster through insulated conveyors and induction heater for billet temperature equalization, comprises 20 housingless stands. The finishing facility consists of the DRB-Direct rolling and bundling system, and a finishing area dedicated to merchant bar.

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Atlantic-hopping cable

Google has announced another new subseacableproject: the “GraceHopper” cable will cross the Atlantic to connect New York with the UK and Spain.

The cable is named after Grace Brewster Murray Hopper, a major figure in early computer science and a long-serving officer of the US Navy. Hopper played a role among the first compilers as well as in the development of COBOL.

European landingswill be inBudeandBilbao, but theUS landings are yet tobeconfirmed.

The target date for the Grace Hopper cable is 2022.

Thecablewill consistof no fewer than16fiber pairs and will be constructed by SubCom.

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Image courtesy of Fugro (Galaxy)

Cable route safety survey

Xtera has contracted geo-data specialist Fugro to helpmake its NO-UK cable system one of the most secure data traffic routes across the North Sea. Fugro will advise on final route selection and specify the required burial conditions to minimize the risk of cable damage from anchoring and trawling. With a capacity of up to 216Tb per second, the new fiber cable system will be in service by late 2021.

Fugro’s project will run for approximately 70 days and comprises a geophysical survey and shallow geotechnical testing, with environmental sampling, analysis and testing to generate a thorough understanding of the proposed route. The Fugro Galaxy , Fugro’s multipurpose 65m vessel, is supporting the offshore activities, and Xtera will benefit from near- real-time geo-data access and office- based support via remote technologies, including Fugro’s Back2Base.

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HIGH-PERFORMANCE RUBBER AND PLASTIC COMPOUND SOLUTIONS

WE PROVIDE: » EPR & Polyolefin Compounds • Moisture Crosslinkable • Peroxide Crosslinkable • Irradiation Crosslinkable • Halogen Free, Flame Retardant

• Bedding/Filler • Thermoplastic » Custom Compounding

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108 RADO DRIVE NAUGATUCK, CT 06770 / +1 203-723-2590 / WWW.ELECTRICCABLECOMPOUNDS.COM

US rural service provider TEC is taking 10G services across its mid-south operations area. The company provides telecom services throughout Mississippi, Alabama and Tennessee, and has invested in and maintains approximately 3,700 miles of copper connectivity and over 1,300 miles of optic fiber cabling. TEC will now leverage Adtran’s Total Access 5000 (TA5000) fiber access platform to deliver multi-gigabit services. This project builds on theexistingpartnership between the two companies to improve the range and reach of TEC’s network. John Cole, director of network operations at Adtran, said: “In recent years, we have witnessed exponential advancements and growth in the technologies surrounding broadband internet delivery to business and residential customers. We are excited to introduce 10G XGS-PON to TEC service areas. It allows TEC to serve fiber-based broadband services to residential homes and businesses at speeds up to 10G. These speeds are often used by service providers as the primary internet connections that serve thousands of customers. With XGS- PON, we now have the ability to deliver 10G to each building we connect.”

10G spreading south

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IWCS 2020 CABLE & CONNECTIVITY SYMPOSIUM October 12–16 & October 19–23 , 2020 | 8 am–1 pm Eastern USA

IWCS As You Know It – Except It’s Online

The IWCS 2020 International Cable & Connectivity Symposium has been re-imagined into an exciting, robust virtual event to reach attendees from all over the world! IWCS 2020 Virtual is our full-scale symposium with all of the traditional IWCS elements: Technical Sessions, Professional Development Courses, Executive Session, Plenary — including Keynote Speaker, and virtual Supplier Exhibition! Online registration is open at www.iwcs.org We have made the conference as interactive as possible because nothing replaces meeting your colleagues in person. You are encouraged to register as early as possible prior to the symposium so that you can explore and familiarize yourself with the virtual platform and set up your Profile in advance to maximize your Networking capability.

IWCS 2020 Virtual Kicks Off on Monday, October 12, 2020!

