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OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE WIRE ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL

Visit us at Wire Expo booth # 317

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WIRE JOURNAL ®

CONTENTS

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

Volume 47 | Number 4 | April 2014

Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

F EATURES

Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Global Steel Overcapacity

Industry News. . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Asian Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

WAI’s Indy

People. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Fiber Watch . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Fastener Update . . . . . . . . . . 26 WAI News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Chapter Corner . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Technical papers . . . . . . 54-71 Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Career Opportunities . . . . . . 77 Advertisers’ Index . . . . . . . . 79

Next issue May 2014 • Green Focus • Wrapup: wire Düsseldorf

Update: WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo 2014 . . 32 This section includes additional booth listings, an updated alpha listing and more.

Global steel overcapacity . . . . 44

The steel industry has been an especially challenging place in recent years, with too much capacity and not enough demand. This feature looks at steel’s “big picture” (a synonym for China), and includes the thoughts of one outspoken U.S. wire manufacturer as well as perspectives from Russia, Turkey and South Korea.

T ECHNICAL P APERS The potential for lubricant dust explosions in the wiredrawing industry David P. Gzesh, C. Ian Sidders, Yafeng (Alvin) Lian and Jean V. Reid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 The new wire rod mill at ArcelorMittal in Duisburg Peter Janßen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 ,:&6 3DSHU 1HZ ÀH[LEOH ¿EHU FDEOH IRU Thunderbolt™ and USB assemblies James Register and Jamie Silva . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Cover: With total global steel production well over a billion metric tons a year, most stories about overcapacity inherently focus on “big steel,” but wire rod is an important subset. See p. 44.

APRIL 2014 | 3

INSIDE THIS ISSUE CONTENTS

THERE’S A POINT TO THIS MEETING

. . 28

Some 68,000 sq ft of exhibit space for Interwire 2015 was allocated to exhibitors during the Points meeting that was held March 20 at WAI’s headquarters in Guilford, Connecticut. The on-line process saw companies choose their booths per the point system, with the floor plan uploaded in real time. Below, WAI volunteers Tom Siedlarz and Joe Snee help WAI Sales Director Bob Xeller tally the results on the board.

4 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

MOBILE AT INDY, A PERFECT FIT

. . . . 44

The WAI’s upcoming event at Indianpolis will mark the first time that the Association will serve attendees with a mobile mindset. All one has to do is go to www.wireexpo14.com and sign up. There’s no app to download, and all the event news you might want to look at will be available in seconds. A fitting touch for the land of the fast lane.

15 YEARS. 324 HV UNDERGROUND INSTALLATIONS. 0 CABLE FAILURES.* PEACE OF MIND. Impressive numbers. And, that’s just in North America. Dow Electrical & Telecommunications has been providing SC (super-clean) insulation, jacketing, conventional and and super-smooth semiconductive compounds for high voltage (HV) cable construction to the North American power industry for 15 years. And, we remain the only global producer of worldclass HV compounds that can be sourced locally in North America. Underground HV cable made from quality materials – proudly produced in the USA. Quality you can count on for cable reliability, longevity, efficiency and ease of installation. That’s what we call peace of mind. *Data refers to cable installed in North America as reported by the manufacturer.

DOW ELECTRICAL & TELECOMMUNICATIONS | www.dow.com

EDITORIAL WIRE JOURNAL ®

EDITORIAL

I N T E R N A T I O N A L

Being a world leader comes with a price The feature in this issue looks at steel overcapacity, and China, predictably, is the main focus. At this point, it would be easy to roll in the proverbial wheelbarrow of stats and focus on how China is the world’s largest steel producer, the largest steel consumer, etc., but there’s another take that puts it in a bit more context. First off, there’s no doubt that Chinas has staggering steel overcapacity, but that’s not all it has too much of. A March 3 article on manufacturing overcapacity in Qiushi, a journal of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, identified 24 key sectors, of which it said 21 had severe overcapacity problems. Five industries (steel, cement, electrolytic aluminum, sheet glass and ship building) were singled out for planned capacity reductions, suffering from markets with low pricing and high operating expenses. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology reported that some Chinese industries were operating at as low as about 60% by the end of 2013. Two key factors to Chinese overcapacity was staggering government investment on domestic projects as well as an export focus that saw the country become the top trading partner to more than 120 countries. In 2009, while the world economy was shuddering, China spent some $650 billion in stimulus spending, much of it for its infrastructure, to keep its economy humming and people employed. There is a price to being a world leader, and for China it is the tab for dominating sectors and giving preferential treatment to StateOwned-Enterprises (SOEs). Life, and manufacturing, is not static. China has seen its labor costs rise and its currency advantage ease, and it’s hard to ignore environmental woes when they are displayed worldwide. There is little question that the country’s “can do” approach has worked on one level, but the desire to shift to more value-added production is not a simple one to carry out when one has a massive commodity base. China’s Political Consultative Conference’s National Committee received nearly a thousand proposals for solving overcapacity for a meeting earlier this year. At it, one attendee questioned the approach. “You created the overcapacity problem through an ‘almighty government’ way. It is ridiculous that you intend to solve the issue in the same way.” China is the established leader in many sectors, but it brings to mind an old saying about being careful about what one wishes for.

Mark Marselli Editor-in-chief

WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL (ISSN-0277-4275) published monthly by The Wire Journal, Inc., is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Wire Association International, Inc., which is located at 1570 Boston Post Road, P.O. Box 578, Guilford, CT 06437-0578, USA, and can be contacted at tel. 203-453-2777; fax 203-453-8384; Internet wirenet.org; e-mail editorial@wirenet.org. Address all correspondence concerning advertising production, editorial and circulation to the above address. WJI is printed in USA. Subscription rates: $110 per year, USA; $120 per year, Canada and Mexico; other countries, $140 per year (includes air mail). Back copies: $10 WAI members, $15 non-members. Periodicals postage paid at Guilford, CT 06437, USA, and at additional of¿ces. Wire Journal International grants photocopy permission to libraries and others registered with Copyright Clearance Center (CCC), 21 Congress St., Salem, MA 01970, USA, for a fee of $0.50 per article. Payments should be sent directly to the CCC. Requests for bulk orders or reprints should be sent to the Wire Journal International, P.O. Box 578, Guilford, CT 06437-0578, USA. © 2014 by Wire Journal, Inc. All rights reserved. The Publisher of WJI assumes no responsibility for the validity of manufacturers’ claims made herein. Back issues of WJI are on micro¿lm and available from University Micro¿lm, 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106, USA. Phone: 313-761-4700. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Wire Journal International, P.O. Box 578, Guilford, CT 06437-0578, USA.

6 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Visit us at Wire Expo booth # 519

CALENDAR

CALENDAR June 17-18, 2014: Polymers in Cables Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. To be held at the Hotel Sofitel Philadelphia. Contact: Kelly Cressman, AMI Conferences, tel. 610-478-0800, kc@amiplastics-na. com, www.amiplastics-na.com.

May 6-7, 2014: WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. This WAI event, which will be held at the Indiana Convention Center, will include its trade show, technical programs and WAI’s 84th Annual Convention. It will be co-located with AISTech.

Sept. 24-27, 2014: wire China 2014 Shanghai, China. To be held at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC). Contact: Messe Düsseldorf North America, tel. 312-781-5180, info@ mdna.com, www.mdna.com.

May 14-15, 2014: 2014 National Electric Wire Processing Expo Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. To be held at the Wisconsin Center. Contact: Expo Productions, Inc., tel. 800-3675520 or 262-367-5500, cheryl@epishows.com.

Oct. 28-30, 2014: Wire & Cable India Mumbai, India. To be held at the Bombay Convention & Exhibition Centre. Contact: see wire China 2014.

June 9-11, 2014: 8th CRU Wire and Cable 2014 Istanbul, Turkey. CRU’s 8th Wire & Cable conference, to be held at the InterContinental Istanbul. Contact: CRU, tel. 44--20-7903-2444, www.crugroup.com, conferences@crugroup.com.

Nov. 2014: 63rd IWCS ConferenceTM Providence, Rhode Island, USA. To be held at the Rhode Island Convention Center. Contact: Pat Hudak, IWCS, tel. 717-993-9500, phudak@iwcs.org, www.iwcs.org.

June 9-12, 2014: Wire and Cable Guangzhou 2014 Guangzhou, China. To be held at the China Import and Export Fair Complex, this event is co-sponsored by Messe Frankfurt. Contact: Elaine Zheng, Guangzhou Guangya Messe Frankfurt Co., Ltd., tel. 86-203825-1558, sps@china.messefrankfurt.com, www.chinaexhibition.com.

Nov. 26-28, 2014: MFSH 2014 Shanghai, China. To be held at the China (Shanghai) Inernational Exhibition, this event includes bar, wire, steel rope and more. Contact: Shanghai Aoya Exhibition Co., at 86-21-3351 8138, ayexpo@vip.163.com.

June 16-18, 2014: 15th Guangzhou International Metal & Metallurgy Exhibition Guangzhou, China. To be held at the China Import and Export Fair Pazhou Complex. Contact: MeiWen, tel. 86-1-800-2266711 or tel. 86-20-38621295, meiwen@ julang.com.cn, www.julang.com.cn.

April 28-30, 2015: Interwire 2015 & WAI’s 85th Annual Convention Atlanta, Georgia, USA. WAI returns to the Georgia World Congress Center to stage its biennial trade show, technical programs and 85th Annual Convention.

WIRE ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL EVENTS For more information, contact the WAI, USA. Tel. 001-203-453-2777; fax 001-203-453-8384; www.wirenet.org.

May 6-7, 2014: WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. See main listing,

will return to the Ellington Ridge Country Club. Contact: WAI’s Anna Bzowski, tel. 203-453-2777, ext. 126, abzowski@wirenet.org.

June 20, 2014: Midwest Chapter 12th Annual Golf Tournament West Chicago, Illinois, USA. The Midwest Chapter will return to the St. Andrews Golf & Country Club. Contact: Steve Fetteroll, tel. 203-453-2777, ext. 115, sfetteroll@wirenet.org.

Oct. 2, 2014. The Vannais Southeast Chapter’s 13th Annual Golf Tournament Conover, North Carolina, USA. The Southeast Chapter will return to the Rock Barn Golf and Spa. Contact: Art Deming, tel. 252-955-9451, art.deming@nexans.com.

Sept. 8, 2014: New England Chapter 20th Annual Golf Tournament Ellington, Connecticut, USA. The New England Chapter

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April 28-30, 2015: Interwire 2015 & WAI’s 85th Annual Convention Atlanta, Georgia, USA. See main listing.

Visit us at Wire Expo booth # 414

INDUSTRY NEWS

INDUSTRY NEWS Ducab acquires U.K.’s AEI Cables Ducab, a leading United Arab Emirates-based cables manufacturer, has acquired AEI Cables, one of the oldest cable makers in the world. A press release said that, “AEI, a specialist cable manufacturer, will immediately expand Ducab’s cables and wires product range, give Ducab access to specialized expertise, and also provide a point of entry into the European market with a broader range of certified and type-approved products.” The acquisition of the company, which is based near Newcastle in North East England, includes all the manufacturing assets of the business as well as 200 experienced employees, it said.

“Given our growth strategy, we have evaluated many opportunities, and AEI Cables is the right fit for what we see as the direction of the market - not just in the Middle East but beyond as well,” said Ducab Chairman Jamal Salem Al Dhaheri. “This is an especially strategic acquisition for Ducab as we have seen the demand growing for specialist cables in the region, and through AEI Cables, we will be able to fast-track the expertise development in our factories in the UAE.” Ducab’s MD Andrew Shaw said that the goal is “to reinvigorate the operations at AEI Cables, and to expand both home and export sales.” He noted that the acquisition represents Ducab’s first plant overseas, and that “the expertise of the staff, the library of certifications and approvals, the strong client-base and the market reputation of AEI have all played key roles in our decision.” Per media reports, AEI had hit hard times in recent years. “The firm had faced falling into administration in 2011, but sacked 126 staff and kept itself afloat through a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA). Continued problems saw the firm ask creditors last August to accept a more manageable debt repayment schedule, but the firm’s fortunes have since turned a corner, with annual accounts

for the business revealing the value of its order book jumped almost 60% in the last financial year.” Under the terms of the agreement with Ducab, AEI Cables will become part of the firm and will continue to manufacture cables from Birtley, trading as AEI Cables Limited. AEI serves a number of industrial market sectors, including defense ship-building, mining, rubber industrial, rail (over and underground), tunnels, air-field lighting, shipping and offshore.

Bekaert acquires Pirelli’s steel cord business, includes sites in 5 countries Bekaert reports that it has agreed to acquire Pirelli’s steel cord activities, which include manufacturing sites in Figline Valdarno (Italy), Slatina (Romania), Izmit (Turkey), Yanzhou (China) and Sumarè (Brazil). A press release said that the deal includes all of the personnel and assets of the respective entities, and that as part of the transaction, Bekaert and Pirelli will enter into a long-term supply agreement of tire cord to Pirelli. “Both companies aim at a smooth transition process enabling continuity of supply and service to the Pirelli tire manufacturing plants,” it said, noting that the integration of the steel cord activities and the long-term supply agreement will further enhance Bekaert’s status “as an important supplier to the tire industry.” The release said that the transaction should add about 300 million euros to Bekaert’s consolidated sales on an annual basis. The deal, it said, has an enterprise value of 255 million euros, and is subject to customary closing conditions.

Nexans reports winning contract to supply cables for offshore wind farm Nexans reports that it will provide and install 140 km of 34 kV cables for offshore wind farms that is part of a larger contract off the coast of Germany. A press release said that the company will supply DONG Energy the inter-array cables that will link individual turbines at the Gode Wind 1 and 2 wind farms and connect them to an offshore transformer platform, off the Lower Saxony coast in northeast Germany. That project, it said, which will increase offshore wind power capacity in Germany, is part of a larger outline contract between DONG energy and Nexans for the supply of a total 900

Does your company have news that belongs here? E-mail it to the WJI at editorial@wirenet.org.

10 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

DONG Energy will use 140 km of cables from Nexans for a wind farm project. “We are delighted that DONG Energy values the quality and our more than 40 years of experience with offshore cables and that we, as supplier for these offshore projects, can do our bit to promote the energy turnaround,” said Nexans Executive Vice President of High Voltage & Underwater Cables Dirk Steinbrink.

LS Cable creates a new construction cable group, realigns production units South Korea’s LS Cable & System (LS Cable) announced that it has established a construction group, recruiting executives from construction companies, to better position itself in the construction business. A press release explained the company’s philosophy as follows. The power cable construction is generally divided into supply of materials, electric works and public works projects. Cable makers have been handling only part of the electric works that require

high-level skills other than simply supplying materials, but LS Cable & System has noted that the number of turnkey-based tenders has recently been increasing covering everything from supply of materials to completion of projects for the sake of convenient management. “As latecomers from the Middle East, China and India are leveraging their price advantage to fast encroach on the global cable market, construction technology and management capabilities are gradually becoming ever more important competitive factors,” the release said. “The measures taken by LS Cable & System are intended to expand its likelihood of winning contracts and improving profitability by reinforcing its construction competitiveness.” LS Cable is planning to bolster its expertise by integrating the power, submarine and communication cable construction teams scattered in respective sales divisions into a single organization, and maximize synergies by sharing success stories of individual business segments. Especially this year, the company will capitalize on its experience in existing power cable construction to reinforce its submarine cable construction competency as well. To this end, the company seconded project teams to Qatar and Venezuela prior to the beginning of cable construction where super large-scale submarine cable constructions are currently underway to provide thorough management and supervision while also accumulating construction experience. LS Cable has been accumulating construction competency in all parts of the world, including Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North America for more than 10 years since 2004 when the company won its first contract for a turnkey project in Qatar. In particular, the company has global construction centers in Qatar, Singapore, India and Saudi Arabia to reinforce its construction competency, and secures expertise by developing engineers as local experts. “LS Cable has had trials and errors in the past few years, and is now recognized overseas as a company that has not only good product quality, but also construction competency,” said LS Cable Vice President of Construction Group Tae-Hoon Kim.

Irish cable maker has quick close after many years of operation Irish Driver-Harris (IDH), a manufacturer of electrical cables based in New Ross in the southeast of Ireland, closed its doors for good in February with relatively little warning following a meeting where staffers were told that the business could no longer continue. For 80 years, the company has manufactured cable for the construction industry and OEMs worldwide, with sales outside Europe including the Middle East, Far East and North America, media reports said. Noted one, “Politicians and civic leaders ... have expressed shock and surprise at the immediate closure of one of the county’s longest estab-

APRIL 2014 | 11

INDUSTRY NEWS

km of medium-voltage cable for internal farm cabling. It noted that wind energy is a vital element in Germany’s ongoing Energy Turnaround (Energiewende). The wind farms, located about 45 km from the coast, just off the islands of Norderney and Juist, will have a capacity of 582 MW, enough to power around 600,000 German homes, it said. Total investment for the two projects stands at around 2.2 billion euros, with construction commencing in spring 2015, it said. “The order for Nexans shows that the German supplier industry already occupies a key position in the international offshore business, as the outline contract with Nexans not only includes the supply of our German projects Borkum Riffgrund 1 and Gode Wind, but also the supply of our U.K. wind farms,” said DONG Energy Managing Director Trine Borum Bojsen.

INDUSTRY NEWS Irish Driver-Harris closed recently after more than 75 years of cable manufacturing. lished companies with the loss of 47 jobs.” Some employees, it said, had been working at IDH for up to 40 years. A company statement said that the “large losses, reduced availability of supplier credit, and very aggressive price competition” led to its directors’ conclusion that the business “could no longer reasonably continue to trade.” At its website, IDH notes that “all its cables are manufactured, tested and approved to the highest standards: quality is in our culture. IDH has a very robust quality management system which is audited and certified by BASEC and LPCB. The IDH Quality management System certification includes requirements for design, manufacture and supply of our full range of cables and covers not only product approval but also environmental and health and safety approvals.”

Anixter reportedly up for sale Per multiple media reports, Anixter International, Inc., is working with Goldman Sachs to find a buyer for the company, which distributes communications and security products including electronic wires. According to reports in Bloomberg, the U.S.-based company has been up for sale the past few years. It said that two entities, the Carlyle Group LP and U.K engineering firm Melrose Industries Plc have both looked and passed on buying Anixter in recent weeks. The report said Anixter would look for second-round bids next month and that French company Rexel SA is one of the bidders. The company had a recent market valuation of $3.42 billion.

AMSC has win in Chinese court, but its case (and future) is far from resolved In 2011, American Superconductor (AMSC) saw by far its largest customer, China’s Sinovel, refuse to accept

12 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

or pay for a shipment, and its stock price plummeted. What followed could have been out of a movie script as it was revealed that a company employee was paid to sell AMSC’s proprietary technology to control wind turbines to Sinovel, which it claims later began deploying it elsewhere. Legal actions followed, and last month China’s Supreme People’s Court decided in favor of AMSC on the jurisdiction of its two software copyright infringement cases against Sinovel Wind Group, Ltd. (Sinovel) and Guotong Electric (Guotong). Multiple stories have been written on the case as it exemplifies the concerns that companies have about their technology being stolen in China. While ASMC saw a bump in its share price, the outcome for the company– whose product focus includes superconducting cable technology–and its future is far from resolved. There are a total of four cases, and the Chinese court rejected Sinovel’s request to move the two cases to arbitration, those are the smaller actions: one seeking $6 million for unauthorized copying and use of AMSC’s control software and another for $200,000 for copyright infringement. The other two cases seek more than a $1 billion in damages. “The ruling by the Supreme People’s Court marks an important milestone for our cases against Sinovel’s theft of AMSC’s intellectual property,” AMSC CEO Daniel McGahn said in an e-mailed statement. Per an article in The Motley Fool, “It’s difficult to read much into the ruling against Sinovel because it’s not a final ruling, just a ruling against sending the case to arbitration. It also isn’t AMSC’s biggest case against Sinovel, so nearly three years later we still don’t know if it will see anywhere near the $1.2 billion in damages it’s seeking. But it’s at least a small sign that China is taking IP enforcement more seriously than it has in the past. Until now, China hasn’t exactly been eager to enforce intellectual property laws, especially when they help domestic growth and employment. There may be some ice breaking on that front, but investors shouldn’t expect that stance to change now, even if the case is in AMSC’s favor. I just wouldn’t put my faith behind China’s legal system.” The article observed that AMSC is still losing money ($8.4 million on revenues of $20.6 million). “Buying AMSC’s shares right now is a bet that the company will win its legal battle with Sinovel.”

Preliminary U.S. duties expected to be levied soon against Chinese wire rod A U.S. International Trade Commission panel has found that certain imported wire rod from China is hurting domestic producers. The case was brought by companies including ArcelorMittal USA LLC, Nucor Corporation, Charter Steel, Evraz Rocky Mountain Steel and Gerdau Ameristeel. They maintain that the Chinese products were being sold at 100% to 110% below fair market

INDUSTRY NEWS

value. Imports from China rose from 144 tons in 2011 to over 614,000 tons in 2013. The U.S. Commerce Department is scheduled to issue a preliminary countervailing duty determination in April, and an anti-dumping duty determination in July. The focus includes both the pricing of wire rod used for fencing, nails, barbed wire and rope and the subsidies to Chinese producers. Per the Commerce Department, 2013 imports of carbon and certain alloy steel wire rod from China were valued at an estimated $313 million. The alleged dumping margins for these rods ranged from 99.32% to 110.25%, the petitioners claim. Imports of the rods, which can be used in nails and chain link fencing, have increased from 130 metric tons in 2011 to 561,400 metric tons in 2013, with the value of those imports growing from less than $150,000 at the start of that period to nearly $336 million in 2013, according to figures from Commerce and the ITC. Total U.S. sales in the market in 2013 were $3.8 billion, with just less than $896 million in imports, the commission said.

Private equity firm buys Breen Color Concentrates; more activity likely Capital Partners Private Equity Income Fund II LP has acquired Breen Color Concentrates in a deal that saw the majority owner, Spell Capital LLC, divest its investment

in the company, which supplies colorant and additive concentrates, primarily to the wire and cable industry. A press release said that Breen’s management “will continue to lead the company and invest in it, as is usual for Capital Partners’ investments.” It added that Capital Partners will also help Breen identify takeover targets and expand its geographic reach. Breen President Howard DeMonte said that the business, based in Lamberville, New Jersey, now employs about 85 people and runs five concentrate production lines focusing on custom accounts. It last expanded in 2010 with the addition of a compounding line from Technical Process and Engineering, Inc., to help in rapid turnover for short production runs. He said that the company is “looking to grow our capabilities through acquisition and/or by expansion here in New Jersey.” Breen has a diverse customer base but is biggest in wire and cable markets, where it has a leading U.S. position, DeMonte said. He noted the company bolstered its business in 2009 when it bought formulations and customer lists for PVC colorants from Teknor Apex Co. Breen also supplies colorant and additive concentrates to other extrusion markets and to blow molders, injection

14 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

molders and compounders. Its primary materials are PVC and cross-linked polyethylene.

