wiredinUSA February 2020

Issue No. 104 - February 2020

www.wiredInUSA.com

America’s online magazine for wire and cable

wiredIn USA

New facility is a wrap Page 9

First step into Brazil. Page 11

Easing expansion by acquisition. Page 29

Atlantic crossing. Page 35

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EDITOR

Packaging materials and industrial laminates manufacturer LLFlex is investing $7.6m in a new facility in High Point, North Carolina. The investment will create new jobs at the site as the company increases its commitment to customer service, production excellence and market share growth. The company is being helped by a $90,000 grant to support the new development. This provides financial help from local governments to attract economic investment and create jobs, but LLFlex must meet job creation and capital investment targets to qualify for payment. Turn to page 9 for the full story. A Wire Association International member since 1992, Jan Sørige has been named as the 67 th president and chairman of the board of directors of the association from 1 st January. Between 2009 and 2014 he had served as chairman of the WAI’s exhibition planning committee. During his year he will serve on its conference programming committee, exhibition planning committee and oversight committee. The full story can be found on page 13.

David Bell Editor

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wiredInUSA - February 2020

February 2020 Issue No.104 CONTENTS

06 PAGE

Show Diary 2020

09 PAGE

Making the News Industry news from the USA

28 PAGE

Europe news The latest news from Europe

34 PAGE

Asia & Africa News The latest news from Asia & Africa

40 PAGE

Products, Machines & Technology The latest news from machine industries

wiredInUSA - February 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 - February 2020

Diary Shows & Events 2020

March 3-5 March 2020 Cables 2020 Düsseldorf, Germany www.ami.international April 20-24 April 2020 Mach Birmingham, UK www.machexhibition.com

June 2-4 June 2020 Wire Expo Uncasville, Connecticut, USA www.wireexpo20.com March 30 March - 3 April 2020 wire Düsseldorf Düsseldorf, Germany www.wire.de

JUNE 11-13 June 2020

June 17-20 June 2020 Korea Metal Week 2020 Seoul, South Korea www.korea-metal.com

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

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

wiredInUSA - February 2020

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New facility is a wrap M A K I N G T H E NEWS

LLFlex, a manufacturer of packaging materials and industrial laminates, is investing $7.6 million in a new facility in High Point, North Carolina. Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, LLFlex has created custom packaging and lamination solutions for the construction, and wire and cable industries for over 90 years. Its products include insulation and lining materials and medication blister cards. “North Carolina’s educated, motivated workforce, business-friendly landscape and prime geographic location made it the ideal locale for our newest facility, which is a culmination of our commitment to customer service, production excellence and market share growth,” said Victor Dixon, CEO of LLFlex.

A performance-based grant of $90,000 from the One North Carolina fund will help support LLFlex’s new development. The fund provides financial assistance to local governments to help them attract economic investment and to create jobs. Companies receive no money upfront and must meet job creation and capital investment targets to qualify for payment. “We are thrilled to welcome LLFlex to Guilford County,” said NC representative John Faircloth. “In High Point, they will find an excellent quality of life and a skilled manufacturing community ready to support their operations.”

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wiredInUSA - February 2020

First step into Brazil

Canada’s Solar Provider Group (SPG) is looking for a Brazilian partner to develop $250 million of PV projects in the country over the next five years. SPG has hired a team of workers in Brazil and is seeking corporate buyers for solar power; it will be the company’s first venture into Latin America. “I am excited at the opportunity the Brazilian market represents, for both Solar Provider Group and the global solar industry. We look forward to building

strong partnerships and providing clean, sustainable energy to my home country of Brazil,” said Cesar Frota, the company’s country manager. Brazil’s solar capacity has grown substantially in recent years, a result of rising local power prices and a reduction in the cost of solar panels, and the government forecasts around 9GW capacity by 2027. The country benefits from solar irradiation of over 1,600kWh per square meter across most of its territory.

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New role for long-term member

The Wire Association International (WAI) has announced the appointment of Jan Sørige as president of the association for the year commencing 1 st January 2020. Sørige will serve as the 67 th president of the association and chairman of the board of directors. Sørige has been a WAI member since 1992, serving as chairman of the association’s exhibition planning committee between 2009 and 2014.