Keynote

Michael Beesley , VP/CTO of Cisco Systems, Mass-Scale Infrastructure Group

Technology, Architecture and Supply Chain Needs to Drive Success in Our 2025+ Business, Use Case and Competitive Landscape Realities

Executive Session Technical Sessions

Supplier Exhibition Professional Development - 4 Core Courses

Reasons to Attend

As COVID-19 has changed the way we work, educate, and communicate, it is alarmingly clear that telecommunications connectivity is not just essential but critical for the functioning of global society. From telemedicine to commerce to news, awareness, communication, transportation, security, infrastructure, and everything in between, connectivity provides the network that enables modern life to go on. This conference provides: • Latest technologies presented in a symposium format • Over 110 Technical Papers and latest technologies presented via live, interactive webinars • Professional Development Courses with tutorials on basic and emerging technologies • Suppliers Exhibition with the latest developments from industry suppliers • An Executive Session with expert economic and business trends More Reasons to Attend THIS Year • Prolonged Visibility! All Technical Session presentations will be available On-Demand for over a month, through November 27, 2020! • The Supplier Exhibition will be open during the full two weeks, have 2 dedicated days with no competing technical sessions, and be available through November 27, 2020! • It’s convenient! The “live event” is spread out over 2 weeks to make it easier to attend. • The sessions are held from 8:00am to 1:00pm Eastern USA each day, Monday – Friday, October 12th through October 23rd to accommodate as many time zones as possible. • It costs less! The fees are less and there are no travel expenses so more colleagues can participate.

EUROPE NEWS

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Image courtesy of AWI

Ongoing investment by wire manufacturer

Alloy Wire International (AWI), a manufacturer of round, flat and profile wire in the UK, has invested £1 million in materials to ensure it can continue to meet the growing requirements of its global client base. AWI manufactures wire from high performance nickel alloys, supplying various sectors including medical, power generation and commercial transport. The company offers a range of over 60 exotic alloys, and ensures it always has over 200 tonnes of European and DFARS compliant material at any one time so that it can manufacture and deliver within three weeks of a confirmed order. The company has also redeveloped its offices and installed new wet drawing equipment to produce wire from

1.6mm to 0.7mm in diameter, plus a take-up spooler that can handle and store larger weight rolled wire profiles. Mark Venables, MD of AWI, commented: “We’re still averaging 160 enquiries every week, so there doesn’t appear to be a let up in demand. With this in mind, we have remained true to our commitment to always have 200 tonnes of material in stock at any one time, meaning we can complete orders in just three weeks — and when an emergency arises we look to our emergency manufacturing service that can see wire supplied in just three days.” Alloy Wire International currently supplies in excess of 5,000 customers involved in automotive, aerospace, defense, medical, nuclear, oil and gas and renewables.

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wiredInUSA September 2020

Rod mill benefits from new shears

UK cleats go far afield

Image courtesy of Ellis Patents

Ellis Patents has secured a specification to supply its cable cleats to a pulp and paper producer in Brazil. Metso Brasil specified the UK company’s 2F+ cleats to secure electrical cables in an extension to Suzano Papel e Celulose’s factory in Imperatriz, in the state of Maranhão. Kelly Brown, Ellis’s export sales manager, said: “The success of our export business is built on relatively simple foundations: we thoroughly research any new market and appoint a local distributor prior to even considering commencing sales.” Since launching export sales to Latin America in 2009, Ellis has secured a string of high-profile specifications for its electrical safety products, including most recently an order for its Vulcan+ cable cleats for installation in an $800 million desalination plant in Chile’s Atacama desert.

Image courtesy of Liberty Ostrava

Liberty Ostrava, the largest integrated steel mill in the Czech Republic, has replaced two crop shears with new Danieli units. Installed in a two-strand wire rod mill that produces wire rod of 5.5mm to 14mm diameter, the new crop shears will cut the head and tail ends of the bar before final rolling, helping to eliminate defects. The project was carried out by Danieli Service in close collaboration with Liberty Ostrava’s own project team. Jiri Zboril, head of the wire rod mill at Liberty Ostrava, said: “The innovation has met our expectations so far, and in the future it will also be able to cut wire of higher diameters than we now manufacture. It will increase the rolling speed and, thanks to that, also the productivity of the rolling mill.”