Sumitomo wins submarine power cable contract for San Francisco Bay project Japan’s Sumitomo Electric has been awarded a contract from Pacific Gas & Electric Company, a U.S. firm based in San Francisco, California, for a submarine power cable project valued at $37 million, to improve the power network in San Francisco and achieve a more stable energy supply. A press release said that the contract, made through Sumitomo Electric USA. Inc., calls for the installation of 230 kv AC submarine power cable in San Francisco Bay, with a route length of 4.5 km and total installation distance of 13.5 km. J-Power Systems Corporation, an affiliated company of Sumitomo Electric, was adopted as the supplier for the submarine power cable for this project which shall be exported from Japan, it said. Cable installation is scheduled to start in January 2015 and be completed in July 2015. Sumitomo Electric Group, the release said, will continue to actively promote submarine power cable installation projects.

Partnership to supply submarine cable link between 2 Middle East countries Saudi Arabia’s Integrated Telecom Company (ITC) reports that it has entered into a partnership with Kuwaitbased CableSat to provide high-speed submarine cable connectivity between the two countries. A press release said that the low-latency route provided by the cable system is designed to allow ISPs, mobile operators and enterprises in Kuwait to access European and U.S. destinations, as well as Saudi Arabia’s neighbors, such as Jordan, Qatar, Bahrain and the UAE. CableSat CEO Ali Zaben said that connectivity between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia is essential for ISPs, operators and MNOs based in Kuwait. “ITC has been operating in Saudi Arabia since 2005 and can support CableSat in providing termination services into Saudi Arabia, IP transit from Saudi Arabia, transit services into the neighboring countries of Saudi Arabia and onward low-latency connectivity into Europe from Jeddah. We believe that this partnership with ITC is strategic for CableSat and its investment in the Reliance Globalcom cable system.”

McDermott International subsidiary wins Arabian Gulf cable contract U.S.-based McDermott International, Inc., announced that one of its subsidiaries “was awarded a substantial contract” to provide the electrical power supply system for Saudi Aramco in the Abu Ali and Khursaniyah fields in the Arabian Gulf.

Leoni to supply cables to Polaris Germany’s Leoni AG announced that it has received two new orders from Polaris Industries Inc., a U.S.-based manufacturer of all-terrain recreational and utility off-road vehicles.

A press release said that Leoni AG will supply the wiring systems for two new off-road vehicles: the 2014 Ranger 570 EFI and 2014 Ranger Crew 570 EFI. The two vehicles are both utility side-by-side vehicles, designed for off-road usage, it Leoni AG will supply cables said, noting that the for new off-road vehicles from models are likely to Polaris Industries, Inc. be used under tough conditions “and thus require an even more robust and resistant wiring system.” Polaris intends to produce about 12,000 vehicles of each model per year, it said. Leoni will design, develop and produce the chassis and box harnesses that deliver the overall electric and electronic system functionality as well as provide engineering support. Production, it said, is planned for the third quarter of 2014.

Visit us at Wire Expo booth # 532

APRIL 2014 | 15

INDUSTRY NEWS

A press release said that the project includes the procurement, construction, and installation of two 20-km 230 kV subsea circuits routed offshore to connect land-based facilities. The cables, it said, are quite heavy, weighing in about 95 kg (212 lb) per meter. “The subsea cables for this project are some of the largest ever transported and installed in the Arabian Gulf,” said McDermott President and CEO David Dickson. He noted that the company completed a similar 230-kV cable installation project earlier this year, which “gave us a unique insight into the project execution requirements for such complex installation work.” Installing such cables in extremely shallow water presented a variety of complex challenges, the release said. Technical modifications to an installation barge in the McDermott fleet enable it to lay the cable in extremely shallow water. Project completion, including hookup and commissioning, is expected to be in the third quarter of 2015, it said.

INDUSTRY NEWS

“These projects will help the cable specialist to enlarge his activities in (Leoni AG’s) newly established Power Sports business unit,” the release said. In it, Andreas Brand, the member of Leoni AG’s Management Board responsible for the Wiring Systems Division (WSD), said that the company has developed new customer groups, and that “the Power Sports segment offers big potential for Leoni, in particular in the Americas.” The Power Sports business unit, established in 2013, includes recreational and utility machines like side-byside vehicles, all-terrain vehicles and quads as well as snowmobiles, jet-skis and motorbikes,” the release said.

Allied Wire expands its product range with purchase of assets of Alan Wire

Visit us at Wire Expo booth # 416

U.S.-based Allied Wire & Cable (Allied) reports that it has bought all the inventory and machinery from California-based distributor, Alan Wire, an addition that it said would expand its hard-to-find mil-spec and aerospace cable stock. A press release said that Alan Wire, based in Irwindale, California, recently closed its doors after 27 years serving the military and aerospace markets. “Known by many as the go-to source for rare mil-spec cable constructions, Alan Wire was a perfect match for Allied and its ongoing efforts to expand its mil-spec inventory and meet customer demand for these parts.” Allied, which notes that it is one of the largest milspec distributors in the country, stocks a wide range of standard and hard-to-find military specification cables. “With Alan Wire’s product, Allied increases its already extensive inventory of M27500, M22759 and NEMA Type E wire products, and adds a number of new oddball mil-spec constructions to its stock. Allied also now stocks and distributes Judd Wire.” The release said that all wire and cable is being relocated from its previous location in California to Allied’s base in Collegeville, Pennsylvania, via nine full trailers. The purchase, it said, also bolsters Allied’s in-house value-added service capabilities as it includes two laser printers as well as a twister, tape wrapper, braider, stripe, and extruder that will help Allied increase its volume on other existing value-added services.

Sumitomo plans to consolidate its 4 Ohio operations into Marysville Japan’s Sumitomo Electric Wiring Systems, Inc., reports that it will consolidate its four Marysville locations in Ohio into one new facility. A press release said that the consolidation to 14684 Industrial Parkway will retain its existing 123 jobs and create 15 new ones. The 355,000-sq-ft facility, which includes 24,000 sq ft of office space and 5,000 sq ft of auto lab space, is expected to be complete in late 2014, it said.

16 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Leoni reports winning 22 million euro contract for refinery project in India Germany’s Leoni announced that it has won a contract worth about 22 million euro to supply what was described as the world’s largest oil and gas refinery in India. A press release said that the contract, from India’s Reliance Industries, Ltd., calls for Leoni to supply the wiring for the third expansion stage of its refinery plant in Gujarat, which requires instrumentation and field bus cable for measurement and control equipment. Leoni previously provided special cables for the first two construction phases. Those cables, it said, were made at Leoni’s facility in Stolberg, Germany. Leoni will be manufacturing half of the ordered products at its plant in Pune, which was opened in 2013. By the end of 2014, 80% of the cables are scheduled to be made and delivered. This order from Reliance, a longstanding customer, underscores the significance of India to Leoni’s business, given that the country promises appealing, medium and long-term growth prospects for several of the company’s target markets, the release said.

APRIL 2014 | 17

INDUSTRY NEWS

“The Columbus Region’s proximity to key automotive LS Cable credits its subsidiaries for customers provides a strategic location to continue to contracts won in India and Chile grow our operations,” said Bick Marshall, Vice President, South Korea’s LS Cable & System (LS Cable) reports Sumitomo Electric Wiring Systems, Inc. North America. that it has won contracts in India and Chile that it said were “Consolidating all of our existing Marysville-based assoachieved by the efforts of its overseas subsidiaries in India, ciates under one roof will create much greater efficienVietnam and China. cies, and be beneficial to our workforce, our customers and our community.” Owned by Japan-based Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd. and Visit us at Wire Expo booth # 531 Sumitomo Wiring Systems, the firm’s commitment of 15 new jobs will revolve around new testing capabilities being added to Sumitomo’s Columbus Region operations, the release said. The company’s four existing Ohio facilities, all located in Marysville, focus on customer service, development and repacking capabilities.

INDUSTRY NEWS

A press release said that the India contract calls for LS Cable to deliver $10 million worth of increasedcapacity cable (HCC) to the PowerGrid Corporation of India Ltd. (PGCIL). The cable, it said, “is a state-of-theart high energy-efficient product capable of doubling the amount of power transmission while keeping the existing transmission towers unchanged, thus avoiding costs incurred due to construction of new towers not to mention the conflicts and complaints of local residents that such construction often causes.” The India contract, the release said, furthered by its LSCI operation in the country, was won “against stiff competition... by leveraging its supply achievements, technical power and LSCI’s local marketing network.” LSCI also recently concluded a contract to supply communication products to Videocon, the largest home appliances maker in India, it said. The release said that the Chile order, to supply $5 million worth of cables to Chile Metro, was secured by LS-VINA, its Vietnamese subsidiary. That order was won because LS-VINA can produce the cables at a tight supply schedule at competitive prices, it said. “LS Cable & System is continuously expanding cooperation with its overseas subsidiaries,” the release said. “For example, some of the cables to be supplied to the

18 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Venezuelan power office, CORPOELEC, in August will come from the Chinese subsidiary, LSHQ.” “Despite global economic stagnation, competition is intensifying in cable markets as a result of the low-price policies adopted by Indian and Chinese companies,” LS Cable President & CEO Ja-Eun Koo said. “LS Cable & System will continue to improve its global competitiveness by cooperating with our overseas subsidiaries in all areas ranging from technology and production to sales.”

Furukawa expands its international presence via a new office in Turkey Furukawa Electric Europe Ltd. (FEEL), a subsidiary of Japan’s Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd., reports that it has opened a representative office in Istanbul with the aim of expanding its business region for its cable products into the Turkish domestic market and the regions of Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. A press release said that the new representative office “is part of a series of activities aimed at building a platform for sustainable growth” by expanding business in the infrastructure and automotive markets and bolstering management per the company’s business plans. It noted that Turkey, with a population of 75 million and GDP of

RSCC reports that cable product line meets UL fire requirements U.S.-based RSCC Wire & Cable LLC announces that Underwriters Laboratories (UL) has certified its VITALink MC product line as meeting the requirements of ANSI/ UL 2196-2012 “Tests for Fire Resistive Cables” for two hours. A press release said that the two-hour fire resistive UL certification is National Electrical Code (NFPA 70) compliant in both horizontal and vertical orientations when installed in accordance with NEC requirements, RSCC Wire and Cable manufacturer’s instructions, and UL’s Electrical Circuit Integrity System

number FHIT.120. The cables are certified to ANSI/UL 2196-2012. VITALink MC can also be specified and used with confidence in these applications, it noted.

Pelican Wire expands capacity U.S.-based Pelican Wire Company, Inc., reports that the company has tripled its capacity for high-temperature insulated products in the past few months by adding New England Butt Braiders to the braiding department. A press release said that the braiders will be used to insulate wire with delicate braid materials, including vitreous silica glass (670°C), ceramic glass (1200°C), and S glass (700°C) and E glass (450°C). These glass insulations, it noted, are commonly used in various applications including heat treating, and welding of aerospace parts such as turbine blades, landing gear struts, and fighter jet bulkheads. “In response to our customers’ needs, Pelican Wire has designed and manufactured new highly customized metal serve machines to handle the various specialty products,” the release said. It noted that Pelican Wire’s staff grew 32% over the past year, to 75, and that in 2013 it was named Southwest Florida’s Manufacturer of the Year, one of Florida’s Top 50 Growing Companies to Watch, and was one of three finalists for Florida’s Manufacturer of the Year award.

Visit us at Wire Expo booth # 432

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INDUSTRY NEWS

US$780 billion, has seen closer relations with surrounding regions, including the EU, and that it is a good base to serve that market as well as the surrounding regions such as Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East and North Africa.

ASIAN FOCUS

ASIAN FOCUS Energy and water are seen as keys to future of Asian manufacturing The biggest challenges facing many manufacturers in Asia may well be two of the three basics: energy and water, which along with food are essential for society and manufacturing. A recent article in the Nikkei Asian Review by Brahma Chellaney, a geostrategist and professor at the New Delhi-based Center for Policy Research, looked at the how energy and water concerns could be problematic for Asian manufacturers. Below are excerpts from that piece. Amid the world’s ever-growing energy focus, Asia’s serious energy challenges have driven sharpening oil-and-gas competition there, spurring maritime tensions, territorial disputes, and resource and environmental stresses. In coming years, energy demand is likely to accelerate because the continent’s per capita energy consumption levels remain low by Western standards. The largest increase in global energy demand is in Asia. This demand is likely to only accelerate. Over the next 20 years, Asia’s share of global energy consumption is projected to almost double, to about 54% for oil and 22% for natural gas. The densely populated subregions of Asia (East, Southeast and South) with their heavy dependence on oil and gas imports, will remain particularly vulnerable to sudden supply shortages or disruptions. Asia’s growing energy consumption, much of it from fossil fuels, especially coal, militates against the gathering international push to combat global warming. Coal use, for example, has helped China lift hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, with the rising coal demand there not expected to plateau until at least 2025. Yet the environmental and public-health costs of China’s coal use (it burns nearly as much coal as the rest of the world combined) are already high. Smog and soot periodically force citywide shutdowns, while the life expectancy of the people living in the northern parts of the country, according to a recent scientific study, has declined by more than five years on average.

The energy-water-food nexus is at the core of Asia’s sustainable-development challenges. The reason for such stresses is that food production is reliant on water and energy, and energy and water are directly connected with each other. Energy is vital to extract, treat, distribute and supply water. Water is essential for energy extraction, processing and production. Groundwater extraction is particularly energy-intensive, and sinking water tables across much of Asia have significantly increased the energy needed to bring the same quantity of water to the surface. In an increasingly waterstressed Asia, the struggle for water is not only escalating political tensions and intensifying the impact on ecosystems, it is also crimping rapid expansion of the region’s energy infrastructure. In many Asian countries, decisions about where to place new energy plants are increasingly constrained due to inadequate availability of local water. Compounding the challenge is that energy shortages in the heavily populated Asian subregions are usually the most severe in water-scarce areas. Yet, copious amounts of water are needed to generate electricity from coal, nuclear energy, natural gas, oil, biomass, concentrated solar energy and geothermal energy. In India, water stress is exacerbating an energy crisis, with its largest power generator, the National Thermal Power Corp., being forced to abandon plans for new coal-fired plants in water-scarce areas. One key reason why China has failed to develop its shale hydrocarbon industry is water paucity. To initially stimulate a shale well, millions of gallons of water must be shot into it to crack the shale rock and get crude oil, natural gas or natural gas-like liquids flowing. Shale oil development is typically several times more water intensive than shale gas. China has impressive shale-hydrocarbon deposits, but these are largely located in areas where water resources are already scarce or under pressure. Water constraints are increasingly shaping Asian decisions about energy facilities, cooling technologies and plant sites. For example, all new nuclear plants in Asia are located along coastlines so that these water-guzzling facili-

Have news that belongs here? E-mail it to editor@wirenet.org.

20 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

ASIAN NEWS BRIEF Changes made to Hitachi’s business unit for switchgear and power transmission cables Hitachi and Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd. announced that they have reached an agreement to arrange the business succession of the epoxy resin molded products business of Hitachi Cable Mec-Tech, Ltd., a subsidiary of Hitachi Metals, Ltd., to a joint venture to be established by Hitachi Chemical, Hitachi and Sumitomo Electric. A press release said that the new venture, to be called Hitachi Chemical Sumiden Power Products, Ltd., is expected to official on April 1, 2014. The venture will be owned 60% by the Hitachi Group (Hitachi Chemical 51% and Hitachi 9%) and 40% by Sumitomo Electric. The release noted the following. The main business will be the manufacture of epoxy resin molded products for gas insulated switchgear and power transmission cables, which are indispensable to power transmission and distribution infrastructure. The epoxy resin molded products are used as core components particularly in accessories for gas insulated switchgear and power transmission cable accessories. Epoxy resin offers a wide range of characteristics that can be varied by the combination of the primary material.

Visit us at Wire Expo booth # 203 Innovation meets Tradition booth 10 A 21 April 07 - 11, 2014 Düsseldorf, Germany

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ASIAN FOCUS

ties can draw more on seawater. Yet, seaside reactors face major risks from global-warming-induced natural disasters, as highlighted by Japan’s Fukushima disaster in 2011, which though tsunami-induced, showed the risks of sudden sea changes. Southeast Asia, with 3.3% of global landmass but more than 11% of the world’s coastline, is particularly vulnerable to water-related disasters. Moreover, with Asia’s economic boom zones located along coastlines, finding suitable seaside sites for new nuclear plants is no longer easy. Coastal areas constitute prime real estate. For example, India, despite having a 6,000 km coastline, has seen its plans for a huge expansion of nuclear power through seaside plants run into stiff grass-roots objections. Given the significant role that energy resources play in global strategic relations, Asia’s increasingly murky resource geopolitics threatens to exacerbate interstate tensions. Rising dependence on energy imports has already been used to rationalize an increased emphasis on maritime power, raising new concerns about sea lane safety and vulnerability to supply disruptions. Strategic competition over energy resources will continue to shape Asia’s security dynamics. The associated risks can be moderated only if Asia’s leaders seek to break from the present insecurity by establishing norms and institutions aimed at building rules-based cooperation.

PEOPLE

PEOPLE Christopher Venice has been named Vice President, Sales, RSCC Wire & Cable, Down Hole Metal Clad segment, which manufactures the Perma-TEC ™ lines of specialized downhole instrument cables used globally in the oil and gas industry. He will oversee outside sales representatives and manufacturer’s reps or distributor relationships as well as the segment’s inside sales team. He has held several positions within the Marmon Engineered Wire & Cable Group, most recently as Vice President of New Operations & Supply Christopher Chain Infrastructure. He previVenice ously served five years as Vice President/GM for Kerite Pump Cable. He holds an MBA degree from the University of New Haven. Based in East Granby, Connecticut, USA, and a business of the Marmon Engineered Wire & Cable Group, RSCC manufactures specialty power cables for the energy, nuclear utility, transit, oil and gas, and other industrial markets.

Michael J. Murphy has joined Teknor Apex Company as a sales representative for the Vinyl Division, responsible for sales management and account development in the region that includes the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia and eastern Tennessee. He has more than two decades of experience in the sales and marketing of thermoplastics, Michael J. Murphy including work with resin producers, distributors, and compounders. He previously worked at distributor Southern Polymer Inc., where he held sales and purchasing positions. He entered the plastics industry in 1987 as a technical sales representative for Adell Plastics. Subsequently he worked for Ferro Corporation, Fina Oil Co., Aristech Chemical Co., and Sunoco, Inc. He holds a B.S. degree in industrial technology from Illinois State University and will be based in suburban Atlanta. Based in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, USA, the Vinyl Division of Teknor Apex Company is a leading manufacturer of compounds based on PVC.

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Beta LaserMike reported a number of new and revised sales positions resulting from a realignment as well as service positions. The sales positions include Jesse Gallop, who was named Western District USA Sales Manager. He has 25 years of sales and account man-

agement experience in analytical instrumentation, most recently working for Thermo Scientific as senior sales engineer. He holds a B.S. degree from California State University Fullerton. He is filling the position that was previously held by Ethem Erdas, who now will be responsible for the North Central Eastern region of the U.S., including eastern Ohio, West Virginia, western New York and western Pennsylvania. Michael Spurgin was named South Central Jesse Gallop USA Sales Manager, responsible for South Arkansas, South Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Texas. He previously served for more than seven years as a sales specialist for the Keyence Corporation of America, where he was responsible for the sales of industrial automation products including sensors and measurement devices. Prior to that, he worked for the Southwestern Company. He holds a B.S. degree in electrical engineering from the University of Texas in Austin. The position was previously managed by Mike Cooley, who will continue to oversee Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Minnesota, Nebraska and North and South Dakotas regions, and will now also cover Northern Arkansas and Northern Oklahoma as well

Visit us at Wire Expo booth # 306

APRIL 2014 | 23

PEOPLE

American Kuhne has named Larry Fitzgerald as Product Manager, Wire and Cable. He has more than 20 years of experience in extrusion, wire and cable, including extensive domestic and international selling and marketing of technical solutions, and is known for the depth of his processing expertise and underLarry Fitzgerald standing of screw design. He most recently worked for Davis-Standard, and prior employers include Xaloy, Entwistle and Merritt Extruder. He holds a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering from Ohio State University, has completed advanced coursework at Indiana University, and has presented at both domestic and international wire and cable seminars. Based in Ashaway, Rhode Island, USA, American Kuhne, Inc., supplies extruders and related controls, tooling and services to the wire and cable industry.

PEOPLE

as the metals market sales in Illinois. Robert McLaughlan was named service manager for the EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) region. He has more than over 20 years of experience in service and engineering management, holds a has a B.S. degree in electronic engineering and a masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree in engineering as well as professional certifications. Robert Henk Hekkema was named service McLaughlan group leader, repairs and support for EMEA. He is multi-lingual, and will play a key role in supporting German-, Dutch-, Spanish-, and English-speaking customers. He has more than 10 years of experience from Pace PLC and Kostal UK Ltd., where he was part of the design, manufacture, and configuration of automated testing equipment for a wide range of applications. He holds a degree in engineering. Rafael Cairo has been named sales engineer for Brazil. He has experience working for Keyence Brazil as a sales engineer Rafael Cairo

supervisor, where he was responsible for the sales and implementation of industrial automation and measurement systems. He previously worked for Confab Industrial SA (Tenaris) as a sales engineer. He holds a technical degree in industrial engineering from the Faculdade de Engenharia Industrial (UniFEI) in SĂŁo Bernardo do Campo, SP, Brazil and a post-graduate degree in business administration from Insperâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;Ibmec SĂŁo Paulo. Brad Robillard will now manage northern, central and western U.S. Based in Dayton, Ohio, USA, Beta LaserMike is a global supplier of testing and measuring technology. Miltec UV Corporation reports that Frederick Beu has joined the company in a key sales role where he will be tasked with further growing the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s regional, national and international representatives and distributors. He has considerable experience in growing market segments for other companies, having spent the last seven years at Dynasplint, developing new marketing strategies. He will be responsible for all sales for all Miltec products around the world, expanding the companyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sales staff in the U.S. and elsewhere, and establishing new sales strategies and programs. Based in Stevensville, Maryland, USA, Miltec UV Corporation supplies both arc and microwave ultraviolet UV curing technology. Â&#x201E;

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Visit us at Wire Expo booth # 102

FIBER WATCH

QUEINS Machines GmbH Swiss company buys India’s AFS Reichle & De-Massari (R&M), a Swiss company, reports that it has acquired the assets of Advanced Fiber Systems (AFS) in India. A press release said that AFS, founded in 2002, has its production facility located in Bangalore, and that “management and all employees of AFS will transfer to R&M in India.” It described AFS as “a highly reputed manufacturer of fiber-optic products and solutions for the Public Network market,” and noted that it has been an R&M certified assembly partner for several years The acquisition, the release said, provides R&M with the industrial platform to strengthen its existing structured cabling business in India and addresses new strategic market segments. “We are very excited about the benefits and potential of this acquisition,” said R&M Asia-Pacific Executive Vice President Laurent Amestoy. “R&M has achieved tremendous growth in India since beginning operations in 2006. This acquisition is a key milestone to further expand our business in India. We can now actively participate in the growing fiber-optic network deployments, FTTH roll-outs and Data Center projects. R&M has been active in India since 2006 and is located in Bangalore, the release said. With the integration of the business activity of AFS, the number of R&M employees will now rise to over 50, it said.

