FEATURING
REPORT TO MEMBERS
By Steve Fetteroll, executive director
The following report captures the activity of the Wire Association International (WAI) over the past year and a forward-looking operational assessment. As you will see, the 2024 year was a successful year for the Association and because of exciting work now be done, the near-term outlook is very positive for 2025 and the three to five years to follow.
WAI’s greatest asset remains its missiondedicated volunteer and staff resources
WAI’s greatest strength continues to be the industry’s commitment to the organization through volunteer service. The Association is guided by the 21-persons on the Board of Director (see p. 36) and some 125 additional volunteers who serve on 11 WAI committees. Each of those bodies support the operations that are dedicated to our educational mission. In 2023, then WAI President Kurt Breischaft, president of SDI LaFarga COPPERWORKS, established a monthly meeting schedule for the Executive Committee. This was intended to ensure the organization was well positioned as the business of events returned to normal. In 2024,
WAI President Daniel Blais, vice president of engineering and manufacturing in Canada, continued the monthly meeting that has continued to be effective in guiding the organization. His impact on the organization was exceptional and evident in our Wire Expo production, the Centennial Plan and the developing Education Center.
The WAI’s Executive Committee has been especially busy with their most demanding corporate responsibilities. Yet, somehow, the members found the time to support their profession. Their important work consumed personal time and deserve to be recognized as the Association is dedicated to serving the wire and cable industry. This is true also with our 125 other volunteers that serve in a wide variety of roles.
WAI President Daniel Blais welcomed attendees to Wire Expo 2024, where the Prysmian executive introduced Keynote Speaker Paul Furtado, a fellow Prysmian executive who delivered a memorable presentation.
wire India 2024: all was good
The four Indian metal trade fairs wire India, Tube India, METEC India and India Essen Welding & Cutting fared well at the Bombay Exhibition Centre, where a steady stream of attendees explored opportunities.
A press release said that 21,086 trade visitors came to find out about innovative industry technologies and solutions from 532 exhibitors from 22 countries. The enthusiasm of the industry participants was an encouraging sign for the recovery and growth of the sector.
Organized by Messe Düsseldorf India, the fairs are an important meeting point for Indian and international players in the wire, cable, tube, metallurgy, cutting and welding industries. The high number of visitors reflects the continuing importance of the four trade fairs for maintaining business relations and finding out about technological advances and industry trends.
In addition to numerous Indian businesses on the show floor, exhibitors hailed from countries that included Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, the Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, India, Italy, Luxembourg, Singapore, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
Wire machines, wires, cables, fastening elements, spring machines and tube machines were exhibited on 38,000 gross sq m. In addition: raw materials, plant and equipment, iron production, steel molding, casting of molten steel as well as surface and cutting technologies and processes.
The four national pavilions presented by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection (Germany), the Italian Trade Agency (Italy), the International Wire and Cable Exhibitors Association (France) and the Swiss Competence Cluster (Switzerland) were another highlight.
Three well-attended conferences were organized in parallel to the quartet of trade fairs. One was for tube, but two conferences focused on current industry topics that relate to the wire and cable industry. One of those was “Process Innovations and Application Initiatives for a Clean, Green and Efficient Wire & Cable Industry in India,” and the other was, “Vision 2047 - 500 MT Steel Production: Initiative to Decarbonise the Indian Steel Industry,” which was co-organized by Steel & Metallurgy.
Messe Düsseldorf India General Manager Millie Contractor was quite pleased with the overwhelming response to the fairs. “The Indian metal fairs have once again been very well received by the industry. We have seen spectacular growth this year, both in terms of exhibitors and trade visitors as well as international participation. It fills me with great satisfaction that the four trade fairs have successfully helped to facilitate interactions that are shaping the future of the industry. The growth of the industry is fueled by the contacts made here, which open up new avenues for the metal industry.”
Echoing those thoughts was Daniel Ryfisch, Messe Düsseldorf’s director of wire/Tube. “India is a very important market for our international exhibitors. The
The ribbon-cutting ceremony at wire India soon led to three busy days, with more than 21,000 participants at the combined events held at the Bombay Exhibition Centre. Messe Düsseldorf photo.
wire Mexico back, with Tube
The second staging of wire Mexico as part of the established Mexican trade fair Expo Manufactura will be held from Feb. 11-13, 2025, at the CINTERMEX Centro Internacional de Negocios in Monterrey, joined by the debut of Tube Mexico.