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Turnkey DC contract

NordLink passes its latest test

Image courtesy of NKT Image courtesy of TenneT NKT has been awarded a turnkey contract

by TenneT to deliver and install a high voltage direct current XLPE power cable system for the BorWin5 project in Northern Germany. The order comprises the manufacturing of around 230km of 320kV high voltage DC onshore and offshore power cables and accessories, as well as offshore installation by the cable-laying vessel NKT Victoria. Production of the power cables will start in late 2021, with project commissioning scheduled for 2025. BorWin5 is TenneT’s fourth offshore wind DC project off the coast of Borkum in north- western Germany.

A voltage test of the NordLink land cable between Germany and Norway has confirmed that the system is almost ready for operation. The next step is to fit the final transition joints between land cable and subsea cable. The consortium behind NordLink includes utilities Statnett and TenneT, and German investment bank KfW. Covering a total of 623km, the HVDC NordLink interconnector will connect the Norwegian and German electricity markets for the first time, boosting energy security in both countries. It will enable the exchange of 1,400MW of renewable energy — wind power from Germany and hydropower from Norway. The cable lands at two converter stations, in Wilster, Schleswig-Holstein/Germany, and Tonstad in Norway. At these sites, the electricity is converted from direct (DC) to alternating current (AC) – or vice versa, depending on the direction of transmission – and fed into the German or Norwegian transmission grid.

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New development in Dogger Bank

Underground focus

Chief commercial officer Detlev Waimann

Prysmian announced organizational structure and management appointments for its Projects business unit, responsible for high voltage submarine and underground cable systems for power transmission with a focus on German Corridors cable projects. Detlev Waimann has been appointed Projects chief commercial officer, and Alberto Boffelli will be Projects chief operating officer, responsible for the project delivery phase including installation and operations areas. Prysmian Group has invested in products and technologies to support the transmission network expansion, and P-Laser, the group’s solution for energy transition, will be employed in two German Corridors underground projects, carrying energy from the north to the south of Germany. The turnkey submarine power and extra- high voltage underground cable systems will be branded “Powerlink - a brand of the Prysmian Group”. Group has

Iv-Offshore & Energy in the Netherlands has signed a contract with Sembcorp Marine Offshore Platforms Pte (SMOP) to supply engineering services for an HVDC platform for the Sofia offshore wind farm off the English coast. The Sofia facility will consist of 100 wind turbines with a total installed capacity of 1.4GW. The offshore converter platform will convert electricity generated by the turbines from 66kV AC to 320kV DC before transmission to shore. The Sofia deal follows earlier contracts for work on the Borwin Alpha (400MW) project, the Dolwin Alpha (800MW) and Helwin Béta (690MW), for which the company provided engineering and design studies. The company was also involved in a 2GW offshore grid connection FEED study for TenneT. Sofia is the largest project in RWE Renewable’s current development portfolio. It will be built 195km off the coast of the northeast of England, in the central Dogger Bank region. Construction will begin onshore at the Teesside converter station site early next year, with offshore construction expected to start in 2023.

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Tests for sustainable cable

Website upgrade

Image courtesy of Advaris

Advaris has launched a new website with an improved layout to provide visitors with easy access to information about the company’s software for industry. “We are thrilled to debut our new company website demonstrating the breadth of Advaris’s products and services,” said Dr Manfred Moser, CEO. The new website provides a complete picture of Advaris’s enterprise resource management (ERP) and manufacturing execution software (MES) solutions. Advaris has launched a next-generation software version which is fully available on all platforms. This ERP/MES/maintenance/ design package is ready for implementation within wire, cable and wire rope industries without expensive customizations. As a browser-based system, it functions on any device and provides users with a fast, simple and secure process for manufacturing.

Image courtesy of KPN

The Dutch operator KPN will trial fiber optic cables made from 90% recycled plastic. The company also believes it can make installation more sustainable by using less material. Using a 4.5mm cable in a 10mm tube (instead of the conventional 6mm cable in a 14mm tube) reduces the amount of plastic used by about half. Also, if the cable and tube are thinner, a longer length will fit onto a reel, reducing the number of wooden reels by 70%. This means that about six fewer full freight loads would be needed to build out a targeted 11,000 connections, which equates to saving about 760 plastic carrier bags per connection. The technology has been developed in collaboration with Allinq, Van Gelder Telecom, Prysmian Group and VolkerWessels Telecom. The trial is in Buitenpost in Friesland and Nijmegen Dukenburgand, if theresultsarepositive,KPN will use the reduced plastic fiber elsewhere. KPN aims to supply fiber to over 40% of Dutch households by the end of 2021.

