Wire and Fastener Equipment: Part 2

WIRE JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2009

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I N T E R N A T I O N A L w w w. w i r e n e t . o r g

Wire & Fastener Equipment: Part 2

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WIRE JOURNAL

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

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

CONTENTS

Volume 42 | Number 9 | September 2009

F EATURES

Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Industry News . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Asian Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Fiber Watch . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Wire & Fastener Equipment Part 2 . .38

Fastener Update . . . . . . . . . 28

This feature, the second of two parts, presents further comments from industry suppliers on how they are adjusting to the weakened industry, their outlook and more.

WAI News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Product Showcase . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

Chapter Corner . . . . . . . . . . 34

This extended Products section presents more equipment, including some from exhibitors at Interwire 2009.

Ferrous View . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Technical Papers . . . . . . . 74-91 Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Career Opportunities . . . . . . 92 Advertisers’ Index . . . . . . . . 95

T ECHNICAL P APERS Software tool for network reliability and availability analysis Gerardo Castañón, Ana Maria Sarmiento, Raúl RamírezVelarde and Alejandro Aragón-Zavala . . . . . . . . . . . . .74 Optimization of multi-pass steel wiredrawing operation Surya Kumar Singh, B.P. Gautham, Sharad Goyal and Dinesh Gudadhe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82 Adhesion of tire bead wire to rubber: some findings R. Mishra, S. Mahajan, V. Sridhar, N. Bandyopadhyay, S. Sunder and H. Pathak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .89

Cover: A few of the industry suppliers who provide the equipment that the wire and cable industry depends on. See p. 38.

SEPTEMBER 2009 | 3

INSIDE THIS ISSUE CONTENTS

W AI Q&A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 What do you have to do to present a technical paper for one of the Wire Association International’s technical programs? How can companies get their information published in an issue of Wire Journal International? How can a company arrange to present a webinar with WAI? These are just some of the topics that will be presented in WAI Q&A, a new occasional section that will discuss a topic of general interest involving the Association. The first Q&A piece features WAI Sales Director Bob Xeller, who explains how booths are allocated for WAI’s trade shows.

4 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

F ERROUS V IEW . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

Even as late as last September, Ferrous View columnist Murat Askin believed that 2009 would offer better times.

That optimism had waned by the end of the first quarter, and he admits that he is now awed by the extent that the U.S. wire rod market has plummeted. Annual wire rod consumption for 2009 is likely to be down by about 50% from 2008 levels and an astonishing 75% below year 2000 levels. To which he says, “Holy guacamole!”

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EDITORIAL WIRE JOURNAL

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EDITORIAL

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

In any era, evolving is a business plan must

Publisher | Steven J. Fetteroll Editor-in-Chief | Mark Marselli

The auto industry, especially in the U.S., has been very rough the last few years on its employees, dealerships, shareholders, suppliers and customers. Of course, the attorneys have done well, and I am sure that business schools are pleased to have a lifetime supply of material for new case studies. However, the sentiment surrounding the automobile sector is that it is slowly turning more positive. Going forward, the question now is which companies will be able to increase market share in the mature markets of Japan, Europe and U.S., and who will emerge as the leaders in the developing markets of China, India and Brazil.

While American automakers were sorting through which product lines to discontinue, Tata Motors developed and began production of the Nano, a passenger vehicle tailored for the India market at a cost of under $3,000. The concept—reminiscent of U.S. auto pioneer Henry Ford—is that rather than try to make $1,500 or more on a car, settle for far less profits per car but sell far more cars. With a target market of up to 100 million customers, that is a very real possibility. The first Nano models rolled into the market in July, and Tata is a leader in this niche.

The Nano “experience” will ultimately be judged by consumers for its quality, but also by the automobile industry for its manufacturing process. Tata, indeed, reported some trouble in the early production stage, and is building a new plant in western India that will have 500,000-unit capacity. It also plans to export the Nano in pieces that will be assembled by contracted companies located nearest to customer bases, which shifts capital costs away from Tata and virtually removes distribution costs. The implications for Tata’s actions are big. Just ask the decision makers at GM, which now sells more cars outside of the U.S. and recently announced plans for its own ultra-low cost vehicle.

Tata’s strategy may not apply to the wire and cable industry, but its willingness to consider other approaches may well indeed. In some ways, it is similar to a bold approach by Southwest Airlines, which entered the over-crowded, unprofitable airline industry 36 years ago with an innovative low-cost business model and was able to out-perform the competition year after year.

The ability to look forward and to evolve, both in the best and worst of times, may be what separates the winners and the losers in any industry.

Steve Fetteroll WAI Executive Director

Senior Graphic Designer | Bill Branch Director of Sales | Robert Xeller Advertising Sales | Anna Bzowski Director of Marketing Services | Janice E. Swindells Graphic Artist | Adrienne E. Simpson Proofreader | Livia Jacobs Circulation Manager | Jan Valois Publications Advisory Board Antonio Ayala | J.J. Lowe, Mexico Ferruccio Bellina | TKT Group/President ACIMAF, Italy Anand Bhagwat | Wire and Cable Services, India Malcom Michael | AWIA Australia Don Schollin | Q-S Technologies, USA Ken Scott | UK Ralph Skalleberg | Skaltek USA Dave Stackpole | Nutmeg Wire, USA Giulio Properzi | Continuus Properzi, Italy Robert Wild | Niehoff Endex North America, USA WAI Executive Committee Liaison Dane Armendariz | Henkel Corporation Technical Advisors John Drummond | Scotia Group R. M. Shemenski | RMS Consulting, Inc.

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 mmarselli@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 offices.

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. © 2009 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 microfilm and available from University Microfilm, 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106, USA. Phone: 313761-4700.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Wire Journal International, P.O. Box 578, Guilford, CT 06437-0578, USA.

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CALENDAR

CALENDAR Sept. 16-18, 2009: American Wire Producers Association (AWPA) 2009 Gov. Affairs Conference Washington, DC, USA. The AWPA invites colleagues to discuss legislation/trade issues and visit Congressional reps. Contact: AWPA, tel. 703-299-4434, info@awpa.org.

Sept. 30-Oct. 1, 2009: Electrical Manufacturing Coil Winding & Coating Expo Nashville, Tennessee, USA. To be held at the Opryland Convention Center. Contact: Jo Thurman, tel. 619-4353629, fax 619-435-3639, jothurman@emcw.org.

Oct. 13-15, 2009: Wire Southeast Asia Bangkok, Thailand. To be held at the BITEC Exhibition Centre. Contact: Messe Düsseldorf North America, tel.

312-781-5180, info@mdna.com, www.mdna.com.

Oct. 24-27, 2009: Exhibition & Conference for Wire & Cable New Delhi, India. The 9th International Exhibition & Conference for Wire & Cable will present wire and cable,

8 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

fasteners and springs and more at the Pragati Maidan.

Contact: www.intechtradefairs.com.

Nov. 2-3, 2009: Istanbul Cable & Wire 2009 Istanbul, Turkey. This biennial conference is jointly organized by IWMA, CET, ACIMAF and the WAI. Prior conferences were in Bologna, Italy (2007); Prague, The Czech Republic (2005); and Stresa, Italy (2003). Contact: WAI, tel. 203-453-2777, www.wirenet.org.

Nov. 8-11, 2009: 58th IWCS Conference™ Charlotte, North Carolina, USA. The 58th Annual IWCS Conference will be held at the Charlotte Convention Center. Contact: IWCS, www.iwcs.org, phudak@iwcs.org, tel. 732-389-0990.

Apr. 12-16, 2010: wire Düsseldorf Düsseldorf, Germany. To be held at the Messe fairgrounds. Contact: Messe Düsseldorf North America, tel. 312-781-5180, info@mdna.com.

CALENDAR

May 12-13, 2010: Wire Expo 2010 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. To be held at the Midwest Airlines Center, this event includes the WAI’s 80th Annual Convention, trade show and technical program.

It will be co-located with The National Electrical Wire Processing Technology Expo. Contact: WAI, tel.

203-453-2777, www.wirenet.org.

Sept. 2010: wire China 2010 Shanghai, China. Contact: Messe Düsseldorf North America, tel. 312-781-5180, fax 312-781-5188, info@mdna.com, www.mdna.com.

May 2011: Interwire 2011 Atlanta, Georgia, USA. WAI returns to the Georgia World Congress Center for the trade show and the Association’s 81st Annual Convention. Exact dates to follow. ■

W IRE ASSOCIATION INT’L E VENTS For more information, contact the WAI, USA. Tel. 001-203453-2777; fax 001-203-453-8384; Internet www.wirenet.org.

Sept. 17, 2009: 15th Annual New England Chapter Golf Tournament Boylston, Massachusetts, USA. Contact WAI’s Chip Marsh, cmarsh@wirenet.org, tel. 203-453-1748.

Oct. 15, 2009: 8th Annual Southeast Chapter Golf Tournament Conover, North Carolina, USA. Contact WAI’s Chip Marsh, cmarsh@wirenet.org, tel. 203-453-1748.

Oct. 22-23, 2009: Reconvene Cleveland, Ohio, USA. WAI will hold its second business meeting of the year at the Airport Marriott.

Oct. 26, 2009: 9th Annual Wild West Shootout Rancho Palos Verdes, California, USA. Contact WAI’s Chip Marsh, cmarsh@wirenet.org, tel. 203-453-1748.

Nov. 2-3, 2009: Istanbul Cable & Wire 2009 Istanbul, Turkey. This biennial conference is jointly organized by IWMA, CET, ACIMAF and the WAI. Prior conferences were in Bologna, Italy (2007); Prague, The Czech Republic (2005); and Stresa, Italy (2003). Contact: WAI, tel. 203-453-2777, www.wirenet.org.

May 12-13, 2010: Wire Expo 2010 Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. See main listing May 2011: Interwire 2011 Atlanta, Georgia, USA. See main listing.

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SEPTEMBER 2009 | 9

INDUSTRY NEWS

INDUSTRY NEWS Wardwell Braiding in receivership, global operations pared down Dismal economic conditions have forced Wardwell Braiding Machine Company, Central Falls, Rhode Island, USA, into receivership, and the company has shut down or sold its operations in Europe and Asia as it seeks to retrench.

“We didn’t expect these conditions, which started several years ago, to go on for so long. From last November through June, our phones lines were very quiet,” Wardwell President John Tomaz told WJI. “We chose to go into receivership in state court rather than file for Chapter 11 in federal court because it works out better for both us and our creditors, who have been very understanding. We are seeing more activity lately and there is a real hope that we can exit receivership in three to six months.”

Tomaz said that the decline for new braiding equipment has affected all of Wardwell’s locations. Over the last six months, the company has closed its operation in Italy and a joint venture in Shanghai, China, and recently sold its interest in Germany. The company, which was founded in 1911 and at its peak in 2001 employed 183 employees, now has less than 40.

“Doing this is sad and difficult but it’s also a relief for us because now we can focus on running the company and attending to our customers’ needs,” said David Farnum, director of sales and marketing. “It is business as usual for our customers. We are taking orders and looking forward to better times.”

Coleman Cable to add plant capacity U.S.-based Coleman Cable announced that it plans to install additional manufacturing equipment, increase the number of products it makes and add seven production workers, bringing its workforce to 80 for its Lafayette, Indiana plant.

“We’ll be utilizing some of the open capacity within our 390,000-sq-ft facility, increasing our manufacturing flexibility and improving our product quality,” Kevin Porath, director of human resources, was quoted as saying in a report by Inside Indiana Business. In it, the company said it will spend $228,000 on building improvements and electrical infrastructure, while the equipment—which is coming to Lafayette from other Coleman Cable facilities in New York and Texas and another wire company in Ohio—represents a $5.4 million investment in the plant. “We’re real excited about what this means for our Lafayette facility,” Porath said.

The plant, built in several phases between 1939 and 1977, operated under various Essex names from 1970 to 2003, when it was acquired by Copperfield LLC. Coleman Cable

purchased Copperfield in 2007.

The move was related to a previous action earlier this year, when Coleman Cable approved a plan to close its manufacturing facility located in East Longmeadow, Massachusetts. That step, it said, was taken “to align its manufacturing capacity and cost structure with the reduced volume levels resulting from the current economic environment:” At that time, it noted that production would be transitioned to Indiana, with facilities in Waukegan, Illinois, and Texarkana, Arkansas, providing backup capacity.

Belden to cease production at Massachusetts plant next year U.S.-based Belden Inc. announced that it plans to close its plant in Leominster, Massachusetts, by July 2010, eliminating 170 jobs.

Production at the plant, which makes wire and cable products for enterprise applications, will be moved to other existing Belden facilities in Massachusetts, Kentucky and Mexico, a press release said.

The shutdown is part of a restructuring initiative the company announced last December, which included the closing of its plant in Virginia. At that time, Belden announced plans to cut 1,800 jobs worldwide, or 20 percent of its work force, and consolidate some manufacturing operations. The company projected that those restructuring efforts would help save the company $30 million in 2009 and $50 million annually starting in 2011.

Bay Acquisition Corp. plans to acquire Chinese cable company Bay Acquisition Corp., formerly known as SecureLogic Corp., has agreed to buy Zhejiang Ledi Electronic Technology Co., Ltd. (LeDi), a Chinese manufacturer of electrical copper wires, Business Wire reports.

The story in Business Wire said that LeDi, founded in 2005, is located near Shanghai in Zhejiang Province, which it described as a hub of transportation, trading and communications. The company has three copper wire production lines with total annual capacity of approximately 36,000 tons, it said. It added that in April 2009, LeDi received a license to import scrap metal directly from foreign countries, making it one of the few copper processing companies in China that is licensed to import scrap copper directly from the U.S., thereby decreasing raw materials costs and providing a meaningful competitive advantage.

The deal, the release said, is pending certain conditions, which include satisfactory due diligence review of both companies as well as a private placement by LeDi’s holding company of at least $5 million prior to the closing.

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

10 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Tuesday, November 3

Sunday, November 1

08.00 – 14.00

15.00 – 19.00

Tour - Vatan Kablo Facility.

Registration & Welcome

Monday, November 2 08.00 – 18.00 09.00 – 09.10 09.10 – 12.25 12.25 – 13.45 13.45 – 17.15 18.45

Registration Opening Remarks Technical Sessions Lunch Break & Tabletop Displays Technical Sessions Buses leave for Gala Dinner - Binbirdirek Cistern

Istanbul conference set for Nov. 2-3, tabletop positions still available The program is set for Istanbul 2009, New Technology for Global Markets, which is being organized by ACIMAF, IWMA, CET and WAI and will be held Nov. 2-3, 2009, at the WOW Hotel and Convention Center in Istanbul, Turkey.

The host facility, close to the international airport and located near four- and five-star hotels, is an ideal choice for attendees from Europe, the CIS and former Soviet

Union republics, the Arab States and the Middle East, India and Africa. The conference includes the technical program on Monday, Nov. 2, with separate ferrous and nonferrous presentations made in English with simultaneous translation into Turkish and Russian.

The program will include a special presentation on Monday afternoon by Dr. Heinz-Jürgen Büchner, vicepresident, economics and research, at the IKB Deutsche Industriebank AG in Düsseldorf. His presentation, “Recovery of the world economy: consequences for capacities and prices of metals,” will provide delegates

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SEPTEMBER 2009 | 11

INDUSTRY NEWS

Schedule of events

INDUSTRY NEWS

with his latest outlook for how the metals industry will fare.

A social event will be held Monday night, with delegates and speakers joining those from a concurrent tube conference being held at the same venue to experience the famous Binbirdirek Underground Cistern near the Blue Mosque in the old city. The evening will include a fourcourse dinner and traditional Turkish entertainment.

The event also includes tabletop exhibits that will run

concurrently with the technical program. As of press time, 29 tabletops had been reserved and positions were still available. The cost for a tabletop, which includes one full registration, is €580 for members, €610 for all others.

European and Asian companies wishing more information about tabletop opportunities can contact the IWMA at info@iwma.org, and in North America they can contact sales@wirenet.org.

An optional plant tour, for €35, will be held on Tuesday, November 3, of Vatan Kablo A.S., a leading Turkish cable company.

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Despite funding, U.S. industry institute gets layoff slips from state The Toxics Use Reduction Institute (TURI) at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell has a steady income stream and a track record of results for the more than 550 companies they have helped better understand and reduce their use of toxic chemicals, but that has not prevented its staff from being on the receiving end of layoff slips.

The irony for TURI—which has put on well-received programs at WAI events, and whose client base includes 15 wire and cable manufacturers as well as some

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of their resin suppliers—is that while funding is the problem, the fees paid in by companies that use toxic chemicals are sufficient to keep the institute in business. However, the last few years those revenues have gone directly to the state’s general fund, and the line item that TURI comes under has been cut by the state, which like many states faces harsh economic times.

For now, TURI is getting by, courtesy of support from the university, but if the funding issue is not resolved, the institute will not be able to continue. The

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INDUSTRY NEWS

staff, which numbered 18 last year, has had four positions transferred elsewhere in the university, two positions have been cut and three layoff notices have been sent. If the funding is not resolved, the rest of the staff, including Deputy Director Liz Harriman, may well be gone too.

Harriman observed that the situation, if not resolved, is especially unfortunate as the companies that support TURI through their fees will no longer be able to get the services they have paid for.

One TURI customer declared that it would be a sad day if the funding is not restored. “TURI has been a valuable resource to manufacturing in Massachusetts,” said Ron Reed, Horizon Wire & Cable, who noted that he found their programs of value and hoped that they would be able to continue. “The topics were timely and beneficial to all. A lot of WAI members were allowed to participate in seminars. Liz was always helpful in providing information at seminars and setting us manufacturers on the right course regarding our chemical usages.”

Delta Wire plant in Clarksdale closed The Clarion Ledger reports that Delta Wire Corporation has shut down its plant in Clarksdale, Mississippi, unable to continue operations because of the weak economy.

Per the report, Delta Wire, which specializes in bead wire for tires, was hurt by the drop in automotive sales that subsequently hurt tire sales. In the report, Gary Downey, the plant’s general manager, said that the employees were told on Aug. 5 that they no longer had jobs, but would be on a paid leave of absence through Oct. 7.

Delta Wire was acquired in 2006 for US$10 million by Bekaert, at that time representing its eighth production plant for advanced wire products in the U.S.

Cable project would give a second option to New Zealand customers France’s South Pacific Islands Network (SPIN) announced that it plans to lay a new underwater broadband cable linking New Zealand to the rest of the world.

The project, a report in 3news.co.nz said, should be operational in two years, providing cheaper and more efficient broadband service. It added that once complete, it will offer customers in New Zealand an alternative highspeed internet connection as such service is currently only available via the underwater cable owned by Southern Cross.

“The internet service providers have no choice today if they want to be connected, so SPIN means a choice, it means competition,” SPIN chief executive Remi Galasso said in the article. In it, he said that SPIN plans to lay the undersea cable from Noumea to Auckland, and from Noumea to Papeete, and on to Hawaii, while a second cable will link Noumea to Sydney and Auckland.

The project, the report said, will cost almost $300 million. It noted that the French government is among the SPIN investors because it wants its Pacific territories to

14 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

have high speed internet. It added that SPIN is seeking a telco in New Zealand to sign up as a long term customer.

General Cable makes 2 acquisitions U.S.-based General Cable Corporation announced that it has acquired Gepco International, Inc. and Isotec, Inc., two separate companies based in Des Plaines, Illinois, that manufacture electronic wire and cable.

Per a press release, Gepco International, Inc., is a manufacturer and distributor of audio and video cable products.

Founded in 1981, it designs, manufactures and markets audio cable, video cable, cable assemblies, connectors and specialty products, and is a distributor for cable-related products such as patch bays, connectors and tools.

Isotec manufactures wire and cable products specifically for commercial and residential applications. Its product range includes cables for audio, video, control, communications and power distribution systems.

“With the acquisition of Gepco International and Isotec’s specialty electronic cable business, General Cable expects to significantly expand its share of this important U.S. market as well as leverage (its) global sales infrastructure with this technically superior brand of multimedia cables in markets all over the world,” said Jay Lahman, Vice President and General Manager, Carol, Gepco, and Isotec Brand products. “We expect the market for these products to grow at roughly two times GDP in the U.S. and somewhat higher internationally due to ongoing global analog-to-digital conversions,” he said in the release.

Greg Lampert, Executive Vice President, President and CEO of General Cable North America said in the release that Gepco founder Gary Geppert has agreed to stay with the company. He noted that Geppert “has built Gepco into a technology leader in the professional broadcast industry, nearly doubling revenues of broadcast products over the last five years, and will continue to lead our efforts to develop new and innovative products.”

EU imposes temporary antidumping duties on wire rod from China The European Union has imposed temporary antidumping duties of up to 25% on imports of Chinese-made steel wire rod.

The EU’s Official Journal reported that antidumping duties of about 4% have also been imposed on imports of steel rod, mostly used for construction, from Moldova, several wire services reported. The accounts said that the tariffs will be in effect for six months, at which time the European Commission will have to decide whether to impose “definitive duties” for at least five years. That action would then have to be approved by trade ministers, it said.

The investigation stems from a request from Eurofer, a European steelmakers association that represents companies such as ArcelorMittal and Thyssen Krupp. The arti-

Saudi Cable Co. plans to acquire Turkish firm in related field Saudi Cable Co. announced that it has agreed to buy a 79% stake in Turkish electronic equipments maker Elimsan, which specializes in the production of electrical switchgears, gas circuit breakers, metal enclosed switchgears and high-voltage disconnectors, for US$33 million.

“Elimsan’s takeover ... is among strategic steps taken by the (Saudi Cable) company to consolidate and diversify its products, which will enable it to cover promising markets in the Gulf Arab region,” the company said in a Reuters report.

AMSC to get $12 million in stimulus funds to complete 2 U.S. projects American Superconductor Corp. (AMSC) announced that it will be receiving more than $12 million in federal stimulus funding to complete two ongoing “smart grid” projects that will use the company’s superconductor wire and related technology.

In a press release, the company said that the U.S. Department of Energy has awarded AMSC $4.8 million to develop a 138-kilovolt fault current limiter with Southern California Edison, using the company’s secondgeneration superconductor wire. It also said that AMSC will receive $7.6 million for the second phase of its superconductor power cable project with Long Island Power Authority, which was built using the company’s first-generation superconductor wire.

“This kind of funding is so important in building it and showing its potential to work,” said U.S. Rep. Nicola Tsongas, D-Lowell, whose district includes the Massachusetts area where AMSC is based. He said in the press release that the deals are important as, “...This is not only jobs for the district, but it helps set the stage for our future.”