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 During his term as WAI president, Sørige will also serve on its conference programming committee, exhibitionplanningcommittee, and oversight committee. Commenting on the appointment, WAI’s executive director, Steve Fetteroll, said: “Jan has been an integral part of planning and producing our shows and has been an exhibitor for thirty years. As a result, Jan’s knowledge of Interwire, coupled with his passion, ensures the focus will remain on this important industry event.”

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Brazil investment

Geoterra, and infrastructure group, has obtained approval from environmental authorities for a 102MW wind power complex in the northeastern state of RioGrande do Norte. The approval comes just months after Geoterra signed a partnership deal with China’s Harbin Electric that will see up to $35.6 billion of investment in energy projects over the next eight years. Brazilian industrial

equipment, is among China’s largest state-owned industrial groups.

The Pedro Avelino complex will consist of four wind farms and will cost around $900 million. It will be the fourth wind development in the group’s project pipeline, bringing the total to over 500MW. Rio Grande do Norte is Brazil’s leading wind power district, accounting for 4GW of the country’s 15GW operating wind power capacity.

Harbin Electric, a producer of power

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OF plant in Poland

US-based Optical Communications (COC) is planning to build a new facility for optic fiber cable production in Poland. The plant will be situated in the town of Mszczonów in Żyrardów county. COC’s investment will be assisted by a grant from a state program that supports important economic investments. Corning

and development unit in Poland and a manufacturing plant in Stryków, near Łódź. COC plans to employ at least 240 people at the Mszczonów factory.

With over 100 plants and branches worldwide, COC already has a research

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wiredInUSA - February 2020

Chapter 11 filing

Seabras 1 Bermuda Ltd and Seabras 1 USA LLC have filed voluntary petitions for relief under Chapter 11 of the United States bankruptcy code. The filings were made to ensure an orderly process of a restructuring plan, while ensuring that customers will continue to be served. On emergence from the process the companies expect to be in a position to pursue a combined business plan.

future, and to work closely with its secured lenders to establish a plan to address its debt situation and emerge as a viable business. Seaborn Networks, an indirect shareholder of the companies and operator of the companies’ business, is not part of the filings and will continue to operate as before. Seaborn’s work is not expected to be impacted by the filings, and its management and workforce are expected to remain unchanged.

Seabras 1 Bermuda anticipates filing its proposed restructuring plan in the near

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Image: EDPRENOVAVEIS

First of three floating turbines takes its place

The world’s largest (to date) floating wind turbine is in operation off the coast of Viana do Castelo, Portugal. The first of the three platforms that will form the WindFloat Atlantic offshore wind farm has been connected to the grid via a 20km cable. To withstand the movement generated by waves, wind and the spin of the turbines, Principle Power — WindFloat’s developer — has anchored the turbines to the seabed at a depth of 100m. Once all three turbines are in operation developers expect an overall capacity of 25MW.

After running a smaller prototype of the turbines for five years, as proof of concept, most of the construction of the turbine was carried out on land; this avoided many of the issues related to building floating wind farms. The turbines can be towed into position using standard towing craft, which is expected to make it easier to install the technology in other parts of the world.

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Acquisition boosts range

BJG Electronics has completed the acquisition of Whitmor/Wirenetics of Valencia, California. Whitmor/Wirenetics has supplied wire, cable and tubing to the military, aerospace and satellite industries for over 50 years.

In conjunction with the transaction, BJG announced that Rick Flora, formerly president of BJG Electronics, has been named CEO of the BJG Electronics Group.

“The combination of BJG, CTL [Connector Tech LLC] andWhitmor/Wirenetics completes the evolution of BJG from a regional connector specialist to one of the largest full-line distributors of mil-aero interconnect components in North America,” said Flora.

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WIRE, CABLE, 90 YEARS WAI CELEBRATES AND MANY HAPPY RETURNS

You’re in for a win-win as theWAI Operations Summit &Wire Expo returns to the Mohegan Sun Resort Casino in 2020.

PLANNING STARTS NOW. It’s GAME ON for visitors, ace speakers, sponsors, and exhibitors who want to replay the event’s 2016 success at this popular New England attraction.