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ASIA & AFRICA NEWS

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Photo by Sebastien Gabriel on Unsplash

Power sharing

Australia has granted “major project status” to a $22 billion plan to export solar-generated power to south- east Asia via an undersea cable. The status acknowledges the strategic significance of the project, which Angus Taylor, minister for energy and emissions reduction, says is expected to inject billions of dollars into the economy. TheAustralia-ASEAN Power Link will connect the world’s largest solar farm and battery system — in Australia’s Northern Territory — to Singapore and Indonesia via a

3,700km undersea cable. Similar proposals for trans-national power shipments have been pursued in other regions, including between North Africa and Europe, and from Mongolia to Japan and South Korea. Singapore’s Sun Cable says the project can supply a fifth of Singapore’s power needs, helping reduce the city-state’s reliance on natural gas imports. The project, backed by Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes and Fortescue Metals founder Andrew Forrest, planned to start marine survey work from August. Commercial operations are expected to begin in 2027.

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wiredInUSA September 2020

Add-on for Orange

Connecting Polynesia

Photo by Matt Hardy on Unsplash

After three years of planning, design, cable manufacture and cable laying, the Manatua One Polynesia cable project is officially ready for service. Since completing the cable lay in January 2020, the focus has been on commissioning and testing to confirm the system functions to specifications prior to handover by the turnkey supplier, SubCom. Manatua is the result of a collaboration initiated in April 2017 with the signing of an international treaty by the president of French Polynesia, the prime minister of the Cook Islands, the prime minister of the Independent State of Samoa, and the premier of the government of Niue. The 3,600km optical fiber submarine cable crosses the South Pacific, connecting Tahiti and Bora Bora in French Polynesia, Rarotonga and Aitutaki in the Cook Islands, Niue and Samoa. It is the first submarine cable in the Cook Islands and Niue which, until now, have relied on satellite connectivity. The Manatua cable comprises two optical fiber pairs, each capable of carrying data at 10Tbs per second, and is designed to provide service for at least 25 years. Cable ship SubCom Reliance landing the cable at Rutaki passage, Rarotonga, Cook Islands, in January 2020

Orange additional spectrum capacity on the MainOne submarine cable by utilizing Infinera’s fourth-generation Infinite Capacity Engine (ICE4) on its XTS-3600 platform. MainOne is a 7,000km submarine cable connecting Portugal, Senegal, Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria, serving as the West African backbone network for Orange’s international connectivity in Africa. has deployed

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Taking fiber to Indian islands

Underground project

image courtesy of National Grid Indian prime minister Narendra Modi Taihan Electric Wire Co Ltd has signed

a contract with the UK’s National Grid for the supply of underground cables and accessories for the London Power Tunnels 2 (LPT2) project. The contract is the largest power grid project awarded to a Korean cable manufacture in the UK, and is also the largest project awarded to Taihan since it entered the European market. The LPT projects are at the core of National Grid’s efforts to secure London’s electricity supply. A tunnel, stretching from Wimbledon, in south-west London, to Crayford in south- east London, will be installed with a 32.5km, 400kV high voltage cable system. As well as providing the 400kV cables, Taihan will design, engineer and oversee the cable system inside the tunnel. The project involved a bidding process that stretched over a year, and concluded in the selection of Taihan as exclusive cable supplier.

A 2,313km undersea cable to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands archipelago has been launched by the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi. The Indian state-owned telecommunications company BSNL (Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd) completed the deployment at a cost of $163.37 million in just two years. The project was financed by the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) with Telecommunications Consultants India Limited (TCIL) serving as technical consultant. As detailed in a government press release, the cable connects Chennai, on India’s mainland, to Port Blair, the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. It will deliver 400Gbit/s speed in Port Blair and 200Gbit/s on nearby islands. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands lie in the Bay of Bengal, one of the country’s most remote regions, where the high speed connectivity is expected to help the region take advantage of several government initiatives, and boost tourism. Port Blair is now connected to the islands of Swaraj Dweep (Havelock), Little Andaman, Car Nicobar, Kamorta, Great Nicobar, Long Island and Rangat.