SEPTEMBER 2009 | 15

INDUSTRY NEWS

cles noted that there has been an increase in trade disputes between Brussels and Beijing as the EU’s trade deficit with China has risen. The EU recently imposed duties of up to 87% on screws and bolts from China, which has led to more friction between the EU region and China.

The EU did not impose duties on hot-dipped and flatrolled steel.

INDUSTRY NEWS

Lincoln Electric completes Chinese welding wire company acquisition U.S.-based Lincoln Electric Holdings, Inc., announced that its Asian subsidiary has acquired complete control of

Jinzhou Jin Tai Welding and Metal Co., Ltd. (Jin Tai), a welding wire business in Jinzhou, China.

A press release noted that Lincoln Asia Pacific had owned 48% of Jin Tai, the remaining 52% was held by Taiwan-based Kuang Tai Metal Industrial Co., Ltd., and other partners. Jin Tai’s annualized sales for the first half of 2009, it said, were approximately $130 million. Lincoln Electric reported that the cost for the deal was about $49 million and the 35% ownership its subsidiary had in Kuang Tai. “Jin Tai will greatly expand our customer base, bring experienced industry management talent into our Asian organization and add significant cost-competitive MIG wire manufacturing capacity,” said Lincoln Electric Chairman and CEO John M. Stropki.

The deal, Stropki said in the press release, “allows us to focus our resources on growing our position in China, the largest welding market in the world in terms of volumes.” Based in Ohio, Lincoln has 39 manufacturing locations in 19 countries.

Fuchs Lubricants acquires Dylon Ind. Fuchs Lubricants Co., a subsidiary of Fuchs Petrolub, AG, announced that it has acquired Dylon Industries, Inc., a supplier of forging compounds, lubricants and specialty chemicals that is based in Cleveland, Ohio.

“Through this acquisition Fuchs further strengthens its position in the metal-forming marketplace,” a press release said. The product line of Dylon Industries, in business for more than 40 years, will complement Fuchs’ existing line of specialty lubricants, a press release said.

Canada OKs imports of stainless steel The Canadian International Trade Tribunal announced that a review of findings in 2004 over the alleged dumping of stainless steel wire originating in or 16 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

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exported from Korea, Switzerland and the U.S., and the subsidizing of stainless steel wire from India, found that there was no need to continue imposing duties.

At its website, the Tribunal, an independent quasi-judicial body, notes that it reports to Parliament through the Minister of Finance, hearing cases on dumped and subsidized imports, safeguard complaints, complaints about federal government procurement and appeals of customs and excise tax rulings.

EU launches AD investigation of Chinese steel rope and cable China’s Xinhau reports that the European Commission has launched an investigation into the possible circumvention of antidumping measures imposed on imports of steel rope and cable manufactured in China.

The commission said there is sufficient evidence that antidumping measures imposed by the European Union on imports of Chinese steel rope and cables are being circumvented through trans-shipments via South Korea and Malaysia, the report said. It noted that the commission has nine months to conclude its investigation. It said if the results reveal circumvention, appropriate duties can be retroactively levied on the imports.

WMS to represent EJP in U.S./Canada U.S.-based Wire Machine Systems, Inc., announced that it will represent technology from Germany’s EJP Maschinen GmbH, a supplier to fields that include wire and cable.

A press release said that WMS, which is a supplier and service center, will represent EJP’s combined drawing systems, straightening equipment, shot blasters, peeling machines, pointers and more. “WMS will expand EJP’s presence with increased sales activities, after sales service, and the supply and warehousing of parts,” it said.

WMS can be contacted at tel. 260-483-9269, sales@wire-machine.com.

Nexans wins India cable contract, stalled out on Alcan Cable deal France’s Nexans announced that it has won a contract from Tata Power Company Ltd., described as India’s largest private sector power utility, to provide high-voltage underground cables to reinforce the power infrastructure in Mumbai, the second most populous city in the world.

The contract, valued at approximately US$22 million, is a two-year “total supply and service” contract for Tata Power, a press release said. It noted that Nexans will deliver five complete circuits of 220 kV cable and associated accessories to provide an extra 300 MVA of power carrying capacity for the underground network linking various extra-high voltage (EHV) substations across Mumbai. The XLPE cable will be manufactured in

18 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Nexans’ plant in Hannover, Germany, while the accessories will be supplied by the Nexans’ plant in Cossonay, Switzerland, it said.

“Nexans has a longstanding relationship with Tata Power going back over 20 years to when we first supplied Mumbai with EHV cables,” said Nicholas Ballas, Nexans’ Executive Vice President for the Asia-Pacific Area. “The technology has changed, so that we are now supplying new generation of high-voltage environmentally friendly XLPE cable.”

In other news, Nexans reported that Rio Tinto has halted the sale of its Alcan Cable unit. “A process to sell Alcan Cable was initiated but halted,” Nexans CFO Frederic Michelland was quoted by Bloomberg as saying, “We looked at it. Rio Tinto stopped the talks.”

U.K. cable company reports cable contract for Abu Dhabi project U.K.-based AEI Cables reported that it has supplied the fire performance cables for the Abu Dhabi’s Masdar Project (www.masdaruae.com), which is designed to be the world’s first zero-carbon, zero-waste city, powered entirely by renewable energy sources.

Architects DataFile reports that AEI is providing Firetec armored and Firetec standard cables that will be used to ensure continuity of power for the fire alarm and detection systems for the Institute of Science and Technology at the Masdar Project.

“As the first major hydrocarbon-producing economy to take such a step, Abu Dhabi is establishing itself as a centre of innovation with the Masdar Initiative,” the report said. The Masdar City project began in 2006 and is expected to take eight A future view of what Masdar City years to comshould look like. plete, at a cost of approximately $22 billion, it said, adding that some of the expected population of 50,000 will move into Masdar sometime this year.

The project will include a 10 megawatt solar farm that is expected to generate between 40 to 60 megawatts through solar energy, photovoltaic modules which will be located on rooftops of buildings, wind turbines for the city’s outskirts of Masdar and geothermal power as a hydrogen power plant. The city will have no cars, but offer a personal rapid transit (PRT) system that runs about the city on cables. The project is driven by the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar).

INDUSTRY NEWS

New hydrogen annealing furnace up and running at Charter Wire U.S.-based RAD-CON, Inc., announced that one of its 100% hydrogen annealing furnace systems has been commissioned for Charter Wire’s new manufacturing facility in Menomonee Valley, Wisconsin, and is now operational.

A press release said that when Charter Wire, a division of Charter Manufacturing Company, decided last year to move its manufacturing facility to a new location, they chose RAD-CON to replace the company’s batch annealing capacity. The new furnace system, the first production unit operating in the new facility, will be used primarily for recrystallize annealing of low-carbon drawn wire, it said, adding that it will also give Charter the capability to anneal alloy steels for specialty applications.

New rep agency in Chicago area can offers customers electrifying service The principal of a new agency, Withim Sales Corporation, returns to the wire and cable industry with a bit of a twist in terms of what he will be able to offer customers: electricity. Paul R. Smith, who most recently had been sales director and vice president of FMS USA Inc.,

SEPTEMBER 2009 | 19

INDUSTRY NEWS

said that he is thrilled to return to the field he had worked in for the last nine years. Based in the Chicago area, he said he has an established client base as well as a special “line” for customers, that being electrical power, courtesy of his representation of power supplier Glacial Energy.

“Since electricity is an integral and expensive part of all wire and cable manufacturing processes, and Glacial Energy focuses mainly on manufacturing facilities, this was a natural extension of my line of companies represented,” said Smith, whose principal client list currently includes: his former employer, FMS, a supplier of tension control and monitoring technology; AIM, wire bending machines; Engineered Machinery Group, bull blocks, dead blocks, spoolers, payoffs, take-ups, high precision drawing equipment and custom machinery; and Sjogren Industries, a wide range of wire tooling products. He said that he will represent those companies for sales as well as provide process and application assistance to the territories he represents.

“I am already making sales calls to manufacturers, therefore, being able to save them money on their electricity costs as well provides them with reduced operating expenses which adds directly to the bottom line,” Smith said. He felt that the Midwest base of wire and cable

20 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

manufacturing facilities offers much potential, despite the current economic situation. “What I found in speaking with principles was that many of them were looking for different ways to boost their sales. That’s where I can help.”

Contact Withim Sales Corp., tel. 847-558-9860, fax 847-466-5423, withimsalescorp@comcast.net.

Crude steel production down in July, but production was highest for 2009 The World Steel Association (worldsteel) reported that crude steel production for the 66 countries that report to worldsteel was 103.9 million metric tons (mmt) in July, more than 11% lower than the same period last year but the highest monthly production figure this year.

According to worldsteel, China’s crude steel production set a new high in July 2009, when production was 50.7 mmt, 12.6% higher than July 2008. This, it noted in a press release, was the first time ever that China has produced over 50 mmt of crude steel in a month. It added that China’s steel production represented nearly half the world’s. ■

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ASIAN FOCUS

ASIAN FOCUS A true measure of China’s economic growth depends on the methodology Despite the global economic woes, China has continued to be the key global driver, and while its rate of growth has slowed, its target of 8% economic growth this year remains quite impressive. That said, one industry observer believes that the numbers from China may more reflect the firm monetary control that its leaders have over business than it does the country’s actual economic health.

In a column that ran in August as part of the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research’s 2009 AEI Outlook Series, John H. Makin reports that the economic growth figures for China cannot be viewed so simply. A former consultant to the U.S. Treasury Department, the Congressional Budget Office and the IMF, Makin writes

The official projections for China’s economic growth are positive, but questions exist on supporting data. that one has to look beyond China’s list of accomplishments, which include a July 15 report of a 7.9% growth rate for the second quarter of 2009 over the same period a year earlier, and soaring stock and property markets.

“It is important to understand how China’s remarkable reported economic performance is possible in the midst of a global recession,” Makin wrote. He pointed to China’s massive stimulus package last November, worth about 14% of GDP, which he said was designed to boost domestic demand as exports have fallen and continue to do so. As of June, he wrote, China’s exports had declined at a year-overyear rate of 21.2% percent, a far cry below the same period two years ago when China’s 2007 exports rose 21.6%.

“Make no mistake: China’s 8 percent growth target for 2009 will be achieved, almost by definition,” Makin declared. “Whether or not that is a healthy outcome depends upon how you look at it and upon understanding just how China’s economy functions and what China’s growth

‘accomplishment’ means,” he wrote.

The key is how revenues are tallied. Makin notes that China’s economic statistics are based on recorded production activity, not “a measure of expenditure growth, defined as the sum of consumption, investment, government spending, and net exports, as U.S. data are.” The U.S. stimulus package seeks to boost consumption, investment and government spending, but China relies on measures that will generate recorded increases in production spending, he wrote. That difference, he said, is important, as some of the Chinese stimulus package involves large transfers of funds from the central-government planners directly to state-owned enterprises and to fixed-asset investment projects that are aimed at public works spending largely under its control.

Money thus was distributed, but not necessarily spent or “injected” into the economy, Makin said. Further, that distinction allows China to control its growth rate as the funds can be disbursed to state-owned enterprises and provincial governments but held until the investments are actually made.

Makin notes that the same approach exists for retail sales data in China, where products sent to retailers are counted as retail sales instead of inventory, the mindset apparently being that the goods will eventually be sold. That has enabled China’s nominal retail sales to rise at about 15% year-overyear for the first half of 2009 because that is the rate at which shipments to retailers have been occurring. There is little direct data available to measure actual sales, he wrote.

China’s approach to economic data, where shipments equal sales and project funding means projects undertaken, mask the actual lengthy gaps that happen between the initial allocations and product deliveries and the actual results/sales, Makin explained. China’s policymakers can follow the actual results, but that information is not made available to outsider observers, he noted. One sign that all may not be well is that policy makers in China have continued to increase the growth of money and credit, which may mean that the actual results may not match the numbers. New loans by banks rose by about $1 trillion, or twice the expected rate, during the first half of 2009 and rose 34.5% year-over-year in June from a 30.6 percent growth rate in May, he wrote.

How much of GDP growth is questionable is hard to discern, but there are anecdotal reports of Chinese households lacking running water or electricity “buying” washing machines, Makin wrote. What is known is that China’s export growth remains weak, with exports dropping at a year-over-year rate around 20% the first half of 2009, and not likely to improve much given the weakness of global trade growth, including U.S. demand, he wrote. “It is clear that China’s ambitious production goals are outstripping the capacity of the domestic economy to absorb fully the output generated under those growth goals,” he wrote.

Have news that belongs here? If so, e-mail it to editorial@wirenet.org.

22 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Report: Chinese wire rod producers need to be offensive over U.K. anti-dumping investigations Chinese steel wire rod producers should have taken active measures to fight an anti-dumping investigation launched by the European Union last year, notes an article in Xinhua, referring to a recent vote by EU foreign ministers to impose a definitive anti-dumping duty of up to 24% on steel wire rods imported from China for as long as five years.

The article cited Cheng Yongru, division director of the Bureau of Fair Trade for Imports & Exports, as saying that domestic Chinese companies had not taken the investigation seriously because the case started before the global economic downturn outbreak. “But now the story is much different.

They should have been more active,” he was quoted as saying. The story said that the EU anti-dumping tariffs were unnecessary as such exports have fallen since 2008, when China imposed a 15% export duty last year. The story further noted that China had become a net steel importer in the second quarter of this year.

China Telecom to upgrade province network

northwestern China, to accelerate the information industry in the province, reports seekingasia.com.

Per the report, China Telecom Group has agreed to invest nearly some US $3billion within five years on Shaanxi’s communications infrastructure to improve its comprehensive information service capability. The telecom giant plans to begin investing in Shaanxi this year to improve the quality of wire and wireless wide band services in the province, it said.

Shaanxi was described as a large agricultural province.

7 years later, India project still not underway It’s a relatively small news story, but one that reflects the challenges that can exist in getting projects moved along in the world’s second most populous country. India Railway Minister Mamta Banerjee recently asked for a panel to be formed to further long-delayed plans to pursue commercial use of optical fiber cables network of the railway.

What makes the request noteworthy is that Banerjee, during her last stint as the Railway Minister in 2001-02, had announced laying of optic fiber cable network along the railway track for commercial utilization, said an article in Economic Times of India. In it, the minister said she has found “little progress” made on the project. ■

The China Telecom Group has signed a long-term strategic cooperation agreement with Shaanxi Province, located in

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SEPTEMBER 2009 | 23

ASIAN FOCUS

ASIAN NEWS BRIEFS

PEOPLE

PEOPLE Fort Wayne Wire Die, Inc., (FWWD) announced that two employees have been named to serve as general managers, overseeing the company’s manufacturing facilities in London, Ontario, Canada, and Metro Manila, Philippines. Byron Philipson, previously the GM in the Philippines, has moved into the same position at the company’s Canadian plant. He has worked for FWWD for 16 years, starting in the carbide department and moving from schedByron Philipson uler to supervisor before becoming the GM at the Philippines plant. In his new role, he will manage the day-to-day activities at the Canadian location, while overseeing Canadian sales and continuing to assist in Asian market sales. Sam Falk has been promoted from his Sam Falk engineering position at the compa-

24 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

ny’s headquarters in Ft. Wayne to fill the role left by Philipson. Falk has worked for FWWD for 24 years, starting as a production operator, then serving as a quality assurance auditor, then supervisor of the elongation and recut cell departments. Both men have Six Sigma green belt certifications. Based in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, USA, Fort Wayne Wire Die, Inc., manufactures high-precision wiredrawing dies and hard-material components for the wire and cable industry.

Zumbach Electronics Corp. announced that Kevin Weaver has been promoted to vice president of sales and engineering. He has worked nine year for Zumbach, six years as a service manager, and three years as an area sales manager. In his new position, he is responsible for directing projects and defining solutions for customers through the company’s sales network. Prior to joining Zumbach, he worked 10 years for Georgia Pacific in posiKevin Weaver tions from automation engineering

Staku Anlagenbau GmbH, has named Nair Indu Kumar as a sales representative for India, based in Kerala. He started in the aluminum industry in 1975 as an assistant engineer and became senior manager for product development and sales in 1995. He has also worked as an R&D engineer in the steel wire industry, where his scope included manufacturing galvanized wires, PC, spring and nail wire. Since 1997, he worked as deputy general manager (technical) for a manufacturer of aluminum and alloy conductors. He holds an engineering degree in metallurgy.

Based in Germany, Staku GmbH specializes in chemical/electrochemical techniques for the cleaning of metallic surfaces and coatings.

David LeBlanc has been named to the newly created position of Senior Vice President, President of Lincoln Electric International, responsible for all of Lincoln’s

welding businesses outside North America. He began with Lincoln as a sales trainee in 1986, after graduating from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute with a degree in mechanical engineering. He then spent three-and-a-half years with General Electric and earned an MBA degree from Harvard Business School in 1994. He rejoined Lincoln in 1995 and was named General Manager of Lincoln Mexicana and was later promoted to President, Lincoln Electric Latin America in 2005. George Blankenship has been promoted from President, Lincoln Cleveland and Senior Vice President of Global Engineering, to Senior Vice President and President, Lincoln Electric North America, responsible for the North American welding business. He joined Lincoln in 1985 as an engineering trainee after earning an electrical engineering degree from The Ohio State University. Richard Seif, who was named Senior Vice President, Global Marketing and Automation, will help develop Lincoln’s global automation strategy. He joined Lincoln in 1971 as a technical sales representative and has held several sales and executive management positions. He earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and an MBA in marketing from Michigan State University.

Based in Cleveland, Ohio, USA, Lincoln Electric is a global supplier of welding technology. ■

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to plant management. He holds a degree in electrical technology from Delhi University. Based in Mount Kisco, New York, USA, Zumbach Electronics Corp. is the North American operation of Switzerland’s Zumbach Electronic AG, a global supplier of testing and measuring equipment for sectors that include wire and cable.

FIBERWATCH

FIBER WATCH New Brunswick to achieve fiber first Two cities in New Brunswick Province will be the first in Canada to have access to fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) technology that covers an entire city in a deal where the Province has partnered with the provider.

Bell Aliant, with support from the government of New Brunswick, notes that it will be investing $60 million to serve 70,000 homes and businesses in Fredericton (the provincial capital) and Saint John by mid 2010.

FibreOP™ customers “will have access to an advanced broadband network delivered through 100% fiberoptic technology connected directly to their home,” a press release said.

“We are excited that our FibreOP launch makes us the first in Canada to offer fiber-to-the-home to serve entire cities,” said Karen Sheriff, President and CEO, Bell Aliant. She noted that it Bell Aliant employees “makes economic sense for installing optical fiber Bell Aliant in these markets in Fredericton, New because of the cost advanBrunswick. Photo courtesy tages associated with our of Bell Aliant. virtually 100% aerial (aboveground) network infrastructure and low population density.”

As part of the strategic partnership between the Province and Bell Aliant, two existing service agreements will be extended for three years, the release said. It added that the Province is contributing $1 million to ensure that New Brunswick technology and construction companies participate in the project. In return, Bell Aliant will award a total of $3 million in project-related contracts to local businesses, it said.

“We are pleased Bell Aliant has chosen to launch this next-generation broadband network first to our province and expect this leading technology will attract further investment and bring more New Brunswickers home for work, leading us forward on the road to self-sufficiency,” said Premier Shawn Graham. “This project is critical to developing and expanding New Brunswick’s growing ICT sector and will maintain our province’s leadership edge in telecommunications technology across Canada.”

Asked by the WJI why no FTTH efforts had been made before this in Canada, a spokeswoman said that she was not sure, but added that now was a good time. “From our perspective it made economic sense given the nature of our market, the low population density and above-ground network.”

26 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Optical fiber transmission may not be as secure as believed One selling point for fiber optic networks is that the medium is more secure than copper wires, but because of technology advances that may not necessarily be so any more, according to a report from a staffer at the International Data Groupo (IDG).

International Data Group Research Analyst Romain Fouchereau maintains that “new and inexpensive technologies have now made data theft easily possible for hackers without detection.” Businesses and organizations that send sensitive information across fiber-optic cables could find that their data could be vulnerable as much of the cabling is easily accessible and not well protected, he said in a report.

In it, he explained that optical networks could be hacked by extracting light from the ultra-thin fibers. If the fiber is tapped, software now exists that can record, monitor/analyze and “capture” the data, he said.

Data sent by organizations, both government and private, could be susceptible, Fouchereau said in the report. “Hence, capturing or eavesdropping on this data serves not only military purposes. Industrial espionage in these sectors is worth billions of dollars.”

The report cited examples of optical fiber networks being hacked, with targets including credit card breaches, government eavesdropping and the criminal monitoring of big pharmaceutical companies in the U.K., the report said. The only way to ensure the privacy of optical fiber transmissions is to send encrypted data, which is not commonly done now as it increases the costs, it said.

Cuts in fiber service hamper SAT3 One leg of the 15,000 km SAT3 submarine cable that serves eight West African countries suffered a power outage in late July that was expected to take two weeks or so to repair.

The outage caused “severe problems” for countries including Benin, Togo, Niger and Nigeria, the latter of which saw 70% of its bandwidth cut. In one wire story, Anil Verma, chief technical officer of Suburban West Africa, said that, “This is only a temporary setback. Once the cable is restored, we will continue with our efforts of making available more internet bandwidth in Nigeria at a reasonable cost, as we have been doing over the last few years. It is unfortunate that the SAT3 submarine cable is currently the only active cable system available to West Africa.

Verma said in the article that the network is currently routed into Nigeria through the Benin Republic, via a landing station it is connected to. “In the eight years the SAT3 service has been available, this is the first time there has been an outage on the Benin landing cable,” he said.

The SAT3 cable runs from Portugal and Spain to South Africa, via West Africa. ■

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FASTENER UPDATE

FASTENER UPDATE EIFI files anti-dumping complaint over India and Malaysia fasteners

Chinese fastener show this month may have 11,000+ attendees

The European Industrial Fasteners Institute (EIFI) recently filed anti-dumping and anti-subsidy complaints with the European Commission (EU) against imports of stainless steel fasteners originating from India and Malaysia.

A Steel Guru report said that imports from the two countries since 2006 “have increased dramatically and literally flooded the EU market in 2008, causing considerable injury to the European industries concerned.” It noted that the complaints allege that the exports from India and Malaysia were dumped and subsidized.

The complaint, the article said, is supported by EUROFER and its members, as the EU fastener industry is important as a downstream market for EU stainless steel wire rod producers. Other articles noted that, not only do greater amounts of fasteners continue to be exported to the EU market, some manufacturers, including in China, “are considering setting up plants in the third countries, and then exporting to EU.”

