Agents and Agencies by Wire Journal International, Inc.

WIRE JOURNAL DECEMBER 2014

速

INTERNATIONAL www.wirenet.org

Agents and Agencies

wire China wrap-up OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE WIRE ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL

WIRE JOURNAL DECEMBER 2014

INTERNATIONAL www.wirenet.org

Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Industry News. . . . . . . . . . . . 10

FEATURES

Agents and Agencies

Asian Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 People. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Fiber Watch . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Fastener Update . . . . . . . . . . 24

Wire & Cable India wrapup . . . . 36

WAI News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

India’s size and potential market continues to draw attendees to this biennial event.

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

Agents and agencies . . . . . . . . . 38

Technical Papers . . . . . . 58-69 Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

There are a lot of experienced people in the wire and cable industry, but not everyone is cut out to work wire China as an agent. This feature presents perspectives from a wrap-up range of such individuals as well as the view from an OFFICIAL OF THE WIRE ASSOCIATION INTERNATIONAL OEMPUBLICATION and a distributor.

Classified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Career Opportunities . . . . . . 71

TECHNICAL PAPERS

Advertisers’ Index . . . . . . . . 71

Next issue January 2015 • Wireless update

Part 1: Properties of high carbon steel wires drawn at extremely slow speeds Yoshira Yamada . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 IWCS Paper: Investigation of shielding effectiveness and differential alien crosstalk correlation in twisted pair cables Wayne Hopkinson and Trent Hayes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

• Wrapup: IWCS 2014

Cover: It’s not that agents are robots, but their role in the industry is overshadowed by the companies they represent and the customers they seek to serve.

DECEMBER 2014 | 3

CONTENTS

Volume 47 | Number 12 | December 2014

CONTENTS CONTENTS

INSIDE THIS ISSUE ON THE ROAD... BUT NOT TOO FAR 6 A ‘platinum’ level industry webinar . . . .32

INDIA EVENT: POTENTIAL DRAWS. An industry tradition continues . . . . .. 36

The WAIRearch’s will soon be moving fromprovided the headquarters Integer Philip Radbourne expanded where it has been based since 1976. In terms of up discontent during an Oct. 21 webinar that followed tance, the move from Guilford to Madison is only about the Electrical Sector report that was provided to WAI six miles.Members. The driverBelow for how move to be Platinum is athis slide fromcame his presentshould sound like a very familiar story: the combination interest. of and the ability do more with Thea smaller webinar staff also included furthertodiscussion by a less panel makes “rightsizing” of industry experts. the step to take.

Wire & Cable remains a popular trade show desRobert Bache,India a director at U.K.-based Bache Pallets tination as the country’s massive scope and potential Limited, performs the clockwinding duties at the Oct. 15 continues to draw exhibitors in and attendees. The results event at WAI’s headquarters Guilford, Connecticut. were seen once again at thestaff latest staging at the Bombay Bache spoke to guests and about the importance of Convention & relationship. Exhibition Center in Mumbai. having a close He observed that inCo-located today’s with Tube India 2014, world we all needInternational a wingman, and and Metallurgy for the U.K.,India “I think the events 10,600inpeople. that there’scollectively a wingman drew in America, the USA.”

US economy seems to be showing some solid signs of growth..but also some concerns

Positive  Economy recovered from worst recession in 80 years  US consumer confidence at 7 year high  US gas prices fall to lowest since 2010  US oil extraction booming  US auto sales at record highs  US weekly jobless claims drop to 14 year low of 264,000  US unemployment at 5.9%  US budget deficit below 3% of GDP Longest run (54 months) of private sector job creation on record

Negative X Real wage growth has been modest at best X Recovery not evenly split X US Housing starts still well below 2007 peak X US still running large budget deficit X Labour participation rates continue to drop, lowest levels since 1970s X Lower US oil prices may hit fracking boom expansion X US National federal debt still at highest level in 70 years X Further potential dispute over the debt ceiling extension www.integer-research.com

44 || WIRE WIRE JOURNAL JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL INTERNATIONAL