WHO WE ARE - WHAT WE OFFER We are a german company with generations of experience in manufacturing machines for the cable and rope industry. We develop and manufacture according to our customers‘ requirements and are the world‘s leading manufacturer for machines for CTC (continuous transposed conductors). Further we offer used or reconditioned cable and rope making machines. Please take a look at our currently available used equipment at www.queins.com MANUFACTURING RANGE Pay-offs and take-ups, all Tubular stranders designs Rigid stranders Belt-type caterpillar capstans Planetary stranders Single- and double disc Power cable drumtwisters capstans Armouring lines Rotating caterpillar capstans Bow/Skip stranders Single/Double twist bunchers Taping heads for plastic- and steel tapes Transposed wire machines

NEW ARRIVALS - PRE-OWNED • Queins - FLR 30+36/630 mm, (24.8“), fast loading rigid stranding/screening for up to 66 wires • Henrich - self-traversing spooler for max. 1600mm (63") bobbins, max. reel weight 5,6t, specially designed for flat and profiled wires (trolley wires)

Few countries without cable access Few countries do not have some connection to the global grid by a subsea cable, and efforts are underway to connect them too. A recent article by Guy Matthews in Capacity Magazine notes that the Pacific Ocean is home to some satellite-reliant economies, but that a number of “ends of the earth” cable projects have now received funding from sources such as the World Bank and Asian Development Bank. The latest such project, Matthews wrote, is the Pacific Regional Connectivity Project, an 837-km-long cable that will shortly be connecting Fiji and Tonga. The goal is to provide inexpensive homeward connectivity to the estimated 300,000 Tongans who live overseas. The $34 million project will multiply Tonga’s internet capacity by a factor of 6,000, he said. Another such project, to be operated by the Solomon Oceanic Cable Company, will connect the Solomon Islands to Sydney and Guam. That project, scheduled for next year, is estimated to cost $78 million. The project will connect Tahiti, New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna, with an option to link Tahiti and the Easter Islands, and is expected to enhance the tourism activity in these islands.

For contacts in USA:

QMS INC. Miami, Florida Tel.: +1 (305) 665-2523 Cell: +1 (305) 924-1742 Fax: +1 (305) 740-9460 info@qmsmachinery.com

QUEINS Machines GmbH Hans-Georg-Weiss-Str. 12 52156 Monschau GERMANY Tel.: +49 2472 8080 Fax: +49 2472 3014 info@queins.com www.queins.com Your best partner for new and reconditioned machines

APRIL 2014 | 25

FASTENER UPDATE

FASTENER UPDATE Japan’s Kobe Steel considering plans for a joint venture in Mexico

Strong demand for fastener show’s return to Las Vegas in October

Japan’s Kobe Steel has signed a memorandum of understanding with trading affiliates Shinsho Corp., Metal One Corp., Osaka Seiko Ltd., and Republic Steel to consider establishing a joint venture in Mexico to process steel wire rod into steel wire of cold heading quality. A report in The Japan Times, citing Steel Orbis, said that the five companies will discuss and consider business plans for a joint venture aimed at starting operations in mid-2015. It noted that auto production in Mexico reached 2.93 million units in 2013—nearly double the 1.5 million cars manufactured in 2009. “One after another, Japanese auto parts manufacturers are setting up operations in Mexico...” it said. Demand in Mexico for cold-heading quality steel wire has so far been met mainly by exports from the U.S. and Japan, the report said. “Considering the rising demand, the five companies aim to set up a production and sales unit in Mexico that can quickly supply high-quality steel wire to their customers.”

Organizers of the National Industrial Fastener & Mill Supply Expo, Oct. 22-24, 2014, at the Sands Expo in Las Vegas, Nevada, say that there has been very strong demand for exhibit space, reports fastener journal.com. “We have sold 15 booths this month, all of them to domestic manufacturers, and the phones are still ringing,” reported show General Manager Susan A. Hurley, who said 681 booths were accounted for in February. “We have 506 companies in the Expo from throughout the U.S., and many other nations worldwide. Our exhibit space sales are now 17% ahead of last year’s Expo at this same point in time and we are excited about the very real possibility of having 800 or more booths by show time.” Hurley said that there has been growth in the number of aerospace fastener, machinery and specialty tools companies. For more information about the event, contact Hurley at tel. 614-895-1279, info@fastenershowscom or visit the Expo website at www.fastenershows.com.

Straightness. Unmatched. For more than 80 years Sjogren has manufactured the highest quality machinery, tooling and accessories for the wire and cable industry. The precision of our product line results in unparalleled levels of straightness.

Superior Quality. Superior Service. Guaranteed. Call us at 508.987.3206 sales@sjogren.com Sjogren.com Straighteners & Rolls

Wedge Grips

26 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Wire Guides

Brakes and Clutches

Machines

The technicians Networking with and new people in the suppliers I’ve industry is the met at WAI’s most valuable shows have asset of WAI helped me membership.” improve our Dick Pechie process.”

WAI helped me branch out into a new career.” Kevin Sopczak

Meeting people I’ve met many through WAI influential is the key to leaders taking you through WAI somewhere including a exciting in your U.S. President.” life and career.” Mark Spencer Lori Parent

I do business internationally and value the friendships I’ve made over the years through WAI.” Mark Mathiasen

Roberto Duralde

I joined WAI to interact with customers in a friendly environment when they are not having issues.”

WAI’s global resources can help me reach Venice. Venus is another story.” Mike Walters

I renew my WAI membership to keep up-to-date with machinery and process developments.” Peter Stewart-Hay

Paul Kulongowski

DISCOVER WAI. Some things you know as well as your name. Other times it takes a little searching to find—or learn— what you need, especially if you are new to the wire and cable industry or plan to keep pace with its innovative advances. Wire Association International (WAI) is the place to start. As a WAI member it’s easy to stay informed. Likewise, you won’t have to dig too deeply to uncover the industry’s rich history and accepted certainties.

WAI members rank NETWORKING as the #1 reason to join.

When you consider that wire making can be traced on one timeline from the golden threads in ancient Egyptian jewelry—through telephony, countless creature comforts, and modern infrastructure— toward yet unimagined applications, you can appreciate your vital role in the wire manufacturing continuum. WAI members represent a living history of the industry. Whatever your direction, if you earn a living with wire, cable, supplies, or equipment you’ve earned a place in WAI’s global network.

MEET YOUR PEERS. ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS. JOIN WAI TODAY. L E A R N

M O R E :

w w w . w i r e n e t . o r g

WAI NEWS

April 2014

WAI MEMBERSHIP

SPOTLIGHT This section introduces new :$,࣮PHPEHUV HDFK LVVXH

Brian Schollin, production/operations, l, and Ryan Carbray, product manager. Q-S Technologies, Inc., USA Q: What does your company do? A: Q-S Technologies, Inc., is a manufacturer of custom wire and custom cable designed to meet the toughest challenges of industry, from short-run to production. Q: What is your role there? A: %ULDQ ௖I work with production. I support sales and operations from raw materials to finished products. Ryan: I focus on heating cable products, working with current customers and seeking new ones. Q: What do you like best about your position? A: Brian: The variety. I get to work with each department and get to learn about the industry and customers. Ryan: That no two days are the same. Q: How has the industry most changed? A: Brian: My father started Q-S Technologies before I was born, but I’ve spent a lot of time around it over the years, and seen how advances have been integrated into the industry. New technologies allow us to better measure and track our products so that we can deliver the highest quality cables to our customers, and I guess that end goal is one that hasn’t changed here over the years. Ryan: I have been here less than a year but I have been around the industry my entire life. My dad, Mike Carbray, the general manager at Amphenol Spectra-Strip, involved our family in his company. I was fascinated when he took me for my first walk through the plant floor. Today, computers, the emphasis on social media and technology as a whole make the business faster and smarter, and we have to be able to respond that way too. Q: How does your company remain competitive? A: Brian/Ryan: Quality and customer service, with a real focus on listening to customers, Q: Why did you recently join WAI? A: Brian/Ryan: Coming from cable families, we both understand the value of networking, and WAI offers us not just that but insight into the world of wire and cable. It helps keep us informed and connected.

28 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

The following individuals either recently joined WAI or became Platinum members through their companies.

Jason Martin Coleman Cable Inc

Rob Garro Accounting Singleton Reels

Heather McCourt Sales Rep Mantec

Russell W Givens Supt Tech Scvs Keystone Steel & Wire Co

Matt Merrill Coleman Cable Inc

Aaron Graham Sr Process Engineer General Cable Corp John Scott Hamilton President Singleton Reels

Kelly Brod Office Manager Singleton Reels

Zack R Helms Processing Engineer Coleman Cable Inc

Howard Caccia VP Engineering Coleman Cable Inc

Rick Hernandez Plant Manager Coleman Cable Inc

Ryan Carbray Product Manager Q-S Technologies Inc

Juan Horas Coleman Cable Inc

Marcia A Cook Quality Director Copperfield Coleman Cable Inc Robert Craven Engineer Joe-Tools Inc James DiLullo Facilities Mechanical Engineer Okonite Co Joe Dixon President Joe-Tools Inc

Lawrence B Ingram Senior Dev Chemist Alcan Cable

John Miniard Coleman Cable Inc Ron Neuman SE Reg Sls Mgr Joe-Tools Inc Jason Nine Operations Mgr Coleman Cable Inc Niki Oesterle Sales Joe-Tools Inc Mike Pennock Sales Singleton Reels James Predmore Director Plant Ops Remee Products Corp

Fahad Iraqi Coleman Cable Inc

Brian Schollin Product Mgr Q-S Technologies Inc

Mitch Jacobsen VP Sls & Mktg Kinrei of America LLC

Gregory Shenas Applied Sales Engineer PA Industries

Kenneth Jansen Sales Engineer PA Industries

Ivan Soto Coleman Cable Inc

David Jaquay Coleman Cable Inc Phil Leung Engineer Coleman Cable Inc

WAI NEWS

Michael Frigo Exec VP Coleman Cable Inc

Mark Berger Coleman Cable Inc

Christine Chu Tien Chen Diamond Industry Co Ltd

Carlos Lozano Engineer Coleman Cable Inc

MEET YOUR PEERS. ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS. JOIN WAI TODAY.

Mike DuBois Coleman Cable Inc

Gene Stang VP Sales & Marketing Coleman Cable Inc Howard Strauss VP Wire & Cable Division Coleman Cable Inc APRIL 2014 | 29

WAI NEWS

Kenneth M Tober Sales Mgr W&C Daikin America Inc

James A Wiening Coleman Cable Inc

Michelle Turner Lean Enterprise Mgr Coleman Cable Inc

James Williams Engr Mgr Joe-Tools Inc

Hugo Vela Fabrication Mgr Coleman Cable Inc

Justin Daniel Wolfe MTP General Cable Corp

Don Wahle Coleman Cable Inc

John Wysk Qual Procs Eng EIS Wire & Cable Co

Jay Waltz VP, Fulflex Elastomerics Worldwide, A Moore Company

Paul Young Coleman Cable Inc.

Points meeting sees 68,600 sq ft of floor space taken for Interwire 2015 The Points Meeting for Interwire 2015, held March 20 at WAI headquarters, saw nearly two-thirds of the available floor space reserved by exhibitors. The meeting saw 68,600 sq ft taken for 140 booth units, which is just under 65% of the total floor space, WAI Sales Director Bob Xeller reported. He noted that the figure is nearly identical to the same timeframe for Interwire 2013. The booths were filled by exhibitors via the Points System. Helping out at Association headquarters were two longtime WAI volunteers, Joe Snee, Joe Snee Associates, and Tom Siedlarz, Plastic Equip, LLC. “At this point, booths can be reserved by contacting us, and while most of the larger booths have been taken, there are many good spots on the floor to choose from,” Xeller said.

WAI Executive Director Steve Fetteroll checks the booth UHTXHVWV GXULQJ WKH ÀRRU VSDFH DOORFDWLRQ SURFHVV 30 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

WAI Platinum Membership Companies Industry leaders can contact WAI Executive Director Steve Fetteroll at sfetteroll@wirenet.org or 203-453-2777, ext. 115, to learn more about this special membership program. Such organizations actively support the Association by participating as exhibitors, advertisers, sponsors or content providers for WAI-organized events, publications and educational programs.

Interwire will once again be staged at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia. The dates for the event, which includes the trade show, technical programs, its 85th Annual Convention and more, are April 28-30, 2105.

Wire Expo 2014 floor sold out ... again It’s rare that one gets to announce an event sell-out not once but twice, but that’s what has happened to the WAI trade show that will be staged May 6-7 as part of the WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo 2014. WAI Sales Director Bob Xeller reported that the trade show at the Indiana Convention Center, which sold out on Feb. 10 when all 196 booth units were contracted for, was able to accommodate a dozen more booth units. The last one was sold March 7.

A total of 208 booth units were sold for the event, which includes some multi-unit locations. “I have to say that it gives me great pleasure to announce our first-ever double sellout,” Xeller declared. Another positive, he added, is that the show will have 16 new exhibiting companies. Asked if there was a possibility of a triple sell-out, Xeller said that was not possible as there simply was no more available floor space to offer. “Now, if only we can do this for Interwire,” he said. “I’d love to see back-toback sellouts.”

It’s never too early (for golfers) to think about the 2014 schedule You don’t have to be golfer to look forward to warmer times after a winter that seemed to be especially cruel to much of the U.S., but let’s just say that anything green should be highly regarded. And when one drops a golf ball on that green, the ides of an unwelcomed March are sure to fade away to a distant memory, replaced by the promise of three scheduled WAI chapter golf events. First up will be the Midwest Chapter, which on June 20, 2014, will return to the St. Andrews Golf & The time is now for golfers to exit Country Club in hibernation and take to the links.

West Chicago, Illinois, USA, to hold its 12th Annual Golf Tournament. Contact: Steve Fetteroll, tel. 203-453-2777, ext. 115, sfetteroll@wirenet.org. Next up will be the New England Chapter, which on Sept. 8, 2014, will return to the Ellington Ridge Country Club in Ellington, Connecticut, to hold its 20th Annual Golf Tournament. Contact: Anna Bzowski, tel. 203-4532777, ext. 126, abzowski@wirenet.org. The third scheduled event is for the Southeast Chapter, which on Oct. 2, 2014, will return to the Rock Barn Golf and Spa in Conover, North Carolina, to hold the Vannais Southeast Chapter’s 13th Annual Golf Tournament. Contact Art Deming, tel. 252-955-9451, art.deming@ nexans.com. Two other chapters, the Ohio Valley Chapter and the Western Chapter, will announce the dates for their annual golf tournaments at a later time. Each event offers multiple sponsorship opportunities and the chapters welcome donations of items for raffles, held during the awards presentations, that help fund the individual chapters’ scholarship program. The events offer superb comaraderie, an opportunity for bragging rights and come with a WAI snow-free guarantee.

APRIL 2014 | 31

CHAPTER CORNER

WAI OPERATIONS SUMMIT & WIRE EXPO 2014

Update: WAI’s 2014 Indy event Tech program adjustments, additional/updated booth listings The WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo 2014 is less than a month away (May 6-7), and the program continues to be fine-tuned.This section includes an updated alpha listing of exhibitors, additional/modified booth listings for the trade show as well as a notice that some elements of the technical program have changed. There likely will be a few more final changes before the WAI holds its first-ever event at the Indiana Convention Center in Indianapolis, Indiana, where it will be colocated with the Association for Iron and Steel Technology’s (AIST) AISTech event. Attendees of the Operations Summit & Wire Expo 2014 will also be able to sit in on one or more techni-

Chemetall America Tel. 800-526-4473 www.chemetallamericas.com USA Booth 342 Exhibiting: Chemetall, a global leader in the manufacturing and development of chemical processes

for the metalworking industry, will be introducing a new technology at Wire Expo. For the wire industry we

32 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

cal papers being presented via a joint session with AIST. Attendees are advised to go to www.wirenet.org and click on Events, then Wire Expo/2014 Visitor Information, then Conference Sessions (or any other of the other links listed there) to view the most up-to-date details. At the event, look for the Show Program and do take advange of WAI’s Mobile website (see opposite page.) Attendees can expect to have a lot to see and talk about on the show floor. WAI Sales Director Bob Xeller reports that the trade show, which sold out on Feb. 10 when all 196 booth units were contracted, expanded by a dozen more booth units, with the last one sold March 7.

supply cleaners, zinc phosphate, salt carriers, polymer lubricants, and a complete line of specialty processes. Stop by and learn about a new technology being introduced for the ferrous wire manufacturer. It should be of special interest to those supplying the automotive industry. Also please consider attending our Technical Session. Time and location listed in the program agenda. Personnel: Jack McAfee, Dane Armendariz, Ed Davis, Rudy Vey. Color Resource Tel. 978-537-3700 www.color-resource.com

info@color-resource.com USA Booth 347

Exhibiting: Whether it’s pellet geometry, a color match in 24 hours, fast turnaround on small orders or expedited shipping, Color Resource understands when color matters. We specialize in the fastest turnaround times in the business;

WAI gone mobile for Operations Summit & Wire Expo 2014 Search throgh the exhibitor profiles? All that will be just a few clicks away. The integrated hotel and restaurant maps will make it a breeze to get around Indianapolis, and all your social app needs will make it the easiest way to get connected. If there is a change of plans, we will alert you via email or direct notification to keep you on top of what’s going on. So, create your profile now at www.wireexpo14.com. All that’s required is your e-mail address and a desire to get the most out of your attendance at Wire Expo 2014.

Why Buy a Cold Pressure Welder? Cold pressure welders will save you money on energy costs; they are more precise, faster and more efﬁcient than hot welders. Welds are stronger and do not add resistance to the wire. Best of all, Huestis Industrial supplies them — from superﬁne to rod, standard and custom sizes, we do cold welding right!

ISO9001 REGISTERED

Huestis Industrial Cold Pressure Welders For more details or to place an order, call us at 800-972-9222, or email us at sales@huestis.com www.huestisindustrial.com Air Wipes, Pay-offs, Take-ups, Buncher Pay-offs, Accumulators, Spoolers, Cold Pressure Welders, Cable Jacket Strippers, Custom Machinery

APRIL 2014 | 33

WAI OPERATIONS SUMMIT & WIRE EXPO 2014

WAI’s Indy event will be the first one the Association has planned to serve attendees with a mobile mindset: www. wireexpo14.com. There’s no app to download and the news you are looking for will pop up in just 15 seconds from any tablet or mobile device. The Wire Expo 2014 mobile app will keep you abreast of all that is happening at this year’s trade show, technical programs, social activities and more. Want to build out your personal schedule? Chat with another attendee?

WAI OPERATIONS SUMMIT & WIRE EXPO 2014

one week-delivery for most projects! We inspect all raw materials and approve all incoming ingredients utilizing first in, first out consumption. We test all dry blend masterbatches before they are extruded to enable color adjustments to the mix before extrusion. Upon final extrusion, the batch is retested against the standard to ensure consistency in every batch. Color Resource - your specifications, on time, every time. Personnel: Greg Gitto.

Personnel: Terence Yang, Wingoal Li.

Fly Dragon Precision Technologies (Suzhou) Co., Ltd. China Booth 321 Tel. 86-512-6541-1114 ZZZ V]Ă&#x20AC;\GUDJRQ FRP Exhibiting: We are a professional manufacturer of aluminum magnesium alloy wire, tin-plated copper wire, bare copper wire, laminated aluminum shielding tape, UL electronic cable and UL power wire, UL83 wire.

Exhibiting: We produce galvanized steel wire for: cable armoring, mesh and construction, fencing and chain link and for other relevant applications. Personnel: Lein Chin Chai.

Gulf Specialty Steel Industries Tel. 968-26941400 ZZZ JVVL RPDQ FRP VDOHV#JVVL RPDQ FRP 2PDQ %RRWK

-LQKXD <RQJKH )OXRURFKHPLFDO Co., Ltd. 7HO ZZZ TK\K FRP \RQJKHBJDV#TK\K FRP

China Booth 420 Exhibiting: Jinhua Yonghe supplies FEP (EW 1-6 series) for cable that has excellent thermal stability, chemical inertness, low coefficient of friction, atmosphere aging resistance, gas permeability and burring resistance, as well as PTFE. Personnel: Ruby Fu, Ella Zhu. -LQKXD <RQJKH )OXRURFKHPLFDO Co., Ltd. 7HO ZZZ TK\K FRP \RQJKHBJDV#TK\K FRP China Booth 420 Exhibiting: We specialize in researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing environmentally friendly refrigerants and fluoropolymer materials. With an area of 225,110 sq m, our factory produces a wide range of Ice Loongâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; brand refrigerants and mixed refrigerants, with annual production capacity of 100,000 tons of simple substance refrigerants and new type

ISO9001 REGISTERED

DESIGNERS & MANUFACTURERS OF PAYOFF & TENSION CONTROL EQUIPMENT FOR WIRE & CABLE

Wyrepak Industries offers high quality machines and solutions for wire and cable companies as well as other industrial applications. From tension controls, pay-offs, pulleys, sheaves, bobbin winders and custom applications â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Wyrepak does it all! For more details on any of our manufacturing product solutions, call us at 800-972-9222 or email sales@wyrepak.com WYREPAK INDUSTRIES â&#x20AC;&#x201D; A Huestis Industrial Company s WWW 792%0!+ COM "UTTONWOOD 3TREET "RISTOL 2HODE )SLAND 53! s TEL OR FAX

34 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Lamnea Bruk AB Tel. 46-122-23200 www.lamnea.se info@lamnea.se Sweden Booth 345 Exhibiting: Everything is possible. You set the standard. We supply equipment to wire manufacturers all over the world and have extensive experience of the changing needs of industry. We

specialize in the design and manufacture of machines for the ferrous and stainless steel wire industry and we’re a reliable supplier of complete lines and plants for the wire industry including payoffs, mechanical descaling equipment, drawing machines and take-up units. Our journey in the wire drawing industry started more than 100 years ago which has given us tremendous amount of experience which we incorporate in the design of our machines and equipment. Micro Products Company Tel. 630-406-9550 www.micro-weld.com info@micro-weld.com USA Booth 132 Exhibiting: Booth visitors have an excellent opportunity to learn about MICRO-WELD butt welders for continuous processing of wire, rod, or cable. Key personnel will be at our booth to discuss applications and recommend models for efficient butt welding solutions.

We offer you the choice of over 50 models for ferrous and nonferrous material. Custom-built options can be added and parts, support and reconditioning services are also available. Customers can find out about in-plant services and increase productivity with MICRO-WELD service personnel’s plant visit and evaluation and on-site preventative maintenance. Sample weld evaluation is also offered at company’s plant to evaluate weldability and strength of sample. Micro-Weld also offers several models of cold welders and dies. Contact for details. Reps, sales, service and support available worldwide. Personnel: Bill Keiler. OTECH Corp. Tel. 877-616-8324 www.otechcompounds.com info@otechcompounds.com USA Booth 347 Exhibiting: OTECH develops, designs, and custom manufactures

APRIL 2014 | 35

WAI OPERATIONS SUMMIT & WIRE EXPO 2014

mixed refrigerants (R22, 2500T; R32, 8000T; R125, 3000T; R152a, 10000T; R143a, 4000T; R142b, 8000T; R410a, 10000T; R404a, 5000T; R507, 2000T; and R407c, 2000T). Also, 20,000,000 cans of ’Ice loong’ Brand auto air-conditioning refrigerants as well as more than 10 series of fluororesin products (F46, 400T; TFE, 4000T).