Organizers of the 2nd Fastener Trade Show expect big things when the event is held Sept. 23-25 at the Guangzhou Jinhan Exhibition Center in Guangzhou, China.

“There’s no doubt that Fastener Trade Show has become the largest international professional fastener exhibition in China,” declared the organizers, China Fastener Info, which noted that the first staging of the event two years ago featured nearly 400 fastener enterprises and more than 5,000 buyers. The 2009 show, with 12,586 sq m of exhibition space, is 70% larger, and more than 11,000 attendees and possibly 12,000 are expected, it said.

There are more than 600 key visitors from more than 50 countries and regions with 83% of them from mainland China, 4.2% from Hong Kong and Taiwan, the organizers note. The rest, they said, are from India, Japan, Australia, Italy, Romania, Russia, Poland, Singapore, Iran, Spain, U.S., Turkey, South Korea, Indonesia, Germany, The Netherlands, UAE, U.K., Vietnam, Norway, Ghana, Thailand, Finland, France, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Ireland, Croatia, Canada, Denmark, Chile, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Switzerland, among others.

The exhibits will include a wide range of fasteners, equipment, molding equipment, heat-treating technology, surface treating equipment, auxiliary equipment, testing equipment, tools and molds, auxiliary materials, raw materials and more, it said.

The event is supported by the China Productivity Center for Machinery, the National Technical Committee 85 on Fasteners Standardization Administration of China and the China National Center for Quality Supervision and Test of Standard Parts.

By June, the organizers reported, they had received more than 300 confirmed booths, including a large number of well-known companies such as Jiaxing Chaoboer, Shanghai Evan, Shanghai Anzi, CN Industrial, Haiyan Fuhong, Jiaxing Jinlong, Shanghai Jingyang, Haiyan Sanhuan, Dowson’s, Shanghai Tianlong, Hifasters, Zhejiang Zhongsheng, Wuxi Anshida, Haiyan Julong, Leda Metal, Chunyu (Dongguan), Zhejiang Kaisheng, Haiyan Yuxing, Shanghai Chunri, Wenzhou Oulier, Shanghai Heng You Qian, Haining Zhongheng, Shanghai Rivet, Haiyan Chnstar, Zhejiang New Oriental, Jiaxing Brothers, Haining Zhongda, Haiyan Sanma, Bollhoff (Wuxi), Zhejiang Qifeng and more, many of which were at the first event. For more details, go to www.fastenertradeshow.info/index.htm. ■

China files complaint with WTO over EU anti-dumping measures China has filed a complaint with the World Trade Organization (WTO) over anti-dumping measures taken by the European Union (EU) against the import of Chinese iron or steel fasteners.

Per the WTO’s dispute settlement procedure, the two sides have approximately two months to resolve the dispute, and if that route does not work, China can ask for a WTO panel to investigate and rule on the legality of the EU measures, a report in Xinhua said.

A Chinese statement, cited in the Xinhua article, alleged that the EU action did not comply “with the relevant WTO rules in the process starting from initiation, investigation and to the final determination.” It further said that the determinations “are neither impartial nor transparent, which infringes the legitimate commercial interests of over 1,700 Chinese fastener producers.”

The Chinese government and the industry “on many occasions have expressed their positions and registered serious concerns with grave dissatisfaction, which however have not led to any solutions,” the report cited the Chinese statement as saying. The statement also noted that the EU has carried out over 140 anti-dumping investigations of Chinese imports since 1979, it said.

The statement concluded that, “It is hoped that both sides have positive dialogue under the framework of WTO dispute settlement procedure and find a solution via the consultation to meet the concerns of the Chinese side.”

28 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

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WAI

NEWS

WAI NEWS

2 webinars this month tackle descaling and coating of wire before drawing Back-to-back webinars this month will take a look at the process of descaling and coating wire before drawing. Set for Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 11 am. EDT, the first webinar will focus on stainless steel wire. The second will focus on ferrous wire at the same time on Tuesday, Sept. 22. Both will be presented for WAI by Paul Kulongowski of Henkel Corporation.

“This will be our first two-part program,” Director of Education Marc Murray said of WAI’s webinar series.

“While these two are separate, standalone presentations, we expect both will appeal to a lot of the same audience. I think people will want to compare the two applications.”

The stainless webinar, “‘Green’ Descaling and Polymer Coating of Stainless Steel Wire,” will examine nitric-free descaling of stainless steel and one-step polymer lubrication for cold deformation. It will discuss a new, more environmentally friendly way to descale stainless steel, as well as an economically improved lubricant for drawing stainless steel wire.

It will cover the history and chemistry and the new nitric-free process of descaling stainless steel, along with the mechanical, chemical, and process advantages of a polymer lubricant for cold deformation of metal.

The second webinar, “Descaling and Polymer Coating of

Ferrous Wire,” will address descaling ferrous steel and a onestep polymer lubrication for cold deformation. It will discuss acid pickling of ferrous metal, the removal of scale and protection of the base metal. It will cover the correct method for pickling ferrous steel and what makes it correct. It will also present a polymer lubricant for drawing of ferrous wire along with the mechanical, chemical, and process advantages.

Kulongowski, a Henkel technical service manager, has over 34 years of metal-working industry experience, the last 24 with Henkel. His career has been evenly split between R&D and technical services. He has experience in developing and commercializing new products. He holds a B.S. degree in combined sciences from the Detroit Institute of Technology.

Space for the webinars is limited. To reserve a seat now, go to www.wirenet.org/events/webinars. Registrants will receive a confirmation e-mail with instructions on how to join the webinars the day of each presentation. The webinars, which each cost $55, are free to WAI members.

For more details, visit www.wirenet.org/events/webinars or contact WAI Director of Education Marc Murray at tel.

001- 203-453-2777, ext. 121, mmurray@wirenet.org.

WAI Q&A This occasional section will discuss a topic of general interest involving WAI. The first piece is by WAI Sales Director Robert Xeller.

Q: How does WAI’s official points system for exhibitors work?

Xeller: Everyone wants to be treated fairly when it comes to allotting space at trade shows, so WAI uses a points system that treats all exhibitors alike, scoring them in three categories. Companies must file and return an exhibitor’s license with the appropriate deposit prior to the stand allocation meeting, to be considered. The process, known as the “Points Meeting,” is scheduled for Oct. 6, 2009, for Wire Expo 2010.

One at a time during that meeting, exhibitors will get to choose their booth location based on their overall scores.

Scores are figured for each exhibitor based on a “points” tally that considers how long they have been an exhibitor, consecutive years they have exhibited, and the square footage of their stands. The exhibitor with the highest number picks first, followed by the one with the second highest total, etc., until all have chosen. This procedure continues until a prepublicized Point Selection Deadline, after which booths are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.

Specifically, the points are allocated as follows: 25 points are assigned for each year of participation, and one point is

30 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

assigned for every 100 square feet of stand space. If there is a tie score, the tie breakers are: continuity of years exhibiting, then the number of years exhibiting, and, if necessary, a lottery system. Coexhibitors do not get points as those are assigned solely to the contracting company.

Note: companies must submit an WAI Sales Director exhibitor license and 50% deposit Robert Xeller. prior to the posted deadline. The meeting is “live” via the Internet.

Exhibitors are asked to select at least 10 locations on the floor plan so that when their “number” comes up, there is a good chance a booth is available that fits their needs.

Companies can follow the meeting on-line or can be contacted by a WAI representative who will let them know which of their booth choices are still available. Exhibitors that have a score of less than 300 are encouraged to choose 25 booths as it increases the odds of being assigned an exhibit space of their choice. As noted earlier, licenses received after the point meeting will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more details, such as licenses and deposits, contact the WAI’s sales department at sales@wirenet.org. ■

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work smart | simplify Long days. Voice mails. e-mails. Demands. Meetings, deadlines, and production schedules.

You’re stretched thin with a ping-pong schedule and overlapping commitments.

We can relate. And we think you will identify with the thousands of world-wise wire and cable industry professionals who value the Wire Association International’s (WAI’s) membership program for its career-sustaining resources. WAI’s membership offers a daily means to help you unite with colleagues and streamline even your most ambitious agenda.

Find contacts, vendors, and customers through WAI’s dynamic website. Join an online chat or catch a free educational webinar. Take print or online delivery of the industry’s leading publication — Wire Journal International. Get a year’s worth of networking at Interwire and Wire Expo trade shows and receive discounts at the same time. Technical workshops, mentorship, committee work; all are part of the business-building groups in WAI’s global community. And all help give WAI members their competitive edge.

Whether you’re online, on the road, in the plant, or at the office — WAI has a practical solution to help simplify your day. So join today. Tomorrow is looking better already.

The Wire Association International, Inc. 1570 Boston Post Road | P.O. Box 578 | Guilford, CT 06437-0578 | Telephone: (001) 203-453-2777 | Fax: (001) 203-453-8384 | Web site: www.wirenet.org

MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION Send application and payment to: The Wire Association International, Inc. 1570 Boston Post Road | P.O. Box 578 | Guilford, CT 06437-0578 | Telephone: (001) 203-453-2777 | Fax: (001) 203-453-8384 | Web site: www.wirenet.org

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September 09 International Technical

Conference Proceedings

CHAPTER CORNER

CHAPTER CORNER Ohio Valley reports tourney success The 7th Annual WAI Ohio Valley Chapter Open golf tournament, held Wednesday, Aug. 5, at the Grantwood Golf Course in Solon, Ohio, near Cleveland, provided the 35 members and guests with great course conditions that were matched by a picture-perfect day.

That combination made the outcome that much more of a memorable day for the winning team of Vincent Griffin and Mike Swift of Premier Wire Die, Chris Winkel of World Wide Superabrasives and Dave Simpson of Sumitomo Electric Carbide, who finished with an 11-under par score of 60 to win by six strokes. The second place team of John Kukalis of Henkel Corp. and George Boughton, Bill Buckliew and Scott Stores of Veolia ES carded a 5-under 66

good to provide our members and their guests with a chance to connect in this wonderful setting.”

The chapter appreciates the support of the companies who provided the various sponsorships of the event. Charter Steel and Republic Engineered Products sponsored the Long Drive holes and the closest-to-the-pin holes were sponsored

by US Synthetic Wire Die and Wire Lab Company.

Additional sponsorships were provided by Enkotec Company Inc., Henkel Corp. and Premier Wire Die. Raffle prizes were also donated, with a nice putter given by Beta LaserMike and a set of four Cleveland Indians Club seats by Republic Engineered Products.

“The companies who provide sponsorships and donate prizes really help boost the success of the tournament,” said event chair Mike Caranna of American Spring Wire. “It is always great to have their support.”

The next event up for the Ohio Valley Chapter is previewed below.

Downes to speak at Ohio Valley dinner

Tourney Chairman Mike Caranna, l, with the winning team (l-r) of Mike Swift, Vincent Griffin, Dave Simpson and Chris Winkel. and two teams tied for third at 4-under par.

Sumitomo’s Aaron Nolan proved that he has both distance and accuracy in his game as he banged out the long drive on hole #17 after nailing the closest to the pin shot on #14. The long drive prize on hole #5 was won by Gary Brewer of Charter Steel, while closest to the pin prizes went to Todd Mick of US Synthetic Wire Die on hole #7, Mark Wisner on hole #9 and George Boughton on #12.

The tournament brought back its challenging pink ball contest this year. Each team is given a pink ball at the beginning of the round and rotates the play of the ball among the team members, one player per hole, for the entire round.

Teams that still had their pink ball at the end of the day were entered in the prize drawing, which was won by the team of Henkel’s Mark Sitar and Tom Vannoy along with American Spring Wire’s Cary Frame and Dave Martin.

“The day was a lot of fun and we‘re pleased with the turnout in light of the economy these days,” said Chapter President Dane Armendariz of Henkel Corp. “Mike Caranna did a great job once again chairing the event, and it was

34 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

The WAI Ohio Valley Chapter is pleased to announce that Joe Downes, Senior Vice President of Leggett & Platt, Inc., will deliver a talk on “The State of the Steel Wire Industry” on Thursday, October 22, 2009, at the Cleveland Airport Marriott Hotel. The event, being held in conjunction with the association’s Reconvene meetings, will begin with a reception at 6 pm, followed by the program and dinner.

Downes will share his impressions about the steel wire industry, including thoughts on how the recent economic downturn has changed the industry. Topics he will touch on include the rod segment, competitive forces on the industry, and thoughts on global trade and the direction of actions taking place in Washington.

Downes was appointed Senior Vice President in 2005 and President of Joe Downes the Industrial Materials Segment in 2004. He previously served the company as President of the Wire Group from 1999 to 2004 and in various other capacities since 1976. Before joining the company in 1976, he held positions with Atlantic Steel Company and Adcom Wire Company.

“The Ohio Valley Chapter is excited to have industry veteran Joe Downes as our program’s featured speaker,” said chapter President Dane Armendariz of Henkel Corp. “We look forward to Joe’s insights on the steel wire industry and what thoughts he has for the future.”

Cost for the evening is $40, discounted to $35 for chapter members. Electronic registration forms can be found at http://www.wirenet.org/members/chapters/ohioval.htm. For more, contact WAI’s Chip Marsh at cmarsh@wirenet.org.

Golfers can sign up now for golf tourneys for WAI’s Southeast and Western chapters, both of which have golf tournaments scheduled for October.

First up is the WAI Southeast Chapter, which will hold its 8th Annual Golf Tournament on Thursday, Oct. 15, on a new course at the same great location. The event switches this year to the Robert Trent Jones, Jr.-designed course at Rock Barn Golf and Spa in Conover, North Carolina, the site of the PGA Tour’s Champions Tour Greater Hickory Classic.

The day begins with check-in and box lunch at 11 am, followed by the high noon shotgun start. After the golf concludes, there will be an awards reception and dinner where prizes will be presented to the winning teams and contest winners. The registration fee is $130, with non-golfers encouraged to join in on the reception and dinner for $35.

A variety of exclusive sponsorships are available for the skills contests, beverage cart, lunch and dinner, as well as the non-exclusive corporate $100 hole sponsorships. Raffle prizes are encouraged. All sponsors are recognized at the course, in the WJI wrap-up article and on course signage.

The registration deadline is Oct. 8. For more details, contact Steve Vannais, tel. 704-799-2258, svannais@ davis-standard.com; Tim McElhany, tel. 864- 223-6146,

tmcelhany@tulsapower.com; and WAI’s Chip Marsh, cmarsh@wirenet.org. A registration form can be found at www.wirenet.org/members/chapters/southeast.htm.

The second tourney is for WAI’s Western Chapter, which will travel to Rancho Palos Verdes, California, where members and guests will challenge the Los Verdes Golf Course (www.losverdes.americangolf.com).

The Oct. 26 event, the chapter’s 9th Annual Shootout, begins with a 9:30 am check-in and warm-up, with tee off starting at 10 am, followed by the reception and a Western BBQ dinner and awards presentation. Players can sign up as teams of two or four or individually for the best-ball scramble format event. The $90 registration fee covers the full day, including greens fees, range balls, cart and awards dinner.

A range of sponsorships are available, including premium sponsorships, such as the $10,000 Hole-in-One hole, and skill contents such as the Most Accurate Drive, Closest-tothe-Pin Hole (3), Long Drive and putting challenge.

Corporate hole sponsorships are also available for $100 each. Items for raffle prize drawings also encouraged. All sponsors get recognition at the tournament, in the WJI, and on signage at the course.

For more details, contact Chairman Michael Howard. tel.

310-639-9473, michael.howard@coastwire.com, or WAI’s Chip Marsh at cmarsh@wirenet.org, tel. 203-453-1748. ■

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CHAPTER CORNER

2 chapter golf outings set for October

FERROUS VIEW

FERROUS VIEW Will wire rod feast turn to famine?

By Murat Askin When I was asked to write another ferrous view article for Wire Journal International, I thought they must be out of their minds. After all, in June 2008 I wrote about, “Why the incredible ‘08 rally of carbon rod prices isn’t over.” In Sept. 2008, I proclaimed, “Despite the rocky road ahead, 2009 offers better times for the steel wire rod market.” Then, finally, someone must have talked some sense into me, and in March ‘09 I admitted, “The weak will fail and the strong will thrive.” The optimist in me was finally vanquished by the first quarter of 2009.

Now here we are, closing the curtain on the third quarter and things don’t feel any better. As of August we still don’t feel like there’s been much improvement. If anything, for many wire companies the market probably feels even worse now. While 2008 wasn’t a stellar consumption year by any stretch of the imagination, 2009 is perhaps shaping up to become the worst year ever for the wire rod market, for as far as my data goes back. The annualized consumption for 2009 looks like it’s going to be short of 2 million metric tons. This is down by about 50 percent from 2008 levels and an astonishing 75 percent below year 2000 levels. Holy guacamole! What a drop!

How is it possible that while the overall economy is only shrinking by a few percentage points, wire consumption is practically slashed in half? Well, this recession dealt a heavy blow to two of the wire industry’s biggest consumers: the housing and automotive industries. Yearto-date North American vehicle production is down by close to 50 percent compared to last year and for housing the picture is not prettier. Annual housing starts plunged from just over two million units down to less than 500,000 units in just over two-and-a-half years. These are the main culprits of the industry’s current woes.

But before you go and stick your head in the oven, keep in mind that there are also some signs of improvement.

36 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Although still at low levels, housing starts as well as housing prices have started to go up. This trend will continue but it would be unreasonable to expect housing starts to reach the two million level again before at least five years from now. Nevertheless, if we break the one million unit mark, it would bring the industry some much-needed stability and increased capacity utilization.

Another success story has to be the “cash for clunkers” program, which gave a boost to comatose U.S. car sales this summer. Automotive analysts actually expect healthy sales and production levels starting next year, as new fuelefficient and electric cars start to enter the market.

And what’s most encouraging is that the overall domino effect of the global financial crisis has been stopped and there is a renewed belief that the U.S. and other major economies are now finally recovering.

The questions that remain for the wire industry are: what type of recovery we will see from here on out? Is it going to be a V- or U- or even an L-shaped recovery? If you ask wiredrawers, they have yet to see any kind of recovery since the crash. They still complain about the lack of orders and demand, and they are right. Things certainly haven’t moved much, in either direction, since February or March. Wire companies have been bleeding cash, initially because they had to liquidate expensive rod, and now, because they are still working at a severely reduced capacity. Significant losses were accumulated and wire companies are at their financial weakest. We have already seen some casualties. How many more will depend on how quickly the market returns to 70-80 percent of normal consumption levels. I don’t think this will be a quick return to normal but, rather, a slow recovery.

You can say we had an L-shaped recovery until now, but the recovery should finally start to form a U shape, starting now.

Why do I think the recovery will be slow? Because it will take a while for unemployment, consumer spending, home and car sales to go back to normal and healthy levels. Until then, there will not be a strong demand, at least not from the U.S. Having said that, I feel that prices may act much more aggressively than demand, mirroring the market bubble formed the first half of 2008. Let’s look back for a moment at the conditions of the first half of ‘08. Yes, demand for wire products was low, but so were the customers’ rod inventories. Still, prices were trending up and imports, particularly Chinese rods, were higherpriced than domestic offers. Of course, we didn’t have the catastrophically low consumption figures then, but wire rod inventories are now at an all-time low, lower than in the pre-boom months of 2004 and 2008. What’s more is that the import pipeline is almost empty. Add two major wire rod mill shutdowns: ArcelorMittal’s Georgetown and Gerdau Ameristeel’s Perth Amboy (two mills with a combined capacity of 1.5 million metric tons) to the mix, and

things could get rather interesting in a jiffy.

No, I am not saying that we will see $1,200/ton rod again anytime soon. But despite the current dismal demand, the recent price increases implemented by both domestic and international rod producers may have some legs. I have seen this scenario over and over in the last 15 years that I’ve been involved in the U.S. rod market. It’s always been “feast or famine.” Many times, I had to find

FERROUS VIEW

rod for customers who were on the verge of shutting down their drawing plants because they were running out of material. And also, with the same frequency, I bought rods from customers or had to handle phony claims because the customer had too much rod!

The market swings back and forth, from having too much rod to too little in rapid succession. No doubt, we will see this vicious cycle again this year; it has all the makings of another rod famine. Buyers beware!

Murat Askin

SteelOrbis provides steel news, sector analysis, trade statistics on steel, market pricing and more as well as a secure e-trade platform for steel buyers and sellers.

Murat Askin is SteelOrbis’ general manager in the Americas region. Prior to working for SteelOrbis, he had a lengthy commercial career in the North American wire rod market. He can be contacted at tel. 713-589-6049, www.steelorbis.com. ■

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SEPTEMBER 2009 | 37

FEATURE

Wire & Fastener Equipment:

F

ollowing up on the July feature, suppliers of wire and fastener equipment discuss their fields, both in terms of what they have to offer and how they find the current

conditions. This section is followed by a special products section that showcases examples of their technology.

WJI: How has your company responded to the changes resulting from the economic crisis? In what ways has this down cycle been different from past ones?

One of the main differences from the past ones is that the current economic crisis is a global crisis affecting more or less all the areas and countries. However the most affected countries have been the ones more depending on the financing from the banks. Basically Caballé has responded in two action lines to the reduction of orders. The first has been to increase the commercial support to our extensive network of agents and representatives that covers most of the countries in Europe, North and South Africa, North America, Latin America, Middle East and Asia. This way Caballé has been present in most of the discussions for equipment investment plans and that has increased our chances to get orders. And the second has been to put pressure on our suppliers to

reduce the price of the manufactured and commercial parts, based on the reduction of the price of the raw materials. This has allowed Caballé to give more value to the equipment by reducing the price with the same high level of quality. Luis Morancho, C.M. Caballé, S.A. The economic crisis has not (much surprisingly) affected us. It is true that we are not getting new orders from some very critical areas, as for instance Russia. However, we have received several orders from old and also new customers from the Middle East area. This is why we have enough work for our production department for the whole next year. PS Costruzioni.

We have been fortunate in having a strong backlog to help us through the very quiet times the first half of 2009. As required, we adjust manpower and spending to conserve cash.

This down cycle has been worldwide and hit our business on many fronts worldwide in new equipment and spares. It looks like the recovery will take much longer, so we plan to change the way we run our business and look for opportunities. Jim Zampogna, The MGS Group.

2008 was a record year for us, the best ever. Our order backlog has kept us busy this year as only a few orders and shipments have been delayed. The down cycle has not greatly affected the investment for future aluminum and copper rod production in China, India and other countries. Giulio Properzi, Continuus Properzi SpA.