Per the organizers, Messe Düsseldorf the wire & Tube Mexico 2025 trade fairs will offer international companies an important platform to enter the Latin American wire/ cable and tube/pipe market. Especially Mexico is becoming increasingly important and is a key growth market for these industries. Growing investment in Mexican infrastructure, particularly from the automotive, electronics and energy sectors, is driving national demand for wire, cables, tubes, pipes and accessories. “At wire and Tube Mexico you will see global market leaders and trendsetters from the entire process chain. Meet at decision-making level for new impulses, networking, knowledge exchange and big business,” said Daniel Ryfisch, director of Messe Düsseldorf’s Metalflow Alliance portfolio.
Exhibit categories at wire Mexico include machinery for wire/cable manufacturing and processing, tools and auxiliary materials as well as wire/cable products, testing technology and software. Tube Mexico focuses on metallic tube and pipe manufacturing and processing machinery, tools, resource efficiency and OCTG.
To date, more 1,600 sq m of booth space have been reserved for wire and Tube Mexico 2025. Both trade fairs will feature country pavilions from Germany, Italy and Brazil. In addition, wire Mexico will include country group exhibits from Austria and France as well as a group stand organized by the International Wire and Machinery Association (IWMA).
The premiere of wire Mexico (Jan. 30-Feb. 1) saw 51 exhibitors from 12 countries presented their latest technologies and innovations on 580 sq m of exhibit space. Following that event, exhibitors contacted for their thoughts on the experience were generally positive.
“wire Mexico was interesting for us because it was the first time there was a wire part at the event, but also because it was the first time we were exhibiting in Mexico,” said Michaela Boockmann, marketing/sales manager for Germany’s Boockmann GmbH. She said that the contacts were good. “There seems to be a good market for sales and technical representations and agents of all sorts, as we had more contacts of that sort in Mexico than we ever had at other places like Bangkok or Sao Paulo. I guess there would not have been that many if there was no business for them.”
Boockmann said that her company would return as “Mexico is such a big country with huge industrial opportunities, and from our point of view the market is just about to reach the point where our products become interesting for wire and cable manufacturers, when the focus in requirements start shifting from volume to quality.”
“I was in Mexico and it was well organized at a very nice exhibition center,” said Don Neville, managing director, RichardsApex Europe Ltd., which is among the returning exhibitors. “I believe it has good prospects for success.”
Another returning U.S. exhibitor, Rob Fulop, president of Wire Lab, observed that he is not a fan of broad-based expositions, but that the Monterrey market has long been very productive for his company. The pavilion was organized by the Messe, which made a difference for exhibiting as there were people in charge that he knew very well. “I did have a handful of good conversations with current and prospective customers. I was pleased with that.
Also returning is Rosendahl Nextrom, which has added incentive as the company is in the final stages of open a new sales and service unit in Mexico in the first quarter of this year to provide faster on-site service and support for the company’s customer-base in Mexico. Looking back at the first event, Nextrom Sales Manager Markus Gratzer said the show was quite good. well visited, the second of the three days being the best. “wire Mexico proved to be a successful event, showcasing the strength of Mexico’s
The year to come
Some of this section follows the traditional WJI “looking forward” feature path, but there is a decided focus on the activity of industry organizations as they collectively fill a role that individual companies can not. Their goals cannot be achieved without the help/direction of industry volunteers, both manufacturers and suppliers, a fitting circularity to the future.
What’s a growing yet troubled cable market? Think nautical
The global submarine cable market is expected to grow at nearly 6% a year through 2030. That’s the good news. The problem is that not only is there a backlog for such cable orders, there’s also a lack of vessels that can ship that hefty cable to where it’s needed. Per excerpts from a report from Coherent Market Insights and other sources, it’s not likely to be smooth sailing for some time.
It all comes down to the numbers. Heady projections for subsea power cable and telecom cable translate to a lot of demand for cable-laying vessels (CLV). The global market for CLVs is projected by Coherent Market Insights to have grown from $5.16 billion in 2023 to $8.56 billion by 2030.
Recent years have seen incredible subsea cable demand, but prior to that the market for CLVs was flat. Per SubTel Forum’s 2023/2024 Industry Report, there were 69 cable ships worldwide. No new dedicated cable ships were delivered between 2004 and 2010, and only five ships between 2011 and 2020.
The 2017 SubTel Forum Industry Report noted that all the cable ships were owned by just nine companies, a number that has expanded, including both maritime service businesses as well as cable manufacturers. A December 2022 article in Data Center Dynamics reported that, at that time, there were only eight ships younger than 18 years old, and 19 over 30 years old. According to Vessel Finder, the oldest CLV still in use is the TELEPAATTI, which was built in 1978 and sails under the flag of Finland.