WAI OPERATIONS SUMMIT & WIRE EXPO 2014

high-quality specialty PVC compounds, thermoplastic elastomers and alloys used in electrical wire and cable, footwear, housewares, roofing, agricultural parts, and automotive industries. We have the product for your custom applications. We surpass our competition in four key areas: customer service, innovation, product development and quality. Our skilled professionals work closely with your team to improve existing products, develop new ones, and ensure quick delivery. All OTECH products are made in the U.S. OTECH boasts more than 100 UL-approved products including highly specialized flame-retardant compounds, low-temperature com-

pounds, and thermoplastic elastomers. Personnel: Jack O’Donnell, Jim Grimley, Mike Bauer, Lou Ferdinand. Progressive Machinery, Inc. (PMI) Tel. 905-788-2324 www.progmach.com sales@progmach.com Canada Booth 449 Exhibiting: PMI is a worldwide supplier of wire and cable machinery. We provide extruders, take-ups and payoffs, preheaters, water troughs, capstans, dancers/ accumulators, gas injection systems, respoolers, braiders, taping and binding machines, planetary (including vertical), rigid, tubular, skip and SZ stranders, single- and double-twist cablers and drum twisters. Personnel: Erik Macs, Lindsay Farrell, Roy Rymer.

Top Tapes Tel. 38-631625934 Slovenia Booth 341

Exhibiting: We sell cable products to the cable industry under the trade mark TOP tapes. The products completely meet high customer needs and requests. With our complete range from this area, we can offer cable manufacturers tapes for different cable designs. We provide water-blocking barriers, separation tapes, bedding tapes, binding tapes, semi-conductive tapes and heat-barrier tapes. With the above mentioned products, we are capable of meeting various requests for tensile strength, swelling speed, swelling height, conductivity, thickness and width and inner and outer diameters.

Visit us at Wire Expo booth # 339

Precision Alignment is not the only service we offer that’s precise.

You know the advantages of properly aligned equipment, but do you know the advantages of working with a company that also offers contracting, control systems, engineering and layout? Increased efﬁciency, experience and accountability are just a few, and like alignment, we’re committed to precision – no matter what we do. www.teknikor.com

Complex projects, simpliﬁed U

508-672-0811

Visit us at Wire Expo, booth #128

36 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

wire and more. Products made to customer specs (ASTM, BS4087 and other international standards). Our company has more than 600 employees, including 100 administrators, 50 quality persons and 30 technical development persons. It also holds ISO 9001 and ISO 14000 certificates and clean production, high-technology domestic certificates.

China Booth 422 Exhibiting: We supply specialized products such as: swelling tape, single-side swelling tape, semi窶田onductive swelling tape, semi窶田onductive swelling buffer tape, semi-conductive nylon tapes, semi-conductive Tetoron tapes, semi-conductive nonwoven tapes and water-blocking yarn. Personnel: Ke Wen, Yan Wu, JiaHing Wen.

Zhengzhou VIC Water Blocking Materials of Cable Co., Ltd. Tel. 86-371-6672829 www.weike-tapes.com

Alpha list of exhibitors Ace Metal Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404 ACM AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227 AIM Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241 Amacoil Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204

Amaral Automation Associates . . . . 443 American Kuhne. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348 Anbao Wire & Mesh Co Ltd . . . . . . . 339 Appiani . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

Appleton Manufacturing . . . . . . . . . . 536 Axjo America, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406 Aztech Lubricants LLC . . . . . . . . . . . 337 B&H Tool Co Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403

APRIL 2014 | 37

WAI OPERATIONS SUMMIT & WIRE EXPO 2014

ZheJiang BaiChuan Conductor Technology Co., Ltd. Tel. 86-579-84311389 www.china-baichuan.com zhangshu@baichuanchina.com www.china-baichuan.com China Booth 323 Exhibiting: Producing to ISO 9001 standards, we supply copper-clad steel wire; copper-clad aluminum wire; tin-plated, copper-clad steel wire; silver-plated, copper-clad steel wire; galvanized steel wire; aluminum and Al alloy wire, copper and copper alloy wire; electroplated steel

WAI OPERATIONS SUMMIT & WIRE EXPO 2014

B&Z Galvanized Wire Ind. . . . . . . . . 410 Balloffet Die Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 521 Bartell Machinery Systems LLC . . . . 516 Bekaert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 504 Beta LaserMike . . . . . . . . . . . . .316/402 Beta Steel. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 542 BMR Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 450 Bock GmbH & Co KG. . . . . . . . . . . . 227 Bongard Machines USA. . . . . . . . . . 443 Boxy SpA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227 Breen Color Concentrates Inc . . . . . 511 Brook多eld Wire Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 509 B端hler GmbH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317 Caballe SA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 515 Cable Consultants Corp . . . . . . . . . . 249 Canterbury Engineering Co Inc . . . . 216 Carris Reels Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310 Cemanco LC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .214/449 CeramTec AG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214

38 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Chemetall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342 Clifford Welding Systems . . . . . . . . . 503 Clinton Instrument Co. . . . . . . . . . . . 105 Color Resource . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347 Cometo Snc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209 Commission Brokers Inc . . . . . . . . . 507 Condat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 534 Conneaut Industries Inc . . . . . . . . . . 126 Continuus-Properzi SpA. . . . . . . . . . 215 Crown Technology, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . 505 Die Quip Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106 E-Beam Services Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

Etna-Bechem Lubricants . . . . . . . . . 517 Etna Products Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 517 George Evans Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118 EuroWire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Evolution Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239 Fabritex Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212 Fastener Engineers . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243 Filtertech Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Fly Dragon Precision Tech Co, Ltd . 321 Flymca & Flyro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236 FMS USA Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 435 Foerster Instruments Inc. . . . . . . . . . 122

Electri-Tec . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421 Engineered Machinery Group Inc . . 502 EPLAN Software + Services . . . . . . 248 ERA Wire Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 508 Ernst Koch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 Esteves Group USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . 432 Esteves-DWD BV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 432

Fort Wayne Wire Die Inc . . . . . . . . . 303 Frigeco USA Inc/MFL USA . . . . . . . 529 Frontier Composites & Castings . . . 545 Gauder Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 442 Gem Gravure Co Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 GH Induction Atmospheres . . . . . . . 448 GENCA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216

Hangzhou JR Exhibition Co . . .321/323 Hangzhou JR Exhibition Co . . . 420/422 Heany Industries Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . 315

Heatbath Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207 Henrich Machinenfabrik . . . . . . . . . . 349 Heritage Wire Die Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 Hildebrandt USA Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . 344 Howar Equipment Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . 227 IDEAL Welding Systems . . . . . . . . . 503 Ideal Werk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 503 Intras Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 Jinhua Yonghe Fluorochemical . . . . 420 Joe Snee Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . 402 Joe Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 513 KEIR Manufacturing Inc . . . . . . . . . . 531 Keystone Steel & Wire Co . . . . . . . . 311 King Steel Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 537 KMK GmbH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214 Krueger Steel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 540 Kyocera Industrial Ceramics . . . . . . 340 Lamnea Bruk AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345 LaserLinc Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 Leggett & Platt Wire Group . . . . . . . 206 Lesmo Machinery America Inc. . . . . 209

OM Lesmo Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210 Lewis Machine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243 Lloyd & Bouvier Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124 M&E . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 Magnetic Technologies Ltd . . . . . . . 525 MAGPOWR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240 Metalloid Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . 441 Metavan nv. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227

Visit us at Wire Expo booth # 433

Wire Lab Company THE LEADER IN MECHANICAL DESCALING FOR OVER Do you need better performance from your descaler Do you need more consistent cleaning Do you need to reduce machine downtime Do you need to lower your cleaning cost per ton

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You need to call Wire Lab Company Since 1968 we have specialized in the design and manufacture of reliable, production proven mechanical descaling systems. Our goal is to help you be more competitive by producing higher quality wire products more efficiently and economically. Lubricant Applicators Pressure Die Holders

Wire Lab Company | 216) 362-0800 | e-mail@wirelab.com | www.wirelab.com APRIL 2014 | 39

WAI OPERATIONS SUMMIT & WIRE EXPO 2014

W Gillies Technologies LLC . . . . . . 137 Guardian Cable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 548 Guill Tool & Engineering Co. . . . . . . 104 Gulf Specialty Steel Industries . . . . . 427 H. Folke Sandelin AB . . . . . . . . . . . . 317 Hall Industries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

WAI OPERATIONS SUMMIT & WIRE EXPO 2014

MFL Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 529 MGS Manufacturing Inc . . . . . . . . . . 103 Micro Products Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132 Mid-South Wire. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Morgan-Koch Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Visit us at Wire Expo booth # 531

40 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Mossberg Associates Inc . . . . . . . . . 444 Mossberg Industries Inc . . . . . . . . . . 421 Nextrom (USA) Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333 Nextrom Oy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333 Niehoff Endex North America Inc. . . 317

Nimsco LLC/SB2C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 308 Northampton Machinery . . . . . . . . . . 103 Ohio Rod Products. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408 Oklahoma Steel & Wire/Iowa Steel . 413 OM Frigerio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227 OM Lesmo Group. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209 OMCG North America Inc . . . . . . . . 405 Omnisource . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 543 OTECH Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347 Otomec Srl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210 P & R Specialty Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . 512 Paramount Die Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 532 Parkway-Kew Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133 Penn Machinery Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141 Phifer Wire Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 Pioneer Machinery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 Pitts多eld Plastics Eng Inc . . . . . . . . . 437 PKG Equipment Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245 Plas-Ties Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

Visit us at Wire Expo booth # 118

Polytec Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 440 Pourtier & Setic of America . . . . . . . 442 Precision Die Technologies Inc . . . . 234

W3 Ultrasonics LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148 WAFIOS Machinery Corp. . . . . . . . . 203 WCISA Wire and Cable Industry . . . . . . Suppliers Association. . . . . . . . . . . 116 Weber & Scher Mfg Co Inc . . . . . . . 232 Welding Wire Machineries . . . . . . . . 142 Windak Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406 Wire & Cable Technology . . . . . . . International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 Wire & Plastic Machinery Corp . . . . 415

Wire Association International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hall A Concourse Wire Forming Technology . . . . . . . International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 Wire Journal International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hall A Concourse Wire Lab Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 433 Wire Machine Systems Inc. . . . . . . . 409 Wire World. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343

WiTechs GmbH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 Witels Albert USA Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . 203 Woodburn Diamond Die Inc . . . . . . . 416 Worth Steel & Machinery Inc . . . . . . 145 WTM - Wire Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . Machinery Srl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227 Yield Management Corp. . . . . . . . . . 438 Zhejiang Baichan Cond Tech Co . . . 323 Zumbach Electronics Corp. . . . . . . . 202

APRIL 2014 | 41

WAI OPERATIONS SUMMIT & WIRE EXPO 2014

Premier Wire Die . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138 Pressure Welding Machines, Ltd . . . 402 PrintSafe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 338 Properzi International Inc . . . . . . . . . 215 Proton Products Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232 QED Wire Lines Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335 Qingdao Sinositec Eng Textile Co . 341 Queins Machines GmbH . . . . . . . . . 102 QX Molding Company . . . . . . . . . . . 544 Raajratna Stainless Wire Inc . . . . . . 238 Radyne Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307 Rainbow Rubber & Plastics . . . . . . . 134 Redex SA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317 Reel-O-Matic Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 533 Refractron Technologies Corp . . . . . 434 RichardsApex Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 Rockford Manufacturing Group . . . . 243 Romax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 443 Rosendahl Austria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333 Rosendahl Nextrom Technologies . . 333 Roteq Machinery Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 S&E Specialty Polymers. . . . . . . . . . 314 SAMP USA Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217 Schlatter North America . . . . . . . . . . 244 Sikora International Corp . . . . . . . . . 519 SIMPACKS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 Sirio Wire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127

Sivaco Wire Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139 Sonoco Reels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233 Southland . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502 Spirka SchnellĂ&#x20AC;echter GmbH . . . . . . 523 Stolberger Inc/Wardwell Braiding. . . 523 Strecker USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203 Subec AB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 443 Supreme Superabrasives Co Ltd . . . 538 T & T Marketing Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Taubensee Steel & Wire Co. . . . . . . 221 Teknikor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128 Thermoplastics Engineering Corp . . 242 Tramev . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209 Tri Star Metals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 541 Tubular Products Co . . . . . . . . . . . . 306 Ultimate Automation Ltd. . . . . . . . . . 141 United Wire Co Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 510 Unitek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227 US Synthetic Wire Die . . . . . . . . . . . 436 Vandor Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414 Vinston US Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327 Vollmer America Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

WAI OPERATIONS SUMMITT W WIRE EXPO 2014 A D VA N C E R E G I S T R AT I O N F O R M Indiana Convention Center | Indianapolis, Indiana, USA | May 6-7, 2014 1. COMPLETE & MAIL OR FAX THIS FORM TODAY

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FULL REGISTRATION PLUS NEW WAI MEMBERSHIP (BL/AEM) New Member $495 ❏ $595 ❏ Includes WAI Operations Summit program & online conference proceedings, Wire Expo exhibits, Production Solutions, Welcome Reception, Mobile Classroom, AISTech 2014 exhibits and single joint tech session, and one year WAI Membership. ❏ Yes, I plan to participate in the Mobile Classroom to General Cable (Note: Participation subject to approval.) ❏ Yes, I wish to receive a free subscription to Wire Journal International. ❏ No thank you.

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WIRE MANUFACTURING 10 ❏ Aluminum & Al. Alloys (Rod/Bar, Bare Wire) 20 ❏ Copper & Copper Alloys (Rod/Bar, Bare Wire) 30 ❏ Steel & Steel Alloys (Rod/Bar, Bare Wire) 40 ❏ Other Metal (Rod/Bar, Bare Wire) 50 ❏ Electrical (Insulated Wire) 53 ❏ Communication (Insulated Wire) 55 ❏ Fiber Optics

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FASTENERS, WIRE FORMING, FABRICATING 61 ❏ Fastener Manufacture 62 ❏ Four-Slide Forming 64 ❏ Hot and/or Cold Forming and Heading 66 ❏ Spring Manufacture 68 ❏ Wire Cloth Mesh Screening 69 ❏ Other Forming and Fabricating

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FEATURE

Global Steel Overcapacity is, although Li Xinchuang, Executive Vice SecretaryGeneral of the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA), recently was widely cited as saying that the reality is “probably beyond our imagination.” In February, media reports said that China planned to ban any new steel projects until 2017. Further, Hebei Province, which has nearly 150 steel manufacturers that account for about a quarter of China’s steel capacity, is looking to cut outdated steel capacity as more than 10% of the province’s steel companies were described as being “in dire straits.” One report said that the province has been ordered to cut production by a third. The problems are not regional in nature. An article in “The Chinese economy on one level is a marvel to Financial Times said that Haixin Steel, the second largbehold, but fed domestically by infrastructure spendest steel maker in Shanxi Province, had failed to repay ing and a property boom it also suffers from low profit loans that came due in March. An article in Forbes margins and an increasing amount of bad debt. The steel described its woes as a result of excessive borrowing sector is a prime example of this, enunciated by its other and the effects of overcapacity. less desirable role, that being There also is increasing emphaone of the largest contribusis on manufacturing not for comtors to the thick smog that modity volume but for “valueoften coats Beijing and other added” products. Gao Hucheng, Chinese cities. The sector China’s commerce minister, has is a target both as the ‘war been widely cited as saying that on pollution’ as well as for while the country replaced the excessive investment. U.S. as the top trading nation in “At one level, the steel 2013, that does not necessarily market’s weakness is commean that it is strong. “Most of pletely logical. When Beijing the products we export are lowsays it is targeting fixed asset value added and few carry their investment growth of 17.5% own brands. Our companies also this year, the slowest rate in Chinese wire rod being prepared for shipment. lag in building global marketing 12 years, it cuts to the very networks and strategies. These heart of what has been the are problems we must face and solve while we make core driver of China’s steel expansion story. Witness the the transition from a big trading nation to a strong one. collective gloom among the country’s top steel producers, This will involve a process of structural adjustment and a who have very publicly started to talk about ‘peak’ protransformation in our growth methods.” duction in the world’s largest producer and consumer of The move to value-added products is logical, but that the metal,” Home wrote. may not resolve the existing problems, at least not those “The official forecast is for the country’s steel producfor a certain ilk. One sub-story is the existence of a class tion still to grow this year, albeit at a slower rate of around of mills referred to as “zombies” because they have been 3% compared with 7.5% in 2013. But even industry body told to close yet have not done so because there are loans CISA is now starting to warn that national output will peak to pay and regional leaders who do not want to see jobs around 850 mmt. Given that output last year was 779 mmt lost. These plants could be closed once and for all, and on and likely to rise to around 810 mmt this year, based on one level that would show that the efforts to cut pollution that 3% forecast, that doesn’t leave a lot of upside room. It are legitimate. However, that would essentially be closing also represents a challenge to the accepted wisdom outside mills “that are already dead,” said one veteran industry China, namely that the country’s steel demand is a long, observer who works with steel firms in Hebei. long way from peaking any time soon,” the article said. There are too many mills producing too much steel There is little belief, however, that overcapacity will and too many outside of targeted provinces, such as fade away anytime soon. Nobody, publicly anyway, Hebei, are still bringing on new capacity, some 69 mmt has definitively said how much steel overcapacity there

The production charts tell a stark story: China has an estimated 300 million metric tons (mmt) of annual steel overcapacity, nearly twice the combined output of the European Union, and that production has to go somewhere. Add in that demand continues to slump and it’s not surprising that pricing is going to suffer. These numbers are for big steel, but wire rod is a subset of that, and many large steel producers in China also produce wire rod. Below is an edited compilation of multiple media reports on the subject, most notably a recent Reuters column by Andy Home.

44 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

The ‘X’ Factor In Steel: Legal Actions Too much capacity translates to a need for more exports, and while China’s ability and willingness to offer wire rod at prices that some U.S. competitors claim is nothing less than unfair competition, there is considerable focus now on an ongoing case before U.S. federal agencies. The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) panel recently voted that certain imported wire rod from China is hurting domestic producers, and duties may follow for the alleged claims of dumping and subsidization. The complaint (brought by ArcelorMittal USA LLC, Nucor Corporation, Charter Steel, Evraz Rocky Mountain Steel and Gerdau

Ameristeel) seeks substantial relief. They maintain that the Chinese products were being sold at 100% to 110% below fair market value. Imports from China rose from 144 tons in 2011 to over 614,000 tons in 2013. Per media reports, they are seeking dumping margins ranging from 99.32% to 110.25%. The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) is scheduled to issue a preliminary countervailing duty (CVD) determination in June, and an anti-dumping (AD) duty determination in August. The petitions were filed separately with the ITC and CD in January, and there are different dates for various determinations, depending on the case status. The final AD duties are set

for Jan. 12, 2015, for the DOC and Feb. 25, 2015, for the ITC, although the actions would go into effect prior to that date based on preliminary determinations. The DOC has set June 30, 2014, for CVD preliminary duties and Aug. 29, 2014, for AD preliminary duties. If substantial duties are levied against China, it would have a decided impact on the steel wire rod market. U.S. industry observers, however, have said that if the flow of Chinese wire rod is slowed, that may just result in more activity from other sources. Conversely, the action is not lauded by U.S. wiredrawing companies that purchase wire rod and would likely have to pay higher prices.

APRIL 2014 | 45

FEATURE

last year alone, per one estimate. Steel Guru reported on March 19 that Shanxi Gaoyi Steel had commissioned two wire rod mills in the Xinjiang District of China’s Shanxi Province. Those two single-strand lines will provide Shanxi Gaoyi the capacity to produce up to 1.5 mmt of wire rod per year, it said. Another aspect is that not all new Chinese capacity is domestic. On March 21, Steel Guru, citing Jakarta Post.com, reported that Wuhan Iron and Steel Corp of China plans to invest A morning sunrise is displayed earlier this year on a giant screen in up to US$5 billion this year to build an intesmog-ridden Tiananmen Square. grated mill in Indonesia that would be part of a planned 1,500 hectare industrial park. importance of job creation, and a potential debt crisis, as The official Chinese position is that the country banks would have to take the writedowns. Moreover, the will address overcapacity and pollution, but it is hard to only viable policy tool to prevent general economic slowunderstand its path to attaining those goals. down becoming something worse is to pump up the infraIn Li’s address to China’s Congress, the Financial structure spend again, reigniting the original cause of the Times reported that he said, “We will take investment as steel sector’s problems.” the key to maintaining stable economic growth,” a seemThe resulting problems from pollution have become ing contradiction in its stated goals. The article said that increasingly hard to ignore, exemplified by a huge LED there is going to be no quick fix for sectors such as steel, screen that was placed in Tiananmen Square to show an “just a long, protracted war of attrition with producers image of the rising sun to residents in Beijing, which is continuing to live on the knife-edge of profitability.” permanently blanketed in heavy smog. In February, pollu“In other words, despite all the tough-sounding rhetoric, tion monitors in Beijing said particulate readings soared to the wars against pollution and blind investment have only 15 times the daily maximum recommended by the World just started and the measures enacted so far are merely Health Organization. A BBC reporter on a train took mearemoving production capacity that is already economically surements of air quality along the route and it showed the air obsolete,” Home wrote. “Beijing’s dilemma is that to do quality did not reach acceptable rates for hundreds of miles. more now risks causing a disorderly collapse of what is Despite the efforts to address capacity, Homes wrote, one of the pillars of the Chinese economy, albeit one that is “The real danger for China’s steel production is not govalready crumbling at the edges. That brings with it the dual ernment policy but the intrinsic instability of a sector that dangers of mass layoffs, a complete no-no given the prime has been allowed to grow too big too fast,” he said.