And in theWire Association’s 90 th year, this event brings to light the latest in Manufacturing Best Practices . MORE SUNSHINE. This is your chance to take home valuable insight you can use right away to achieve more positive, profitable results at your wire and cable plant. Featuring: A Plant Operations Focus | Inspriational speaker: Brett Culp | Guest Speaker and NFL Insider: Adam Schefter | Exhibits | Bright New Products | Welcome Reception | WAI Awards | Production Solutions Demos | Fundamentals of Wire Manufacturing Course | Prysmian Willimantic Plant Tour | Plus+ New England Chapter &WAI-member Activities

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Image: Clare Carlson

North Dakota funding

Clare Carlson, state director of US Department of Agriculture (USDA) North Dakota Rural Development, has announced the USDA’s investment in broadband infrastructure projects for the state. Just one of the funding announcements for the first round of USDA’s ReConnect Pilot Program investments, $23 million will be used to create or improve rural e-Connectivity. communications investments in rural areas of North Dakota is important because when rural America thrives, all America thrives,” Carlson said. “Polar Communications and Daktel Communications will use USDA’s ReConnect Program to provide essential broadband technology to rural areas, which is a utility as important as water, sewer and electricity. North Dakota farms and ranches, small businesses and families “Providing critical

in these communities will experience a positive economic impact from access to broadband e-Connectivity.” Polar Communications will use a $21.2 million loan and grant combination in ReConnect Program funding to construct a 1,870-square-mile fiber-to-the-premises network. Polar Communications’ optic fiber network provides voice, video and broadband services, and advanced business services such as phone systems, video surveillance and advanced networking. Daktel Communications, a competitive local exchange carrier that provides services within the Jamestown, North Dakota area, will use a $1.8 million ReConnect Program grant to provide broadband service over a 354-square- mile network.

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Image: Liberty Steel Group

New life for steel mill in prospect

A Louisiana steel mill that shut down last September is likely to be revived by the Liberty Steel Group. Liberty Steel has made a $28 million cash offer which, the company says, has made it the preferred buyer for the mill. Liberty was expecting to close the deal at the end of January, with plans to upgrade and modernize the LaPlace mill which, it believes, could be recycling before the end of 2020 and making steel by 2021. The group already owns steel operations in Illinois, Ohio, New Mexico and South Carolina.

“While the plant requires upgrades to be restarted competitively, we see good potential for the business,” said GFG’s executive chairman, Sanjeev Gupta, adding that the steel mill, formerly belonging to Bayou Steel Group “benefits from reliable access to supplies of recycled steel, competitive power prices, and its own deep-water port.” The mill should eventually bring the group’s total US production capacity to 3 million tons a year, said Grant Quasha, GFG Alliance’s chief investment officer for North America. He said the group’s US goal is for an annual 5 million tons of steel.

Liberty Steel Group is part of the GFG Alliance, headquartered in London.

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wiredInUSA - February 2020

Photo by Paweł Czerwiński on Unsplash

Company acquires added color

PolyOne Corporation has entered into an agreement with Clariant and Clariant Chemicals India Ltd to purchase the global color and additive masterbatch businesses. “This will be a truly transformational acquisition for both PolyOne and Clariant customers and employees around the world. Together we will benefit from the combined ingenuity, passion and expertize of two global leaders in color design, additive technologies and sustainable solutions,” said Robert M Patterson, PolyOne Corporation’s

chairman, president and chief executive officer.

Clariant’s color andadditivemasterbatch business, which reached sales of $1.15 billion for the last twelve months, includes technologiesandsolutions for high-growth global end markets such as consumer, packaging and healthcare. The Clariant business includes 46 manufacturing operations and technology centers in 29 countries. Around 3,600 Clariant employees will join PolyOne’s color, additives and inks segment.

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Image: FBA

North America’s fiber boost

The Fiber Broadband Association (FBA) and the market research firm RVA LLC have released a new study showing record growth in the North American fiber broadband industry. Launching the report, Michael Render, president of RVA LLC, and a researcher for FBA, highlighted that fiber deployment reached “record highs” during 2019, now passing 46.5 million homes and connecting 20.5 million. The figure represents a 16 per cent increase in homes passed by fiber since 2018.

400,000 fiber routes deployed in the last year, driven by new deployments to homes, upgrades by cable operators, and deployments to small cell sites. Canada’s own 2019 milestone was reaching 50 percent of all homes passed by fiber. “2019 was a banner year for fiber broadband,” said Lisa R Youngers, president and CEO of the Fiber Broadband Association. “Fiber networks now support everything from 5G to smart cities to the Internet of Things. I’m thrilled that our association can demonstrate the progress that wehavemade. In 2020wewill continue the work to connect the unconnected and accelerate our fiber future.”