Luis Morancho, C.M. Caballé, S.A.

38 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Fortunately the crisis has not such a big impact on the power cable sector for medium- and high-voltage cables that Troester focuses on. Projects in this field are rather long-term planned and long-term oriented, and therefore not as volatile like projects in the low-voltage or automotive cable industry.

FEATURE

Part 2 Over the past three years there has been a big demand in CV lines for the production of 3-layer insulated cable cores, and we have a good backlog of orders which secures our business activities already until the first quarter of 2010. In addition, there is still high demand for CV lines worldwide, but particularly in China, which leads us to the assumption that 2010 will bring good results for our cable business division. Dirk Schmidt, Troester GmbH & Co. KG. The slowdown in manufacturing has allowed more time to conduct R&D that wasn’t as easy when running at 100% capacity. We have expanded our product line to include spiraling machines capable of paying off from single-end and multi-end BP60 spools, as well as expanding our capabilities in the braiding of specialized applications such as flat wire.

David Tietze, OMA USA Inc. Domeks Makine’s Dogan Ozbaran and Huseyin Ozturk.

The fact that automotive has been one of the most affected industries has made this cycle worse than in the past. Our Midwest customers have primarily supplied the automotive industry. They have seen a lot of their business sent overseas prior to the recession and now the American automotive companies are in serious trouble. One of the things we have tried to do is to market to companies outside of automotive, as have some of our customers. We have also tried to represent some new product lines in order to keep being competitive as a machinery, parts and tooling supplier. Cindy Maga, Cinco Industries.

Cinco Industries’ Ray Sullivan, Cindy Maga and Gary Sullivan.

Domeks Makine chose to respond by increasing research and innovation actions. That resulted in development of three new types of automatic cable packing machines (Speedmatik, Reelmatik 350D and Quadromatik). The difference between past crises and this one is that the current one has covered all the world market. Dogan Ozbaran, Domeks Makine.

Obviously, cutbacks to advertising are probably the key item which affects visibility of the company. Constant contact is key to keeping yourself on the customer’s radar (especially if there is turnover). This cycle appears about the same as 2000/2001 except that the glut of new machinery which was on the market at that time more drastically affected new quotes and recovery from the downturn. Erik Macs, Fine International Corp.

Like most smaller manufacturing companies, we have been challenged by this down economy. Our obvious response has been to conserve costs; we have had to cut about 30% of our workforce, and we have tightened our belts across all company spending categories. But at the same time, we are doubling our efforts to train our associates in modern, lean manufacturing techniques, which will position us for a rapid and strong recovery when the economy picks back up to more normal levels. Additionally, we are pursuing global business growth opportunities with expanded sales and marketing efforts in Latin America, Asia, Europe and the Middle East.

SEPTEMBER 2009 | 39

FEATURE

review our internal operation, the objective being to increase overall efficiency as well as eliminating excess and unnecessary costs. However, during challenging times, it is imperative that customer support and service remains intact and continues seamlessly from the customers’ perspective. After all, the customer is the lifeblood of any company. Gregory Scher, Weber & Scher Mfg. Co., Inc.

Micro Products’ Bill Keiler, Ed Harrington and Bud Banks.

From our perspective, the onset of this down cycle seems to have occurred more rapidly and at a steeper slope than previous recession-related downturns; occurring right on the heels of a very successful 2008. Bill Keiler, Micro Products Co. We can all agree that there has not been an economic downturn like this since the Great Depression. In over 30 years of business in the fastener and wire industries, we had never seen so many different sectors of the industries hit at the same time.

People at every company we spoke with were nervous. Even companies that could afford to purchase machinery were hesitant, and the sales cycles took longer.

Due to our detailed knowledge of the industries, and the fact that we sell more than one kind of equipment, many companies called us for our suggestions on new technology, or asked for our recommendations on used machines. Some companies are now expanding, where they see new growth opportunities, and we have been involved with some new projects, even in this uncertain economy. Fred Barbarotto, Barbarotto International Machinery.

During the past 10 months we have been working with our suppliers to reduce the costs of raw materials and equipment as much as possible, without resorting to inexpensive alternatives. We have not allowed ourselves to start importing inexpensive off-shore products just to be able to supply inexpensive products. Our focus has remained on allowing customers to acquire based on a long-term solution rather than a quick fix or band-aid. Chris Hauer, Howar Equipment.

In the 95 years that Weber & Scher has been in business, each generation involved with the company has been exposed to a variety of market trends, some more severe than others in the case of downward cycles. During challenging times, the company has always taken the opportunity to improve existing technology and develop new products in preparation of the expansion that follows each contraction.

We look to develop new methods and designs that will help our customers manufacture on a more cost-effective and productive basis. These periods also serve as an opportunity to

40 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

The current softening of the market has forced Ultimation to review its business plan and respond accordingly, which resulted in some staff reductions and cost-cutting in other areas of the business. We have also reviewed the component costs with our suppliers and in some cases switched suppliers to those who have more aggressive pricing and terms. Martin Smith, Ultimation.

We had a freeze in investment and hiring, cut costs wherever possible, and put more effort in sales activities and activities in developing markets. This down cycle was different from past ones in that it was completely unpredictable and unexpected in its extent. Gerhard Boockmann, Boockmann GmbH. Ceeco Bartell has products that cover three main industries, these being cable, oil & gas and the tire industry. Our backlog of work coming into 2009 was very good, allowing the com-

Sean Harrington, Ceeco Bartell Products USA.

pany to weather the worst of the financial storm, and being part of a financially strong group has also helped. This has allowed the company to continue its focus on its core products and to further develop these products in preparation for the up turn in the world economy. Other recessions have been cyclic in their nature, so if for example the energy market is down in the U.S., it may be strong in another part of the world. This recession by its nature has reduced the monies available to manufactures and as such the impact has been global. Sean Harrington, Ceeco Bartell Products USA. WJI: Have you been able to retain key employees? If so, what types of cuts have you made that make this possible?

FEATURE

Since our company is doing well, nobody (luckily) has been made redundant. PS Costruzioni.

OMA USA has been able to retain all of its employees during the downturn. In fact, in an effort to improve our customer service, one position was added in the fall of 2008.

David Tietze, OMA USA. Until now there was no need to dismiss employees or to cut down to short-time work. Based on our current good order situation and above described perspectives, such measurements will not be taken for the time being, at least not until the end of this year/beginning of next year.

The first steps would be the reduction of temporary workers who were employed over the past years due to the exceptionally high workload in our company. Dirk Schmidt, Troester GmbH & Co. KG. We had already down sized a few years ago by eliminating much of our administrative expenses. As a family company, we have been able to successfully cut out office space and staff and work primarily on the road and out of our homes.

We also continue to look at and evaluate our expenses regularly and make cuts when necessary. Cindy Maga, Cinco Industries.

We have been able to retain all our employees, including key ones. Dogan Ozbaran, Domeks Makine Ltd. At this point we have retained all key employees. We have seen good activity and booked some orders in the last two months after being quiet since last December. We have a unique way of reducing labor costs that are in effect as required. Jim Zampogna, The MGS Group.

This is not our case. Giulio Properzi, Continuus Properzi SpA. We have been able to keep our key employees; in fact we have tried to take advantage of lay-offs in other industries by expanding and strengthening our engineering team.

We believe that the market will return and we will only be able to take advantage of it through innovative designs and for that we need a strong engineering team. Sean Harrington, Ceeco Bartell Products USA. Our team of key employees has not been affected by the downturn. Ben Bravin, Dynamex Corp.

CaballĂŠ had increased the turnover the last two years in more than 30%. The augment of production capacity was made thinking in the long term and taking into consideration the cycles that normally happen in the equipment demand. So we used a lot of outsourcing and temporary labor that has allowed us to retain all the key employees at this time. Luis Morancho, C.M. Caballe, S.A.

42 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Fine Corporation’s Erik Macs.

Being a global-based company allows us to whether downturns a bit more easily and thus cuts have been minimal but obviously everyone is watching pennies. Erik Macs, Fine International Corp.

We were able to keep all employees, due to the measures mentioned above. Gerhard Boockmann, Boockmann GmbH. Yes, so far we have been able to retain all of our key employees. Our company now is 81 years old, and we are blessed to have many associates who have worked here for the majority of their careers. We work hard to foster an atmosphere of two-way loyalty between the company and its associates. Bill Keiler, Micro Products Co. WJI: How have conditions affected your plans, both for R&D and for your business goals? Has this led to any positives, such as finding other niches in which to compete?

During the recession of 2002, we acquired Northampton and developed the automatic packaging system without an order and came out if it stronger. We are always looking for opportunities, but so far have been busy with orders. Jim Zampogna, The MGS Group.

We have marketed into other areas outside of automotive.

Unfortunately at this time, many companies are being forced to liquidate and so there has been an increase in used machinery available so we have been able to buy and sell used machines when the opportunity presents itself. There has been an increase in the number of auctions as companies are closing down. Some of our customers are taking advantage of that and picking up the business that is left. This has created somewhat of a demand in those particular used machines, so we find ourselves working more with used machinery and becoming more involved in auctions. Cindy Maga, Cinco Industries.

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

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“New Technology for Global Markets” 2-3 November 2009 | Istanbul, Turkey WOW Hotels & Convention Center, Ìstanbul Dünya Ticaret Merkezi Yeşilköy

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The Wire Association International, Inc.

The Wire Association International, Inc. 1570 Boston Post Road | P.O. Box 578 | Guilford, CT 06437-0578 | Telephone: (001) 203-453-2777 | Fax: (001) 203-453-8384 | Web site: www.wirenet.org

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“New Technology for Global Markets” 2-3 November 2009 | Istanbul, Turkey WOW Hotels & Convention Center, Ìstanbul Dünya Ticaret Merkezi Yeşilköy

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The Wire Association International, Inc. 1570 Boston Post Road | P.O. Box 578 | Guilford, CT 06437-0578 | Telephone: (001) 203-453-2777 | Fax: (001) 203-453-8384 | Web site: www.wirenet.org

While we were busy and remain busy, we do not forget to be prepared for hard times. In terms of new niches, some R&D is in progress. Giulio Properzi, Continuus Properzi SpA. We have actually seen this period as one of growth for us in the realm of opportunities and possibilities for new products.

We have been able to benefit greatly from government grants due to recent R&D projects, and we are continuing to do so in an effort to bring items to market which our customers seem to be looking for now more than ever. These have been times when customers have a chance and a true reason to seek out new suppliers and ideas for their production facilities, and we have been able to respond with key solutions and often price advantageous alternatives when it comes to our reels. Chris Hauer, Howar Equipment.

Our strategy has always been to develop wire forming machines that offer additional features/ benefits over the mainstream equipment. The current worldwide downturn has led us to reinforce this with a number of new projects for innovative and cost saving machines. Martin Smith, Ultimation.

Reallocating personnel into R&D and sales, we are taking a positive approach expanding future applications of our products. We cannot find anything positive in this crisis. Gerhard Boockmann, Boockmann GmbH. Our business goal of increasing our presence in the Russian countries, has been postponed to 2010, since this area has been, unfortunately, deeply affected by the crisis. PS Costruzioni.

We have focused more and more on R&D to be able to respond to the market demand we expect after the crisis eases. Dogan Ozbaran, Domeks Makine Ltd. Our business goals for 2009 and beyond have remained largely intact. We have formally established representation in China, offering our products and services to an industrial marketplace that is already showing positive recovery versus

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SEPTEMBER 2009 | 45

FEATURE

Development is key to the future prosperity of the company. We have looked at all our products and decided that it is important that their specifications should be improved. This improvement could be higher productivity or a wider range of capabilities for certain products, the focus being to give our customers greater flexibility and/or productivity. Sean Harrington, Ceeco Bartell Products USA.

FEATURE

earlier in the year. We are partnering with SCH-Shanghai to bring their cold-welder products to our North American customers as a complement to our traditional resistance-welding technology. Bill Keiler, Micro Products Co. Any downturn is an avenue to try to turn to alternative markets. The economy is pretty severe all the way through, however, and it is difficult to jump into other people's domains, especially when money is tight. Erik Macs, Fine International Corp.

ables used with our equipment. We are continuing to preach the importance of addressing equipment maintenance needs now, so that our customers will be in better shape to exploit opportunities that a recovery will provide. Bill Keiler, Micro Products Co. The relationships remain strong, but often times our customers and the engineers are challenged by the fact that it is difficult to advance projects beyond the initial proposal phase.

There has been a lot of reluctance on moving various viable

Continued R&D has always been an important component of our business model. During slower periods more time and emphasis can be focused on updating current designs while developing the new generation products that are critical for a company’s ongoing operation and longevity. Without innovative technology and products, a company cannot compete and grow.

Weber & Scher is always searching for new business opportunities that compliment the existing range of products.

Some of the best opportunities can arise in more challenging times. Gregory Scher, Weber & Scher Mfg. Co., Inc. No effects so far. Dirk Schmidt, Troester GmbH & Co. KG. WJI: Has your relationship with customers changed, and if so, how? Do you find they are receptive to discussions at this time? Is the ability to help on financing become more important and/or difficult?

It becomes even more important to maintain contact with our customers during these times, even if it is only done over the phone. Obviously face to face contact is the best way to maintain visibility. While some people may dismiss a meeting as not required, a small amount of time looking at problem areas firsthand, and talking out potential solutions can lead to future sales. As the digital communications age (4G is coming) becomes more and more advanced, it will be interesting to see how quickly we end up in a virtual reality type of world.

I’ve seen the financing issue come up in previous lives and in the high capital expenditure arena, this really is not contemplated. Look at it this way, if banks can’t handle lending money, what makes people think that machinery companies can do it? Commodity items have been more aggressively marketed to be more flexible in payment terms. Erik Macs, Fine International Corp.

We have noticed that our customers place their orders with much more caution and ask for longer payment terms than before the crisis. PS Costruzioni.

We have challenged ourselves to become more focused on our customers’ needs, by emphasizing our factory and on-site repair and rebuild services, our customer training capabilities, and the industry’s shortest lead times for parts and consum-

46 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Howar Equipment staff at their booth at Interwire 2009.

projects ahead, due to the sheer doubt of the future of the economy, even though many plants are operating better than they were in 2001. Chris Hauer, Howar Equipment.

Up to now, we are not facing any order cancellation, but we are confronted with changed market behavior of our clients.

Customers which are active not only in the power cable sector for medium/high voltage cables, but also in telecom, low voltage or automotive cable field, are affected by the crisis more deeply. We are facing requests to postpone deliveries as projects have been delayed or suspended. Even some notable customers who were reliable in the past are delaying payments these days. Dirk Schmidt, Troester GmbH & Co. KG. Our close relationship with customers has not changed at all. Most of our customers are perfectly willing to discuss with us their present and anticipated orders situation. Ben Bravin, Dynamex Corp.

Clearly, customer support cannot be turned on and off as a function of the prevailing market condition. Conversely, it must continue seamlessly during all business cycles. From the sales perspective, we continue to follow our business plan by making regular visits to our customers despite the economic climate. In fact, we have found that customers are very

FEATURE

receptive to discussions even in difficult times. Gregory Scher, Weber & Scher Mfg. Co., Inc. We’re paying more attention to customers paying on time and customers’ financial standing. Gerhard Boockmann, Boockmann GmbH. Financing doesn’t seem to be a consideration at this time.

Perhaps because it is so difficult to get credit. Companies that can’t afford new machinery aren't interested in financing it either. Cindy Maga, Cinco Industries.

With our additional staff on board, customer relationships have improved due to faster turnaround on troubleshooting and technical support. Additionally, customers who have the

We are partners with our customers and our solid relationship has not changed. We have open discussions, even when there are no projects or they are directed to purchase lower cost and quality solutions. Jim Zampogna, The MGS Group.

In some ways, we are closer to many customers than we were before. They have put their trust in us to steer them towards suitable solutions, whether it be new or used machinery. We have tried to keep in touch with all the companies we know well, to exchange information, or see if there is any way we can assist them.

We also find that we are doing more international business, as the world is smaller, due to the Internet. During the worst part of the crisis, we were helped by selling machinery to other countries. Fred Barbarotto, Barbarotto International Machinery.

WJI: Do you feel optimistic about the remainder of 2009, and if so, why? Do you expect to see a far better business environment in 2010?

2009 was not efficient and was basically a lost year for business, but we are still optimistic about 2010. Dogan Ozbaran, Domeks Makine.

OMA USA’s David Tietze. capital for investment are looking to take advantage of the current economic situation and are extremely receptive to discussions at this time. David Tietze, OMA USA Inc. We have found that our relationship with many customers has strengthened and that we are treated more like a partner than a supplier. This helps us develop customized solutions together to suit their existing manufacturing processes and to enable them to reduce costs. Martin Smith, Ultimation.

The environment is still much more subdued than it was through the first half of 2008. However, beginning in the 2nd quarter of 2009 there was a noticeable uptick in interest and orders over the nine months prior to that. Continued discussions with customers and potential customers give us confidence that the situation will continue to improve through the year and into 2010. David Tietze, OMA USA Inc. We have seen some green shoots over the past few months and we have received some unexpected additional machine orders giving us a healthy order book for the remainder of 2009, so we are cautiously optimistic that things will improve further in 2010. Martin Smith, Ultimation.

Most of the projects active at this time are related to specific needs of the cable manufactures to increase the production capacity of a certain products due to demand. The big investment plans for mid term are now delayed for better times.

Caballe offers financing packages in collaboration with the Spanish government that is helping a lot at this time of worldwide lack of financing. Luis Morancho, C.M. Caballe, S.A. We have always believed in having a strong relationship with our customers, in order to improve their process and the product range we offer. Obviously financial constraints have slowed down dramatically new project developments, but we find customers still want to discuss their requirements, even if they are now more long term. Sean Harrington, Ceeco Bartell Products USA.

48 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Ultimation’s Martin Smith.

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FEATURE

We feel optimistic for what remains of 2009, since we are now dealing with a commercial transaction for two-three machines, and it is likely that we’ll get the official purchase. order by the end of 2009. About 2010, we expect to maintain, more or less, the same business volume as in 2008 and 2009.

PS Costruzioni.

Boockmann GmbH’s Gerhard Boockmann and Michaela Boockmann.

This down cycle was different from past ones in that it was completely unpredictable and unexpected in its extent. We do not expect any improvement of the general situation in 2009, and expect difficulties to persist also in 2010. Gerhard Boockmann, Boockmann GmbH.

While automotive will probably never be the same as it was, most people we speak to are cautiously optimistic that things will get better soon. Nearly everyone senses that there are some good signs that the worst may be over.

That said, it will still take a little time for big companies to get capital expenditure approval, so it could be 2010 until there is widespread investment again. History hopefully will repeat itself, as in past recessions, and companies will slowly regain confidence, as they hear that their competitors are investing again. Buying will restore confidence, and confidence will stimulate buying …

This is a great time for innovative companies to find opportunities in manufacturing sectors they may not have competed in before. There are growth opportunities out there, it just requires some boldness to take a calculated risk these days!

Fred Barbarotto, Barbarotto International Machinery.

We always feel optimistic about the future. We’re a sales company, and if we don’t stay optimistic, it limits our ability to sell. We realize we have challenges in our industry and in our company as well. As a family, we are all dependent on Cinco Industries and so it is necessary that we stay positive so that Cinco can continue to do well.

We will eventually come out of this recession and strongly believe that the companies that can meet the challenges and adapt to the changing future of our industry will come out stronger when it is over. Unfortunately, some companies may no longer be around, but the ones that manage to adapt as well as take advantage of the voids that will be left, will be in a great position. We hope that we are also able to come out at the end of this and be stronger for it. Cindy Maga, Cinco Industries.

Fred Barbarotto, Barbarotto International Machinery.

50 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

The end of 2009 shows some positive signs which are most likely due to stock replenishment, as well as positive help from government programs which finally seem to be having an impact on the consumer and manufacturing sector. For our wire manufacturing accessories such as reels, crossheads and payoffs we are seeing a positive trend for the 2010 year, but hear that large capital projects are still not getting the green light. Chris Hauer, Howar Equipment.

It already appears that there is movement towards increased orders with our customers, however, most have been cut back relatively severely to begin with and thus a comeback in new machinery orders appears to be more likely to really take hold in 2010. The wire show in Germany next April will be the next real bellwether. Erik Macs, Fine International Corp.

Yes, we are optimistic because of the extent our business is really global. The economic crisis is mainly in North America and Europe, two markets that have not been important for us for many years.

Giulio Properzi, Continuus Properzi SpA.

FEATURE

The remainder of 2009 should see a better response in the market. A key factor in the USA will be how the housing market and automotive industry will recover. In 2010 we should see a steady growth; it will still be tough to close orders especially in the first six months due to the reduction in the overall market size but it will be improving. Sean Harrington, Ceeco Bartell Products USA.

Giulio Properzi, Continuus Properzi SpA.

Our current perspective is that the remainder of 2009 may still present some challenges for the wire and cable industry as well as the overall U.S. economy as a whole. We feel that this will also be the general trend globally. However, some market areas have shown tentative signs of stabilization and may experience a faster rate of recovery than others. Regardless, within the first and second quarter of 2010, we would anticipate seeing some

SEPTEMBER 2009 | 51

FEATURE

general overall economic improvement and growth. We do not anticipate a dramatic growth rate but rather, a steady subdued upward trend. While some segments of the wire and cable industry will lag and others lead, we feel that the industry on average will tend to follow this trend. Gregory Scher, Weber & Scher Mfg. Co., Inc. I am very optimistic that business will get somewhat better the remainder of 2009. We have already booked some orders.

Due to the extent of the recession, I expect our business will take a long time to recover and may never be the same. Jim Zampogna, The MGS Group.

We have started to notice a slight recovery in the market these last months compared to the beginning of 2009. And from talks with cable manufacturers, we feel that this will be better by the end of 2009 and 2010. However we don't think 2010 will reach the high level of business of 2007 and 2008.

Luis Morancho, C.M. Caballe, S.A. As mentioned above, we are loaded with work until the first quarter of 2010. As also in these times investments in infrastructure projects are discussed and made, such as offshore

52 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

windparks in the Baltic Sea or solar power plants in the desert, our customers and we are optimistic that the demand for medium- and high-voltage cables will remain on a high level, resulting in new investments in that field. Dirk Schmidt, Troester GmbH & Co. KG. At the mid-point of 2009, we are beginning to see some signs that things have bottomed out. Restrictions on MRO spending by our customers are beginning to loosen in anticipation of a general recovery. We are hopeful that 2010 will herald an improved business environment in the wire and cable industry, and we plan to take full advantage of that environment. Bill Keiler, Micro Products Co. We see signs of business picking up later this year and in 2010. Ben Bravin, Dynamex Corp.