FEATURE

Wire rod: the ultimate steel overcapacity subset of five million tons of wire rod while Chinese producers have the capacity to produce more than 11 million tons a month, and that figure topped out at 13 million tons. What’s happening in wire and wire rod is obviously happening elsewhere in steel as the country now has surplus capacity of some 300 million tons a year, nearly double the production of Europe. All that capacity has to go somewhere, and it does so in the form of lower prices that have disrupted steel production elsewhere. Manufacturers have to be able to make enough of a profit to invest in their future. There are some companies able I see wire and wire rod not only as a subset of big steel, to handle the tough conditions, but there are others, both but in terms of global overcapacity wire and wire rod is here in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere, that will fall out. the poster child for what’s wrong. I grew up at Bethlehem That brings me to the second Steel as a youngster, selling all element, and by that I mean products, including wire and that we in the U.S. know that rod. Back then wire and wire China has achieved this domirod were made by integrated nation by breaking the rules. mills that made a variety of It is in violation of the terms steel products as opposed to it agreed to when it joined the today, when most of that is World Trade Organization made by standalone plants. (WTO). U.S. trade officials The industry has had dramatic have allowed China to blatantly changes over the years, and in ignore or sidestep the rules terms of where we are today to force its surplus into other you can sum it up in just a few markets. In my world, China words: it’s all about China, imposes a 15% export tax although there’s a second eleon wire rod, forcing its masment, one that bothers me just sive production into the local as much if not more. market at below world market I’ve followed rod and wire prices, and then gives valuetrading since 1973, looking at Johnstown Wire President Walt Robertson believes added tax rebates on wire and how much wire rod was needed for U.S. consumption. China U.S. companies can compete in the global market if wire product exports. That is a clear violation of WTO rules. has taken a huge portion of the JRYHUQPHQW RI¿FLDOV SURYLGH D OHYHO SOD\LQJ ¿HOG There’s also currency manipuwire and wire products market, lation, whereby Chinese wire rod producers get an advanbut to appreciate just how much you have to look at the tage that can be anywhere from 10% to 20% or more, numbers. The U.S. annual market for wire/wire products although that has slowly gotten less egregious. used to be 13 million tons, and now that number is nine As upsetting as I find China’s business model of exportmillion tons. Either we’re shrinking as a nation or there’s ing surplus despite its effect on the rest of the world, something wrong with those numbers, and I think it’s the I don’t blame them. People all work in their own selflatter. There’s a lot of downstream products coming in to interest and it’s up to other person to defend themselves. the U.S. that contain steel that used to be made here. That I do. I’m a fair trader, and I try to take a larger market could be anything from barbecues to toasters, but that is share and so do my competitors. That’s the world we live steel volume that is not counted in the official numbers, in, but all this should happen on a level playing field, and a huge part of what is coming from China. The botand it isn’t. I find it tragic that Washington is not helping tom line is that steels imports are understated and the us. I’ve been before the Trade Commission at least 20 results are devastating to U.S. manufacturers of wire and times and lobbied Congress dozens of times, and told this wire products as well as other manufacturing sectors. ongoing story. At this point, I’m fed up. I believe in free China has 70% of the world’s wire rod capacity, and trade agreements, but there is a need for holding trading is now the largest source of wire rod imports in the U.S. partners accountable. Imports of wire rod from China rose to over 614,000 The reaction in government has long been that there tons in 2013. To put those numbers in context, consider is recognition that there are problems, but the majority that the U.S. wire rod producers have annual capacity

The big picture of global steel overcapacity has been well publicized, but how well does that correspond to wire rod? WJI posed that question to Walt Robertson, president of Johnstown Wire Technoligies, Inc. The industry veteran, former president of the American Wire Producers Association (AWPA) and long-time lobbyist in Washington, has strong feelings on the topic. His below comments include some content from a recent letter he had published in American Metal Market.

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FEATURE

did as Chinese wire rod seem to focus on the “bighas a way of finding its ger picture.” They may way to market via downbe concerned about our stream products. Even if it relationship with China, does work, then wire rod and then there are some producers in Turkey and free traders who think Russia will come in. I do that, well, it’s not fair, but think that there is a day cheap imports are good for of reckoning coming to the U.S. because it helps China. It may be sincere tame inflation worries. in its efforts to slow down In terms of political capacity, but many compaparties, the Republicans nies are state-owned. The are no better than the regional provinces want Democrats as they are to keep jobs, and it’s not free traders. The bigger An inside view of Johnstown Wire’s plant in Johnstown, going to be easy to change problem is that there’s Pennsylvania. their ways and rationalize no leadership in the U.S. capacity. Washington continues to There are several pluses for the U.S., and they are be in a state of gridlock. There’s a lot of sensible ideas energy and technology. At this time, we are the low-cost that could support manufacturing, but zero happens. We energy producer, and in some sectors this is a market need a national forum, one to spark the U.S. economy changer. For now though, wire and wire rod remains in with 10 action items that everyone can agree on. Can two dire straits. I’m both hopeful and discouraged. Give U.S. (political) parties that can’t agree on the time of day, do producers a chance to compete and I think the world that? You can file that away under “wishful thinking.” would be shocked at what we can do. Will the latest dumping case filed by the domestic rod mills have any impact? Maybe, but I’d be surprised if it

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FEATURE

Turkey: ready to export to U.S. A key representative for the Turkish steel industry maintains that the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s manufacturers are able to export to the U.S. without dumping or subsidies. Below are excerpts from a presentation by Namik Ekinci, who heads the Turkish Steel Exporters Association, which has over 700 member companies. Ekinci spoke at the 2014 SteelOrbis Rebar and Wire Rod Conference. We export Turkish steel to almost 200 countries around the world. We are number one in the world for exports of steel rebar, which we ship to 150 different countries. Most of Turkeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s steel exports go to the Middle East, with the top three countries being Iraq, Saudi Arabia and UAE. Turkey exported 951,000 tons of wire rod in 2013, most of it to Libya, Israel and Italy. The reasons for our success can be summarized as follows: we produce high-quality products that fully comply with international standards; we closely monitor changing technology and use the latest technology to achieve high productivity and low cost; we employ qualified, experienced and dedicated personnel at all levels of the steel-making process, which means that we achieve high productivity per person; we can offer competitive prices

with reasonable profit margins while practicing fair trade and competing within WTO guideline; and, finally, we have many years of experience in foreign trade, we have proven reliability with our customers, and we fully honor the business contracts we sign. I would like to say that all Turkish steel companies are for-profit private corporations and that because of the ECSC Free Trade Agreement signed with the European Union, steelmakers have not been able to obtain direct or indirect incentives from the Turkish government since 2001. We oppose countries that practice dumping or sell products manufactured with incentives. We are on the side of countries that are hurt by unfair competition, and we are always ready to fight the sale of such products. Turkish producers are not against local producers making a profit; however, local producers in some countries are using WTO rules to their advantage and starting investigations when they have no right to do so. Their sole purpose for doing this is to find an easy way to increase their profitability. Those producers know that Turkey does not get subsidies or practice dumping, but they want to take advantage of the fact

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FEATURE

ing for Turkish producers in the OCTG countervailing that exporters and importers can be influenced by an duty investigation and we are absolutely certain that ongoing investigation, which hurts trade between the no subsidies will be found in the rebar countervailing two countries. This drop in international trade enables duty investigation as well. Instead local producers to raise prices, of providing a subsidy, (our) govwhich increases their company’s ernment actually burdens producvalue on the stock exchange. ers with higher costs because of The U.S. has had an advantage the taxes it levies. Furthermore, in its trade with Turkey for many it is quite illogical that Turkish years. For example, in the $18.1 bilproducers would try to take over lion of trade between the countries a global market like the U.S. by during 2012, the U.S. share was dumping their products because $12.5 billion while Turkey’s share they would be unable to sustain was only $5.6 billion. In addition, such an attempt due to their limited Turkey imports 22 million tons capacity. Data shows that Turkish of the approximately 32 million exports are continually expanding tons of scrap that it consumes, and and adapting to the current comalmost 30% of these imports come mercial conditions. from the U.S. Asked by an attendee who wantAt the SteelOrbis conference, one Namik Ekinci, Turkish Steel ed to know how Turkish steelmakattendee claimed that the Turkish Exporters Association. ers could sell product so low when government was giving producyou consider the costs for scrap ers subsidies. Our response was steel and processing, he replied that because of the ECSC internathat the Turkish manufacturers “operate with a very tional trade agreement, it simply is not possible for the small profit margin and produce goods better and more Turkish government to subsidize steel production. In productively.” fact, this has been confirmed by the “no subsidy” find-

FEATURE

Russia: a focus needed on value-added products Novolipetsk Steel (NLMK), one of Russia’s largest steelmakers, notes at its website that it has 17 million metric tons (mmt) of steel capacity. The production range, which includes wire rod, is manufactured in Russia, Europe and the U.S. The below column by NLMK Chairman Vladimir Lisin, was previously published in Financial Times.

needs will prosper in the long term. A number of European companies have recognized this reality and have made impressive efforts to improve cost effectiveness. We have also seen companies ready to tackle these issues through consolidation as it happens in Northern Europe. These are the actions that are required to strengthen the competitiveness of European companies in the global market.

Underlying trends suggest that China has passed the point of its fastest growth. Those metals and mining companies who budgeted for years of accelerating consumption to come have already been caught by the new realities and the pressures on them can only intensify in 2014 driven by the increased funding costs. As such, global steelmaking is fast approaching its moment of truth, when the strategies of many producers, especially in Europe, will be found wanting. Business models that have emphasized capacity expansion above all other considerations are now very exposed to changing patterns of demand. Only growth programs that targeted high value added steel products (HVA), while at the same time addressing the cost NLMK Chairman Vladimir Lisin, r, at 2010 meeting with base, have been vindicated by today’s conditions. Russia Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. In the past, the effectiveness of these different growth strateAlthough the European steel market is weak, the congies has not always been clear to tinent’s leading manufacturers have a strong need for the market. Investors often have quality steel products. I believe that our business model not fully differentiated between for NLMK Group meets the needs of the market. We are companies and have judged the one of the world’s most effective producers, combining sector as a whole, but in the future distinct qualities in our Russian as well as our internathe gap in performance between tional operations. steelmakers will widen visibly. The way to preserve employment in the European indusSome of our competitors seem genuinely to have try in the long term is to be highly cost-effective in terms believed that our industry was set for permanently higher of both raw materials and crude steel production while also global demand, leading to significant excess capacity, possessing technologically advanced rolling facilities. which we estimate to represent 500 million mmt. Within The model which we have adopted for NLMK is a the EU, for example, total steelmaking capacity in 2008 combination of low-cost steel and key raw materials was around 250 mmt, while post crisis it has experienced production in emerging markets and HVA production in a limited decline to around 210 mmt. developed countries such as Belgium, Denmark, France, Hindered by a high cost base resulting from expensive Italy and the U.S. (which are closer to end customers). energy and lack of access to key raw materials, European This is the way for steel producers to attain the strategic steelmakers should focus on premium and specialty flexibility to succeed in an environment of slower growth products. Producers of commodity steel will continue to and intense competition. It enables us to supply both face serious challenges and regrettably these conditions the Russian construction industry and many major interlook likely to be prolonged by misguided state support national customers (such as ABB, Caterpillar, Renault, for inefficient European steelmakers. This is only delaySchneider Electric, Siemens, Volvo, VW and many more) ing the inevitable closure of the least viable plants, which who view NLMK as the supplier of high-quality steel is necessary to bring European capacity back into line products. In addition, we have gained new markets for with regional and global reality. Some steelmakers have new products, for example supplying steel plates for offresponded to this situation by calling for a comprehenshore wind generation mills in Denmark, one of the world sive agreement between producers and governments to leaders in wind power. coordinate capacity cuts. However attractive this idea So, what’s next for the industry? My belief is that may sound in principle, I do not believe this will be practhough challenges remain, they create opportunities for tical or realistic. The market itself is the best allocator those companies that know how to exploit them. of resources and only producers that meet the market’s 52 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

POSCO: steel giant not immune

New POSCO CEO Kwon Oh-joon has singled out overcapacity as a major challenge. Its product range also includes wire rod. Last year the company expanded its Pohang Steelworks with the commissioning of Wire Rod Mill No. 4, and the additional 700,000 tons of annual production gave POSCO total rod capacity of 2.8 million tons. At the company’s website, it notes that this production ranks the company among the top three in the world in scale. A highly regarded company, POSCO was named one the “Most Respected Companies in Korea” for 11 consecutive years by the Korean Management Association Consultants (KMAC). It also ranked the steel giant second in the “All Star Company” category for eight straight years and No. 1 in the steel industry category for 11 consecutive years. The company has seen its chairman and COO, Joon-Yang Chung, step down from the top post that he was elected to in 2009, despite his award-winning legacy, which includes being named the Most Admired CEO by Seoul Economic Newspaper in 2010; Most Respective CEO of the Year by the Korea CEO Association in 2011; CEO of 2011 Grand Prix by

Money Today; CEO of the Year by the Korea Management Association and Global CEO of Korea by Forbes Korea, both in 2012; and Steelmaker of the Year by the Association for Iron & Steel Technology in 2013. The resignation of Joon-Yang Chung was reported to be prompted by a combination of government desire to see new leadership amid slumping revenues the last three years. A key factor in those conditions has been the one-two punch of lackluster demand/pricing and a market flooded with overcapacity. Overcapacity, as noted elsewhere in this feature, remains an issue for “big steel” as well as wire rod. The markets are different but both are susceptible to the dilemma of too much production chasing not enough demand. A March 13 Reuters article reflects the contributing role of overcapacity in the changes at POSCO. The new CEO and chairman, Kwon Oh-joon, said that the company would not focus on expanding manufacturing capacity as this time. “POSCO will not pursue fresh investments aimed at quantitative growth, and instead focus on downstream investments aiming at boosting value,” he said in a statement. “An excessive oversupply of steel products globally is posing a big threat to POSCO,” said Kwon, who previously served as the company’s president and technology chief. “POSCO’s biggest task is to improve its financial structure. First of all, we have to improve our core competitiveness in steel and generate profit.” POSCO, whose investors include U.S. billionaire Warren Buffett, has said this year that it would reduce 2014 investment by 14% as it does not see any revenue growth. It has, however, announced that it will continue trying to place steel production in India, where it has seen a major project mired by years of delays.

FEATURE

No company, large or small, can avoid the effect of a market turned ugly, and the global steel market has largely been that in recent years, as can be seen by events at South Korea’s POSCO. The largest steelmaker in South Korea and fifth largest in the world, POSCO is the epitome of “big steel.”

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TECHNICAL PAPERS

TECHNICAL PAPER The potential for lubricant dust explosions in the wiredrawing industry This article reviews the factors that could cause dry powder lubricants to ignite and suggests ways to minimize that potential. By David P. Gzesh, C. Ian Sidders, Yafeng (Alvin) Lian and Jean V. Reid

On Feb. 7, 2008, a huge fire and explosion, causing millions in damage, major injuries and loss of life, occurred at a food packaging plant near Savannah, Georgia. This explosion occurred not at a chemical plant or a metal manufacturing plant but at a food processing plant, routinely handling an innocuous product that we all take for granted: sugar. However, if sugar is looked at closely, it is a compound composed of just carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Compounds containing these atoms tend to burn very easily. Gasoline and alcohol are also common examples of compounds that contain just carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, but with widely different ratios and molecular structures. We are very aware of the combustibility of these materials and take appropriate precautions when handling them. Another group of compounds containing carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, but also other chemical elements, is wire-

drawing lubricant powders. Like sugar, wiredrawing lubricants are used on a routine basis and are considered very safe to handle. However, it was learned from this disaster that all chemicals have the potential to be hazardous if handled incorrectly. There is a fundamental difference between materials like gasoline and alcohol, and solids like sugar and wiredrawing lubricants. The first two are low-boiling point liquids that easily vaporize in air to form an ignitable gas mixture. However, wiredrawing lubricants and sugar are high-melting point solids that remain solid, during and after use, with no vaporization into a gas. Thus it is necessary to look at the conditions that can potentially turn an innocuous solid into a dangerous, explosive hazard. Shortly after the sugar plant disaster, which occurred after other equally destructive events at other chemical and

Fig. 1. The Fire Triangle.

Fig. 2. Explosivity Pentagon.

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TECHNICAL PAPERS Fig. 3. Paper clips made from 0.033 in. (or 838 micron) wire. Fig. 4. Explosible range of a dust cloud.

metal manufacturing plants, The US Department of Labor’s Occupational, Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a National Emphasis Program (NEP) to deal with combustible dust issues in the workplace1. OSHA carried out an intensive review that resulted in work place safety enforcement using existing standards and regulations developed by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), insurance companies, and state and federal governments.

Conditions for fire and explosion In order to understand the combustible dust hazard, an understanding of combustion or fire is required. A fire requires three components: fuel, oxidant and ignition source; these components constitute the Fire Triangle shown in Fig. 1. The fuel is anything that is capable of burning or rapidly oxidizing in the presence of an ignition source. Generally, as described above, these powders contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. However, metals such as aluminum, magnesium, zirconium, etc., can also oxidize rapidly or burn. The oxidant is air and the ignition source can be an electric or frictional spark, an overheated bearing, or any other energy source capable of raising the fuel’s temperature to its autoignition point. If any one of the three components is removed, it is impossible to start a fire. To generate an explosion, two additional components need to be added to the Fire Triangle in Fig. 1; the addition of suspension and confinement form the Explosivity Pentagon shown in Fig. 2. The fuel particles must be highly aerated or suspended in the oxidizing media. Particles are more easily suspended if their size is less than 420 μm or 40 U.S. mesh. This size is equivalent to approximately ½ the thickness of a standard paper clip made from 0.033 in. (838 μm) wire. See Fig. 3. However, if the material can readily burn (e.g., nylon or cotton flock), the particle size can be much larger. In addition, this process must take place in a confined space. All five components working together create the conditions for a Combustible Dust Explosion. If a fire starts, there are three possible outcomes that could occur: the fuel burns slowly and the flame front does not travel; the fuel burns rapidly and the flame front does

not travel; and the fuel burns rapidly and the flame front propagates quickly.

Characterization of a powder’s explosivity There are three main factors for characterizing a powder’s explosivity as cited below: Minimum Explosive Concentration (MEC). MEC in grams per cubic meter (g/m3) is the minimum concentration of suspended dust in a cloud required for an explosion to occur. R.K. Echhoff2 reported that many carbon-based materials as well as many metal dusts have a limited ignitable range. Fig. 4 shows that the typical explosible range for combustible powders varies from about 10 to 104 g/m3. Indeed, the MEC values for unused wiredrawing soap powders, independent of % combustibles in the product, tested from 40 to 200 g/m3. Similarly, MEC values for iron fines are reported from 30 to 500 g/m3 depending on the form of the iron3. While it is important to know the product’s MEC value, its significance in assessing the explosivity hazard risk is minimal. The reason for this, as shown in Fig. 4, is that the explosible range lies about two orders of magnitude midway between two more significant concentration ranges that are

Fig. 5. A cloud of 40 g/m3 of coal dust in air is so dense that a glowing 25 W light bulb can hardly be seen through a dust cloud of 2 m (6.6 ft) thickness.

APRIL 2014 | 55

TECHNICAL PAPERS Table 1. Minimum Ignition Energy (MIE) for some familiar products3.

Table 2. Guide to electrostatic precautions for powders4.

routinely encountered in manufacturing plants. At the lower end is the breathable dust limit at 10-3 to 10-2 g/m3 and at the upper end are dust accumulations at 106 g/m3. Below the explosible range, there is not enough fuel to sustain ignition and propagation. Above the explosible range, there is not enough oxidant to sustain ignition. In addition, if an explosible dust cloud were encountered, as Fig. 5 suggests, visibility would be limited and it would be difficult to breathe without a respirator. That is, it would be immediately obvious that there was a major issue. The danger, however, is that if a dust pile is disturbed, the dust concentration in the immediate area can quickly fall into the material’s explosible range. Frequently an initial small dust explosion will cause dust deposits on roof beams

to fall, creating a large dust cloud that results in secondary and tertiary explosions. This is the primary reason for minimizing dust build up.

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Minimum Ignition Energy (MIE) The Minimum Ignition Energy (MIE) in millijoules (mJ) is the minimum amount of energy required to ignite a dust cloud. The lower the value, the easier it is for a substance to ignite. This is a concern because it is very easy for a worker to acquire a static electric charge of 40 mJ. Furthermore, nonconductive powders tumbling against each other in mixers or conveyors can induce charges up to 25 mJ. Table 1 lists the MIE values for some familiar products. With reference to Table 1, unused wiredrawing lubricants have fairly high MIE values (>500 mJ); they are characterized as low sensitivity to electrostatic ignition (Table 2). However, plant environments also have other electrical discharge sources such as motors, arcing switches and electrical shorts that have considerably more energy than a static discharge and are capable of igniting materials with higher MIE values.

TECHNICAL PAPERS )LJ 'HĂ&#x20AC;DJUDWLRQ 3UHVVXUH 7LPH &XUYH indicating the calculation of Kst.

For clarification, the rich wiredrawing lubricants that were tested and are referenced in Tables 1 and 2, contain over 60% reacted fatty acid while the lean wiredrawing lubricant had less than 50% reacted fatty acid. In addition, all of the products were unused, specially prepared with an atypical particle size of 100% less than 75 Îźm (200 US Mesh). These values are for guideline purposes only. Used wiredrawing lubricants will contain metal fines and other contaminants that can affect the test results. The combustibility of these materials can be verified with testing.

Deflagration Index (Kst) The third parameter, Deflagration Index, Kst indicates the force or severity of the explosion. The graph in Fig. 6 shows how the pressure changes as a function of time when a substance ignites. The maximum pressure change with time (dP/dT)max times the cube root of the enclosure volume equals Kst. It has units of bar-meter per sec (bar.m/sec).5 Table 3 lists several common materials with their respective Deflagration Index, Kst,3 while Table 4 shows the relationship between Kst and explosivity strength6. Table 3 indicates that typical wiredrawing lubricants will provide a good size â&#x20AC;&#x153;kickâ&#x20AC;? as they explode in a combustible dust cloud. Fig. 7 shows the damage resulting from the Feb. 2008 sugar explosion at the Imperial Sugar Factory. Sugar has a Kst value comparable to many dry powdered wiredrawing lubricants, but it has a much lower MIE (e.g., 30 vs. >500) and is thus easier to ignite.

Fig. 7. Imperial Sugar Plant, Port Wentworth GA, Feb. 7, 2008. Courtesy OSHA Presentation â&#x20AC;&#x153;Combustible Dust National Emphasis Program,â&#x20AC;? March 25, 2010.

die-wire interface in Zone 3, where it forms a hydrodynamic lubricant film, the particles must break down into finer particles in Zone 2. Only then can the particles be affected by the heat from the metal deformation process in Zone 3 and transform into a plastic-like film that provides hydrodynamic separation in Zone 4. In addition to the handling of the product from its storage container to the draw bench lubricant box, other actions also contribute to excess dust generation. Dust can be caused by both operation actions and from selecting the incorrect lubricant for the process. An example of an operation action is the overfilling of the lubricant box as shown in Fig. 9. The forward action of the wire moving through the lubricant box forces lubricant accumulation to the front of the box. If there is not enough room left in the box to allow this action, overflow occurs onto the bench and floor. Likewise, over-aggressive stirring can force excess lubricant from the box onto the bench and floor. The choice of lubricant can be considered incorrect when its friability or softening point creates excessive dust generation. Fig. 10 shows an example of extreme feathering that occurs when the lubricantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s softening point is too high.