There has been activity in new CLV building in recent years. At this time, Alcatel Submarine Networks (ASN) has seven CLVs, including two for maintenance; Prysmian has six CLVs, with two more on order; Orange Marine has six CLVs; Global Marine has five; Nexans has two, with one on order; LS Cable & System has two; NEC does not
own a CVL but leases one. Two Chinese cable manufacturers, Zhongtian Technology Submarine Cable Co., Ltd. (ZTT) and Ningbo Orient Cable each have a CVL, while last June a CVL was delivered to China’s Zhejiang Qiming Offshore Electric Power Engineering.
It can take two to three years to order and receive a CLV, and the cost is significant, often well over $100 million, and closer to $250 million for a top-end cable capacity.
The CLVs are needed to transport new cable for projects, but they are also used for repair work. Some work in tandem with survey vessels, and a few are able to bury cables, such as the Leonardo da Vinci, a CLV delivered to Prysmian in 2021.
A cable manufacturer that does not own one or more CLVs may find it difficult to schedule one. In the Data Center Dynamics article, Pioneer Consulting Managing Partner Gavin Tully said that projects were at the mercy of ship availability. The waiting period could be three years out. “You can’t just walk in and purchase ship time. “Scheduling is really paramount ... (and) it takes time to get a slot in the ship schedules.”
While these are uncertain times, they also are quite productive ones for shipbuilders that do provide such vessels, such as Vard and Ulstein Verft (both Norway), PaxOcean Group (Singapore) and China Merchants Heavy Industry (China).
The Best of... EXTRUDERS
The Best of ...
Graham Engineering Company USA
Jason DiChristofaro, strategic market manager
Tel. 717-848-3755
sales@grahamengineering.com www.grahamengineering.com
This section asks OEMs to explain why what they have to offer for customers is “the best of.” That claim could focus on the technology it provides for producing extruders, but part of the equation can also be what else a company has to offer customers. What makes it a good potential partner. Here, OEMs from five countries discuss what they offer. Also, one company provides further information in the Products section. also in
GEC’s compact Modular Extruder platform was originally designed for high-performance, tight-tolerance medical applications and is now becoming the new standard for fine wire and cable applications.
Proper melt quality and stable pressure control are crucial to insulating fine wires. The modular extruder’s ability to interchange barrel and screw configurations allow the operator to quickly change resins or barrel diameters to optimize their process and improve quality versus running a wide range of polymers or outputs on a standard extruder. Barrel modules can use standard-temperature and high-temperature polymers with corrosion resistance and various L/D ratios. Barrel modules can be configured to support physical or chemical foaming applications. Various feed section geometries can be provided to help feed difficult materials. The barrel size range is from .50 in. to 1.75 in.
Spare modules and screws can be purchased, and with an optional preheater cart, the barrel module for the next run can be prewarmed for a quick barrel swap to get up and running with minimal downtime. We can sell a modular extruder as a stand-alone machine or as a fully integrated wire and cable system.
All modular extruders are combined with our XC Navigator® control platform, which provides full machine or line integration control and trending with all upstream and downstream components. Take complete command of your production process, maintenance, and data. Backed by our team, every modular extruder undergoes a full run-off in our factory before shipment, guaranteeing a fast, trouble-free start-up, optimal performance, and reliability. Our experienced project management team will guide you through every step of your project, ensuring regular open communications, seamless execution, and timely delivery.
CALL FOR PAPERS CALL FOR PAPERS
You are invited to share your knowledge of today’s wire and cable manufacturing landscape with delegates at the 2025 Wire & Cable Conference in Krakow, Poland. Your participation should provide an in-depth view of the manufacturing advances in wire and cable research, operations, or production. Ferrous and nonferrous topics are welcome. Choose from the following topics or suggest one of your own.
conference: 14 OCTOBER 2025
ABSTRACTS DUE: MARCH 31, 2025
• Product Development
• AI and Industry 4.0
• System Security
• Workforce Training
• Production Efficiency
• Material Advancements
• Quality Management
• Professional Development
• Market Trends & Economic Factors
• Safety & Standards Compliance
• Sustainability & Environmental Impact
NOTICE OF ACCEPTANCE: MAY 21, 2025
MANUSCRIPTS DUE: SEPTEMBER 1, 2025
SUBMIT YOUR ABSTRACT:
ORGANIZED BY: bit.ly/WAIabstracts
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