WJI: Any other aspects worth noting?

We have to keep focused on what we are good at and ensuring that we give our customers value for money with high quality, productive products. Sean Harrington, Ceeco Bartell Products USA.

FEATURE

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Those of us who come out of this recession healthy will have realized that our business has changed, and change to take advantage of new and different opportunities. Jim Zampogna, The MGS Group.

We recently experienced a great deal of frustration with the poor attendance at the Interwire/IFE shows in Cleveland, this past June. Trade shows are a great opportunity to see new machinery innovations, and speak with both friends and competitors. Sadly, attendance at this double-industry event was very low, and afterwards, we heard some shocking stories from several employees of companies within driving distance of the Cleveland IX Center, who could not get permission to attend!

In an economic recession, especially of this magnitude, how does it not make good sense to attend a large industry gathering? With automotive taking such a hard hit, wouldn’t it be prudent to find out what the “survivors” are doing? American companies are too complacent … lots of technology exists for full automation, but the U.S. market is stuck with outdated methods of production. Elsewhere in the world, automation and innovation are appreciated and valued more, and U.S. companies could learn from that more progressive business philosophy. Even in eco-

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54 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

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If wire processing is right up your alley

WAI WANTS TO HARNESS YOUR EXPERTISE for Wire Expo 2010

CONVENTION & EXHIBITION:

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2010 MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, USA MIDWEST AIRLINES CENTER

ABSTRACT DEADLINE: DECEMBER 7, 2009 AUTHOR NOTIFICATION: JANUARY 4, 2010 MANUSCRIPT DEADLINE: MARCH 1, 2010

CALLING ALL EXPERTS Do you crimp, solder, or form wire? Do you mark, treat, test, assemble, package, or analyze it? Whatever your wire or cable discipline is, WAI wants your article ideas as it develops the technical program for Wire Expo in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA, May 12-13, 2010. Qualified experts in these areas and the topics listed below are invited to submit an article abstract. Accepted papers will be scheduled for presentation at Wire Expo and will be automatically considered for publication in Wire Journal International after the conference.

WAI welcomes articles in the electrical, ferrous, nonferrous, and general sectors. And because Wire Expo will co-locate with The National Electricl Wire Processing Technology Expo, special focus will be on submissions defined by the electrical processing technology topics that you know so well.

DESIRABLE TOPICS INCLUDE: • Application of non-traditional metals • Quality (statistics and testing) • Approval agencies • Surface treatment and powder • Environmental regulations coating • Failure analysis • Terminal technology • “Green” processes • Workplace safety • Laser marking Submit a 50-word abstract online at http://www.wirenet.org/technical/submit.htm or contact Marc Murray at mmurray@wirenet.org or Tel.: 203-453-2777, ext. 121 for more details.

The Wire Association International, Inc. 1570 Boston Post Road | P.O. Box 578 | Guilford, CT 06437-0578 | Telephone: (001) 203-453-2777 | Fax: (001) 203-453-8384 | Web site: www.wirenet.org

C.M. Caballe, S.A., Spain, www.www.cmcaballe.es.

In North America, Patrick Carney, Technical Marketing Services, tmspat@cox.net.

Cinco Industries, cmaga@cinco-ind.com.

Continuus-Properzi SpA, Italy, www.properzi.com. In North America, Properzi International, Inc., www.properzi.us.

Domeks Makine Ltd., Turkey, www.domeksmakine.com.

Dynamex Corp., U.S., www.dynamexcorp.com.

Contact information Barbarotto International Machinery, bisc@optonline.net.

Boockmann GmbH, Germany, www.boockmann.com In North America, Dick Slover, The Slover Group, richard_slover@slovergroup.com.

E-mail: fukaseco@ja2.so-net.ne.jp http://www.fukase.co.jp

Fine International Corp., U.S., www.fineinternational.com.

OM Frigerio, Italy, www.omfrigerio.it. In N. America, Howar Equipment, Inc., www.howarequipment.com.

OM Lesmo SpA, Italy, www.omlesmo.com. In North America, Lesmo Machinery America, Inc., www.lesmoamerica.com.

Sk Bldg #1 2- 6 -1 Hamada Mihama -Ku Chiba Bhiba-Ken 261-0025, Japan FAX 81-43-276-0463 TEL 81-43-276-0630

SEPTEMBER 2009 | 57

FEATURE

nomic downturns, attendance at trade shows in Europe, like the wire DĂźsseldorf show, is always good, and the attendees eagerly look for new technology to improve their production methods.

Machinery manufacturers are continually listening to their customers, and trying to create new innovations to help solve their problems. These improvements are on display at trade shows, but if U.S. visitors cannot, or will not, make a strong effort to attend these shows, how will they know what their competitors are buying? Fred Barbarotto, Barbarotto International Machinery. â–

NOTE: POINTS MEETING—OCTOBER 6, 2009

panoramic view of

MILWAUKEE

Wis.

© 1898 by The Gugler Lithographic Co., Milwaukee, Wis.

In 10 sq. ft. and a third less time

EXHIBITORS CAN COVER MORE TERRITORY at Wire Expo 2010 CONVENTION & EXHIBITION:

MAY 12-13

2010 MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, USA MIDWEST AIRLINES CENTER

E-mail bxeller@wirenet.org or abzowski@wirenet.org for exhibiting information or find show details online at: www.wirenet.org.

Nobody knows your product better than you and your customers do. But that’s about to change.

Because the 2010 Wire Expo expands your territory by colocating with The National Electrical Wire Processing Technology Expo in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. For the first time the shows will run side by side giving exhibitors and visitors the benefit of crossover participation.

The schedule is compact. Just two days. And the audience is specific so you’ll spend less time qualifying leads and more time engaging valuable prospects.

Considering the cost of international travel to some of the larger scale shows, the new Wire Expo format offers a friendly, affordable, and efficient option for exhibitors who want both a panoramic view of the wire making and wire processing industries and direct access to these viable manufacturing sectors.

Zone in on Milwaukee. Home in on prospects. And begin building new business relationships in an established show setting.

Wire Expo 2010. Low cost. Expanded value. A wise marketing decision.

co-located with The National Electrical Wire Processing Technology Expo

The Wire Association International, Inc. 1570 Boston Post Road | P.O. Box 578 | Guilford, CT 06437-0578 | Telephone: (001) 203-453-2777 | Fax: (001) 203-453-8384 | Web site: www.wirenet.org

The MGS Group, U.S., www.mgshall.com.

FEATURE

OMCG SpA, Italy, www.omcg.com. In N. America, North America OMCG, omcgtech@netzero.net.

Pave Automation Ltd., U.K., www.pave-wire.com.

PS Costruzioni Meccaniche Srl, Italy, www.pscostruzioni.com.

Talleres Saspi SA, Spain. In North America, Cinco Industries, cmaga@cinco-ind.com, Troester GmbH & Co. KG, Germany, www.troester.de.

Ultimation, U.K., www.ultimat.com Videx Machine Engineering Ltd., Israel, www.videx.co.il. In N. America, Barbarotto Int’l Machinery, bisc@optonline.net.

Weber & Scher Mfg. Co., Inc., U.S., www.webscher.com.

SEPTEMBER 2009 | 59

PRODUCTS

PRODUCTS SHOWCASE Wire & Fastener Equipment Boockmann GmbH/Slover Group Germany’s Boockmann GmbH reports that its Helicord NB58 machine, introduced at Interwire 2009, can eliminate the need for pickling and chemical treatment of wires for removing surface contaminants such as calcium stearates.

The model, which has proven to be successful for industrial use in Europe, can eliminate waste disposal, filtration, and equipment deterioration associated with caustic and acid treatments. Operating in-line, it utilizes abrasive cords, by-passing the need for separate “bottleneck” treatments.

Depending on the principle of frictional force between constantly renewed clean textile cords, wrapped in 360 degree contact around the wire, other Helicord machinery is effective in cleaning round wire, stranded and insulated cables as well as applying different types of additives, such as lubricants, corrosion inhibitors, or strip aids. The process is operable at all wire speeds and a large range of wire diameters.

Contact: Michaela Boockmann, Boockmann GmbH, tel. 49-9708-704617, michi.boockmann@boockmann.com.

In North America, Dick Slover, The Slover Group, tel, 713-468-1795, ext.104, richard_slover@slovergroup.com.

C.M. Caballé/TMS With over 60 years of experience in the design and manufacture of rotating machinery for the production of power and telecom cables as well as steel ropes, Spain’s C.M. Caballé provides the cable industry with a wide array of stranding, twinning, bunching and cabling machinery. It is constantly developing new, high quality equipment to meet the industry’s ever-changing needs, with one noteworthy example being its rigid strander.

The company’s rigid strander has been redesigned and upgraded through the years with state-of-the-art technology and with continuous collaboration with leading energy cable manufacturers. The result is a rigid stranding line specially designed with different accessories to allow the

60 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

manufacturing of: compacted conductors of copper and aluminum for LV, MV and HV insulated conductors; sector conductors (Milliken) of copper and aluminum for HV insulated conductors; aluminum (AAAC, ACSR, etc.) aerial conductors with round or trapezoidal wires; screening with copper wires (single or multiwire) for MV and HV conductors; and armoring with galvanized steel wires.

Averaging one rigid stranding line installed per month in recent years, Caballé has installed more than 200 such lines and is a recognized leader in the field.

Contact: Luis Morancho, C.M. Caballé, S.A., tel. 34-93460-1430, imorancho@cmcaballe.es, www.cmcaballe.es.

In North America, Patrick Carney, Technical Marketing Services, tel. 860-844-8646, tmspat@cox.net.

Ceeco Bartell Products Ceeco Bartell Products reports that its roll form strander for manufacturing compact conductors provides technology that brings cost savings from the wiredrawing process through the cabling and into the extrusion process.

The system allows the use of a single input diameter wire to be utilized throughout the stranding process, providing the following advantages: higher productivity at stranding machine, typically 40 metric ton/day compact Al); higher wiredrawing productivity; lower drawn wire scrap; lower insulating costs; lower capital investment; improved return on investment, quicker set-up and reduced work in process; shorter cycle times; smaller input wire storage area; and 75% more energy efficient than a typical rigid strander.

Continuus-Properzi SpA Copper rod from scrap, a unique fire-refining technology, developed by Italy’s Continuus-Properzi SpA over the past 20 years in technical cooperation with Spain’s La Farga-Lacambra, has reached its maturity on a large scale production basis.

Quadromatik is specially developed for coiling and spooling in the same line without having to change any mechanical parts while going from the coiling operation to the spooling mode.

Due to its unique features, Quadromatik has the capacity to process up to four spools with 100 m cable lengths or up to five coils with 100 m cable per minute.

Speedmatik is a high-speed coiling line developed for cables with a cross-section from 0.75 sq mm up to 6 sq mm, with capacity of up to seven coils per minute for 100 m cable lengths per coil.

Both systems reflect the company’s focus on innovation, quality and productivity, thus providing customers the solutions they need to be successful in the world market.

Contact: Domeks Makine Ltd., tel. 90-216-364-39-04, info@domeksmakine.com, www.domeksmakine.com.

Dynamex Corp.

U.S.-based Dynamex Corp. notes that it has further improved the performance of its unique auto-tape-splicing payoff as well as introduced new heavy-duty, single-twist bunchers for bare copper.

Two lines, each with a capacity exceeding 100,000 MT/year, are coming on-line in China, where recycling of copper scrap is actively sponsored by both government and industry to increase the environmental sustainability of the booming economy.

The FRHC Refining Technology permits the use of two qualities of copper scrap: one with copper content of 97% or greater, the other with a copper content as low as 93% or greater. The first line, located in Jiangxi Province, has entered into production while the second one, located in Hefei Province, will follow suit before the end of the year.

Due to the latest technological advancements in the area of fumes treatment devices, both of the above cited plants were certified by Government Environmental Protection Authorities.

Contact: Giuseppe Marcantoni, Properzi International, Inc., tel. 443-212-4320, g.marcantoni@properzi.us, www.properzi.us.

Domeks Makine Ltd. Turkey’s Domeks Makine Ltd., a producer of fully automatic cable packing lines and PVC granulating machines, has developed two new cable packing lines, Quadromatik and Speedmatik, that offer special value to cablemakers.

The taping system (pictured), now offered for several years, is a low-cost, small-footprint, high-speed longitudinal taping payoff for operation with extruders performing fully automatic splicing at line speed. This revolutionary process (patented in numerous countries) enables uninterrupted taping with unattended automatic splices. It runs and splices automatically a wide variety of materials such as mylar, PE, AL/PE, kraft paper, water-swellable, tissue and more. The system presents a major improvement in the manufacture of coax, shielded cables, and many other jacketing operations.

The payoffs are operating in many states in the U.S. as well as in the U.K., Russia, Mexico, Brazil, China, Taiwan and Trinidad, to name a few. They are available for traditional flat pads or for wide spools with traversed tape, or

SEPTEMBER 2009 | 61

PRODUCTS

The strander combines the advantages of two highly productive processes, namely: roll forming of shaped wire and double-twist stranding of conductors. Forged together, they create a high-speed continuous manufacturing cell that not only produces compact strand at high speeds, but allows significant savings to be made throughout the stranding process, from wiredrawing all the way through to the extrusion process.

Contact: Sean Harrington, Ceeco Bartell Products/Bartell Machinery Systems LLC, tel.

905-761-2993, sean.harrington@ceecobartell.com, www.ceecobartell.com.

PRODUCTS

both. A model specifically designed for ROMEX jacketing lines runs 48 in. pads at speeds up to 1500 fpm. Another model is available for tapes up to 3 in. wide.

The company’s new state-of-the-art single-twist buncher is PLC controlled with touchscreen HMI. It is capable of developing high tensions, maintains accurate lays and can perfectly bunch heavy constructions of copper or aluminum strands.

Contact: Ben Bravin, Dynamex Corp., tel. 310-3290399, sales@dynamexcorp.com, www.dynamexcorp.com.

Fine International Corp.

Fine International Corporation, a global supplier of wire and cable machinery, now offers complete vertical taping systems for both traverse wound and flat tape pads. Units are available in one- or two-head configurations and come complete with payoff, taping head(s), capstan and take-up.

Units are typically utilized for aluminum laminate and mica tapes.

Pictured is a dual-head, vertical taping system. Custom units are available for use with PTFE and other materials. Each unit features automatic tape tensioning build down compensation and accommodateswire sizes typically up to 7 mm diameter.

Fine International specializes in the supply of primary extrusion lines based on proprietary physical foam technology as well as jacketing lines, high speed rotary braiders, preheaters, planetary stranders, packaging lines (spool and reeless type) TIG aluminum welding lines, extrusion line components and more.

Contact: Erik Macs, Fine International Corporation, tel. 508-315-8200, erikmacs@gmail.com, www.fineinternational.com.

OM Frigerio/Howar Equipment OM Frigerio, represented in North America by Howar Equipment, has had much interest in its FASO SCLO heavy duty mechanical 12 mm wire descaler with subsequent wire brusher.

Showcased at Interwire 2009 in Cleveland, the reverse bending mechanical wire descaler is an environmentally friendly alternative to acid pickling steel wire as well as aluminum alloys. The eight-roller, tungsten carbide fused, reverse-bending roller descaler is located at the entrance of the unit, and the reverse bending section has its own enclosure with complete safety doors and wire entry guides. The descaler collects the wire’s scales/oxide debris in a removable tray underneath the reverse-bending rollers.

62 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

After exiting the rollers, the wire enters the orbital+ rotating wire brushing unit, where 6-in.-wide brushes mounted on a special orbital head rotate around the drawn wire and efficiently clean the entire circumference of the wire as effectively as chemically cleaned wire.

The combination of the reverse-bending rollers and the wire brushing unit allows the unit to be installed in front of wiredrawing and forming machines to provide exceptional cleaning at speeds up to 5 m/sec (1000 ft/min). The units are used for various grades of carbon steel and stainless steels requiring cleaning prior to further processing.

Contact: OM Frigerio, info@omfrigerio.it, www.omfrigerio.it. In N. America, Howar Equipment, Inc., tel. 905-738-4010, sales@howarequipment.com, www.howarequipment.com.

OM Lesmo Group Italy’s OM Lesmo, known to the wire and cable industry for its rotating machinery, has expanded its product range to include rod break-down and multi wire drawing machines.

The Eurodraw division of OM Lesmo reports that it offers the only machine in the market for rod break-down operation that is truly a non-slip machine. This unique design provides best quality inlet wire and eliminates wire breaks on multi wire drawing machines. The bunching machines have a unique single bow design that consumes less energy (approximately 50%) but also induces less stress on bearings.

At the same time, Lesmo remains committed to its tried-and-true technology, one example of which is its DTO 2500CE double-twist machine (pictured), which is capable of producing large (up to 1000MCM/500 sq mm) compressed, compacted and sector cables both in copper and aluminum. It is also capable of producing various rope constructions. Each construction may require additional

www.cabmach.com

BITEC, Bangkok, Thailand October 13-15, 2009

Tubular Stranding & Closing Machine • High speed and productivity with proven reliability at different rpm-linear speed of the machine • Simplified operations for stringing-up and loading/unloading reels of the machine • Low cost for the installation of the machine • Simplified operations for inspection and maintenance activities • The machine is usually requested for covering these different specific production: - Copper, aluminium and aluminium alloy strands - ACSR strands - Steel ropes - Submarine and OPGW cables • Tubular reel range: - Cu-Al wire from 400 up to 800 mm flange diameter - Steel wire from 200 up to 1000 mm flange diameter

PRODUCTS & MEDIA

auxiliary equipment to increase the efficiency as well as maintain highest product quality.

The ability to offer both new equipment and proven technology, as well as enter strategic alliances and make acquisitions and expand its North American operations, is all part of the company’s approach to being prepared for the challenging world market.

Contact: OM Lesmo SpA, www.omlesmo.com. In N. America, Allan Brown, Lesmo Machinery America, Inc., tel. 905-761-6165, abrown@lesmoamerica.com, www.lesmoamerica.com.

The MGS Group The MGS Group (MGS-Hall-Northampton) believes that unwinding and winding systems should be considered separate operations to manufacturing, designed for the specific application and never the limiting factor in the performance of a process. That approach can be seen in the U.S.-based company’s dual-spindle traversing reel packaging take-up.

The dual cantilever shaft unit is housed in a ¼-inch plate welded cabinet. This will be a dual traversing reel type, where the spindles traverse, thereby maintaining the product in a straight line. The product enters from the top

64 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

over a capstan type wheel. A backstop clutch holds the product from pulling back after it is cut. It can run 6 in. to 36 in. reels and a very wide product range. The capstan wheel is driven and coordinated with a cutter to feed the desired length for starting the next reel. All functions are controlled through the PLC and adjustable through the operator interface.

Each spindle traverses by means of ball screws driven by a brushless Servomotor. A digital traverse control system allows the operator to dial in the exact traverse lay required. Flange limit position and traverse lay will be set on the operator interface and a manual override allows the operator to make adjustments during operation. A rapid traverse allows the traverse to be moved to one side for starting purposes. Two shafts, one near each spindle, hold reel-wrapping material, and a jog button helps the operator with reel wrapping.

To handle large reels, each reel shaft and drive assembly

First class stranding Industrial sector competence borne of a comprehensive range of products and services.

Photo taken during workshop assembly

SKET Stranding Technology Has Reached New Dimensions Since May 2009 when the world’s largest stranding machine was successfully commissioned, the trademark SKET has rede ned the dimensions amongst the leading suppliers of cable and wire rope making machinery.

Backed up by this competence, SKET managed to supply another large MKRD cage-type strander to a well-known European cable maker only two months later.

Intended for armouring submarine power cables, the innovative line concept enables the machine to accommodate 88 bobbins with a maximum ange diameter of 800 mm and to perform rst-class stranding of steel wires of up to 10 mm in diameter.

As a result, the machine can armour cable with nished diameters of more than 250 mm, which will inevitably be a great advantage to the user against competition.

SKET Stranding Technology – A wise choice for every dimension

THE address in the wire rope and cable industries.

SKET Verseilmaschinenbau GmbH SchĂśnebecker StraĂ&#x;e 82-84 39104 Magdeburg, Germany Phone: Fax:

+ 49 (0) 391 40558-0 + 49 (0) 391 40558-15

E-Mail: Internet: VAT No.

info@SKETVMB.de www.SKETVMB.de DE183571337

Bangkok, Thailand, 13 - 15 Oct. 2009 Welcome to visit us!

Hall 3, Booth No. 23

PRODUCTS

raises and lowers, allowing the shaft to position the reel just off the floor for loading and unloading. When using a small, light reel, the shaft can be left at its upper position and the reel handled by hand.

Contact: Jim Zampogna, The MGS Group, tel.

315-337-3350, ext. 110, jzampogna@mgshall.com, www.mgshall.com.

Micro Products Company U.S.-based Micro Products Company now distributes the SCH line of cold welding equipment in North America.

Like the company’s well known Micro-Weld brand of electric resistance butt welders, these cold welders are extremely rugged, dependable and very easy to use. The cold welder models, which can process weld solid nonferrous wire from 0.06 mm up to 6.50 mm in diameter, are available from bench mount to hand held to floor mount in both manual and powered operation.

Single cavity and double cavity welding dies are available for both the new SCH cold welder line as well as other brands of cold welders that Micro Products offers.

It guarantees fast delivery on new equipment as well as parts and service.

Contact: Bill Keiler, Micro Products Company, tel. 630-787-9350, bilbkeiler@micro-weld.com, www.micro-weld.com.

e-mail Dave.Evans@george-evans.com

66 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

The latest offering from Germany’s Niehoff GmbH is its MSM 224 drawing machine, an electronically driven system for the intermediate wire range for wire made of copper alloys such as brass, bronze, German silver, aluminum and aluminum alloys, nickel and nickel alloys as well as other nonferrous metals like platinum, rhodium and special materials.

The system is capable of drawing wires with inlet diameters of 3.5 mm to a final diameter range of 0.2. to 1.8 mm, with line speeds of up to 25 m/s (5,000 fpm). The drawing capstans are individually driven by water-cooled AC motors, and the drive principle enables a minimized slip operation that results in wire with a very high surface quality.

Other characteristics include a completely submerged drawing section and die holders with high pressure lubrication. For soft wire production, the MSM 224 is designed to operate in-line with an inductive continuous annealer developed by the joint venture company Niehoff Bühler GmbH NBM.