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wiredInUSA September 2020

Acquisition bid

Fiber link commissioned for Zimbabwe

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

The Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED) has submitted a bid to acquire 100% of the pan- African submarine cable operator Seacom, valued at $603 million. According to an enquiry notice from the regional competition authority COMESA Competition Commission, AKFED is seeking to acquire all the shares in the operator through its subsidiaries Industrial Promotion Services (IPS) and Jubilee Holdings. AKFED already owns a significant stake in Seacom through IPS. COMESA plans to conduct an investigation into the AKFED acquisition offer in order to determine whether the transaction is likely to prevent or reduce competition with the potential to harm the public interest.

Acting managing director Lawrence Nkala

TelOne, a telecommunications parastatal company owned by the Zimbabwe government, has commissioned a fiber optic link between Makuti and Chirundu, at an estimated cost of $1.5 million. Government minister Jenfan Muswere, who officiated at the unveiling event, said the link is part of the government’s move to upgrade and modernize the country’s communications infrastructure and reduce costs. “The government will be able to provide citizens with affordable internet, and create business opportunities along the way,” said Muswere. TelOne’s acting managing director, Lawrence Nkala, said the link connects Zimbabwe with neighboring countries including South Africa, Mozambique, Botswana and Zambia. Nkala added: “The project is set to solidify TelOne’s position as a reliable carrier-grade service provider to both local and international markets. The link also gives the company capacity to carry domestic traffic for all players in Zimbabwe, and transit traffic across to Zambia and beyond, thereby presenting an opportunity to generate foreign currency.”

wiredInUSA September 2020

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First stage for Arctic cable

2Africa survey

2Africa route Fugro is providing offshore and onshore survey services, including a geophysical route survey and shallow geotechnical testing, for the 37,000km 2Africa submarine cable to connect Europe (via Egypt), the Middle East (via Saudi Arabia), and 16 countries in Africa. Fugro began its survey program in March 2020, and plans to conclude the work in March 2021. The 2Africa system is expected to enter operations in 2023/2024, delivering a design capacity of up to 180Tbps. The 2Africa consortium of China Mobile International, Facebook, MTN GlobalConnect, Orange, stc, Telecom Egypt, Vodafone and West Indian Ocean Cable Company has appointed Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) to build the cable in a fully funded project. The 2Africa cable will use ASN’s SDM1 technology, allowing deployment of up to 16 fiber pairs.

Professor Logachev research vessel

MegaFon has begun its offshore survey as part of the Arctic Connect subsea cable project, working with Rosgeologiya and using its Professor Logachev research vessel. The expedition is expected to last three months, covering a distance of 6,500km and focusing on sections of the proposed route that offer the most challenging ice conditions in the Barents, Kara, Laptev, East Siberian and Chukchi Seas. MegaFon and the Finnish infrastructure operator Cinia will build the first trans- Arctic subsea cable connecting Europe and Asia. The new system will run on the bottom of the Arctic Ocean, along the Russian Arctic coast. Extensions from the main route will provide connectivity to customers in the Arctic and the Far East. “The Arctic Connect project involves building a fiber optic link that will connect continents where 85 percent of the global population is concentrated. Our plan is to provide an unprecedentedly short signal transmission time and minimal latency, outperformingall existing links,” saidFrederic Vanoosthuyze, advisor to MegaFon’s CEO on strategic infrastructure projects. At launch, the Arctic Connect will have a throughput of 200Tbps.

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Products, Machines & Technology

wiredInUSA September 2020

38

Medical combinations Anomet Products Inc has introduced new custom composite medical clad wire that can combine up to three different materials for usewithCRM, neurostimulation, vascular, and related devices. The available range is suitable for meeting design criteria for corrosion resistance, wear resistance, contact resistance, biocompatibility, radiopacity, strength, conductivity, formability and more.