Results and discussion In wiredrawing plants, a considerable amount of the fine dust results from the degradation of the wiredrawing lubricant particles. This change can be caused by handling or from mechanical means, i.e., the draw bench and its many moving parts. However, it must be understood that the breaking down to smaller particles is necessary to allow the wire drawing lubricant to function properly. Fig. 8 shows that in order for the lubricant to reach the

)LJ /DUJH SDUWLFOHV QHHG WR EUHDN LQWR ÂżQHU SDUWLFOHV in Zone 2 to lubricate the die/wire interface in Zone 3. APRIL 2014 | 57

TECHNICAL PAPERS

dust deposits on these surfaces to fall, thereby creating a large dust cloud that results in secondary and tertiary explosions. Reducing ignition services • Ensure the equipment is properly grounded to prevent static electric build-up. • Ensure that electrical equipment is rated for use in dusty environments. • Ensure all wires and connections are in good condition. • Eliminate presence of very hot Fig. 10. An example of incorrect Fig. 9. An example of lubricant metal through good preventative OXEULFDQW FKRLFH UHVXOWLQJ LQ VLJQL¿FDQW becoming a dust issue from over maintenance practices. feathering. ¿OOLQJ WKH OXEULFDQW ER[ Dust minimization. Minimize dust formation rates with correct The high softening point causes formation of a fine, wispy lubricant selection. The physical and chemical properties material that is ejected from the die exit. The fine powder of lubricants affect the rate of dust generation during wirecan then be picked up by various air currents and deposited drawing. elsewhere in the plant. • Lubricants generating the least amount of dust tend to be In addition, the incorrect choice of lubricant can result in beaded, pelletized or in other forms that do not readily dust excess lubricant being deposited onto the wire; this excess during handling. flakes off when it comes in contact with anti-chatter devices • Lubricants leaving appropriate residual amounts on the or from the wire flexing around the block and sheaves. wire reduce dust formation rates should be selected. If the softening point of the lubricant is too low, it tends • Lubricants formulated with low dust forming tendencies to melt in the die and flow back into the lubricant box. reduce the dust generation rate during drawing. The melt-back that forms in the box cannot flow back into the die. As it accumulates in the lubricant box, operators Summary and conclusion discard it during routine box maintenance. Removal of the It is recognized that a dust cloud combustibility hazard can hard spaghetti-like filaments often carries along with it be expressed as: usable lubricant powder, which collects on the draw bench and can then fall to the floor to be stepped on and crushed Risk of Explosion = into a fine powder. (Probability of event) x (Severity of the event)

Dust hazard minimization programs Minimizing the combustible dust hazard involves three approaches: minimizing dust accumulations, reducing ignition sources and minimizing dust formation rates with better lubricant selection. Minimizing dust accumulations. Dust in the work place is inevitable during ferrous and some nonferrous wiredrawing. Common sense engineering and preventative maintenance will minimize dust accumulations. Many different agencies have made useful recommendations8-12. Some of these include: • Good housekeeping practices. Do not allow dust to accumulate. Periodically remove the dust from around and on the equipment (1/32-1/16 in. (0.8-1.6 mm). See Fig. 3. • Install dust collection systems at the draw bench and in other areas of the plant where dust is generated. • Cover the soap box and/or the draw bench to trap fugitive dust emissions. • Cover horizontal surfaces (girders, beams and ledges) with a smooth sloped surface so that no dust build up can occur. Frequently, an initial small dust explosion will cause

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The severity of the event, in this case the explosion, is dependent upon the Deflagration Index, Kst, and the size of the dust cloud. The probability depends upon several factors including: Minimum Explosive Concentration (MEC); Minimum Ignition Energy (MIE); dust generation rate; dust accumulation amount, especially dust on elevated surfaces; the number and nature of the ignition sources; and the correct lubricant choice Like many other products, wiredrawing lubricants are capable of creating explosive dust clouds. Recent combustibility studies classified them as weak explosion hazards by current standards. The products tested had Kst<150 bar-m/ sec giving them a Dust Explosion Classification of 1 on a scale of 0 to 3. While Kst(lean)<Kst(rich), the explosivity risk is not significantly reduced. At the same time, the studies also suggested very low probability of electrostatic ignition with MIE>500 mJ, unlike sugar that had a considerably lower value of 30. The study showed no correlation between combustible content of the drawing lubricant and the MIE value. It is important to acknowledge that the studies were on unused materials, specially prepared with an atypical par-

References 1. http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_ document?p_table=directives&p_id=3830, 3/11/3008. 2. R.K. Eckhoff, “Understanding dust explosions. The role of powder science and technology, Journal of Loss Prevention in the Process Industries,” Jan. 2009, pp.105-116. 3. Values, Chilworth-Dekra, Dust Collection Technical Handbook, National Filter Media, Salt Lake City, p. 73,

and DGUV (Germany Social Accident Insurance), BerlinMitte, Germany, and actual testing. 4. NFPA 77 (2008 Edition) Section 5.3.5 Static Discharge from the Human Body. 5. Deflagration Index, Kst, defined by ASTM E 1226. 6. OSHA Directive Number CPL-03-00-008. 7 “Average particle size varying between 85-125 μm.” Dust Collection Technical Handbook, p. 79. www.nfmfilter.com. 8. “Dust explosion prevention & protection techniques: fire explosion and thermal hazards training courses,” Chilworth - Dekra, May 2010, Plainsboro, NJ. 9. “Combustible Dust in Industry: Preventing and Mitigating the Effects of Fire and Explosions, Safety and Health Information Bulletin,” SHIB 07-31-2005, OSHA. 10. Health Canada, Environmental & Workplace Health, Hazard – Specific Issues – Dust Explosibility website, http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/occup-travail/whmissimdut/dust-poussiere-eng.php 11. Standard for the Prevention of Fire and Dust Explosions from the Manufacturing, Processing, and Handling of Combustible Particulate Solids, NFPA 654. 12. Factory Mutual Insurance Company, 2009, FM Global Loss Prevention Data Sheets 7-7.

David Gzesh is an application specialist with Blachford Corporation, USA. He graduated with M.S. and B.S. degrees in chemistry from the University of Pittsburgh. C. Ian Sidders has Lian Reid Sidders Gzesh been working for H.L. Blachford Ltd., Mississauga, Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Science. Jean Ontario, Canada, for 35 years. He graduated with a 9 5HLG LV 5 '௖YLFH SUHVLGHQW IRU + / %ODFKIRUG 6KH B.Sc. degree in applied chemistry from the University graduated with a Ph.D. degree in mechanical engineerof Waterloo, Canada. At the time this paper was ing from the University of Waterloo. This paper was written, Yafeng (Alvin) Lian was an H.L. Blachford presented at WAI’s 83rd Annual Convention, Atlanta, development chemist since 2004. He graduated with a Georgia, USA, April 2013. Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Lanzhou Institute of

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ticle size of 100% less than 75 μm (200 US Mesh). Dust found in wiredrawing plants often contain other materials, such as metal fines, that can affect the explosivity results. Verification of the exact risks can be determined with testing. While the risk of an explosion from wiredrawing lubricants appears low, additional reduction in risk can be achieved by improved maintenance, correct drawing practices, better lubricant selection and elimination of ignition sources. Often lubricants designed to lower dust generation also provide other benefits, such as higher drawing speeds along with improved die life and lower lubricant consumption rates. Minimizing both the generation of dust and its accumulation provides a safer and more productive work environment for a win-win situation for the wire drawer and lubricant supplier.

TECHNICAL PAPERS

TECHNICAL PAPER The new wire rod mill at ArcelorMittal in Duisburg A new mill represents a very considerable capital investment, so such projects must be carefully planned out. This presentation outlines the technical considerations that went into this ArcelorMittal venture. By Peter JanĂ&#x;en

ArcelorMittal operated in Duisburg on two sites: a BOF steel plant and a billet mill in Ruhrort and a wire rod mill in Hochfeld. The product portfolio covers high quality steel grades for the automotive, rail, machine building and offshore industry. The old wire rod mill was designed in the middle of the last century, and to meet market requirements a decision was made to undergo either a big revamping or a construction of a new wire rod mill. The conclusion of the project team was that revamping has quality, environmental and cost risks. The risk of not achieving the aim of the investment, to be the preferred partner of the automotive industry, was too high. Building a new wire rod mill in Ruhrort had the additional benefit of making it possible to close the Hochfeld site, which would deliver cost benefits due to lower fix and logistic cost. The decision was made to build a new wire rod mill. Based on a deep analysis of the market and estimated developments

Fig. 1. Layout of the new wire rod mill.

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of core customer, the design phase of the mill started. The below presentation explains how the mill, which opened in 2012, came to be designed and constructed as it was.

Layout of the new wire rod mill Typically, a wire rod mill operates for 40-50 years, so the design of a new mill has to cover future developments. The focus of the design was on quality and new products. Specific considersations included surface quality, reduced decarburization, homogeneity of the structure and small scatter band of the mechanical properties, all of which are covered by the layout. See Fig. 1. An existing building of an old blooming mill was used for the new mill. A 90Â° angle behind the intermediate mill is required by the existing infrastructure. This is also a benefit for the operation of the mill as one control room is sufficient for the operation of the whole mill. The control room is located directly at the left turn of the mill. This design reduces distances for operating and maintenance personnel, because they can take a short cut, if they have to move from the air cooling line to the walking beam furnace. The planned full single line wire rod mill can achieve the best product quality. The walking beam furnace is optimized for low decarburization and low temperature difference from surface to center of the billet. A 155 or 133 sq mm billet feeds the new mill. The maximum coil weight is three metric tons. The mill is equipped with horizontal and vertical stands, which offers a significantly lower risk of creating surface defects compared

Fig. 3. Image of an air cooling line without three-fan technology (IR camera).

TECHNICAL PAPERS

with a horizontal mill with twisting. Also, the decoupled four-stand roughing mill reduces the risk of surface defects, because the feeding speed could be increased significantly. In a full continuous mill, the feeding speed for small dimensions is very low because it is determined by the finishing speed. A low feeding causes a cooling of the billet edges and cold billet edges increase the risk of surface defects in the first rolling passes. The product of the four-stand roughing mill, a round bar, is stored in an insulated roller table. The temperature loss of the bar in the insulated roller table is 1-3°K. The following 14 cantilever stands of the intermediate mill are designed for a fast roll change to increase the flexibility of the mill. The first water boxes are installed behind the intermediate mill. The water boxes allow the ability to reduce the rolling temperature. A switch opens the option of temperature homogenization after cooling via the loop or a rolling at high temperatures using the short cut to the six-stand first finishing block. Both finishing blocks are equipped with Meer Drive®, an electronic system which replaces the gear box of the rolling block. The Meer Drive system gives full flexibility in the pass design and the opportunity of “one family rolling,” which means that each size is finished in the fourstand No. 2 finishing block. That guarantees full temperature control of the wire rod after the last pass. Another set of water boxes, installed behind the No. 1 finishing block, removes the reheating of the bar done by the six passes in front. The material is finished in the No. 2 finishing block with a maximum rolling speed of 120 m/s (5.5 mm). The mill produces wire rod from 5.5 mm to 25 mm. After the last pass the wire rod is cooled to laying temperature with water boxes. The laying head puts loops on the air cooling line, which is equipped with three-fan technology. See Fig. 2. The fans are distributed on the width of the air cooling line to assure a homogenous cooling and a small temperature scatter band of the wire rod. The laying of loops on the air cooling line creates crossover points and a higher material density on both edges of the cooling line. In order to get the same cooling rate of the wire rod in the center and edges of the air cooling line, a

Fig. 2. Three-fan technology (source SMS Meer). different air flow is required. The required amount of air is also influenced by the steel grade and the size of the wire rod. Conventional wire rod mills use flaps to distribute the air. Typically, the angle of the flaps is determined in the startup phase of the wire rod mill. The angle of the flaps is a compromise covering all steel grades and dimensions. Therefore, the temperature scatter band on the width of the air cooling line is relatively high. See Fig. 3. The three-fan technology makes it easy to adjust the air flow on the edges and the center of the air cooling line. Choosing the right air flow in the three zones homogenizes the cooling rates on the width of the air cooling line and reduces the temperature scatter band. See Fig. 4. A homogeneous cooling rate and a reduced temperature scatter band also reduce the scatter band of mechanical properties. Powerful fans enable the mill to provide high cooling rates for wire rod with bigger diameters. The supplier of the wire rod mill guarantees a 16-mm, high-carbon wire rod with sorbite structure. Insulated covers on the air cooling line are an option to retard the cooling speed. It is possible due to the design of the cooling facilities and the rolling train to influence structure and mechanical properties of wire rod in a wide range. The cooling line allows a tight transformation control.

Fig. 4. Image of an air cooling line with three-fan technology (IR camera).

$35,/௖ _ 61

TECHNICAL PAPERS The single line with 100% twist free rolling design of the mill ensures best dimension tolerances: ¼ of DIN EN 10017 can be achieved. This mill design also has positive impact on the surface quality. Twisting creates additional stress at the surface of a square or oval bar. Stress at surface causes a higher risk for crack creation. Another mill design highlight to reduce surface defects is the decoupled fast roughing train. In a fully continuous wire rod mill the feeding speed is determined by the finishing speed. Smaller dimensions are critical A 5.5 mm wire rod with a finishing speed of 120 m/s has a feeding speed below 0.1 m/s. Feeding a billet with a speed of 0.1 m/s causes a severe heat loss of the billet corners. The temperature of the billet corners, which is very low due to this heat loss. results in a low ductility of the steel. High deformation of the billet corners in the first oval/round pass and the low ductility of the steel in this area increase significantly

the risk for surface cracks. High feeding speed and the no-twist mill design are today’s best available technologies to avoid the creation of surface defects during wire rod rolling. Improvement of the structure is performed by advanced furnace technology, the 104-m-long air cooling line and the capability for thermomechanical rolling. Using a modern walking beam furnace enables the mill to reduce reheating time while ensuring good homogeneity of billet temperature. The low decarburization and reduced grain growth has a positive impact on steel. The air cooling line (LCC®) with a length of 104 m creates a lot of opportunities to influence the structure. Retarded cooling in order to avoid martensite in high strength steels is one option. Applying this strategy reduces costs by avoiding wire rod annealing after rolling. Accelerated cooling to support a fast transformation to very fine perlite is another option. Combined with temperature-controlled rolling in the finishing train it creates further opportunities to influence grain size, structure and mechanical properties. In the future it should be possible to offer the market a tailored product, which is optimized for the next step in the supply chain. The influence of the intermediate cooling on the rolling temperature is shown in Fig. 5. Due to the high deformation stress of high strength steel the heating of the steel during rolling in a wire rod mill starts in the intermediate mill. If the furnace drop out temperature is 1000°C, the temperature increases to the end of the intermediate mill to 1200°C. Without intermediate cooling the temperature keeps this level or even increases to higher values. Grain growth is just one negative impact on steel. To avoid negative impacts, cooling of the wire rod is required (Fig. 5). Applying water cooling, only the surface of the wire rod is effected by the water as heat transfer from core to surface is time consuming. The wire rod spends some time in the loop after cooling, which allows the heat transfer process time to also reduce the temperature of the core. Lower rolling temperature decreases the

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Product improvement for existing steel grades

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TECHNICAL PAPERS

grain size and improves mechanical properties. Three sets of water boxes give a lot of flexibility to influence and control the wire rod temperature in the finishing train.

New products Controlling the temperature during rolling is a necessary condition to apply thermomechanical (TM) rolling. The biggest benefit of thermomechanical rolling is achieving a small grain size in the final product. In each transformation process a nucleus is required to create a new structural constituent. Fine grains are created if a lot of nuclei are available. During rolling the dynamic recrystallization process transforms elongated grains to recrystallized grains. Suppressed dynamic recrystallization stores energy in the structure. This energy could be used for the creation of nuclei at the end of the rolling process. Very low rolling temperature suppresses dynamic recrystallization during rolling. Intermediate cooling is the tool to achieve this goal. First applications for thermomechanical rolling are fine grain CHQ steel grades. Mill design and construction was accompanied by a R&D project verifying the ideas. Rolling trials on the laboratory rolling mill of the technical university of Freiberg (Germany) proved that an ASTM grain size of class 13 could be achieved. It is possible to use TM wire rod without annealing in the CHQ industry. Combined with good dimensional tolerances, drawing could also be avoided for some applications. Just a calibration of the wire rod in front of a cold forging machine is required. Shortening of process routes and reduction of costs are the biggest benefits. TM rolling allows the production of a tailored product for the customer. New steel types are under development. Top priorities on the development program are TRIP (Transformation Induced Plasticity) steel grades and bainitic steel grades. The first bainitic steel grades are already available. Complex Phase (CP) steel grades and superfine grain steel grades are further opportunities.

First results Commissioning of the new wire rod mill started in August 2012. Product improvement and development on the new mill were later initiated, and the first results were available. Steel grades with silicon content above 1% are very sensitive to decarburization. One such example is spring steel grade 54SiCr6, of which a cross section of a 13 mm wire rod is shown in Fig. 6. The decarburization is 50% lower in comparison with one made by a wire rod mill operating a pusher type furnace instead of a walking beam furnace. The grain size of CHQ steel grades rolled in conventional rolling mills is typically ASTM Class 8. Without TM rolling but by adjusting the cooling conditions in the wire rod mill, a grain size finer than ASTM class 10 was achieved. The scatter band of mechanical properties is very important for all manufacturing processes. Applying the threefan technology of the air cooling line (LCC) is the tool to use to reduce the scatter band by perfectly controlling the transformation process. On the air cooling line, each fan is controllable from a 0 to 100% flow rate. This line

Fig. 6. Decarburization of 13 mm 54SiCr6 wire rod. adjustability enables the operation of the mill with exact cooling rates for every dimension and steel grade. As the transformation of austenite to ferrite/perlite creates heat the transformation point on the air cooling has to be determined properly. The flow rates of the fans must be adjusted accordingly. Fig. 7 presents the tensile strength (UTS) and reduction of area (ROA) of 54SiCr6 on a loop. The scatter band of the mechanical properties is already small, but there is still room for further improvement. The development is still ongoing for further optimization of the cooling conditions on the air cooling line. Before commissioning, a development plan was set up. The first step was the transfer of the product portfolio of the old mill to the new mill. Starting a product improvement program for the existing portfolio was fixed as a second step. The first results are presented above. Step 3 is the development of new products based on existing steel grades followed by step 4, the development of new steel grades. Steps 3 and 4 are now active. The first new steel grade has been launched on the market. ArcelorMittal registered the Trademark SOLAMÂŽ (Steel Solutions of ArcelorMittal) in order to identify new innovative steel grades in the product portfolio. All these steel grades guarantee special properties. Depending on the product size (wire rod, bar, billet, bloom) and the final application,

Fig. 7. Tensile Strength (UTS) and Reduction of Area (ROA) on a wire rod loop (x-Axis: sample no.). $35,/ŕŻ&#x2013; _ 63

TECHNICAL PAPERS

the chemical composition might be different. The first steel family available as wire rod rolled on the new wire rod mill is SOLAM® B, an acronym for bainitic steels. SOLAM® B 1100 and SOLAM® B 1200 are the first grades in this family. These steel grades are designed with minimum UTS of 1100 and 1200 MPa. The bainitic structure is drawable and in the as-rolled condition has a ROA of more than 30%. The final UTS could be reached by a drawing operation. Remaining deformability is typically sufficient to make the final part. Using this type of steel a quench and tempering operation could be avoided, thus a substantial cost reduction could be achieved. These two wire rod steel grades are cost optimized in comparison with the bar/billed steel grade sold under the same trademark. Bainitic steel is the first steel family developed for the new wire rod mill. Further SOLAM B grades are under development for a fur ther growth of this family. The new wire rod mill has a lot of opportunities to develop new steel types, all of which are possible because of the extraordinary capability of the new mill. The plan is to launch the first TRIP (Transformation Induced Plasticity) steel grade by the end of 2014. The main focus of the development work is high strength steel. The possibilities of thermomechanical rolling have already been proven on the laboratory scale. Today, the development on the new mill is running. In the 2013 summer shut down, mill improvements in the rolling train were implemented that further enhance the capability of the mill. The market launch of the first TM-rolled CHQ steel is planned for Q1/2014.

Conclusion The wire rod mill has proven already in the startup phase that the innovative design enables the mill to produce a product with excellent properties. Enabling higher productivity and better products are the main benefits of our customers using wire rod produced in Ruhrort. The operation of the first year demonstrated the amazing technological potential of the new mill. Introduction of the new mill to the market is now finalized. Most customers approved the mill for all their products they purchased from the Hochfeld mill. Linked to the investment, a reallocation of products to the ArcelorMittal mills in Europe has gone through. The Duisburg wire rod mill is now the high end product mill in Europe. The mill also benefits from R&D projects launched back in 2008. The development pipeline is filled and a lot of new products will be launched on the market in the next years. Starting with a production of 450000 t/a, there is enough remaining capacity to fill the mill with new products in order to achieve the design capacity of 690,000 metric tons. Customers can expect products which reduce their processing costs and/or with better properties. This allows the European steel wire rod consuming industry to both be competitive and to launch innovative products on the world market.

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Peter Janßen has been head of quality for ArcelorMittal Ruhrort GmbH in Duisburg, Germany, since 2003. He was previously head of process development and improvement at the same location. Prior to that, he worked for Stahlwerke Bremen GmbH, where he held positions that included project manager in Janßen the development department and application technology department. He performed his doctoral research into theoretical metallurgy at the RWTH Aachen University, Germany, where he previously studied metallurgy and material science. This presentation was made at the CabWire 2013, Milan, Italy, November 2013.

New Flexible Fiber Cable for 7KXQGHUEROW and USB Assemblies James Register Jamie Silva Corning Cable Systems PO Box 489 Hickory, NC 28603-0489 Phone: (828) 901-5000 Fax: (828) 901-6264 Jim.Register@Corning.com Jim.Register@Corning.com Jannie.Silva@Corning.com Jamie.Silva@Corning.com

Abstract Corning has developed an optical cable design engineered to withstand the aggressive and uncontrolled handling typically found in consumer electronic environments. These new cables are advantaged in many ways over traditional optical cables because of a new fiber design [1] and innovative cable design. The new fiber design provides superior bending performance and economical VCSEL/photodiode alignment. The new small diameter cable further protects the fibers in tight bends. This paper summarizes the new cable performance in two different consumer cable protocols; USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt. Design, functionality and performance attributes are compared to traditional optical interconnect cables. These cables provide superior performance and reliability in even the most demanding uncontrolled consumer spaces.

Keywords: Active Optical Cables Thunderbolt; USB 3.0; VCSEL; photodiode

(AOC);

Consumer;

1. Introduction Increasing bandwidth requirements in consumer electronics have inspired the creation of new I/O protocols, such as USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt. At these higher data rates, copper cables can have significant distance limitations. Optical fiber solutions can more than adequately fill this need. However, most people believe that optical fiber is fragile, brittle, and would never survive the “uncontrolled consumer application space.” Additionally, consumers expect cables that survive, even though they may be kinked, coiled or tied in knots. To address possible issues with utilizing optical cables in consumer spaces, a good understanding of the use case scenarios is essential. It is highly desirable that the optical cable design be a robust solution to eliminate fiber breaks and promote consumer acceptance of optical fiber. Tests were designed to best simulate the most common consumer environments. To meet the challenges associated with protecting the optical fiber in a small form factor cable, a special bend insensitive optical fiber with high fatigue strength at low bend radii was utilized. In addition, a cable design was chosen which controls the bend radii of the optical fiber to zero cable bend radius. The cable design was

designed as a small form factor, flexible design with a 3.0 mm outer diameter to meet the consumer requirements discussed herein. Examples of consumer applications where testing was characterized, included scenarios such as rolling over the cable in a loaded office chair, getting the cable caught in a desk drawer, extreme side to side and rotational loading from handling, extreme corner loading and impact from dropping household items on the cable. This paper will discuss the use case considerations and how they were attained as well as the results of the test program. The optical cable assemblies disclosed use electrical plug interfaces and convert the electrical signal to an optical signal to travel over the optical fibers and then convert back to an electrical signal near the other electrical plug interface. The optical to electrical conversion was developed concurrently with the cable design so that 5 Gb/s USB 3.0 optical cable assemblies can reach lengths of up to 30 meters; while the dual channel, bidirectional 20 Gb/s data rate Thunderbolt cables reach lengths up to 100 meters. The unique cable design and Corning’s low loss and high fatigue strength optical fiber provide a silica fiber based solution that is at least as durable as its copper equivalent. These new cable designs have the advantage of being smaller, lighter and more flexible in addition to having the capability of maintaining high data rates over longer distances.