PRODUCTS

Niehoff GmbH

Contact: Niehoff GmbH & Co. KG, tel. 49-9122-977-0, info@niehoff.de, www.niehoff.de. In North America, Niehoff Endex North America, Inc., tel. 856-467-4884, sales@niehoffendex.com, www. niehoff-usa.com.

OMCG SpA In this economy, Italy’s OMCG SpA notes that manufacturers need technology that will enable them to cost-effectively produce value-added products. To that end, the company offers modular systems with 10 to 20 axes that

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manufacturers can use to maximize forming, stamping and assembly capability, combining multiple steps to reduce the total number of operations needed to finish a part. It has also expanded the size range of wire it can process to 1 mm to 22.2 mm.

desk or on the machine in real time, which provides part weight and estimated run time to complete an order.

Further, the systems can be diagnosed via the Internet.

Contact: OMCG SpA, www.omcg.com. In North America, Bob Sears, North America OMCG, tel. 630860-1016, omcgtech@netzero.net.

Pave Automation Ltd.

OMCG’s systems allow the mixing and matching of the modular units to provide the best application solution.

This could include the use of optional units, such as robots for placing and/or welding, cold headers, chamfer and grooving units, notching and coining flats and hole punching. OMCG’s press blanking technology has capacity up to 120 tons. Based on annual volume requirements, the company can determine if a mechanical or CNC forming system should be used. OMCG uses CAD 3D software to simulate the hard-tool forming process and its mechanical slide machine tooling can process some slide parts at rates up to 400 per minute. A customer can also use the CAD software to design the wire part and the CNC program will write the machine program to make the part, thus eliminating possible programming errors.

A versatile CNC elliptical forming head allows the bend pin to move to the correct position, which makes it possible to “leave” a bend out, then go back and put it in, thus making it possible to bend out of sequence and eliminate a secondary operation. OMCG’s EP3 simulation software makes it possible to run a part program in 3D at a

U.K.-based Pave Automation Ltd., which has been producing innovative, CNC wire forming equipment for 35 years, notes that its comprehensive range of high-performance machines includes user-friendly single- and twinhead wire forming centers for a variety of applications.

The Panther X3 13-axis wire bending machine, designed for sequential forming of three-dimensional components of 1.5 mm to 6 mm, and up to 3 m in length, is competitively priced and exceptionally easy to operate. Simply programmed via touchscreens with animated icons and using CAD coordinate output, the Panther X3 offers carriage speeds of up to 80 m per minute, and 10 programmable bending speeds, up to 0.05 seconds for 180º. Three bending shafts per bending head ensure repeatability on angles of ± 0.05º. For ease and reliability, the Panther X3 is coil fed with a twist-free wire straightening system to maintain efficient throughput. The machine’s clamp unit allows 360º rotation with ten programmable speeds up to 0.02 seconds for 90º.

FROM THE WOMB TO THE TOMB

From pay-off to take-up and everything else in between amaral automation is the industries one-stop turnkey supplier. Extruders, blenders, cross heads, pre-heaters, cooling troughs, inspection equipment, sparkers, diameter gauges, cold welders, controls and more, amaral automation provides manufacturing solutions and peace of mind.

Contact us today to see how we can help you to achieve your goals.

The Wire, Cable & Plastic Industry Resource

68 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

P.O. Box 7816, Cumberland, RI 02864 Tel: 401-405-0755 • Fax: 401-405-0757 e-mail: insidesales@amaralautomation.com www.amaralautomation.com

PS Costruzioni Meccaniche Srl Italy’s PS Costruzioni, a supplier of cable and wire packaging systems, reports that its new automatic coil/spool winding line, Mod. PS 200/8 COMBO, reflects the company’s commitment to investing in technology.

The fully automatic model is capable of winding wires or cables onto coils or spools, a plus for customers as a single line can produce two different products. PS’s design engineers have also paid particular attention to improving the shape of the final product.

The model can process insulated flexible cable from 2 mm to 10 mm, solid insulated wire from 2 mm to 5 mm and flat cables from 5.5 x 3.5 mm to 13 x 5.5 mm. Coil OD sizes are 95 mm to 230 mm, spool flange diameters of

120 mm to 230 mm. The company notes that Austria’s Austech Co. recently purchased one of the versatile systems.

Contact: PS Costruzioni Meccaniche Srl, tel. 39-0396898763, ps@pscostruzioni.com, www.pscostruzioni.com.

SAMPSISTEMI Italy’s SAMPSISTEMI believes that its MT105 family of wiredrawing machines is especially well suited to meet the global needs of manufacturers of building wire and energy cable products. The multiwire systems were designed to produce a wire of great quality, have excellent ergonomic features for ease of operation, reduce energy consumption, and increase overall productivity and uptime while reducing maintenance.

The MT105 comes in different configurations, all of which have a maximum inlet diameter of 2.6 mm (10 awg). Different options are available for wire elongation, such as 26% full B & S reduction for the North American market or mixed elongation (i.e., 12 x 26% + 6 x 19), which is generally adopted in Europe. The number of wires that can be drawn ranges from 7 to 56 (on 1.2 or 4 rows and max of 14/16 wires per row).

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Contact: Pave Automation Ltd., tel. 44-1733-342519, pave@enterprise.net, www.pave-wire.com.

Talleres Saspi SA/Cinco Industries Spain’s Talleres Saspi SA, represented in North America

by Cinco Industries, supplies cold rolling, thread rollers and pointing equipment. The company notes that it has long focused on innovation and technology, which can be seen in a model it recently built for an aerospace customer.

The system, a Saspi Model GV-3-20, is a #20 size flat die-thread roller, capable of rolling fasteners up to 12 mm in diameter, with a thread length up to 75 mm and a shank length up to 120 mm at speeds of 85–250 parts per minute.

OCTOBER 2009

PRODUCTS

The MT105 is available in a “short” drawbox version with 18 dies or a “long” drawbox version with 22 or 25 dies. The long version consisting of two separate modules with the first module equipped with its own independent motor helps to reduce wire stress. That, in turn, reduces the number of wire breaks in the downstream processes.

Standard SAMPSISTEMI annealers can be used, but a new annealer, model R35M, was specifically developed in 5000 or 7000 amp versions to maximize the production output. The 7000 amp annealer, typically used in the European market to produce large number of wires (i.e. 48 x 26 awg), is marketed for the North American market in a special 7 or 14 version, normally used to produce building wire on reels in individual packages of six or seven wires.

Contact: SAMPSISTEMI, www.sampinc.com. In North America, Dominique Perroud, SAMP USA, tel.

301-223-8584, dperroud@sampinc.com.

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All Saspi machines come with a touchscreen control and standard motorized controls to raise and lower feed rails and vibratory feeder. They also offer optional complete touchscreen setup, which includes hydraulic clamping of die block, hydraulic clamping of dies and opening and closing of feed rails for a complete wrench-free setup of the machine, which is what is on this machine as well as an integrated process monitor and an automatic eccentric for matching the dies which is also controlled on the touchscreen. Job numbers can also be stored into the memory and recalled when needed with all setup dimensions. The operator would simply type in the job number from the touchscreen keypad and all rail adjustments are moved by servo motors (height and width) to the original setup. The model also has had the rails cut in order to mount heating elements for aerospace parts.

The entire machine is designed to maximize production time and reduce down time for set-up and change-over as well as allowing an operator freedom to manage multiple jobs. This helps reduce waste and overhead, a necessity today to be competitive in the global market.

Saspi offers a complete line of flat die thread rollers from #0 through #70 high-speed thread rollers as well as a complete line of rotary thread rollers through 12 mm diameter. Saspi also builds a complete line of high-speed shave pointers that can be run independently or mounted onto our thread rollers, as well as fully mounted washer assembly and independent washer assembly units.

T ESTING & M EA SURING Also featuring: • IWCS Preview

Setic/Gauder Group France’s Setic, part of the Gauder Group, describes its heavy-duty, double-twist machine, model TA 1250 RN4M, as a “best buy” for the production of strands/bunches and the assembly of insulated conductors.

The strander/ cabler can process lowvoltage copper and aluminum cable, with superior product quality, thanks to the large (500 mm) pulleys and the tension control of the independent reel drive system that can operate dependably at high speeds. The system is designed to strand at speeds up to 2100 twists/min. at a maximum linear speed of up to 300 m/min.

Finished products cross sections range from: 7 stranded wires up to 50 sq mm (copper)/54 sq mm (aluminum alloy)/70 sq mm (aluminum); 19 compacted/compressed wires up to 54/70 sq mm (copper) and up to 70 sq mm (aluminum); and up to 4 x 25 sq mm for laying-up.

Weighing 15+ tons, the machine, which is equipped with large motors and solidly constructed, does not need a foundation. A high-capacity motorized capstan with 1300 daN pulling force enables large cable production.

A hydraulic platform enables loading the reel from 1000 to 1250 mm, with a max. full bobbin weight of 4000 daN. Contact: Christian Pavailler, Setic/Gauder Group, tel.

33-4-77-23-25-55, sales.setic@gaudergroup.com, www.gaudergroup.com.

Staku GmbH/Wire Machine Systems Germany’s Staku Anlagenbau GmbH, represented in the U.S. by Wire Machine Systems, has developed StakuEphos-technology, a continuous electrolytic zinc-calcium phosphating process used for coating of cold heading and steel wire material.

A press release said that the inline production enables the user to perform the de-scaling and phosphating process in one pass. Optimum cold-forming and drawing results are obtained by the 100% coverage of wire surface and the fine crystalline structure of the electrolytically deposited zinc-phos layer (coating weights between 6 and 10g/m²), it said.

In general, all wire diameters from 3 to 20 mm can be operated with drawing speeds of about 60 m/min, it said, adding that cleaning and coating with the Ephos technology is used on de-scaled and annealed wire rod, pre-drawn, annealed and patented steel wire. De-scaling of the wire rod can be done by in-line shot blasting or a combination of mechanical bend de-scaling and electrolytic pickling system, it said.

Contact: Staku Anlagenbau GmbH, tel. 49-6404-20-31, info@staku-gmbh.de. In North America, Wire Machine Systems, tel. 260-483-9269, sales@wire-machine.com.

WIRE JOURNAL

®

INTERNATIONAL

WJI. PRECISELY THE PLACE TO TALK ABOUT TOLERANCE. Have you ever been in a TIGHT SQUEEZE? Then relieved to find the right solution? Tight tolerances are a matter of course in today’s wire manufacturing environment forcing producers to accurately measure up to remain competitive.

If you have a product to precisely measure length, height, width, gaps, thickness, or position; or if you have equipment to help manufacturers pass today’s production rigors, there’s room for your product message in the October issue of WJI where like-minded colleagues look for time-tested solutions.

Contact WJI’s sales team today.

Contact WJI’s Sales Team: Tel.: 001-203-453-2777 Bob Xeller E-mail: bxeller@wirenet.org Anna Bzowski E-mail: abzowski@wirenet.org

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Contact: Ray Sullivan or Cindy Maga, Cinco Industries, tel. 847-741-4400, rsullivan@cinco-ind, cmaga@cinco-ind.com.

PRODUCTS & MEDIA

Teurema/Eurolls Group Spain’s Teurema, part of the Eurolls Group, has developed a rolling line for producing smooth and/or ribbed wire that is extremely compact and very operator-friendly in terms of safety.

The basic version (pictured) is provided with a vertical or horizontal spooler for production on spools or coils. It can also be used for the in-line supply to a wire mesh line.

The function is as follows: the wire rod, from a coil is positioned on tilting fingers and will run through the vertical payoff, through the mechanical descaler and the lubrication unit. The wire then goes through the Eurolls cassette until it reaches the capstan which provides the necessary pulling force for cold rolling deformation. The wire is then collected by the spooler which is position after the bullblock. The unit can handle a coil of 3000 kg and inlet sizes ranging from 5.5 mm to 16 mm. The corresponding outlet sizes range from 4 mm to 14 mm.

Contact: Tony DeRosa, Cortinovis Machinery America, Inc., cortinovis@cortinovisamerica.com, www.cortinovisamerica.com.

Troester GmbH & Co. KG Germany’s Troester GmbH & Co. KG notes that this may well be a good time for manufacturers to upgrade their CCV lines, which can result in significant gains for extrusion lines.

Worldwide, there are still CCV lines in operation using 1 + 2 extruder setup for 3-layer extrusion. This technology has been replaced for several years by the use of triple cross heads that allow the extrusion of all three layers in one process simultaneously.

Troester’s Triple Cross Heads TQU with conical design and precise temperature control meet today’s high requirements on quality and reliability and can be integrated easily into existing lines.

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Contact: Dirk Schmidt, Troester GmbH & Co. KG., tel. 49-511-8704-105, dirk.schmidt@troester.de, www.troester.de

Ultimation U.K.-based Ultimation notes that it continually adds to its range of wire forming and welding machines, based on customer feedback and demand for innovative and labor saving equipment that is suitable for large and small production runs.

One particular model it developed for this purpose is the Ultimat UCW Cross/ Brace wire welding machine, which was designed to automate the process of welding brace wires into wire frames, as used in appliance and store fixture shelving and also A/C air filter frames. This user-friendly and flexible machine achieves great cost and labor savings by enabling the operator to make fast and efficient changeovers from one product combination to another.

Pre-formed and welded frames are placed into the magazine while the support/brace wire is fed directly from coil. It is then automatically T or spot welded into the butt-welded frame.

The UCW can be combined with the company’s UMW series of CNC wire forming and welding machines (as pictured) to create a fully integrated forming and welding cell, with rectangular butt-welded frames being produced directly from coil, on the UMW and then transferred into the UCW where upon the support/brace wire is welded into position. Various models are available to suit a wire range from 3.0-10.0mm (.120 in. to .395 in.).

Contact: Martin Smith, Ultimation, tel 44-1403754136, sales@ultimat.com, www.ultimat.com.

Videx Machine Engineering Ltd./ Barbarotto International Machinery Israel’s Videx Machine Engineering, represented in North America by Barbarotto Machinery, reports that it has developed something new in forging: solid die machines for cold/warm/hot forging operations, with up to 400 tons of forging force.

The new machines are affordable, and can be fully automated or automated as much or as little as the manufacturer requires. Feed can be by hand or magazine or fully automatic from bar or coil. Models are offered for solid blank lengths up to 40 in. long, longer upon request. The series fills a gap in the solid die market, as there were very few solid die machines with this capacity previously available. Videx continues to build its open die series,

1 mm to +/- 2 mm depending on the feed speed. The final element is an automated cutting bench with a piece counter for bar bundles. There are various other options that can be supplied with the machinery.

Contact: Tony DeRosa, Cortinovis Machinery America, Inc., cortinovis@cortinovisamerica.com, www.cortinovisamerica.com.

Weber & Scher Mfg. Co., Inc. Weber & Scher Mfg. Co., Inc., which supplies metal tape handling and application systems, recently introduced its latest generation longitudinal metal tape seam welding and corrugating line for producing power cables having a longitudinally seam welded and corrugated metal tape sheath construction.

The system utilizes the TIG (GTAW) welding process for welding the two tape edges after being formed longitudinally around the cable core.

Contact: Videx Machine Engineering Ltd., www.videx.co.il. In N. America, Fred or Ben Barbarotto, at Barbarotto International Machinery, tel. 888-9888733, bisc@optonline.net.

Vitari/Eurolls Group Italy’s Vitari SpA, part of the Eurolls Group, which has been designing and manufacturing machinery for the wire industry since 1925, has developed a straight-and-cut machine (pictured) that offers manufacturers a great degree of flexibility.

The series of machines have a modular design and are composed of three sections. The first is the wire feeding and straightening element. Here, the dies are assembled in a rotating body (referred to as a spinner) that includes variable speed electronic feed and a variable speed spinner. The second is the cutting stage. These cutting devices are controlled with a hydraulic clutch and brake unit, and it can be equipped with either a flying or fixed shear.

The flying shear allows constant production output because the wire does not stop during the cutting operation, and it also reduces wire overheating and torsion on the straightened bar. The fixed shear method allows for easy production of bar lengths below 1 m with a tighter tolerance on the bar length. The tolerance on the bar length can vary from +/-

A critical line component is the welded metal sheath corrugating machine, which imparts helical or annular corrugations into the welded metal sheath in tandem with the longitudinal welding operation. All operating parameters can be accurately set to obtain repeatable corrugating results, which is critical for product standardization.

The corrugating machine, in conjunction with the Weber & Scher cable core payoff, metal tape supply stand, tape edge slitting system, forming and welding station, caterpillar capstan and cable take-up, combine to form a state-of-the-art system for producing high performance power cables.

Contact: Gregory Scher, Weber & Scher Mfg. Co., Inc., tel. 908-236-8484, webscher@webscher.com, www.webscher.com. â–

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suitable for much longer length requirements. One such system was a machine for producing 8-ft-long parts, which was recently delivered to customer. Additional forming stations can be supplied as required, allowing multiple operations in the same machine, such as chamfering, turning, threading, drilling, etc. Typical products produced from these operations can be used in aerospace, military, automotive, construction, and energy (windmills), to name just a few industries.

TECHNICAL PAPERS

TECHNICAL PAPER Software tool for network reliability and availability analysis This paper, which discusses software technology that can simplify network planning, design and optimization processes, presents results for different topologies as well as system protection capabilities.

By Gerardo Castañón, Ana Maria Sarmiento, Raúl Ramírez-Velarde, and Alejandro Aragón-Zavala

Use of software applications for the design, analysis and optimization of different systems enables people to efficiently and timely perform the tasks needed. Communication networks are no exception and software applications to support their design and optimization are of utmost importance to companies and individuals in the telecommunications industry. Through the use of these software tools, different scenarios can be created and analyzed by the network planner, sav-

ing valuable time and effort. The software application presented in this paper has been developed with these requirements in mind. Three of the most important parameters in the design of a communication network are its reliability, availability and fiber length required. This paper presents a software tool, NetExpert, that accounts for those parameters, and more. The algorithms imbedded in the software are among the most efficient that exist in the literature up to this day. This article pres-

Fig. 1. The envisioned network in urban areas. Radio over fiber for vehicular, mobile, broadband wireless computer communications and also network infrastructure can be used for fiber to the building and FTTH services.

74 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Communication networks In today’s communications-focused market, affordable, reliable communication is integral to staying competitive with a fast-paced marketplace. Large companies spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to maintain and grow computer networks, phone systems, call centers, voice mail services and video conferencing. Even small and entrepreneur companies invest in their communication networks. In other applications, there is also an increasing interest in road accident prevention, radar vehicular technology and traffic congestion in intelligent transportation systems, which require secure and reliable network infrastructures. For all these applications it is necessary to perform analyses that lead to the design of networks that have high reliability and availability. Without them, networks will be confined to limited environments, not fulfilling much of the promise they hold. As shown in Fig. 11, fiber network topologies investigated in this paper can be used for wireless services as well as for Fiber-To-The-Home and Fiber-To-TheBuilding services. Due to the vast bandwidth of the fiber, both wireless and wired services in a single fiber access network can co-exist. However, this will require network planning to distribute the bandwidth for both services according to the traffic and demand requirements.

Fig. 2. OADM architecture. Node operations are: passing through (solid line), dropping (dashed line), and adding (dashed-dotted line).

Without proper security and reliability mechanisms, networks will be confined to limited, controlled environments, not fulfilling much of the promise they hold. The limited ability of vehicular/mobile/wireless/computer networks to thwart failures or attacks makes ensuring network availability more important and difficult. Consideration of security, reliability, and availability at the design stage is the best way to ensure successful network deployment.

Computer applications can substantially aid in the design of communication networks by providing a means to try out different scenarios with multiple considerations. Further, future networks will be composed by thousands of interconnected network components and tools, making the quantification of the reliability and availability of communications extremely important. The quality of the results obtained by these tools will clearly depend on the type of optimization the software tool performs. For this reason the algorithms embedded in the tool should be reliable to assure optimal results.

Reliability and availability in networks Reliability is a key parameter in the design of communication networks as it indicates the quality of the network to transport traffic. Thus, reliability is a probability measure and is defined as the probability that there exists one operative path between a given pair of communicating entities. Network reliability is a classical problem and has been studied extensively by many researchers2-12. The software application NetExpert uses the algorithm SYREL11-12 to compute reliability; this algorithm is accurate and has a relatively low computational complexity.

The SYREL11 algorithm incorporates the best features of both path and cutset methods. Algorithms based on path and cutset enumeration with reduction to mutually exclusive events are generally efficient and produce compact expressions. In path (cutset) enumeration methods, the entity reliability (unreliability) expression is obtained by finding the set of possible paths (cutsets) between a pair of entity nodes and

Fig. 3. OADM block diagrams of the availability penalties.

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ents a description of these algorithms for the reliability and availability of networks and present examples of network scenarios in which the tool is used. It also compares different topologies for fiber networks, highlighting the usability of the software tool and its benefits.

Further, this paper summarizes the relevance of fiber networks in today’s competitive communication environments specifying the existing needs for optimization. It then describes the algorithms regarding reliability and availability imbedded in the software tool, NetExpert; and provides an overall view of the software tool itself. It also compares different topologies for fiber networks considering protection schemes, and then presents conclusions.

TECHNICAL PAPERS

Fig. 4. NetExpert: availability, reliability and fiber distance analyzers.

then applying Boolean algebra and probability theory to modify the set of paths (cutsets) to an equivalent set of mutually exclusive paths. The entity reliability (unreliability) expression can then be obtained in a straightforward manner from the disjoint set of paths (cutsets).

The SYREL algorithm starts by representing communication entities as nodes and the communication links between them as edges on a graph. The algorithm assumes that failures of elements are statistically independent and the probability of an element being up (or down) is considered. An expression for entity reliability between a pair of nodes is obtained as

events. Hence the terminal reliability expression can be evaluated in terms of two distinct events. The first event indicates that a path, say Pi, is in the operational state while the second event indicates that all previous paths, which are Pi, ..., Pi1, are in the failure state, conditional to Pi being operational. The

Eq. (1)

where Ei denotes the event in which path Pi is up and m represents the number of paths between those two nodes. This expression for the entity reliability can be computed by decomposing the set of paths in the graph into another set of mutually exclusive paths between two nodes.

Eq. (1) is then decomposed into mutually exclusive events that consider all possible cases of paths being operational or not operational between a pair of nodes, and then written in terms of conditional probabilities of the aforementioned Table 1. Component failure rates.