Anomet medical clad wire has a smooth, consistent finish and can be manufactured in sizes from0.002″ to 0.125″ outside diameter with a 2% or more cladding thickness. Harnessing cable costs for solar farms Nexans has designed its Keylios ® photovoltaic harness to help cut cabling costs for developers, installers and operators of utility-scale solar farms. Specifying a harness for low voltage DC cables removes the need for cables to be cut to length on site; this offers both improved quality and reliability by reducing the number of connection points, while the reduction in installation time and material wastage can reduce the overall cost of LV DC cabling by up to 15%. Olivier Dervout, Nexans global market director, power generation, said: “Fifty percent of faults on solar farms are due to cabling and connectors. “Todecreasethoserisks,wehavedeveloped newsolutions like theKeylios PVharness; easy installation and decreasing the risks on-site offer substantial CAPEX and OPEX savings.” Each Keylios harness is sized and manufactured on a bespoke basis, ensuring a perfect fit for each installation.

S S Image courtesy of Anomet

Typical configurations for implantable devices include platinum-iridium clad tantalum, platinum clad MP35N ® , silver- cored MP35N ® , 316LVM clad tantalum, nitinol-clad platinum, and gold-clad nitinol.

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wiredInUSA September 2020

It is delivered as a ready-to-connect kit, with no cutting or crimping required.

In a typical solar farm installation of 370MW, using a harness reduces the length of LV DC cable required from 4,200km to 2,800km. Keylios harnesses are manufactured under controlled conditions using Nexans’ Energyflex ® cables for solar plants. The cables are precision cut and all joints are ultrasonically welded. Junctions and inline fuses are overmolded to meet the IP67 rating. Access all areas AFL announced that installation of its AccessWrap doubled during June and July, with installations in Germany, France, Ireland and the UK as a result of greater demand for connectivity during the pandemic. Part of the SkyWrap ® range, AccessWrap is a fully dielectric cable wrapped around phase conductors using lightweight installation equipment. It uses existing power line infrastructure and its installation causes minimal disruption. AFL’s SkyWrap and AccessWrap cables can be used for difficult-to-reach locations. The installation equipment is lightweight and easily transported — even by donkeys and quad bikes in some of the most remote areas where it has been used.

More than 32,000km of SkyWrap and AccessWrap has been installed across the world: AccessWrap allows installation over medium voltage distribution lines, while SkyWrap can be installed on high voltage transmission lines up to 300kV. AccessWrap provides fiber counts up to 48 and SkyWrap has up to 288 fibers. Paul Bennett, general manager for AFL’s European office, said: “We all hope the pandemicwill be over soon, but some of the lifestyle changes it has caused, particularly working from home, are predicted to stay, which in turn will keep us and our power utility customers busy.”

wiredInUSA September 2020

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wiredInUSA September 2020

EDITORIAL Index

Adtran Advaris

24 31

Nexans

39 29 15

NKT

AFL

16, 40

Nucor Steel

Alcatel Submarine Networks

37 27 39 33 35 14 37 18 14 14 28 37 20 30 14 31 28 37 37 35

Orange

34, 37

Alloy Wire International Anomet Products Inc

Pacific Gas and Electric Company

9

Prysmian Group Rosgeologiya

30 37

Atlassian

BSNL

Seacom 36 Sembcorp Marine Offshore Platforms Pte 30 Service Wire Company 13 Siemens Energy 14 Southwire 11 Statnett 29 stc 37 SubCom 34 Sumitomo Electric Industries 9 Sun Cable 33 Taihan Electric Wire Co Ltd 35 TEC 24 Telecom Egypt 37 TelOne 36 TenneT 29 Vodafone 37 West Indian Ocean Cable Company 37 Xtera 22

Canadian Pacific

China Mobile International

CMC

Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners

Danieli

15, 18, 30

Direct Connect

Ellis Patents Facebook

Fugro

22, 37

Google

Iv-Offshore & Energy

Jingoli Power

KPN

Liberty Ostrava

MegaFon

MTN GlobalConnect

National Grid

wiredInUSA September 2020

42

ADVERTISING Index

AIM Inc

10 13 11 15

Beta LaserMike (An NDC Technologies Brand)