All-fiber deployments to customer end- points are also at record levels, with over

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wiredInUSA - February 2020

Subsea cable loses a partner

Citing a lack of resources, Telebras has withdrawn from a 40Tbps submarine cable project between Brazil and Europe.

The company is reported to have written to its partner, Ellalink Ireland, to amicably terminate the contract that was first announced in January 2019.

Telebras has been included in Brazil’s fiscal and social security budget for 2020 with the status of dependent state-owned company, which means it was unable to assume any payment for the project during 2020.

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Image: Prysmian Group

Move into Mexico

Prysmian Group has a new contract from the government-owned company Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE) for its “Proyecto de Conectividad Fibra Óptica Red Eléctrica Inteligente REI” project in Mexico. This will be the Mexican government’s largest cable project, and will connect remote regions of the country with high speed broadband. The project includes the design, supply and installation of at least

9,800km of OPGW cables and 5,100km of ADSS cables. Prysmian will produce the ADSS cables at its Durango, Mexico, plant. Philippe Vanhille, executive vice president telecombusiness for Prysmian, commented: “This contract is a significant milestone for Prysmian in Mexico. Mexico and Central America offer considerable scope for development in all telecom sectors in the near future, with broadband internet subscribers constantly growing.”

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EUROPE NEWS

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Klüber Lubrication has acquired Traxit International GmbH and its subsidiaries

Easing expansion by acquisition

Klüber Lubrication has acquired Traxit International GmbH and its subsidiaries, making Traxit Group a further division of the Klüber Lubrication Group. Traxit supplies dry and wet lubricants and coating agents for wire drawing applications, with manufacturing sites in Germany, China and the United States. “We have been pursuing an active acquisition strategy for many years with a view to expanding the existing businesses by further value-added services.

addition to our existing portfolio of advanced specialty lubricants, improving operational efficiency and protecting customer assets,” commented Claus Langgartner, speaker of the board of Klüber Lubrication. Munich-based Klüber Lubrication is a specialty lubricants supplier for a number of industries, including automotive, chemical, marine and metalworking. Traxit will continue to be responsible for the operative management of its businesses, with the company’s headquarters remaining in Schwelm, Gernamy.

“High-end products and services for the manufacturing of wires are a perfect

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wiredInUSA - February 2020

Wire and cable to gather in London

Cables take cover

Van Oord/Cablel has selected First Subsea to supply cable protection systems (CPS) for the export cables and cross-over protection for TenneT’s Net op zee Hollandse Kust offshore wind farm, 20km off the coast of The Hague. First Subsea will engineer, test and supply a CPS for the protection of the 220kV export cables, and for a 66kV interlink cable between the Alpha and Beta offshore substations. The platforms will be of a jacket design, with J-tubes used to guide and protect the export cables entering the platforms. The CPS will be installed on top of the scour protection, and trenched beyond the scour protection. The CPS will protect against vortex-induced vibrations, instability due to waves and currents, touchdown protection, edge scour and abrasion. It will also improve cable fatigue performance, and make installation and disconnection more simple. The scope of work includes twelve pipeline crossings for four submarine power cables, each crossing three pipelines.

Leonardo Royal Hotel London St Paul’s

CRU will hold its 14 th wire and cable conference at the Leonardo Royal London St Paul’s, London, between 8 th and 10 th June 2020. The agenda will include presentations from global producers and consumers of wire and cable products for the energy, communication, transport and automotive sectors; and representatives from across the copper, aluminum, optic fiber and associated materials supply chains. Streamed sessions will allow for discussions in greater depth. The conference will be an opportunity to see the latest in wire and cable designs and technical developments to improve performance, and to increase efficiency and sustainability. In addition to speakers and discussion sessions, delegates can meet with industry peers and customers from across the wire and cable industry during the frequent networking events.

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Belgian acquisition

Strengthened R&D

Image: NKT

Image: Komax Switzerland-based Komax, a manufacturer whose range includes automated wire processing equipment, automatic crimping, and cable handling machines, has acquired Exmore, a Belgian specialist in equipment used for making sensor cables. Exmore, which was founded in 1993, supplies equipment for cutting, stripping, crimping, marking, welding and testing cables as well as related electronics. Its customers work in a range of markets that includes the automotive industry, consumer electronics, industrial, aerospace and medical technology. Komax currently has production facilities in Europe, North and South America, Asia and Africa.