Figure 1. Thunderbolt 4-fiber AOC cable

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2. Application Space 2.1 USB 3.0 Compatible Optical Cables Corning’s cable solution is designed to be compatible with the USB 3.0 platform. This is done by utilizing the same USB electrical interface currently deployed in consumer electronics and converting electrical signals to optical in the connector housing (outside the device). According to Intel®, “Today, with a run rate of 3 billion USB products shipped into the growing market every year, USB operates at up to 5 Gb/s and is found in over ten billion PCs, consumer electronics, and mobile devices.”[2] More diverse applications can be envisioned by removing the length limitations of shorter copper USB cables. USB 3.0 compatible optical cables are a much more cost-effective solution over the various USB copper and optical extender technologies being marketed today. With its backward compatibility to support legacy USB 2.0 devices they offer even more ubiquitous installation opportunities. The USB application example below is of a typical home installation environment where a powered USB Hub is used to provide more connection points for a variety of peripherals. With a USB 3.0 compatible optical cable, a user can station a printer and external hard drives away from the work area, up to 30 meters if so desired, providing a clutter and noise free work space.

Figure 3. System setup example using Thunderbolt AOC

2.3 Customer Requirements and Expectations The migration of optical fiber into consumer electronics applications will have certain customer driven expectations for performance. First, the cable solution is desired to have a small footprint ( 3.0 mm OD). Second, the cable needs to be able to handle situations in which it is exposed to uncontrolled bend radius scenarios by the user. For example, the cable may be physically bent back on itself when stored in a book bag or pinched in a desk drawer, and yet still maintain optical performance and integrity as expected by the user.

2.4 Failure Modes

Figure 2. System setup example using USB compatible Optical Cables by Corning

2.2 Thunderbolt Optical Cables Thunderbolt is the standard for a super high-speed PC interface jointly developed by Intel Corp. and Apple Inc. The standard provides for two lanes of 10 Gb/s bi-directional channels, which enables PCI-express data and DisplayPort for video to be transported over the same cable. While the copper-based Thunderbolt cables are limited to a length of just 3 meters, Corning’s Active Optical Cable can achieve up to an impressive 100 meters between devices. Figure 3 is an example of a use-case using a notebook PC and several self-powered Thunderbolt storage devices or external PCI-e enclosures, daisy-chained together with various lengths of optical Thunderbolt cables. At the very end of the daisy chain is a Thunderbolt Display which has additional USB devices plugged into it; such as a keyboard and mouse. This allows the user to station the peripherals requiring lots of cooling (which also creates lots of noise) in a separate location. The CPU can also be located in the temperature controlled environment. This setup creates a very clean and quiet work area that can be up to 100 meters away from the noisy peripherals. With “Active Optical Cables” the electronics are securely placed within the connector housing allowing for optimal transmission distances up to 100 meters between “each” peripheral in the daisy-chain (up to 6 total). Due to the fact that the Thunderbolt Optical Cable is an all optical solution, it does not provide power to operate the peripheral (which is allowed in the Intel specification); therefore self-powered peripherals must be utilized.

The primary concern with deploying optical fiber in the consumer space is maintaining the inherent strength of the optical fiber itself. This application is essentially an uncontrolled environment. When compared to the enterprise market where installations are permanent and installers are generally well versed in bend radius controls and other cable management techniques. It is improbable to expect the average consumer to be well versed in the importance with fiber cable bend radius controls. Scenarios where severe fiber bends could occur potentially damaging the fiber include; 1) bending the cable back on itself which might occur in a cluttered desk drawer or book bag. 2) If the book bag was then left in a hot car, an additional stress would be imparted to the fiber during temperature extremes. Accidental ways to damage the cable could occur from the consumer rolling a desk chair over the cable or hanging a peripheral device over the edge of a desk. Table 1 shows the conditions and tests used to determine functionality within the consumer space. Table 1. Failure mode summary Failure Mode Optical signal degredation

Condition wavy fiber

Simulation excessive tensile load "tug of war with cable"

Test Detail long length test to understand fiber/cable strain (ICEA-596) Completed assembly in Instron to test strain relief, verify operability

compressive load

chair rolling over cable

characterize chair rolling over cable compared to inductry standard flat plate tests (ICEA596)

cable routing

failure at connector interface due to strain relief

cable pulled down over corner corner bend test (ICEA-730) under tension impact dropping household item on cable ICEA-596, characterize at higher repetitions Bend cable pinched in loop, stuffed in non-standard test, pinch test, backpack, pinched in drawer multi-pinch with temp cycle Component handling cable/connector multiple twist FOTP-85 to 1000 cycles fatigue times per day over lifetime flex FOTP-104 to 3875 cycles Component high periphial device allowed to fall 180 degree bend with 1 lb load strain failure and hang with vertical orientation

Cosmetic

jacket failure

66 | This presentation appeared in the Proceedings of the 62nd IWCS Conference

various mechanical tests

inspect jacket for high cycle testing after aging

3.1 Optical Fiber The optical fiber chosen for the consumer application consists of an 80 ȝm trench assisted graded index optical fiber with a reduced cladding size of 100 ȝm. The fiber was designed to operate at 10 Gb/s using commercial grade VCSELs. The 80 ȝm core design was optimized to provide improved coupling efficiency, enabling high tolerance components that are desirable in the consumer product manufacturing space. The reduced cladding diameter effectively increases the fiber lifetime at a 3 mm bend diameter from approximately 2 minutes to 11.5 years at 35°C and 90% RH, or by a factor of 10,000 (see Figure 4). At 23°C and 50% RH the mean failure for a 3 mm bend is approximately 1 year.

stainless steel elements were utilized instead of copper. The USB cable also utilizes the addition of aramid yarn to enhance tensile strength to a rated load of 75 N which is approximately 2X greater than a standard copper USB cable. Both cable designs use a halogen free jacket material that provides flexibility and ruggedness for high cycle handling environment. The jacket material is rated for 105 °C use and passes the VW-1 flame test for the completed cable.

Cable

USB 3.0 AOC Cable

Thunderbolt AOC Cable

Fibers OD (mm) Power

2 x 80 Tm 3.0 2 x 28 AWG Copper

4 x 80 Tm 3.0 None

Strength elements

aramid yarn and 2 x 28 AWG Conductors

stainless steel wire

Tensile 75 N 200 N Figure 5. USB and Thunderbolt cable construction The fiber protection of both cables is managed using a cavity that will orient vertically when the cable is bent allowing the fiber to move to a lower strain condition and increasing fiber bend radius. If unconstrained during bending, an optical fiber will tend to move to the outside of the bend in an effort to find a longer path length and reduce strain.

Figure 4. Strength distribution measured at 35°C and 90% relative humidity: (a) IRU D ȝP JODVV GLDPHWHU E WKHRUHWLFDO OLIHWLPH SUHGLFWLRQV RI ȝP DQG ȝP glass diameters with experiPHQWDO GDWD IRU ȝP JODVV using Power Law Theory (PLT) fit. [1] The 80 ȝm optical fiber is specified to have a typical macro bend loss at 850 nm of 2.0 dB for a 1.5 mm bend radius at a 180° bend. The 62.5 ȝm encircled flux launch conditions are based on IEC 61280-4-1 (Table E.4), which represents a worst-case consumer grade VCSEL transceiver launch.

3.2 Cable Design Functionally, the USB and the Thunderbolt cables manage and protect the fiber using the same concept. However, the USB 3.0 design needs to provide power from the host computer to power the optical to electrical conversion on the peripheral end of the AOC assembly. In this case copper conductors are used for power transmission. Thunderbolt specification does not require cables greater than 3 meters to provide power to the peripherals, so

As typically manufactured, small form optical cables are either stranded (helically or SZ) or extruded parallel to the cable longitudinal axis. Stranding allows for lower strains in bending. However, the act of stranding tends to constrain the fiber, thus not allowing significant movement (movement is limited to the ability of the core to flatten) and a corresponding reduction in bend radius or strain. Additionally, a parallel payoff arrangement may limit the fiber movement when there is little excess space within the core or increase bending strain depending on orientation to the neutral bend axis and bend plane. Therefore in a standard small form factor cable design at 3.0 mm OD, the 80 ȝm fiber will violate a 1.5 mm minimum bend radius when the cable is exposed to a zero-bend radius condition, subjecting the fiber to possible fatigue failure. To solve the bend radius issue, a cavity or slot was introduced that allows fiber movement towards the outside of the bend on a longer path length at a lower strain value. Additionally, since the fibers are bundled loosely within the cavity, the fibers are free to move axially along the cable length to relieve additional strain. To achieve superior crush and kink resistance solid strength elements were introduced to the design in a non-preferential non-stranded design format. These components are added in only one axis of the cable cross-section to maintain flexibility of the design. Additionally, the construction and location of the strength elements had to be managed to prevent having an excessive inertial moment in the non-preferential bend direction, such that bending in the nonpreferential direction, while discernable, is not excessively noticeable. If you try to bend a length of preferential bend cable in its non-preferred direction, the whole cable will turn 90° and

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3. Solution Design

TECHNICAL PAPERS

bend in its preferred direction. If this cable is kept from twisting at some point by other bends, or a clamping force imposed, then the cable will twist and then bend as shown in Figure 6. The fact that the cable twists 90° at a bend results in orienting the cavity in the correct plane to enhance optimum optical fiber movement and bend radius management.

Figure 6. Off Axis Bending of Preferential Bend Cable Therefore the problem of exceeding minimum fiber bend radius in a traditional cable design is solved by means of; (1) controlling the fiber position (2) controlling fiber movement within the cable during bending and (3) controlling cable bend behavior. The design controls fiber bend radius to a minimum of 1.5 mm in a cable diameter of 3.0 mm based on attenuation used as a surrogate measure for bend radius. This is determined by the fact that the typical induced attenuation at a 1.5 mm fiber radius is 2.0 dB using a 62.5 encircled flux launch which represents a worst case consumer grade VCSEL [1]. An 80 ȝm fiber at a 1.5 mm bend radius is expected to see a 1 year lifetime at 23°C and 50% RH.

fiber optic cable test was not used, the ICEA-596 and the appropriate Fiber Optic Test Procedures (FOTP) were utilized with loads or cycles based on expected application. Pinch test: This test was designed to simulate the cable being folded back on itself. Examples could involve the cable bending back within a book bag or a teenager absent mindedly flexing the cable as they play their latest video game. To test this scenario, a quick repeatable test was devised that would not induce a specific orientation to the sample, so that a random type of bend could be evaluated. To perform this, a plastic cylinder was machined with an internal hole. The hole OD was sized in relation to the cable OD, and then attenuation measured for 80 ȝm and 62.5 ȝm fibers (see Figure 8). The cable OD was 3.0 mm, so a 6 mm hole would represent a complete zero bend radius. In actuality, this represents a worst case scenario; when the cable is bent back on itself without the 6 mm hole, it will exhibit a bend limiting effect due to the stiffness of the strength elements and cable components. Figure 8 shows optical loss measurements when the 80 ȝm fiber was compared to 62.5 ȝm fiber in the pinch test. The 80 ȝm results were approximately 4X lower than the 62.5 ȝm fiber for the zero cable bend radius scenario. Additionally, the 80 ȝm fiber loss data was in line with the typical values for maintaining a 1.5 mm bend radius on the fiber.

3.3 Cable Assembly The finished cable assemblies are represented in Figure 7. Corning’s Thunderbolt connector uses the standard copper Mini DisplayPort (mDP) connector interface. The nose piece on the connector is colored Corning blue to help the consumer visually identify it as an Thunderbolt AOC assembly. The USB assembly uses a standard USB plug on the host end (computer) and a USB 3.0 micro B and receptacle A extension configuration opposite the host end. Corning’s USB 3.Optical cables are also backward compatible to legacy USB 2.0 speeds when used in conjunction with an appropriate self powered hub or the A Receptacle extension cable assembly. Both cable assemblies have been engineered to provide exceptional flex life at the cable connector interface maximizing long term operation.

Figure 8. 2 fiber cable pinch with loss data by fiber type and hole ID Extreme Pinch Since the pinch test was utilizing attenuation as a surrogate measure for fiber fatigue, it was desirable to have a verification of the actual impact of the test. To accomplish this an accelerated test to failure was desired. To accomplish the accelerated failure, an extreme pinch test that incorporated the cable bend back with compression at the bend using a vise with a 6 mm radius edge was used (Figure 9). This test was performed to; 1) verify how the pinch test could affect fiber fatigue and 2) estimate what impact, if any, additional micro bending attenuation was having on the loss measurements in a pinched condition and how that impacted the reliability of the fiber.

Figure 7. Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 compatible Optical Cables by Corning assemblies

4. Performance Critical tests were performed based on the use case scenarios discussed previously in section 2. Where a special non-standard

Figure 9. Cable pinched in 6mm radius vise (3.57 mm pinch shown)

68 | This presentation appeared in the Proceedings of the 62nd IWCS Conference

Additional crush testing will presented later favorably comparing results against a more traditional style cable design.

Figure 11. Comparison crush testing between chair (carpet surface) and crush plate Corner bend test: The cable was tested using the procedure for corner bend from ICEA-730 using different loads and durations to verify performance in a corner bend. For this testing a 1 mm radius mandrel was used at the corner point. The Thunderbolt cable design was tested using a 14.7 kg hanging weight for a duration of one hour. Fiber strain was verified not to exceed 0.6% for this high load (~ 150 N rated load). To verify longer term performance a 45N (10 lb.) load (30% of rated load) was tested for 45 days with fiber attenuation and jacket quality measured. The maximum attenuation was 0.27 dB that recovered after the load was removed. Additionally, no significant jacket damage was observed.

Figure 10. Fatigue failures for extreme pinch conditions Crush test: This test was designed to simulate a person sitting in a desk chair who may inadvertently roll over the top of the optical cable. In this case it is believed that if there is a short term disruption of the signal, the offending person will move off the cable. The expectation is that the cable will exhibit a full recovery at this point. It was desired to create a repeatable crush test to use going forward. The standard crush test procedure as typically performed in ICEA-596 was believed to be a good candidate. To compare results of the two procedures, first the appropriate weight was applied to the top of a standard five-roller chair. Each roller was 2.54 cm wide, and this width was used to calculated the per unit length of force exerted on the cable for a given load. The cable was subjected to crush testing on two different surfaces; carpet and concrete. Different loads were used including up to 264 lb. total or 92.5 N/cm on each leg of a 5 legged chair and 100 N/cm on the crush plate which corresponds to a total chair load of 285 lb. in the chair. The carpeted results showed higher attenuation as expected due to the accentuated macro bending end effect that occurs at the end of the crush plate or roller. Comparing the results shows that the ICEA-596 crush test at 100N/cm, gives a reasonable comparison to a 250+ lb. person in a chair rolling over the cable. All cables tested with the chair or plate fully recovered to baseline attenuation. Validation testing for crush at 100 N/cm for 10 samples exhibited a maximum delta attenuation of 2.0 dB at 850 nm with an average of 0.26 dB with full recovery.

Figure 12. Corner bend setup Tensile test: Cable tensile performance was tested to FOTP-33. The Thunderbolt cable design was tested to a 200 N load at a maximum fiber strain of 0.54% and a maximum attenuation change of 0.12 dB. The USB cable design was tested to a 75N load at 0.33% fiber strain and a maximum attenuation change of 0.01 dB. Cable flex The cable was tested using FOTP-104 to 3875 cycles of +/90Â°rotation around 15 mm radius mandrels. The cable had a 500

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Previous testing of the 80 Č?m fiber at bend radii down to 1.0 mm showed an increase in attenuation in a 2 point bend test of ~ 40%. This corresponds to a 2.8 dB mean fiber loss. In this scenario at room temperature, the fiber would be predicted to fail within 1 hour. Figure 10 shows this predicted mean line with respect to a predicted fatigue failure. However, the actual test data showed a significant shift for increasing fiber lifetime based on the attenuation response. It is believed that this is caused by multiple bends that may exist in a pinched state coupled with added micro bend attenuation. The initial takeaway is that optical loss as high as 3.0 dB in this cable design at an extreme condition such as compressive pinch will be expected to survive approximately one week with more studies ongoing. It also further supports viability of having the cable in a zero radius bend back condition for an extended period without breaking the fiber. It should be noted that the cable is not expected to be handled at these extreme loads in practice.

Cable twist The cable was tested using FOTP-85 to 1000 cycles of +/180Â°rotation. The cable had a 4 kg axial load during the testing. Additionally, the cable was tested to an extreme twist of 30 turns over a 0.5 m gauge length (0.6 turns per cm) as a characterization. The cable did exhibit a significant attenuation response; however it relaxed after unloading with no fiber breaks. 4 3.5 3 delta Attenuation (dB)

TECHNICAL PAPERS

gram load during the testing. Maximum attenuation change after 3875 cycles was 0.05 dB.

2.5 2 1.5

0.5 0 -0.5 -1 15 Turns 18 Turns 20 Turns 25 Turns 30 Turns

Return

Figure 13. Twist testing Cable Coil testing: The goal of the coil testing was to determine if there would be any long term handling impacts for a product in consumer packaging for at least a year and what the appropriate packaging bend radius should be. Lifetime predictions are assumed to meet an Arrhenius model. Quantitatively the relationship between the rate a reaction proceeds and its temperature is determined by the Arrhenius Equation. At higher temperatures, the probability that two molecules will collide is higher. This higher collision rate results in a higher kinetic energy, which has an effect on the activation energy of the reaction. The activation energy is the amount of energy required to ensure that a reaction happens. The Arrhenius equation is given by:

Ý&#x2021; ŕľ&#x152; â&#x20AC;Ť ÜŁâ&#x20AC;Źŕľ&#x2C6; Ý ŕľ&#x2020;â&#x20AC;ŤÜ˝Ü§â&#x20AC;ŹČ&#x20AC;á&#x2C6;şÜ´Üśá&#x2C6;ť á&#x2C6;şÍłá&#x2C6;ť Where k is the rate coefficient, A is a constant, Ea is the activation energy, R is the universal gas constant, and T is the temperature (in degrees Kelvin). R has the value of 8.314 x 10-3 kJ mol-1K-1. It can be shown using this formula that a chemical reaction approximately doubles in speed for every temperature increase of 10 CÂ°. Therefore, using this equation a testing model can be formed where:

electrically loaded by powering a set of 50W halogen lamps during the mechanical testing. Voltage and current were monitored before, during and after the test to verify that there were no significant changes in resistance.

5. Cable Comparison Testing The 80 Č?m fiber provides significant bend resistance and improvement in fatigue strength; however, it was worthwhile to quantify the additional benefit due to cable design on maximizing fiber integrity. To accomplish this comparison, the slot cable design was tested against a standard interconnect style cable with 80 Č?m fiber, aramid yarns and utilizing the same rugged and flexible jacket. The interconnect design had a 3.3 mm OD. Tests were performed for pinch, crush, and multi-pinch with temperature cycling, impact and extreme twist. The pinch test ID was chosen to be 7 mm to create an identical reference for the two samples. For the multipinch with temperature cycling, the temperature was varied between 0 CÂ° and 70 CÂ° for 4 cycles and 0 CÂ° to 85 CÂ° for 2 cycles. The testing showed a substantial difference in performance for the two designs with fiber breakage being observed for the traditional design in the pinch with temperature cycling test that could be indicative of a cable coiled in a backpack and left in a hot car. With regards to the other tests, no fibers were broken, however, attenuation response for the traditional design was high enough to assume that a fatigue life issue could be of concern in the standard interconnect cable design (See Figure 14). In all cases the new design significantly exceeded the performance of the traditional design.

Test Pinch (7mm) Multiple Pinch (10x 7mm) Multiple Pinch Temperature Cycle Crush (100N/cm) Impact (10 x, 2 kg) Twist (40 turns)

â&#x20AC;Ť ÍłÝ?â&#x20AC;Źŕľ&#x152; â&#x20AC;Ť Í´Ý?â&#x20AC;Źŕľ&#x2C6; Í´á&#x2C6;şÜśÍ´ ŕľ&#x2020;ÜśÍł á&#x2C6;ťČ&#x20AC;ÍłÍ˛ á&#x2C6;şÍ´á&#x2C6;ť t1 = Actual Testing Time at Normal Temperature Conditions t2 = Testing Days at Elevated Temperature T2 = the Actual Elevated Testing Temperature T1 = the Actual Environmental Conditioning Temperature. Based on this model, 80CÂ° for 2 weeks corresponds to a 1.7 year time, which would be a suitable period to estimate product time to sit on shelf in packaging. Each sample was then exposed to 80 CÂ° for 2 weeks after being coiled around a 3 inch diameter mandrel. All samples were then removed from the mandrel, twisted 180 degrees for several iterations by hand to try to induce cracks and inspected. All samples showed no signs of cracking. Electrical Load testing (USB cable): To verify that the mechanical testing was not impacting the power delivery function of the USB cable design, the cables were

70 | This presentation appeared in the Proceedings of the 62nd IWCS Conference

Standard Cable Č?P ILEHU

USB 3.Optical Č?P ILEHU

1.9 dB average 3.6 dB max 7.3 dB

0.9 dB average 1.8 dB max 3.0 dB

broken fiber

3.5 db max

10.2 dB max no broken fibers 4.3 dB max

1.7 dB max no broken fibers 1.5 dB max

James A. Register Mr. Register is a development associate for Corning Cable Systems. His responsibilities include development of optical fiber cables with experience in flame-retardant cables for indoor and outdoor applications. He graduated from North Carolina State University with a B.S in Mechanical Engineering in 1992 and has been employed at Siecor/Corning for 20 years. He has previous experience in Field and Applications Engineering prior to joining Corning RD&E.

Figure 15. Comparison testing for slot cable against dielectric interconnect cable

6. Conclusions A family of optical cables has been designed for consumer use in Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 protocols. The USB compatible cable is designed for 5 Gb/s transmission speed at lengths up to 30 meters; while the Thunderbolt cable is designed for 20 Gb/s data rate at lengths up to 100 meters. Corning’s unique cable designs and low loss and high fatigue strength optical fiber provide a silica fiber based solution that is at least as durable as its copper equivalent. These new cable designs have the advantage of being smaller, lighter and more flexible in addition to having the capability of maintaining high data rates over longer distances. The cables are characterized for performance in demanding conditions that could be seen in the consumer market so that fiber reliability is maintained.

Jamie M Silva Mr. Silva is a product specialist for Corning Cable Systems Consumer Network Group. His responsibilities include managing cabling solutions for emerging application business opportunities with a current focus on Active Optical Cable assemblies for the consumer electronics market. He graduated from Wentworth Institute of Technology with a BS in Electronic/Electrical Engineering Technology in 1992 and has been working in the telecommunications fiber optic industry for 20 years.

7. Acknowledgments x

Welch McCollough, Randall Tuttle and Greg Bohler of Corning Cable Systems for extensive work in developing the cabling process.