76 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

TECHNICAL PAPERS Fig. 5. Topologies: a) star; b) ring; c) bus; d) multilevel stars (stars); e) multilevel rings (rings); f) multilevel buses (buses); g) multilevel star-rings; h) multilevel ring-stars; and i) multilevel ring-buses.

SYREL algorithm efficiently computes the probabilities for these two events.

The availability of service is also an important issue in today’s networks. In the case of a link or node’s component failure, several communication connections will be affected.

To guarantee a desired level of communication service availability, the network must be analyzed in an integrated manner. The calculation of availability in the software application NetExpert is done through the availability maps1,13,14 that are a function of the connection length and of the number of traversed nodes. They provide results to visualize the combined influence of node and link failures on the connection avail-

ability in a network. The connection availability is calculated by the following equation1,13:

Eq. (2) where APlink-km is the link availability penalty per kilometer, D is the connection distance in kilometers, H is the number of hops traversed by the connection, APadd, APdrop, APpass-through and APreg are the availability penalties due to

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TECHNICAL PAPERS Fig. 6. Reliability against probability link is connected for multilevel-rings and multilevel ring-stars topologies considering 441 nodes. (a) is for the case of no protection and (b) is for the case of 1+1 protection.

Fig. 7. Fiber length in kilometers against number of nodes for networks without protection.

adding, dropping, passing through, and regeneration node operations, respectively. Preg is the fraction of nodes in which the connection is regenerated. The functions ceil(x) and floor(x) are the ceiling and floor functions, respectively.

In general, the availability penalty imposed by a system can be derived from its failure rate (FR) in FIT (1 FIT = failure rate of 1 failure in 109 hrs) by the following equation:

mization processes and save valuable time preparing network configurations.

With the introduction of new network technologies such as Metro Ethernet, IP, VoIP, and Optical Mesh, as well as new triple-play services, communications service providers (CSPs) must invest heavily in network and service infrastructure. Designed to help manage the uncertainties and risks associated with these investments, NetExpert is a modern network resource planning system. With NetExpert, CSPs have a single, cross-domain network resource planning system across all network layers. NetExpert provides specific and quantitative answers to the decision-making processes associated with network planning and resource management. It captures network information across all layers and stores this information in a single repository. NetExpert provides a platform to act as the common network resource planning application. In short, NetExpert modernizes a CSP’s network infrastructure to accommodate new services and reach out to new customers. At the same time, NetExpert cuts capital and operational expenditures for CSPs competing in the next network generation environment.

Fig. 4 presents a screen view of one of NetExpert’s interfaces for the availability, reliability and fiber distance analyzers. For each one of these analyzers, a window pops up presenting all the parameters the planner can input into the tool to test different scenarios, for example the availability analyzer contains four submenus to input information about failure rate, analysis options, link options and node/link information.

Similar capabilities are found in the different analyzers in NetExpert. To learn about all the functionalities of NetExpert visit www.whitepaths.com.

AP = 10−9 * FR *MTTR

Eq. (3)

where MTTR is the mean time to repair (in hours). This paper assumes a link failure rate of 310 FIT/km13. It considers optical Erbium-doped fiber amplifiers (EDFAs), not Ramanpumped amplifiers. The link MTTR was assumed to be 12 hrs and the node components MTTR is assumed to be 6 hrs13.

These values may vary from operator to operator; nevertheless, this assumption does not have a strong impact on the quantitative availability results.

The architecture of a node is shown in Fig. 2. It is based on passive components splitters/couplers, filters, wavelength blockers, and optical amplifiers to compensate for loss when it is required. Node operations are also shown in Fig. 2. The signal can pass through the node, can be dropped and a new signal can be added. The block diagram used for calculating the availability penalty of each node operation is shown in Fig. 3, which also shows the components involved in case the signal needs to be regenerated.

Table 1 contains some common component failure rates used in the design of optical networks13. The needed values are substituted in Eq. 2 to calculate node operations according to Fig. 4 and the penalties calculated are substituted into Eq. 1 to compute the connection availability.

Network examples and analysis NetExpert Network Planner NetExpert Network Planner is an easy-to-use software tool designed to simplify the network planning, design and opti-

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Fig. 5 shows topologies with 25 nodes where Fig. 5a is a star, Fig. 5b is a ring, Fig. 5c is a bus, Fig. 5d shows multilevel stars, Fig. 5e shows multilevel rings, Fig. 5f shows multilevel

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buses, Fig. 5g shows multilevel star-rings, Fig. 5h shows multilevel ring-stars and Fig. 5i shows multilevel ring-buses topology. The separation between nodes used in this paper is 120 meters considering that the typical average length of a street block in large cities is 100 meters. It is assumed that each base station is at the corner of every street intersection in a rectangular grid of streets. The reliability and availability calculations consider the reference distance of 120 meters between base stations. Now, the number of wavelengths in a fiber link depends on the number of nodes that a given link is interconnecting to the central station. This paper limits the reliability and availability analysis to the case of considering the probability that the central node communicates with the other nodes of the network.

The results presented consider the probability that the central node communicates with the other nodes of the network.

Considering Fig. 5, the central node is located at node number 12. Reliability is computed in this way because it is assumed that the central station is communicating with all the nodes and all nodes with each through the central node. One important feature about the analysis presented in this paper is that it considers the probability of link failure as link length dependent.

For example, if the probability a link of length 120 meters does not fail is Ď , then the probability that a link of length 900 meters does not fail is Ď (900/120). This makes the reliability analysis of the topologies length dependent, link failure parameter dependent, and number of paths (source-destination) dependent, which emulates what happens in reality in an effective manner.

Fig. 6 shows results of the network reliability for cases with 441 nodes. Fig. 6 (a) is for the case of no protection scheme and (b) shows results for the case when 1+1 protection is used in the topologies. A 1+1 protection scheme is assumed because it increases network reliability. For the 1+1 protection case it is also assumed that redundant disjoint fiber links are installed.

The link disjoint path protection is the one where the working

Fig. 8. Availability of star, multilevel stars, multilevel rings, multilevel buses, multilevel star-rings, multilevel ring-stars, and multilevel ring-buses, topologies for networks with 441 nodes without protection.

link and the protection link are physically separated from each other. The physical separation of the working path and protection path may be implemented by installing them in separate ducts, if the fiber is installed underground or installing the fiber in separate electric poles if the fiber is installed over ground.

The impact of considering this in the reliability and availability analysis is that the link failure of the working path is an independent variable with respect to the link failure variable of the protection path.

The results in Fig. 6 assumed link failure only. The probability a link of length L (meters) is working, i.e. the probability a link of length L remains without failure Ď , has a range from 0.99 to 0.9999. It is important to note that L here denotes the basic length unit. This paper considers the separation L between BSs to be equal to 120 m, assuming that 100 m is the average length of a typical block in a city as shown in Fig. 1. It

Fig. 9. Availability against number of hops for a) multilevel-rings and b) multilevel ring-stars topologies for networks with and without protection with 121 nodes, 441 nodes, and 1089 nodes.

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is important to note that the multilevel-rings topology referred to in Fig. 6 as rings provide the best reliability performance for networks with 441 nodes without protection and also when 1+1 protection is used.

Fig. 7 shows fiber length of topologies similar to the topologies shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 shows results for networks without protection with 25, 49, 121, 441 and 1089 nodes. If 1+1 protection is considered, the amount of fiber length will double. It is important to note that results in Fig. 7 show the total amount of fiber length in the network and not the maximum distance from the central node to the farthest node. The networks were designed using the same logic of interconnection of the nodes as in Fig. 5. Note that the topology with the lowest link length values is the ring topology.

Results of average network availability are shown in Fig. 8 for networks without protection and with 441 nodes. For the case of the multilevel-rings, the authors used 10 nodes per internal ring and 10 nodes per outer ring and for the case of the multilevel ring-stars, it was 10 nodes per internal ring and 10 nodes per outer star. Also, for the case of multilevel ringbuses, the choice was 10 nodes per internal ring and 5 nodes per outer bus. The internal rings are the ones that interconnect the central node with one node of the outer rings/stars/buses.

Note that in Fig. 8 the star topology yields the highest availability performance at the expense of requiring a large fiber length.

In order to provide more insight into the network availability performance, this paper presents results of network availability versus number of hops in Fig. 9. Results are for the multilevel rings and for the multilevel ring-stars topologies with 121, 441 and 1089 nodes for the unprotected and protected schemes. Fig. 9 presents results of availability against number of hops. For the multilevel-rings topologies, the authors used 10 nodes per internal ring and 10 nodes per outer ring and for the multilevel ring-stars topologies, it was 10 nodes per internal ring and 10 nodes per outer star. The internal rings are the ones that interconnect the central node with one node of the outer rings/stars.

Note that in a square node location multilevel-rings network with 121 nodes, the maximum number of hops is nine. If the network contains 441 or 1089 nodes the maximum number of hops is 10. Observe also that for the multilevel ring-stars topology the maximum number of hops is six, independently of the number of nodes in the network.

The multilevel ring-stars topology has the advantage of requiring a lower number of hops to reach the nodes compared to the multilevel-rings topology. Also, the multilevel ring-stars topology has the advantage that it is relatively easy to “grow” when a new node is required in a certain location. Availability results are an average of the availability of nodes that have the same number of hops to and from the central node. The authors quantified the availability parameter from the central node to all the other nodes and then computed the availability average among all the nodes that have the same number of hops from the central node.

Note that the availability for the unprotected case becomes worse with the number of hops and the availability is lower

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than the ‘five nines’ standard for both topologies. If the network is protected with the 1+1 scheme, the availability improves considerably and results are greater (i.e., better) than the ‘five nines’ (0.99999) standard of network availability for both topologies.

Conclusions This paper presents an easy-to-use software tool, called NetExpert, designed to simplify the network planning, design and optimization processes, and to save valuable time preparing network configurations that provide a desired level of network reliability, availability, and fiber length. The reliability and availability model used in the software tool is presented, including a comparative analysis of network topologies for fiber networks. The results compare different topologies, such as multilevel rings and multilevel ring-stars, in terms of availability, reliability and fiber length requirements of networks.

Protection is also considered and results on the protected versions of the aforementioned topologies are also presented.

Considering the three parameters in the comparison, it turns out that the multilevel rings and multilevel ring-stars achieve the best overall results. However, multilevel ring-stars topology is interesting from the point of view that it is relatively easy to “grow” when a new node is required in a certain location.

The network availability results presented show that in order to fulfill the ‘five nines’ availability standard, the networks must have a protection scheme. The 1+1 link disjoint protection scheme analyzed in this paper yields availability results superior to the ‘five nines’ standard. Other protection schemes may be analyzed using the methodology presented in this paper in order to compare availability and cost reduction of a specific protection scheme. For all these analyses, NetExpert provides an excellent tool for the design of different network configurations, making the comparison of different topologies accessible and more efficient.

References 1. G. Castañón, G. Campuzano and O. Tonguz, “High reliability and availability in radio over fiber networks,” OSA Journal of Optical Networking, June 2008, pp. 603-616.

2. C.J. Colbourn, The Combinatorics of Network Reliability.

Oxford University Press, New York, 1987.

3. A.M. Shooman, “Algorithms for Network Reliability and Connection Availability Analysis,” IEEE, April 1995, pp. 309333.

4. Y.F. Lam and V. Li, “An improved algorithm for performance analysis of networks with unreliable components,” IEEE Transactions on Communications, May 1986, pp. 496-497.

5. A.M. Shooman, Exact Graph-Reduction Algorithms for Network Reliability Analysis, PhD thesis, Polytechnic University, Brooklyn, New York, June 1992.

6. A.M. Shooman and A. Kershenbaum, “Exact graphreduction algorithms for network reliability analysis,” IEEE GLOBECOM ‘91 Proceedings, pp. 1412-1420.

7. K.P. Hui, “Network Reliability Estimation,” PhD Thesis, The University of Adelaide Faculty of Engineering, Computer and Mathematical Sciences, 2005.

“Reliability analysis in distributed systems,” IEEE Trans.

Comput. 1988, 37, pp. 352-358.

13. D.A. Mello, D. A. Schupke and H. Waldman, “A matrixbased analytical approach to connection unavailability estimation in shared backup path protection,” IEEE Photonics Technology Letters, Sept. 2005, pp. 844-846.

14. D.A. Mello, D.A. Schupket M. Scheffelt and H. Waldman, “Availability maps for connections in WDM optical networks,” Proceedings of the 5th International Workshop on Design of Reliable Communication Networks (DRCN), Oct. 2005, Vol. 1, pp. 77-84. ■

Gerardo Castañón has worked in the Center of Electronics and Telecommunications at the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education (ITESM), Mexico, since 2002. From 2000 to 2002, he was a senior researcher with Fujitsu Network Communications, where he researched ultra-high-speed transmissions systems. He holds master’s and Ph.D. degrees in electrical and computer engineering from the State University of New York (SUNY), Buffalo, New York, USA. He also holds an M.Sc. degree in physics (optics) from the Ensenada Center for Research and Higher Education (CICESE), Mexico, and a B.S. degree in Castañón Sarmiento physics engineering from ITESM. Ana Maria Sarmiento has been a professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering at ITESM since 2007. She previously worked at i2 Technologies, Irving, Texas, USA. She holds master’s and Ph.D. degrees in industrial engineering from the SUNY, Buffalo. She also holds a B.S. degree in physics engineering from ITESM. Raúl Ramírez-Velarde has been an associate professor at ITESM since 2003. He joined the university in 1991. He has served as a consultant to several firms such as Cemex, Vitro, MacroPro, Photosoft, Cerveceria Cuahtemoc, Elektra, and several agencies of the Nuevo Leon provincial government. He holds a doctoral degree from ITESM in information technology with a specialization in multimedia disRamírez-Velarde Aragón-Zavala tributed systems. He also holds an M.S. degree with a specialty in computer science and a degree in chemical and industrial engineering from ITESM. Alejandro Aragón-Zavala is head of the mechanical, mechatronics and electronics engineering department at ITESM, Querétaro, Mexico. He joined the university in 2003 as chair of the electronics engineering program. He previously worked for Cellular Design Services Ltd. (now Red-M) from 1998 to 2002, where he was a senior in-building consultant for its Radio Technology Group, a design tools development engineer, and a research fellow. He holds a Ph.D. degree in mobile communication systems, with a major in indoor radio propagation, from the University of Surrey, U.K. He also holds an M.S. degree with distinction in satellite communication engineering from the University of Surrey and a B.S. in electronics and communications engineering from ITESM. This paper was presented at WAI’s International Technical Conference, Monterrey, Mexico, October 2008.

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8. M.L. Shooman and E. Cortes, “Reliability and Availabillity Modeling of Coupled Communication Networks ASimplified Modeling Approach,” 1991 proceedings, Annual Reliability and Maintability Symposium, Vol 1, pp. 129-136.

9. A.M. Johnson and M. Malek, “Survey of Software Tools for Evaluating Reliability, Availability, and Serviceability,” ACM Computing Surveys, Dec. 1988, Vol. 20, No. 4, pp. 227269.

10. S.S. Rai, “CAREL: Computer Aided Reliability Evaluator for Distributed Computing Networks,” IEEE Transactions on Parallel and Distributed Systems, April 1991, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 199-213.

11. S. Hariri and C.S. Raghavendra, “SYREL: a symbolic reliability algorithm based on path and cutset methods,” IEEE Trans. Comput. C-36, 1987, pp. 1224-1232.

12. C.S. Raghavendra, V.K. Prasanna Kumar and S. Hariri,

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TECHNICAL PAPER Optimization of multi-pass steel wiredrawing operation An FEA-based thermo-mechanical model that serves as a ‘Virtual Draw Bench’ was created and used to consider multiple drawing process factors without incurring excessive R&D costs.

By Surya Kumar Singh, B.P. Gautham, Sharad Goyal, and Dinesh Gudadhe

Metallic wires made of steel and other materials are produced by cold drawing of wire rod through a series of conical reducing dies. The cold deformation induced in the wire, besides achieving the desired size, imparts substantial enhancement in mechanical properties that are needed for many products. However, the severity of cold deformation causes enormous pressure on the dies due to the large forces that are part of the manufacturing process, which releases heat because of the nature of the drawing machine, and the degree of productivity and energy consumption. It is necessary to obtain an optimal design of the reducing sequence (pass schedule) to meet the desired objectives

and utilize the available resources in best way.

It is important to use wire rod that is high quality in terms of characteristics such as chemistry, microstructure, surface defects level, ovality, etc.13. The chemistry and microstructure of die material is also important for a wiredrawing process along with appropriate selection of die lubricants (drawing soaps). These factors are important for manufacturers for them to be able to take full advantage of advances in high-speed wiredrawing machines to enhance their productivity.

A schematic of a typical wiredrawing operation and the geometry of a drawing die is shown in Fig. 1. At each stage, the wire is drawn through a die by a drum on which the wire is wound. The primary deformation occurs in the wire at each pass as it is pulled through the die. The

8 pass 7 pass 6 pass Pass No. optimization optimization optimization

Fig. 1. Schematic diagram of the die and wiredrawing process.

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Table 1. Upper Limits on Reduction

TECHNICAL PAPERS Table 2. Weights of individual objective function in the case studies.

process is governed by two key design parameters: the percentage reduction in the cross sectional area and the reduction angle of the die. The pass schedule, which is the sequencing of reduction, and the die angle provide the cumulative effect on the final wire properties and process performance. In addition to these elements, there are other specific machine and surface treatment parameters, such as friction, cooling capacity available at the dies and the pulling drum, that can affect the outcome. These factors can act as constraints on the process. Another parameter that may be a constraint or variable is the wiredrawing speed. The targets for the process designer producing wires are: (a) Reducing the die forces at each pass (b) Enhancing die life (c) Avoiding wire breakages (d) Controlling the wire temperature below limits to avoid aging (e) Obtaining maximum possible uniformity of strain in the finish wire cross section (f) Enhancing the draw speed and (g) Reducing the required draw energy.

Of the above aspects, (d) and (e) govern the mechanical properties while the others affect the productivity and cost of production.

Table 3. Upper limits on objective functions used for select cases.

In the current industrial practice, a designer uses experience, historical data and trial-and-error methods to arrive at a desirable solution that may be close to an optimal solution. In order to obtain an optimal solution systematically, it will be beneficial to have a simulation model, which can mimic the machine under consideration. This can be used

Table 4. The objective function values at optimal solutions.

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Table 5. Design variable set for optimal conditions.

as a “Virtual Machine� to conduct soft experiments and optimize the process. Modelling of deformation through conical dies has been studied for nearly a century by various researchers, who have concentrated on different aspects such as forces on the die, temperature, etc.

Avitzur1,2 has pioneered the modelling of deformation through conical dies and developed analytical models for estimation of draw force. These studies focused on the effect of friction and die angle during drawing for a single pass. Later, finite element analysis (FEA) based models were developed for single-pass drawing3-6 and used for prediction of temperature distribution, strain and stress distribution in the deforming wire and the possibility of central-burst defects. Most of these studies focused on single pass; the analysis of multi-pass wiredrawing is found less frequently in the literature. Jo, et al.7,8 have analyzed the temperature in a multi-pass dry wiredrawing operation for high-carbon steels. Gautham, et al.9 presented a comprehensive model for a multipass wiredrawing operation that considers both deformation and thermal effects during drawing and cooling of wires on the drawing drum. They have developed methods of linking the residual strain to mechanical properties of the wire. The model parameters for a specific industrial wiredrawing machine are estimated by conducting a number of measurements in an operating plant leading to a virtual draw bench.

While the above works deal with analysis of the wiredrawing process, optimization of pass schedule has received limited attention. Celano, et al.10 proposed an innovative approach for optimization of the pass schedule where the objective function is linked to achievement of a satisfactory balance of drawing stresses along the reduction sequence. Semi-empirical formulae are used for linking the process parameters to objectives. Optimization is carried out for the number of passes and the reduction sequence, however, the die angles are kept constant in this study. Optimization is carried out using simulated annealing algorithm. Roy, et al.11 proposed a method for optimizing die angles, reductions and the total number of passes in a multipass wiredrawing process using an adaptive micro genetic algorithm. The objective was on minimizing the energy and variation in plastic strain in the drawn wire. A finite element based model is used for objective evaluation.

A method for optimization of a multipass wiredrawing operation using the finite element-based virtual draw bench developed by the authors9 is described in this paper. The opti-

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mization is carried out for energy, strain uniformity, temperature and wire breakages during wiredrawing. A method is proposed for reducing the number of finite element simulations required for constructing a response surface that is used for optimization. Simulated annealing is used to optimize the response surface. The following sections present details of the model used, the optimization procedure and some key results.

Virtual draw bench As stated above, a finite element-based simulation tool is used for analyzing the wiredrawing operation. The tool models deformation, temperature rise due to friction and plastic deformation, interaction between the wire and die, cooling of the die and loss of heat from the wire between the passes due to the heat taken by the drum. The state of the wire from the previous pass is suitably taken while analyzing a given pass.

The necessary model parameters are obtained by detailed measurements in an operational plant under normal production conditions. These are further validated with different sizes and operating conditions. This makes the tool a virtual drawing machine9 with a comprehensive analysis of various aspects. A schematic of the model is shown in Fig. 2. The limitations of the model include its inability to consider input wire ovality and misalignment as it is assumed to be an axisymmetric body.

Optimization method Optimization objectives in wiredrawing, as in case of any manufacturing processes, include the desired product properties, enhanced productivity and reduced energy consumption. Often, not enough attention is paid to the energy consumption in metal forming operations. In the case of drawing thick high-arbon steel wires, it was estimated that about 30% of the cost of production is spent on electrical energy consumed by the drawing machine. The energy consumption can be reduced by reducing the redundant deformation in the process. Similarly, the drawing speed can be enhanced by lowering the temperature rise and wire breakages can be reduced through use of a more appropriate pass schedule design. The mechanical properties of the product-wire can similarly be obtained by a correct sequencing of passes. These objectives are highly interlinked.

While simulations predict various parameters, these cannot be directly expressed as the direct measures used in the industry. For example, the average number of wire breakages due to central burst per ton of wire drawn cannot be predicted by the deterministic models used, as this is statistical in nature. However, a factor representing the hydrostatic pressure at the center of a wire gives an indication of this possibility and the aim should be to reduce the same.

Considering these aspects, the following are set as the objectives in the current study. The practical aspects that can be addressed are also given with each objective: Total energy consumption in drawing process (E). The total energy is a sum of energies required at each pass.