In a move to strengthen its capabilities in the development of future power cable technology, NKT has acquired Technology Consulting from ABB. The technology consulting unit specializes in areas such as chemistry and materials, applied mechanics, and electrical testing all within power cable development. It has a work force of around 30 employees. Anders Jensen, executive vice president and chief technology officer for NKT, commented: “This is an important step in strengthening our technology capabilities and [research and development] setup... I ampleasedtowelcomethenewcolleagues to NKT, bringing expert knowledge in key areas needed to help continue developing the power cable technology for the future.” The acquisition is expected to be of particular benefit for NKT’s HVDC technology.

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wiredInUSA - February 2020

Strengthening Italy’s grid

German wind powering ahead

Prysmian Group has signed two important power cable systems agreements with Terna, through its subsidiary Terna Rete Italia SpA. Under the first contract, Prysmian will be responsible for the development of an 150kV HVAC power cable link between the Zuel and Somprade substations in the province of Belluno, in northern Italy. Installation is expected to be completed within 2020, in anticipation of the 2021 Alpine World Ski championships in Cortina. The second award is for the development of a 150kV HVAC cable system to improve the performance and reliability of the power transmission system in southern Italy. The cables for both projects will be manufactured at Prysmian’s plants in Pignataro Maggiore (Italy) and Gron (France).

Photo by Bastiaan Lambrey on Unsplash

Transmission system operator TenneT has revealed that the output of German North Sea wind farms rose by 21 percent in 2019, higher than the country’s 2020 offshore wind capacity target of 6.5GW. At the end of 2019 Germany had 6.4GW of offshore wind operating in the North Sea, with a further 740MW in the Baltic Sea. Tennet added it has already built grid connections for 7.1GW in the North Sea. TenneT Germany’s MD, Tim Meyerjürgens, said: “With ... three further offshore grid links being built, we will provide 10GW in transmission capacity from the North Sea in Germany by 2025.” However, the German government is holding off further development, with no further tenders for wind at sea until 2021. It has announced its willingness to raise the 2030 offshore wind target for 2030 from 15GW to 20GW, but has yet to take any action. In 2019 TenneT transmitted 21.21TW hours of electricity from the North Sea to the German grid, which was 20.7 percent more than in 2018. Power from the North Sea was 16.6 percent of Germany’s overall wind output in 2019.

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New center up and running

Stockholm system

Image: NKT

NKT has a contract to supply high voltage onshore power cables to complete the Beckomberga-Bredäng expansion of Stockholm’s power grid. Swedish distribution system operator Ellevio is one of three power system operators behind the “Stockholm Ström” project, formed to ensure a stable and sufficient power supply for the growing population of the Swedish capital. The onshore power cable system was awarded by Ellevio to NKT in a consortium with Craftor AB. NKT will supply 60km of 420kV high voltage AC power cables and carry out jointing and termination works. Craftor AB will supply communication cables and provide civil works. The onshore power cables will be manufactured at NKT’s factory in Cologne, Germany, and the project has an anticipated completion date in 2022. “Both in Sweden and neighbor markets we see grid expansion needs to support not only a stable and sustainable power supply but also [the] political ambitions of CO 2 reduction, more electrical cars and heat pumps,” said Claes Westerlind, NKT’s executive vice president and head of high voltage solutions in Karlskrona, Sweden.

Image: Matthias Lapp Lapp’s logistics center in Wrocław, Poland, opened in November. The new 90,000 square meter facility will allow Lapp to provide higher volume at short notice, explained CTO Boris Katic: “With the new logistics concept in Poland, we…are also adapting our processes and offers for customer needs outside our existing main customer group of mechanical engineering.” He continued: “We see a rapidly growing demand for the products and services needed for large construction and infrastructure projects. The new logistics concept takes this into account by improving product availability through increased storage capacity.” The decision to locate in Wrocław was due to its local transport infrastructure. The center is expected to relieve the previous German locations by removing products on large drums and thus freeing up space, allowing them to focus on special segments and optimize their range to suit local customers. CEO Matthias Lapp commented: “The new location lost no time in taking up operations. Work began in several shifts at the beginning of November, just two weeks after the opening.”