Clinton Instrument Company

DeWAL

Electrical Cable Compounds Inc

16, 23

IWCS

25 14

Madem

Messe Düsseldorf

7

Nano-Diamond America Inc

12 19

Paramount Die

Sikora

8

Troester

17 21

Windak Group

Zumbach Electronic

2

Marketing: Contact Jason Smith, wiredInUSA, Tel: +44 (0) 1926 834684 Email: jason@wiredinusa.com News: Contact David Bell, Editor, wiredInUSA, Tel: +44 (0) 1926 334137 Email: david@wiredinusa.com

The Professional Publishers Association Member

43

wiredInUSA September 2020

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wiredinUSA, EuroWire and Wire & Cable ASIA... The leading magazines for the wire and cable industries Download your 2020 media packs today and benefit from an international coverage

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America’s online magazine

international magazine for the wire & cable industries

The magazine Wire & Cable ASIA is published six times each year in both English and Chinese languages. A leading magazine in the Asian market for the wire and cable industries, Wire & Cable ASIA is available in print, CD ROM and online, and its circulation is closely controlled to ensure maximum exposure to professionals within the industry. Distribution With its bilingual issues, Wire & Cable ASIA has a unique and increasing wiredIn USA

The magazine A leading international magazine for the wire and cable industries, EuroWire is printed six times per year and is the only magazine published in six different languages including German, Russian, French, Italian and Spanish.The latest corporate news, technology stories, and regular features covering the production and processing of wire, cable, fibre optics, springs, fasteners and precision parts, all form the mainstay of this highly respected magazine. Distribution EuroWire has an increasing and unrivalled distribution across Europe and the Americas and is THE most important source of information in our industry. Total global distribution: over 18,000 per issue. 2020 EDITORIAL FEATURES JANUARY ■ wire Düsseldorf 2020 – show preview MARCH

2020 DITORIAL FEATURES

NUARY

distribution across Asia and the rest of the world. Total global distribution: over 16,500 per issue.

wire Düsseldorf 2020 – show preview

Europe – 40%

Asia (including China) – 41%

Asia (including China) – 24% ■ wire Düsseldorf 2020 – show issue

Americas – 16%

Rest of the World – 3%

MARCH

*Typicaldistribution

Europe – 46%

*Typicaldistribution

Rest of the World – 3%

(Comprisesprinteddistributionandelectronicdistributionplusbonuscirculationat international tradeshows.Pass-along readership isnot included) Website statistics Based upon a 12-month period (1 August 2018 to 31 July 2019): Total sessions served (unique visitors) 122,419

wire Düsseldorf 2020 – show issue

Americas – 27%

(Comprisesprinteddistributionandelectronicdistributionplusbonuscirculationat international tradeshows.Pass-along readership isnot included) Website statistics Based upon a 12-month period (1 August 2018 to 31 July 2019): Total sessions served (unique visitors) 131,686 MAY ■ Guangzhou – show issue ■ Wire bending, straightening and forming

MAY

■ Wire Expo – show issue ■ Compounds, colourants, masterbatches and additives

Total hits 545,806

Total hits 549,615

UsageanalysisprovidedbyMatrixStats

UsageanalysisprovidedbyMatrixStats

JULY

Contact us EDITOR David Bell Email: david@intras.co.uk Tel: +44 1926 334137

JULY

Contact us EDITOR David Bell Email: david@intras.co.uk Tel: +44 1926 334137

■ Armouring and reinforcing of cables ■ Cutting and weldin

ADVERT MATERIAL & PRODUCTION Liz Hughes

■ What’s new in wire and cable machinery ■ Wire drawing and machinery

ADVERT MATERIAL & PRODUCTION Liz Hughes

Email: liz@intras.co.uk Tel: +44 1926 334137

Email: liz@intras.co.uk Tel: +44 1926 334137

SEPTEMBER

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UK, ROW, USA, CANADA & S. AMERICA, GERMANY, AUSTRIA, SWITZERLAND Jason Smith Email: jason@intras.co.uk | Tel: +44 1926 834684

UK, ROW, USA, CANADA & S. AMERICA, GERMANY, AUSTRIA, SWITZERLAND Jason Smith Email: jason@intras.co.uk | Tel: +44 1926 834684 ■ wire China – show issue ■ Reels, spools and winding

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■ IWCS – show issue ■ wire China – show issue

Europe, As