Energy consumption at a given stage reduces as result of the reduction of draw forces at that pass. A suitable combination will result in total energy reduction. The reduced forces further result in the possibilities of: (a) improved die life by reducing the forces on the die; and (b) improved productivity by allowing for an increase in draw speed.

Factor of non-uniformity in the strain of final wire i.e. at last exit pass (SNUF). This factor is a measure of homogeneity of strain in the wire product. The homogeneity reduces with an increase in SNUF, and hence it should be kept as low as possible. Improved final product properties such as ductility, torsion and UTS are governed by this factor.

Maximum temperature of the wire before the drum (Tdrum). If the wire surface temperature remains more than a desired value for a long time, it can result in thermal aging that can deteriorate the mechanical properties of the wire. At the same time, the goal is to improve productivity by increasing the draw speed, which makes it important to accomplish this without creating an excessively high wire surface temperature.

Triaxiality Factor (CB). This influences the central burst in the wire. A negative value is the most desirable, but may not be possible. This leads to reduced wire breakages and hence improves productivity by reducing the downtime.

The overall objective, F, is taken as a weighted sum of normalized values of the individual objectives as shown as follows: F=W1E′+W2SNUF′+W3T′drum+W4CB′ where, the prime indicates the normalized value and Wis are the weights. The normalization strategy adopted is based on the minimum and maximum values of individual entities from the table of experiments for the construction of the response surface as discussed further. For example the energy is normalized as:

where, Emin and Emax are the minimum and maximum values found in the experiments. Besides the objective function for minimization, upper limits for each of these entities are also enforced as given below.

Fig. 2. Description of the simulator model.

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Objectives

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The design variables are the die angles αi for all passes, say N, and percentage reduction ri at each pass i for the first N-1. Upper and lower limits are enforced on the die angles α at each pass. Similarly, upper and lower limits on the ri enforce the first passes. As the total reduction is fixed, the reduction of the ri last pass is determined from the reductions of the first N-1 passes. Upper and lower limits for rN are enforced to determine the feasibility of the solution. If rN is outside the limits for the last pass, the design variable set is not considered feasible. Besides these, the below set of constraints are enforced on die angles and percentage reductions:

The above condition has come out of past experience of the designer. Any candidate design variable set that violates the above constraint is not considered feasible.

Construction of response surface The dependence of individual objective functions on the design variables is obtained by fitting a response surface from the data obtained by a set of FE simulations designed for that purpose. To construct the response surface, the percentage reduction and die angles at all the passes are taken as variables making the total number of design variables 2N. In order to reduce the number of experiments, Taguchi tables14 were used. As construction of a table with all the 2N variables still leads to a large number of FE simulations and the primary interactions occur only for successive passes, a set of partial tables for a pair of passes with all other passes kept at some intermediate level are considered. This makes four variables for each partial table with N-1 partial tables. As the dependence of objectives on the design variables are nonlinear, three levels are considered for each experiment. Besides this, suitable transformations of design variables (e.g., cosine of the half-die angle) is carried out to reduce the degree of non-linearity in the final relation. With these assumptions, the total number of simulations is reduced to 9* (N-1), which leads to a manageable number of simulations in an industrial scenario.

After conducting all the simulations as mentioned above, a response surface for each of the individual objectives is constructed as a quadratic functional with cross interactions of design variables at individual passes.

Optimization problem Finally the optimization problem is defined as follows.

Give an initial wire rod diameter, final wire diameter, number of passes, limits on die angles and percentage reduction and weights for individual objectives, along with all other fixed parameters (friction, speed, cooling conditions, etc.) the optimizer has to find the set of die angles and percentage reductions which minimize the objective subject to 86 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

constraints in the feasible region.

The response surface obtained is multi-modal, shallow and highly irregular. In view of this, simulated annealing technique is used for obtaining the near optimal solution. It would be possible to obtain minima, which will be close to the global minimum and will suffice for an industrial scenario.

Results and discussion The proposed model is used to optimize drawing of a steel wire from 12 mm to 5 mm under various scenarios. A detailed discussion of the process parameters used in the simulation is discussed by Gautham et al9. Optimization studies are carried out for eight, seven and six passes separately, with constraints on die angles and reduction. Table 1 shows the upper limits on the percentage reduction used for optimization. The upper and lower limits on the die angle are specified as 8° and 14°. For each case of number of passes, optimization is carried out with different weights indicating various scenarios. Table 2 shows weights used for various cases studied. Table 3 shows the upper limits on the individual objective functions for select cases where they are imposed. Of the cases discussed, the first 7 are for the eight pass, cases 8 to 14 are for the seven pass and cases 15 to 22 are for the six-pass wiredrawing schedules.

Optimal solutions are obtained for all the cases stated above. In order to verify the accuracy of the response surface, detailed FE simulations are carried out at the optimal design set obtained for each of the cases and the objective function values are compared with those obtained using the response surface. Fig. 3 shows the comparison of predictions using simulation tool and response surface. It can be observed that the predictions for energy and maximum temperature before drum are in good agreement with accuracy of less than 1% while the strain non-uniformity factor (SNUF) and triaxiality factor (CB) have considerable scatter with an error up to 10%. However, the predictions for SNUF and CB represent the sensitivity to the design variables well and can be used for optimisation.

Table 4 shows the values of individual objective functions for the cases studied. It can be noted that with the decreasing number of passes, Tdrum increases at the optimal solution (119.4, 128.5 and 151.2oC respectively for eight, seven and six passes). This is in line with the experience of the plant. However, this optimization made it possible to find a schedule with a lower number of passes where the limit is 155oC. It is to be noted that no feasible solution could be obtained for case 21. It can be seen from Table 3 that for case 21, the upper limit on Tdrum is 135oC, whereas for case 22 it is 155oC with all other parameters the same. For a case with fewer passes, six in this case, it is not possible to obtain a lower temperature as the higher reduction per pass required with fewer passes leads to a higher temperature.

The amount of energy required (e.g. cases 1, 8 and 15) is reduces with fewer passes as expected due to the reduction in frictional and redundant deformation with fewer passes and higher die angles. However, for SNUF, a similar trend

Conclusion This paper demonstrates an efficient way of utilizing detailed simulation tools in an optimization framework for an industrial manufacturing process such as wiredrawing.

Experiments based on DOE techniques are conducted using a validated FE simulator to obtain the response surface, which can be used further by an optimizer. With the proposed model, the number of detailed simulations to be conducted is decreased, which reduces the computational cost.

It is shown that different objectives can be analyzed using the detailed information available from the simulation tools.

The optimal die sets obtained also reinforce the traditional wisdom of a pass schedule designer of the wiredrawing process while providing a tool that can scientifically optimize the process with multiple objectives and constraints.

Fig. 3. Comparison of FE simulation and response surface predictions at optimal solutions.

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was not observed in cases 2, 9 and 16. This may be due to the error in the SNUF estimation or the effect of inherent nonlinear coupling. This needs further investigation. It can also be observed that with non-zero weights for more than one objective leads to solutions in between those optimized for individual objectives (weight 1).

The predictions of the optimizer can be further validated by the design variable set obtained for different conditions.

Table 5 provides the design variable set for select cases. It can be observed from cases 1 and 2 that the die angles and reductions are significantly different when optimized for energy and mechanical properties (SNUF). When optimized for energy, the die angles are significantly higher, with higher reductions in initial passes. This leads to shorter contact length and thus lower energy. On the contrary, more uniform deformation is obtained by lower die angles and a smooth reduction sequence. This can be observed in the optimal set obtained for case 2.

TECHNICAL PAPERS

References 1. B. Avitzur, “Analysis of wire drawing and extrusion through dies of small cone angle,” J. of Eng. for Ind., Trans. ASME, Series B, 1963, Vol. 85, pp. 89-96.

2. B. Avitzur and W. Evans, “Metal Flow Through Converging Dies,” Wire Journal International, February 1969, pp. 60-66.

3. P.M. Dixit, U.S. Dixit, “An analysis of the steady-state wire drawing of strain-hardening materials,” J. Mater Process Tech, 1995, 47, 3-4, 201-229.

4. D.C. Ko and B.M. Kim, “The prediction of central burst defects in extrusion and wire drawing,” J. of Mat. Proc. Tech, 2000, v. 102, pp.19-24.

5. A. El-domiaty and S.Z. Kassab, “Temperature rise in wire drawing,” J. of Mat. Proc. Tech, 1998, Vol. 83, pp.7283.

6. P. Phelan, J. Brandon and M. Hillery, “Central burst defect analysis of the wire-drawing process using an accumulated damage parameter,” Proc. Inst Mech Engrs, 2001, Part C, Vol. 215, pp. 1313-1319.

7. H.H. Jo, S.K. Lee, M.A. Kim and B.M. Kim, “Pass schedule design system in the dry wire-drawing process of high carbon steel,” Proc. Inst. Mech. Engrs., Part B, Journal of Engineering Mechanics, 2002, Vol. 216, pp.

365-373

8. H.H. Jo, S.K. Lee, M.A. Kim and B.M. Kim, “Pass schedule design system in the dry wire-drawing process of high carbon steel,” Journal of Engineering Manufacture, Proc. Instn. Mech. Engrs., 2002, 216 part B, pp. 365-373.

9. B.P. Gautham, S. Goyal, A. Joshi, D. Gudadhe and S.K. Singh, “Optimization of wire drawing operation,” project report submitted to Tata Steel (Wire Division), Mumbai, 2005.

10. G. Celano, S. Fichera, L. Fratini and F. Micari, “The application of AI techniques in the optimal design of multipass cold drawing processes,” Journal of Materials Processing Technology, 2001, 113, pp. 680-685.

11. S. Roy, S. Ghosh and R Shivpuri, “Optimal design of process variables in multi-pass wire drawing gy genetic algorithms,” Journal of Manufacturing Science and Engineering, Transactions of ASME, 1996, 118, pp. 244251.

12. P.J. Ross, Taguchi Techniques for Quality Engineering, 1988, McGraw Hill Company, Singapore.

13. S.K. Singh, “Effect of high quality wire rod and micro-alloying on properties of steel wire in PCCP,” Wire Journal International, April 2007, pp.126-127. ■

Surya Kumar Singh is director (technology and business development), Caparo Steel Products, Oldbury, U.K. He joined the company in 2007. He previously was head of wire technology at Tata Steel Wire Division, Mumbai, India. He holds a Ph.D. degree from the materials department of the Imperial College of Science, Technology, and Medicine, London, U.K. He has an M.Tech. degree in corrosion and surface coatings from the Regional Institute of Technology, Jamshedpur, India. B.P. Gautham leads the deformation processing activities at Tata Research Development and Design Centre, a division of Tata Consultancy Services Ltd., Pune, India. His interests include deformation analysis in metal forming and solidification. He obtained his Ph.D. degree in applied mechanics from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) – Chennai.

Sharad Goyal has been a scientist at Tata Research Development and Design Centre since 1998. He researches deformation processing and finite element analysis. He obtained his M.S. degree from IIT, Kanpur. Dinesh Gudadhe is senior manager in the wire technology group at the Wire Division of Tata Steel in Mumbai. He has also worked in continuous casting of steel in Tata’s mini steel plant, Tarapur. He joined Tata in 1992. He previously worked for Baja Auto Ltd. in the areas of heat treatment and welding. He graduated with a degree in metallurgy from IIM – Kolkata. This paper was presented at WAI’s 78th Annual Convention, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, June 2008.

88 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Singh

Gautham

Goyal

Gudadhe

Adhesion of tire bead wire to rubber: some findings Surface roughness and adhesion of motor tire bead wires increases with plating bath concentration, leading to a non-uniform surface and better bonding.

By H. Pathak, R. Mishra, S. Mahajan, V. Sridhar, N. Bandyopadhyay and S. Sunder

Steel cord has been used extensively by manufacturers for decades as a reinforcement material in tires. Steel wires that are plated with copper provide superior bonding with rubber, so copper-plated steel wires are used exclusively as reinforcing material.

Pure copper is not plated on the wires as, depending on the end usages in the tire reinforcement plating, it is added in the form of either brass or bronze1,2. The tire bead wires, about 1 mm, are made from high-carbon steel that is immersion-plated in an aqueous bath of CuSO4, H2SO4 and SnSO4 to obtain a very thin coating on the wires. These plated wires are further coated with an organic compound to prevent oxidation.

The tire bead acts as a reinforcement to provide a proper grip of the tire on the rim. The copper in the plating reacts with the sulfur on the rubber, forming copper sulfide (CuxS) at the steel-rubber interface. This CuxS layer, which provides the

adhesion with the rubber3, helps the mechanical interlocking of the rubber compound and creates a very strong bond. The rubber penetrates into the dendritically structured CuxS layer initially when it is in the liquid state and is crosslinked later by the delayed-action accelerator. The result is a very firm interlocked rubber network that adheres tightly to the copper sulfide layer on the steel cord. For better tire performance, an optimum formation of the copper sulfide layer is necessary to increase the strength of this bonding1–3.

In this study, motor tire bead wire (0.965 mm) was immersion-plated in an aqueous solution of CuSO4, H2SO4 and SnSO4. These laboratory-produced samples were measured for their surface roughness and adhesion to rubber. The coating morphology was studied with a scanning electron microscope (SEM).

Fig. 1. Variation of average surface roughness with bath concentration.

Fig. 2. Variation of average adhesion values and coating weight with the bath concentration.

SEPTEMBER 2009 | 89

TECHNICAL PAPERS

TECHNICAL PAPER

TECHNICAL PAPERS

Experimental

Results and discussion

In the laboratory plating experiments, uncoated steel wires were dipped into the aqueous solution of CuSO4, H2SO4 and SnSO4 for around 1.5 seconds. The goal was to establish the effect of the plating bath concentration on the surface roughness and adhesion to rubber. Oxidation of the coated surface was prevented by a post-plating application of an organic coating (cumuor). Roughness measurements were performed at two stages: immediately after the immersion coating and again after applying the cumuor coating. These laboratoryplated wires were also checked for their adhesion to rubber. A Scanning Electron Micrograph (SEM) shows the surface morphology of the plated surface in Fig. 3.

Plated samples were measured for their surface roughness.

The consistent values of surface roughness were averaged and plotted against the bath concentration. Fig. 1 shows the variation of average surface roughness with bath concentration.

These plated wires were also tested for their adhesion to rubber. The average adhesion values and coating weight with the bath concentration are shown in Fig. 2. The surface roughness and adhesion were found to increase linearly with bath concentration. Similar findings have been reported in the literature4. Adhesion improvement was observed with a decrease in the coating weight, which also corresponds to previous findings5. However, surface roughness values decreased after applying cumuor on the plated wires.

Fig. 3. Scanning electron micrographs of plated surfaces with increasing bath concentration.

90 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Acknowledgment The authors would like to acknowledge the management of Tata Steel for permitting publication of this work.

References

The surface roughness and adhesion of motor tire bead wires increases with an increase in the plating bath concentration.

The increased bath concentration alters the plating reaction kinetics, which leads to a non-uniform surface. This non-uniform surface is responsible for a rougher surface and better adhesion.

1. Steel Tire Cord Technology, edited by R.M. Shemenski, Wire Association International, Inc., 1999.

2. D. Mauer, Conf. on Polymer Bonding 2004, Munich, Paper 1.

3. K.Y. Jin, K.M. An and S.B. Young, “Promotion of adhesion between bronze plated bead wire and rubber compound by coating the bronze surface with benzoic acid,” Wire Journal International, November 2003, p. 67.

4. P. Gupta, G. Tenhundfeld and E.O. Daigle, “Surface modification of brass coated steel cord by electro plasma technology,” Wire Journal International, February 2005, p. 50.

5. P.L. Cho, G.S. Jeon, S.K. Ryu and G. Seo, J. Adhesion, 1999, Vol. 70, p. 241. ■

H. Pathak works for the Tata Steel Wire Division in Tarapur, Maharashtra, India. Pathak is managing director of Tata BlueScope Steel Ltd. in India. He has worked with Tata Steel in various positions, including chief marketing sales (long products) and executive incharge (wire division). While at the Wire Division, he was chairman of Steel Wire Manufacturers Association of India. He is a life member of Indian Institute of Metals and has organized several seminars and work-

shops. He holds a degree in metallurigical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay and has published several technical papers. R. Mishra and N. Bandyopadhyay work in Research and Development for Tata Steel’s office in Jamshedpur, India. S. Mahajan, V. Sridhar and S. Sunder also work for the Tata Steel Wire Division in Tarapur, Maharashtra. This paper was presented at a technical conference, Wires in Automotive Applications, held in 2008 in Pune, India.

Conclusions

SEPTEMBER 2009 | 91

TECHNICAL PAPERS

The increase in the surface roughness and adhesion with an increase in the bath concentration could be due to the change of plating reaction kinetics. At a higher plating bath concentration, non-uniformity of deposition causes an increase in roughness. This increase in the roughness creates more surface area. Therefore, during vulcanization with rubber, better adhesion is obtained.

The SEMs of plated surfaces with increasing bath concentration are shown in Fig. 3. Micrographs 3(a) and 3(c) correspond to the lowest and highest bath concentration, respectively, of this study. The intercolumnar spacing was also observed in the plating micrograph with an increase in the bath concentration.

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CAREER OPPORTUNITIES REGIONAL SALES REPRESENTATION. EIS Wire & Cable, a privately held manufacturer of Bulk Wire & Cable located in Western Mass is seeking regional sales representation in the following states: FL, GA, TN, AL, AR, LA, TX, OK, OR, WA. We’re celebrat-

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ing our 100th anniversary in 2010 and could be characterized as a “manufacturing partner� to our customer base, which consists largely of cable assembly houses and includes select OEM & Distributors. Our approach to the market place is strongly influenced by collaborative efforts with our Regional Sales Reps, many of whom have

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www.eiswire.com for additional information. Experienced & established firms with a solid reputation with wire & cable products are encouraged to contact us to initiate discussions about your territory. Apply to: Alan Wodyka, National Sales Manager, EIS Wire & Cable, awodyka@eiswire.com.

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and executives. For corporations we provide recruitment, outplacement, and salary assessment functions. For the professional exploring a new opportunity, we provide career evaluation and guidance. Our services are performed in absolute confidence.

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94 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

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tal P/O, T/U, 30” multipass capstan.

EXPL319 (2) DEANGELI/SAMP 45mm Hi Temp Lines w/Zumbach Preheater, SS multipass capstan, 560mm dual parallel axis take ups.

EXPL304 ROSENDAHL Skin-Foam-Skin Ins Line, 2000, Henrich annealer, preheater, 60/45/30mm extruders w/gas inj., multi cap, Rosendahl DIN500 dual T/U. HI TEMP EXTRUDERS: (YR 1998): EXP740 1 1/2” D.STD. 30:1, EXP770 1 1/2” D.STD.24:1, EXP666 2” D.STD. 30:1.

EXRL38 3 1/2”/ 1 1/4” AMERICAN KUHNE XLPE, CV Line, 2001, Endex CC18 18” Drop Coiler, mutlipass capstan.

EXR172/171/168 4 1/2”, 3 1/2”, 6“ D.Std. 20:1 Rubber Extruders, roller feed water cooled.

BPK055 (2) 14” BONGARD TW470-KT Barrel Packers, 1999/2000 RWD491 800mm SETIC S/L Rewind Line w/dancer controlled payoff.

RWD359 2.6m SKALTEK Rewind Line. A264K P/O, S60/L100 line controls., meas mach. Guide roller assy. U26T T/U. RWD445 (7) CLIPPER Dual S/T Rewinders, SP16, SP18 SP24, SP6.5

PREOWNED HIGH QUALITY WIRE, CABLE & OPTICAL CABLE MANUFACTURING MACHINERY AVAILABLE EX-STOCK FROM SIX US WAREHOUSE LOCATIONS.

SEPTEMBER 2009 | 95

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX

ADVERTISERS’ INDEX

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

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

Howar Equipment Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64

SAMP USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Howar Equipment Inc/Metavan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69

Sanxin Wire Die, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Huestis Industrial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Sheaves Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50

IDEAL Welding Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Sikora International Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Keir Manufacturing Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66

Sjogren Industries Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52

Kiswire Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55

SKET GmbH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65

Lamnea Bruk USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Staku-Anlagenbau GmbH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59

Lesmo Machinery America Inc/Cometo . . . . . . . . . . .53, 67

Talladega Machinery & Supply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Madem SA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cover 3

Tubular Products Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

Maillefer SA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92

US Synthetic Wire Die . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41

Micro Products Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37

Windak Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59

Mobac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25

Wire & Plastic Machinery Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95

Niehoff GmbH & Co KG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Woodburn Diamond Die . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54

Paramount Die Co . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Wyrepak Industries Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51

Pittsfield Plastics Eng Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Zumbach Electronics Corp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cover 4

Precision Die Technologies Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54 Pressure Welding Machines Ltd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Properzi International Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29

WIRE ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL ADS

Queins & Co GmbH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

Membership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31-32

RF Wire Technologies LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

WAI ITC: Turkey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43-44

Reel-O-Matic Inc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47

Wire Expo 2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56, 58

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

NORTH AMERICA

EUROPE

Robert J. Xeller Anna Bzowski Wire Journal International 1570 Boston Post Road P.O. Box 578 Guilford, CT 06437-0578 USA Tel: 203-453-2777 Fax: 203-453-8384 sales@wirenet.org

U.K., France, Spain, Holland, Belgium, Denmark & Scandinavia Jennie Franks David Franks & Co. 63 St. Andrew’s Road Cambridge CB4 1DH, England Tel/fax: 44-1223-360472 franksco@btopenworld.com

96 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

SALES OFFICES ASIA/WAI INDIA OFFICE Germany, Austria, & Switzerland Dagmar Melcher Media Service International P.O. Box 103 D-82402 Seeshaupt Germany Tel: 49-8801-914682 Fax: 49-8801-914683 dmelcher@t-online.de

Wire & Cable Services Pvt. Ltd. (WCS) sales@wirenet.org

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Worldwide Zumbach Customer Service and Sales Offices in Zumbach Electronic AG – SWITZERLAND (H.Q.) Zumbach Electrónica Argentina S.R.L. – ARGENTINA Zumbach Electronic S.A. – BELGIUM Zumbach do Brasil Ltda – BRAZIL Zumbach Electronic Co., Ltd. – CHINA P.R. Zumbach Bureau France – FRANCE Zumbach Electronic GmbH – GERMANY

Zumbach Electronic India Pvt. Ltd. – INDIA Zumbach Electronic Srl – ITALY Zumbach Electrónica S.L. – SPAIN Zumbach Electronics Far East – TAIWAN Zumbach Electronics Ltd. – UK Zumbach Electronics Corp. – USA

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