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ASIA & AFRICA NEWS

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Image: Nokia

Atlantic crossing

Angola Cables is trialling Nokia’s Photonic Service Engine 3 (PSE-3) chipset for the first direct subsea optical connection between the USA and Africa. The route provides direct, low latency trans- Atlantic routing and aims to simplify the increase of services for data consumption markets in Africa. Both SACS (South Atlantic Cable System) and MONET subsea cable systems will be connected, so allowing 300Gbps of traffic between Miami and Luanda. International Telecommunication Union (ITU), sub- Saharan Africa has recorded the highest growth in internet use globally over the past decade, from under 10 percent of the population in 2010, to over 28 percent in 2019. According to the

SACS, owned and managed by Angola Cables, operates between Fortaleza, Brazil, and Luanda, Angola, and is connected to the AngoNAP data center. The consortium- owned MONET connects Santos/Fortaleza with Florida, USA. Fernando Azevedo, technical director at Angola Cables, said: “With Nokia’s PSE-3, Angola Cables can optically interconnect the MONET and SACS submarine fiber optic cables, enabling more capacity and a further reduction in latency between content providers in North America and the rapidly growing data consumption markets in Africa.”

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wiredInUSA - February 2020

Upholding rod standards

Australian cable deal

Nurul Majiad Mahmud Humayun

Image: Taihan Electric Wire Co

Taihan Electric Wire Co has won a $119 million deal in Australia. Under the deal with TransGrid, one of largest transmission utilities in Australia, Taihan Electric Wire will install 330kV underground cables in New South Wales. The contract was won on a full turnkey basis, meaning Taihan Electric Wire will deliver the cables as well as take charge of design, cable installation, jointing and commissioning.

Industries Minister for Bangladesh, Mr Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun, has directed the Bangladesh standards and testing institution to instigate a “drive” against factories manufacturing illegal and substandard steel rods. In his address to a meeting with representatives of the Bangladesh Steel Manufacturers Association, the minister said: “The drive will be run for the sake of public interest.”

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Funding power

Growing the domestic product

Photo by Kees Streefkerk on Unsplash The Sahofika hydro-power project in Madagascar, designed to provide an additional 205MW of renewable energy, has received funding from the African Development Bank in line with the bank’s “Light Up and Power Africa” program. The bank’s support will include risk mitigation to the project developers and debt providers by supporting the payment obligations of Jirama, the state-owned utility. The Sahofika project is located on the Onive river, south of the country’s capital, Antananarivo. It will involve the design, construction and operation of a 205MW hydro-electric power plant, the construction of a 110km transmission line to the site, and construction of camp facilities and 112km of access roads. The project will generate 1,570GWh of renewable power annually and will enable Madagascar to displace up to 90 percent of its thermal energy generation.

Image: SteelAsia

Benjamin Yao, chairman and chief executive of SteelAsia Manufacturing, has said: “The Philippines is the only southeast Asian country that does not produce its steel requirements,” but he hopes that a strong local steel industry will enable the Philippines to catch up with its industrial neighbors. SteelAsia plans to diversify its production from reinforcing bars and construction steel to wire rod, steel beams for bridges, sheet piles for ports, and heavy angles for transmission towers. SteelAsia operates six community mills around the Philippines and is building more to supply the construction sector with rebar. Yao believes steel is “the mother of all manufacturing” that creates jobs and lifts the whole economy; he says steel has played a crucial role in the industrialization of Japan, Taiwan, South Korea and China. Last September, SteelAsia signed a memorandum of understanding with China’s HBIS Group to develop the first integrated iron and steel facility in Batangas province, to elevate the domestic steel industry and reduce dependence on imports.

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Higher fiber count Greater Bay opportunities

Image: OceanNews

Photo by Umberto on Unsplash

Angola Cables and Companhia de Telecomunicações de Macau (CTM) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to enhance digital opportunities for business between Macau, mainland China, African Portuguese-speaking countries and Brazil. CTM will use its international network, and Macau’s position in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-MacauGreater Bay area, as a hub for the digitalization of the Asia-Pacific region. Macau and its neighboring regions are said to offer the conditions and opportunities to be the landing point for international cable systems and an “ideal location for hosting data centers, in order to promote the digital ecosystem of the region.” Angola Cables has a high capacity submarine cable network in the Atlantic region, and data centers in Angola and Brazil.