Allen Miller of Corning Cable Systems for ANSYS finite element simulations.

References [1] P. Dainese et al., “Novel optical fiber design for low

cost optical interconnects in consumer applications,” Optics Express. Vol. 20, No. 24 (Nov. 2012). [2] Intel Incorporated, 31 July 2013 <http://www.intel.com/ content/www/ us/en/io/universal-serial-bus/universal-serialbus.html>. [3] ANSI/ICEA 5-83-596, Standard for Fiber Optic Premises Distribution Cable Technical Requirements, 3rd Ed, 9/2001.

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8. Authors

PRODUCTS & MEDIA

PRODUCTS & MEDIA PRODUCTS Expanded flat cable configurator offers millions of cable designs U.S.-based Cicoil, a manufacturer of high performance Flexx-Sil flat cables and assemblies, reports that its newly expanded online “Drag & Drop” Flat Cable Configurator allows users to easily design a custom cable in just minutes. A press release said that the Cicoil configurator allows a user to simply drag and drop elements into the cable assembly area to create your own custom cable. Any Wire... Configurator cables can Any Shape... be constructed using Any Size... many elements (over 20 new additions), including power conductors, shielded signal pairs, video and coax wires, tubing for liquid and air, and design elements like Cicoil’s patented StripMount fastening strip, it said. Cicoil has added specialty signal modules (Cat. 5e, Cat. 6, Camera Link, FireWire, USB 2.0, USB 3.0) to the configurator, which allow any of the elements to be combined in any position within the flat cable profile, the release said. That, it noted, means “that millions of flat cable designs are available for immediate production and delivery.” As soon as the flat cable design is constructed, users receive a price quotation, custom part number, and an engineering drawing delivered by e-mail within seconds, the release said. Once a cable is ordered, the company offers one-two week delivery on any custom cable design. Contact: Cicoil, www.cicoil.com.

Subec AB customized an Iris Guide system with an opening of 400 mm with a stay-fast locking mechanism for a customer working in the harsh North Atlantic Sea off the British Coast, it said. That unit features a completely new design, one with a 450 mm opening that was load-tested with 750 kg during testing sessions at the Subec production facility. Subec AB’s products for the offshore market all focus on strength and versatility, the release said. The guiding systems are designed to hold up under considerable forces in offshore applications, and strength is achieved by the careful choice of top quality materials and designs and attention to details during all stages of product development and production, it said. For more details on the guide system and other Subec AB products, which include cable machinery, straighteners, rollers, ceramics, accessories and more for industries that include wire and cable, visit Amaral at Booth 443 at Wire Expo 2014, or contact them at their office. Contact: Rick Amaral, Amaral Automation Associates, rick@amaralautomation.com, www.amaralautomation.com.

Overhead conductor offers greater reliability, capacity and performance U.S.-based Southwire reports that the company’s new C7 Overhead Conductor comes with an affordable carbon-fiber option that offers value to utilities seeking greater flexibility, reliability and single-failure tolerance for critical transmission lines.

Product range includes guide system designed for cable-laying ships U.S.-based Amaral Automation Associates, the exclusive North American representative for Sweden’s Subec AB, reports that the company now offers new products for the offshore market, most recently guide systems for use on cable laying ships. A press release said that many of these applications require large diameter material be guided over long distances, and for such circumstances Subec can offer custom solutions for their guide systems, which are often used for transportation within factories or between factories and cable-laying ships often found in the coastal regions of the United States and Canada. For instance,

72 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

A press release said that the multi-stranded composite core using advanced polymers, resins and thermoplastics from Celanese Corporation, a global technology and specialty materials company, delivers increased performance and a service life in excess of 40 years. Southwire notes that it has been developing the C7 Overhead Conductor for the past seven years, and that the results are a trans-

Contact: Southwire Company, www.southwire.com, and Celanese Corporation, www.celanese.com.

Cable sleeve offers excellent flame and heat protection in harsh places U.S.-based TPC Wire & Cable Corp., now offers excellent flame and heat protection with its ThermoTrex® Silica Ultra-Sleeve™ for use in steel mills, manufacturing plants, foundries, glass factories and welding and cutting shops. A press release said that Silica Ultra-Sleeve is a braided silica fiber woven into a sleeve that slips over cables running through areas where extreme heat or flame is present or nearby. The sleeve offers protection from continuous operating temperatures up to 1800°F (982°C), and because it also protects from water, grease and hydraulic oils, the sleeve is perfect for cable covers, cable tray protection, welding cable protection, hose protection and protection from abrasion. The company said that the new product gives customers more high-temperature accessory choices, an alternative to its Ceramic Ultra-Sleeve™. The sleeve, it said, uses silica fiber that is 96% pure, which is a better option to asbestos or ceramic sleeves as it has none of the negative health effects often associated with those materials.

Visit us at Wire Expo booth # 510

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mission conductor that has nearly double the capacity and less sag than the same diameter ACSR product. The new overhead conductor has a stranded continuous carbon-fiber thermoplastic composite core for rugged flexibility and reliability, the release said. The carbon fibers are embedded in a heat-resistant Fortron® PPS polymer matrix and capped with a layer of highperformance PEEK; the design allows for minimum sag at higher power transfer; and the stranded core means there is no single point of failure for the overhead conductor, it said. “Our goal in creating the Southwire C7 Overhead Conductor was to give customers an alternative to our standard ACSR and HS285® transmission line solutions that offered flexibility, reliability and ruggedness to stand up to a variety of difficult environments,” said Mark Lancaster, Southwire director of overhead transmission engineering. The release said that Southwire partnered with Celanese, a leading manufacturer of carbon fiber–reinforced thermoplastics, to develop Celstran® CFR-TPR using high-performance Fortron PPS and PEEK thermoplastics. Using this new high performance material in conductors enables it to be engineered to provide performance, value and durability, and that the resulting superior thermal performance cuts costs for new line installation or reconductoring.

PRODUCTS & MEDIA

It noted that the sleeve provides short-term temperature resistance up to 3,000°F (1,650°C) while offering outstanding flame resistance, flexibility and tensile strength. Additional inside diameters up to four inches are available upon request, and TPC can provide custom blankets from the silica material for a specific piece of equipment or cabinet to meet a customer’s needs, it said. Contact: TPC Wire & Cable Corp., www.tpcwire.com.

Power cable technology to be on display this month at IEEE event The Kerite Company and Hendrix Wire and Cable, both Marmon Group companies, will showcase their cable and power distribution products at the 2014 IEEE PES Transmission & Distribution Conference & Exposition April 14-17 at McCormick Place in Chicago, Illinois.

A press release said that at Booth 7944 Kerite will highlight its high-voltage cable offerings and a range of professional capabilities offered by Kerite Cable Services while at Booth 7548 Hendrix will display its aerial cable services and molded products. Kerite, the release said, will display its full line of high voltage (HV) power cable, available in voltages ranging from 46 kV thru 138 kV, ideal for a wide vari-

74 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

ety of electrical transmission system applications, including internal substation bus connections, capacitor bank hook ups, congested transmission easements, power plant feeders, as well as river and bridge crossings and industrial manufacturing facilities. Experts will also be available to discuss services available through Kerite Cable Services (KCS), which gives customers a single point of contact from procurement, through installation and acceptance testing. KCS services include project management, site surveys and system layout, custom cable designs, cable installation, splicing and terminating, system testing, and complete project documentation. Hendrix, the release said, will feature its Aerial Spacer Cable system, an innovative overhead electrical distribution system that solves utility reliability problems, significantly reduces weather-related power outages, and provides options for areas difficult to engineer with standard bare wire systems. Hendrix offers comprehensive engineering throughout a Spacer Cable project life cycle, including initial design, project planning, supply, installation, and preventative maintenance on existing circuits, it said. It will also display the company’s range of molded products, showcasing its line of polymer insulators, including a new Vise-Top design, a new polymer Line Post insulator and its line of Raptor Shield Avian Covers. Contact: Kerite Company, www.kerite.com, and Hendrix Wire and Cable, www.hendrix-wc.com.

New line of metal forming fluids and rust preventatives is offered

U.K.-based METALUBE® reports that it is offering a new range of lubricants and rust preventatives for the roll

Platinum-clad rod, wire and mesh products offer superior durability U.S.-based Anomet Products, Inc., is offering a full line of platinum-clad rod, wire and mesh anodes that it said handle high current output and are dimensionally stable for longer life. A press release said that the company’s platinum-clad anodes are metallurgically bonded to provide superior durability and performance compared to electroplated anodes in electrochemical and metal finishing processes. Clad to niobium or titanium as rod, wire, and mesh, these anodes are available with or without a copper core for enhanced conductivity, and their low consumption rate prevents bath contamination, it said. The release described the platinum-clad anodes as being ductile and formable, able to work with a wide range of electrolytes. Unlike lead and other consumable anodes, it said, they will not contaminate the bath and are environmentally friendly. The platinum thickness can range from 10 to 600 micro-inches, depending upon the application, and wire and rod can range from 0.021 in. to 1 in., while woven mesh can be 24 in. wide. The product is priced according to configuration and quantity, and price quotes and samples are available upon request. Contact: Daniel Lambert, Anomet Products, Inc., tel. 508-842-3069, dlambert@anometproducts.com, www.anometproducts.com.

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forming, cutting and pressing of metallic parts that cover three products groups. A press release said that Cool-Tek™ is a line of water dilutable concentrates for lubrication during forming and cutting processes. Cool-Tek products provide optimum lubrication and cleanliness that extends roll/tool life while providing outstanding surface finish. The range has excellent fines handling and settling, along with outstanding corrosion protection, it said. Meta-Shield™ is a line of solvent-based rust preventatives that provide up to 24 months protection for bundled sections and parts, the release said. Meta-Shield products, it noted, deposit a self-healing residual film, offering protection against accidental contact. Sol-Tek™ is a line of solvent-based lubricants that evaporate after use, leaving clean, moisture-free sections and parts. This, it said, negates the need for cleaning or subsequent treatment. Eliminating water from the forming process, it noted, reduces the risk of corrosion, particularly on galvanized parts. “We are very excited about our new product line. These products have been tailor made for the roll forming of ferrous and nonferrous metals including galvanized steel,” said Wayne Thornhill, METALUBE. He noted that the Meta-Shield range of rust preventatives is designed to be used in conjunction with the Cool-Tek products. “This combination offers impeccable protection on the internal bore and external surfaces of tubes and sections. Contact: METALUBE®, www.metalubeinc.com.

PRODUCTS & MEDIA

MEDIA U.K. New research/analysis service offers customized industry data U.K.-based Integer Research, a provider of research, data, analysis and consultancy services to sectors that include wire and cable, has introduced Wire & Cable Data Service, a product that offers more choices to customers. A press release said that the Wire & Cable Data Service is a flexible annual subscription service offering different purchasing options and packages. One can choose information by selecting regions or products to access datasets and analysis from the global insulated wire and cable market (75 key countries covered); all major product categories; and forecasts of consumption, production and trade data, with flexible purchasing options offered that can include the full service or a combination of product groups and regions. The regions include Europe and CIS, Americas, Asia Pacific & South Asia and the Middle East and Africa; product groups include energy cable, data cable, enameled wire and all product groups, the release said. A supporting dataset, in Excel tables, includes pivot tables

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Updated webpage is a plus for spring manufacturing companies U.S.-based Gibbs Wire & Steel Co., reports that it has updated a page at its websites (www.gibbswire.com and www.gibbsmetals.com) that makes it especially beneficial for metal buyers at spring manufacturing companies. A press release said that the company, which has a network of metal service centers in North America, has added a page that can be accessed at its home page by clicking on “Industries Served” then “Spring Manufacturers.” The page allows spring manufacturer customers to quickly access a range of useful information. It includes links to spring manufacturer associations in the U.S. and Europe; oneclick access to stainless steel news and information; a glossary of metal terms; links to metal industry resources, along with descriptive comments and evaluations of these sites; and general overviews of stainless spring wire and carbon spring wire. Under “Wire & Strip Products” on the opening home page, customers can review all the different types of spring wire the company offers. Those classifications include: Type 302 stainless steel wire; Type 316 stainless steel wire; Type 17 Chrome – 7 nickel wire; and Type 17 Chrome 7 - nickel wire - nickel coated. The company notes at its website that it began as a small operation in Connecticut in 1956, and has also expanded into new market areas that involve electronics and medical products Contact: Gibbs Wire & Steel Co., Inc., www.gibbswire.com and www.gibbsmetals.com.

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CLASSIFIED AD RATES: • $1.30 per word for WJI and on-line classifieds at wirenet.org (20-word minimum). • Blind box numbers, add $25. • Boldface headlines, add $6 per line (up to 18 characters per line). Specify category.

PAYMENT POLICY: All ads must be pre-paid. DEADLINES: Copy is due a full month in advance. Contact: classified@wirenet.org for more details.

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

PERSONNEL SERVICES

DIES

WIRE & CABLE DISTIBUTOR is is seeking Account/Product Manager for TX, LA, AL, MS, OK, TN, KS, and select accounts in GA. Travel to customers in Mexico will also be required. Experience: 5 years in sales and 5 years in W&C industry. Must have a record of proven sales results. Must reside in one of the states in the territory and be able to work independently. Technical and marketing experience a plus. Opportunities for advancement are available. Industry leading pay and benefits will be offered. Please send resume to jhoogendoorn@ttmarketinginc.com

“LET OUR SUCCESS BE YOUR SUCCESS” Wire Resources is the foremost recruiting firm in the Wire & Cable Industry. Since 1967 we have partnered with industry Manufacturers to secure the services of executives, managers, and thousands of key individual contributors. Contact: Peter Carino, pcarino@ wireresources.com or online at www.linkedin.com/in/petercarino1/ Wire Resources Inc., PO Box 593, Riverside, CT 06878, tel. 203-6223000. www.wireresources.com.

APOLLO DIA-CARB COMPANY Sells Natural/PCD diamond dies. Fair prices/excellent lead times. Contact Paulette, Owner/Sales Tel. # 1 (508) 226-0946 E-mail: apollodie@comcast.net

MACHINERY WWW.URBANOASSOCIATES. COM. For New (Hakusan Heat Pressure Welders, Ferrous & NonFerrous; Marldon Rolling Ring Traverses) & Used Wire & Cable Equipment (buttwelders, coldwelders,

Visit us at Wire Expo booth # 507 PLANT/MANUFACTURING MANAGER. MA-based privately held custom cable manufacturer seeks manufacturing manager due to pending retirement of current one. Extensive background and experience in Wire & Cable industry is required. We are a smoke & drug free EOE offering excellent pay, benefits and room for personal and professional growth for the right candidate. Send Resume to: generalwire@aol. com. SENIOR FIBER OPTIC CABLE DEVELOPMENT ENGINEER. BS degree in engineering or equivalent discipline. 7-10 years fiber optics cable design and development experience. Lead new product development efforts from inception to final testing, including analysis of prototypes, specifications, design and cost. This position is based at Hitachi Cable America Inc. in Manchester, NH. Submit resume including salary requirements to: Cheryl.Kula.mv@ hca.hitachi-cable.com.

FOR SALE 1 - HACOBA Model DF24 24-Carrier Braider 2 - WARDWELL 24-Carrier Braiders 1 - NEB 72-C #2 Braider, Long Legs, Motor 1 - TRENZ 64-C Horizontal Braider 1 - STEEGER 16-C # Double Head Braider 1 - NEB 24-C CB-1 Cable Braider 15 - KINREI 560mm, 760mm D.T. Bunchers 1 - REEL-O-MATIC 24” Caterpuller Capstan 2 - FARRIS 22”, 30” Caterpuller Capstans 1 - ALLARD 36” Closer 2 - NEB 12-Wire 8” Vertical Planetary Cablers 1 - ALLARD 30” S.T. Closer 1 - DAVIS STANDARD 4.5” 24:1 Extruder 1 - DAVIS STANDARD 3.5” Rubber Extruder 1 - DAVIS STANDARD 2.5” Hi-Temp Extruder 1 - DAVIS STANDARD 1” 24:1 Extruder 1 - LESMO 1800mm Gantry Payoff, Model SPF1800 1 - SKALTEK 1600mm Payoff, Model A16-4K 1 - DYNAMEX Tape Payoff, Model TPB30-2-D

1 - ROSENDAHL 630mm P/A Dual Reel Take-up 1 - SPHEREX 18” Dual Reel Take-up, refurbed 1 - CLIPPER Model SP16 Dual Spooler 1 - AL-BE Model MS12 Respooler, 18” Reels 1 - TULSA 36” Rewind Line 1 - METEOR Model ME301 3-Head Winder 1 - TEC Model DTC630 D.T. Twister 2 - ENTWISTLE 4WDT24 4-W 24” D.T. Twisters 2 - NEWMCO 16” Quadders 1 - METRONIC AlphaJet C Inkjet Printer, 2005 1 - PWM Model EP500 Rod Welder 1 - HALL Tape Accumulator 1 - WARBRICK “Chalkmaster” Talc Applicator 1 - EUBANKS Model 4000-04 C/S Machine 1 - SCHLEUNIGER Model UC3750 Cutter 1 - SCHLEUNIGER Model EC3200 EcoCut 1 - SCHLEUNIGER Model ES9320 EcoStrip 1 - SCHLEUNIGER Model HS4500 Hot Stamper 1 - SCHLEUNIGER Model CT32, CT42 Crimpers 1 - IDEAL Model STP Stripper, Part #45-930

www.CommissionBrokers.com

Commission Brokers Inc. • Cranston, RI 02920 • 401-943-3777

APRIL 2014 | 77

CLASSIFIEDS

WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL CLASSIFIED AD INFORMATION NAME ________________________________________________________________________ TITLE _________________________________________________

CLASSIFIEDS

COMPANY ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ADDRESS ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ CITY ________________________________________STATE _______________POSTAL CODE _____________________ COUNTRY _______________________ PHONE _____________________________ FAX _______________________________ EMAIL _______________________________________________________ AD CATEGORY____________ ISSUE YOUR AD BEGINS___________E-mail_____________________________________ NUMBER OF ISSUES RUN _______LAST ISSUE ________________RUN TILL FURTHER NOTICE? YES____ NO ____ FULL RUN (WJI & ON-LINE) YES____ NO ____

BLIND BOX? YES____ NO ____

WAI MEMBER? YES____ NO ____ WAI MEMBERSHIP # ______________________ (Applies only to “Position Wanted”)

ers and pointers). Tel: 727863-4700 or by e-mail, please send to urbassoc@verizon.net.

MEDIA THE SMALL SHOP. This book, 327 pages, by Gary Conner, the author of Lean Manufacturing for the Small Shop, describes Six Sigma and how it is used by smaller companies. It includes a CD-ROM. Price, $95, $75 for

WAI members, plus shipping. To purchase, go to wirenet.org and click on The WAI Store. THE ROEBLING LEGACY. This 288-page indexed book by Clifford W. Zink presents a different perspective of the Roebling legacy. “But it’s all wire,” proclaimed a 1950s Roebling Company brochure about its product line, which included wire rope, copper magnet and electrical wire, screens and hardware cloth, aircord and aircraft

Please e-mail the requested information to: WAI’s Cindy Kirmss at ckirmss@wirenet.org. For more details, you can call her at 203-453-2777, ext. 116.

strand, flat and braided wire, PC wire and strand, galvanized bridge wire, among others. To maximize quality, the Roeblings started drawing their own wire in the 1850s, rolling bars into rods in the 1870s, and making their own steel in the 1900s. Wire is the binding thread through 125 years of Roebling and American industrial history chronicled in The Roebling Legacy. The price is $75, $50 for WAI members, plus shipping. To purchase, go to wirenet. org and click on The WAI Store. THE PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF THE PROCESS CAPABILITY STUDY. Creating a universal language for problem solving, this 2011 135-page booth by industry expert Douglas Relyea, founder of Quality Principle Associates, a consulting firm specializing in the education and application of data analysis techniques to industrial problem solving. The list price is $45, $40 for WAI members, plus shipping. To buy, go to wirenet.org and click on The WAI Store. THE SMALL SHOP. This book, 327 pages, by Gary Conner, the author of Lean Manufacturing for the Small Shop, describes Six Sigma and how it is used bysmaller companies. Published by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, it shows the relationship between continuous improvement, lean, and quality, and focuses on implementation for operators, managers, and owners. It includes a supplementary CD-ROM. Price, $95, $75 for WAI members, plus shipping. To purchase, go to wirenet. org and click on The WAI Store.

78 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX ADVERTISER ............................. PAGE Anbao Wire & Mesh Co Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

June 2014 WJI

Beta LaserMike . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Boxy/Howar Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 The Branford Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Breen Color Concentrates Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

• Dies: A value perspective • Wrapup: WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo 2014

Carris Reels Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cover 4 Cemanco LC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Commission Brokers Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Dow Electrical &Telecommunications . . . . . . . 5 Esteves Group USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 George Evans Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Howar Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Howar Equipment/Boxy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Howar Equipment/Unitek . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Huestis Industrial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33, 51 Inosym Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32, 38 Joe Snee Associates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 KEIR Manufacturing Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17, 40 McKay & Associates Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78 Micro Products Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Nano-Diamond America, Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Niehoff GmbH & Co KG . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cover 2 Paramount Die Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Pressure Welding Machines Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Properzi International Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Proton Products Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48, 50 Queins Machines GmbH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Advertising Deadline: May 1

SIKORA AG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 APRIL 2014 | 79

ADVERTISER ............................. PAGE

Sjogren Industries Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Wire & Plastic Machinery Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

Joe Snee Associates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Wire Lab Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

August Strecker GmbH & Co KG. . . . . . . . . . . 21

Woodburn Diamond Die Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Teknikor Contracting Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Wyrepak Industries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24, 34

Teknor Apex Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 TMS Specialties Manufacturing Co Inc . . . . . . . 4 Tubular Products Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 United Wire Co Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

WIRE ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL ADS . . . . . . . WAI Membership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Unitek/Howar Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

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Vandor Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

௖:LUH ([SR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42-43

WAFIOS Machinery Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cover 3

WAI Gone Mobile! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Visit us at Wire Expo booth # 415 Visit us at Wire Dusseldorf 2014! April 7 – 11th | Booth 9F21–01

Visit wireandplastic.com to view our complete inventory or contact us at info@wireandplastic.com TEL: +1.860.583.4646

80 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX

ADVERTISER ............................. PAGE

Visit us at Wire Expo booth # 203

B Series Precision CNC Wire Bending Machines Economical, Compact, Profitable!

Working range .079 - .256 in ø 2.00 - 6.50 mm ø

Working range .157 - .394 in ø 4.00 - 10.00 mm

Basic execution includes 6 CNC axes

WEB SERVICE Call s Connect s Immediate Support

Designed for the production of 2D and 3D wire parts

Optical control capability for process monitoring bend Provides automatic optimization of CNC program sequences for superior output rates

User-friendly WPS 3 operator interface with intuitive graphics for plain-text programming of part lengths, angles or coordinates

wire Simulation and Quoting Software

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>PYL :[YHPNO[LUPUN *\[[PUN ,UK >VYRPUN 4HJOPULZ

;\IL )LUKPUN -VYTPUN 4HJOPULZ

5HPS *OHPU -LUJL 4HJOPULZ

Visit us at Wire Expo booth # 236