NEC and its subsidiary OCC Corporation have completed the full qualification of subsea repeaters and optical cable containing up to 40 fibers (20 fiber-pairs) - a 25 percent increase in fiber count over NEC’s previous systems. NEC said only minor modifications to key repeater components were necessary to achieve the new design. The 20 fiber-pair repeaters continue to use NEC’s quadruple pump sharing technology. OCC’s 20 fiber-pair cable can be manufactured using a wide range of existing optical fibers, according to need; easy identification of individual fibers allows the number of fibers in a cable to be increased. “As global capacity demand continues to soar, NEC is committed to helping our customers scale up their networks in a cost-effective way,” said Takaaki Ogata, executive technical manager of NEC’s submarine network division. “Further significant increases in the fiber-pair count of NEC’s wet plant are coming soon,” he added.

wiredInUSA - February 2020

38

Winding wire plans

Rebar stocks show no surprise

Image: LS Group

South Korea’s LS Group is planning further investment in its winding wire manufacturing plant in Serbia to increase its business footprint in eastern Europe. LS’s chairman, Koo Ja-yeol met with Serbian Parliament Speaker Maja Gojkovic, during her visit to Seoul, to discuss ways to expand business cooperation and investment in the country. LS Cable and System’s power cable manufacturing subsidiary, Superior Essex Co, operates a winding wire factory in Zrenjanin, Serbia, producing an annual 12,000 tons of copper wire. “LS will additionally invest in the copper wire plant to double the capacity and make it the largest copper factory in eastern Europe,” said Koo.

As anticipated, China’s inventory of construction steel rebar rose for a fifth consecutive week at the start of January, as depressed demand built up rebar stocks at warehouses and steel mills. Social inventories of rebar also increased as a result of clearing the cargo backlog at ports and construction sites before closing for the Chinese New Year. A current gap in profit margins made steelmakers more likely to produce hot- rolled coil at the expense of rebar, while narrower margins have pushed some electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmakers into suspension or to carry out extensive maintenance. Industry data showed rebar inventories at Chinese steelmakers stood at 2.17 million metric tonnes on 2 nd January 2020, four weeks before the Chinese New Year holiday; this was up 2.8% from 26 th December 2019. Overall inventories of rebar, including stocks across steelmakers and social warehouses, increased 8.7% at 5.6 million metric tonnes as of 2 nd January. On a yearly basis this showed overall inventories had increased by 2.2%.

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wiredInUSA - February 2020

Products, Machines & Technology

wiredInUSA - February 2020

40

Low fluoride for high altitude

Spec 55 LF is qualified to mil-spec SAE- AS22759. The single wall Spec 55 LF system is qualified to SAE-AS22759/51 and /52 while the dual wall variant is qualified to SAE- AS22759/53 and /54. Flexible cables replace coax L-com has launched a new series of coaxial cable assemblies featuring 402SS cable, suitable to replace semi-rigid coax cable in applications that benefit from greater flexibility. L-com’s new LCCA series 402SS cable assemblies are designed to offer an alternative to .141 semi-rigid (RG402) style cables, providing flexibility with performance characteristics very similar to semi-rigid coax. The cables operate up to 18GHz and have several connector options including male and female SMA and type-N connectors, type-N female bulkhead and male SMA right-angle connector combinations. The 402SS coax cable features a solid center conductor, PTFE dielectric and a silver- plated copper braid outer shield over a silver-plated copper spiral strip inner shield. The assemblies have stainless steel connectors and heavy-duty booting.

TE Connectivity has released its Spec 55 low fluoride (55 LF) wire and cable insulation system for avionic applications and high altitude environments. Made from rugged fluoropolymer, TE’s Spec 55 LF insulation has an outgassing rating of less than 10ppm, helping to reduce the potential for corrosion of other components by trappedgases escaping in a lowpressure environment. In addition to an outgassing rating significantly below the 20ppm specified under mil-spec SAE-AS22759, the Spec 55 LF insulation system has five times the scrape abrasion resistance required by the standard. Spec 55 LF is available in lightweight single wall and extra-rugged dual wall variants with a choice of cable configurations. “Mitigating corrosion potential by reducing outgassing is critically important to customers designing for space, launch, and missile applications,” said Patrick Murphy, product manager for TE’s aerospace, defense and marine division. “TE is … the only supplier of adual wall mil-spec qualified option, and one of only two suppliers of the single wall option.”

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wiredInUSA - February 2020

available) and the housings can be used with hybrid contact inserts for data, signal and power, making it possible to configure future-proof machine design for processing units, including ethernet. By using an adapter, the user can integrate a selection of Han ® 3A inserts, including RJ45 interfaces, signal inserts with up to 21 poles, and power contacts for currents up to 40A. Second peeling machine Baosteel has ordered a second Danieli peeling machine for its Baoshan plant, to be installed in March 2020. The new unit performs both cylindrical and conical shape bar peeling as well as bars up to 200mm diameter. The machine is compact, with stiffness guaranteed to ISO h8 tolerance in continuous production.

The multi-layer shield construction is designed to give excellent insertion and shielding performance.

Hygienic connectors Harting has developed the Han ® F+B connector series, designed to provide strong resistance to detergents, to function in a wide temperature range from -40 to +125°C, and to prevent the build-up of dirt.

The housings are certified by Ecolab and have FDA 21 approvals.

For hygiene and safety in food processing environments, circular shapes and smooth junctions, threads and seals were selected for the Han F+B range to ensure an easy-to- clean design.

Han F+B also meets IP69K requirements for resistance to water jet washing.

Coupling and uncoupling is simple and quick; if machine downtime occurs, operators no longer need to open a cable gland on the control cabinet to decouple devices. Costly detaching and re-establishing of hardwired connections is eliminated and machine downtimes are reduced.

For secure identification, the connectors are blue (though a black version is also

S S New Danieli peeling machine is on the way

wiredInUSA - February 2020

42

Compound out of REACH Borealis has launched HE1355, a high density polyethylene (HDPE) grade, free of azodicarbonamide (ADCA), and designed for use in telecommunications cables. Borealis believes the new development will enable cable manufacturers to future- proof their production operations, as the use of HE1355 will avoid any issues arising from the planned inclusion of ADCA on the EU’s annex XIV of REACH. HE1355 is said to equal the technical performance of other chemically foamed HDPE grades currently on the market, wiredIn USA Digital . Networking . Monthly .

combining the characteristics of Borealis’s HE1345 and HE1344 compounds.

The optimal cell structure of HE1355 makes it suitable for applications such as foam or foam-skin insulation for telephone singles and data cables with a typical expansion of 35-40 percent, as well as for dry core and petroleum-jelly-filled cables.

The new compound was tested in a series of customer trials prior to its launch.

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wiredInUSA - February 2020

EDITORIAL Index

ABB

31 37

LLFlex

9

African Development Bank

LS Group

39 38

Angola Cables

35, 38

NEC NKT

Baosteel

42 20 43 24 38 15 30 42 31 25 14 42 37 29 31 33 41 23

31, 32

BJG Electronics

Nokia

35 38 24 25 16 16 16 11 37 36 41 26 32 29 30 20 13

Borealis

OCC Corporation PolyOne Corporation

Clariant and Clariant Chemicals India Ltd Companhia de Telecomunicações de Macau

Prysmian Group

27, 32

RVA LLC

Corning Optical Communications

Seaborn Networks

CRU

Seabras 1 Bermuda Ltd Seabras 1 USA LLC Solar Provider Group SteelAsia Manufacturing Taihan Electric Wire Co

Danieli Exmore

Fiber Broadband Association

Geoterra

Harting

TE Connectivity

HBIS Group

Telebras TenneT

Klüber Lubrication

Komax

Traxit International GmbH

Lapp

Van Oord/Cablel Whitmor/Wirenetics

L-com

Liberty Steel Group

Wire Association International

wiredInUSA - February 2020

44

ADVERTISING Index

AIM Inc

10 13 11 15 16 14

Beta LaserMike (An NDC Technologies Brand)

Clinton Instrument Company

DeWAL

Electrical Cable Compounds Inc

Madem

Magnetic Analysis Corp

20, 26

Messe Düsseldorf

7

Nano-Diamond America Inc

12 19

Paramount Die

Sikora

8

WAI

21 17

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

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wiredInUSA - February 2020

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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

20 ITORIAL FEATURES

UARY

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

ire Düsseldorf 2020 – show preview

Asia (including China) – 41%

Europe – 40%

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

Rest of the World – 3%

RCH

Americas – 16%

*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

AY

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 wiredInUSA – the brightest F ezin

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UK, ROW, USA, CANADA & S. AMERICA, GERMANY, AUSTRIA, SWITZERLAND Jason Smith k | Tel: +44 1926 834684 pools and winding

re China – show issue