EDITORIAL WIRE JOURNAL

EDITORIAL

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

WAI moving to new offices In January, the Wire Association International, along with its publishing arm, the Wire Journal International, will have a new address: 71 Bradley Road, Suite 9, Madison, CT, 06443-2662. For those familiar with our current location in Guilford, the move brings the operation to another beautiful New England town, six miles further north along I-95. The move was a result of the findings of an ongoing review of the organization’s assets by the WAI’s Board of Directors. The goal was to ensure that all resources are being managed in keeping with the long-term interests of the Association. To that point, the existing building was built in 1976, and expanded over the years to accommodate some 25 staff members and the full publishing operations. In the past 10 years, technology has dramatically changed the production process for the WJI as well as other business facets, which has resulted in WAI being able to do more with less. That dynamic has seen both the staff get smaller (now 12), as well as greatly reduce the overall space needed at the site. Like other service operations, just about everything except for the upstairs water cooler is digital. This is not a bad thing. There is something freeing about replacing full file cabinets with thumb drives that are easily searchable and fully protected. Factor in the effect of flat screens, tablets, mobile devices, cloud computing and applications like OneNote, and the business that exists today is far, far different than the operation that first staffed the headquarters. While I personally do not get attached to a physical office, I understand that others might. It has been WAI’s home for the past 38 years and we have many long-tenured employees as well as volunteers who have given tremendously to the Association over that time. I respect the work that has been performed in the building over the past four decades, and am confident that the respect will carry forward, just as our phone numbers will stay the same. As with all such projects, there is an opportunity to extend the impact, both directly and indirectly, by positively influencing other elements of the operation. We have already experienced that in this case and we know that there will be more to come. We wanted to share the news of this change with you, and as always, note that you are welcome to visit if you are in the area.

Steve Fetteroll WAI Executive Director

WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL (ISSN-0277-4275) published monthly by The Wire Journal, Inc., is a wholly owned subsidiary of The Wire Association International, Inc., which is located at 1570 Boston Post Road, P.O. Box 578, Guilford, CT 06437-0578, USA, and can be contacted at tel. 203-453-2777; fax 203-453-8384; Internet wirenet.org; e-mail editorial@wirenet.org. Address all correspondence concerning advertising production, editorial and circulation to the above address. WJI is printed in USA. Subscription rates: $110 per year, USA; $120 per year, Canada and Mexico; other countries, $140 per year (includes air mail). Back copies: $10 WAI members, $15 non-members. Periodicals postage paid at Guilford, CT 06437, USA, and at additional 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. © 2014 by Wire Journal, Inc. All rights reserved. The Publisher of WJI assumes no responsibility for the validity of manufacturers’ claims made herein. Back issues of WJI are on microfilm and available from University Microfilm, 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106, USA. Phone: 313-761-4700. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Wire Journal International, P.O. Box 578, Guilford, CT 06437-0578, USA.

6 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

CALENDAR

CALENDAR March 26-28, 2015: Tel Fair 2015: International Istanbul Wire Fair Istanbul, Turkey. To be held at the Istanbul Expo Center this Tel Fair 2015 covers wire, wire-making and processing/testing equipment, dies, lubricants and more. The biennial event is sponsored by Ihlas Fair. Contact: http://tube-wire-coil-fair.com. April 27-30, 2015: Global Continuous Casting Forum Atlanta, Georgia, USA. This WAI event, first staged in Atlanta in 2011, will be co-located with Interwire 2015. It returns with a new format: the scope has been expanded to include aluminum. Contact: www.castingforum15.com. April 28-30, 2015: Interwire 2015 & WAI’s 85th Annual Convention Atlanta, Georgia, USA. WAI returns to the Georgia World Congress Center to stage its biennial trade show, technical programs and 85th Annual Convention. Contact: WAI, USA. Tel. 001-203-453-2777, www.wirenet.org. June 9-12, 2015: Guangzhou International Wire, Cable and Accessories Fair Guangzhou, China. To be held in the China Import and Export Fair Complex, this even will feature the latest equipment, materials, machinery and detection instrumens in the wire an cable market for attendees from top-level executives to engineers. Contact: www.wire-cable-china. com, wire@china.messefrankfurt.com.

June 21-25, 2015: Jicable 9th International Conference on Insulated Power Cables Paris, France. Held every four years, this international forum is an exchange of information in the fields of research, industrial development, installation, operation and diagnoses relating to insulated power cables and their accessories. Contact: Jicable, tel. 33-1-56-90-37-04, jicable@see.asso.fr, www.jicable.org. April 4-8, 2016: wire Düsseldorf Düsseldorf, Germany. This biennial event will be held at the Messe fairgrounds. Contact: Messe Düsseldorf North America, tel. 312-781-5180, info@mdna.com, www.mdna.com. June 8-9, 2016: WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo Uncasville, Connecticut, USA. This WAI event, which will be held at the Mohegan Sun Resort Center, will include its trade show, technical programs and WAI’s 86th Annual Convention. WAI, USA. Tel. 001-203-4532777, www.wirenet.org. Oct. 5-7, 2016: Wire & Cable India Mumbai, India. This event will be held at the Bombay Convention & Exhibition Center. Contact: Messe Düsseldorf North America, tel. 312-781-5180, info@mdna.com, www.wire-india.com.

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

Jan. 29, 2015: New England Chapter Meeting Uncasville, Connecticut, USA. The chapter will hold its 21st annual meeting at the Mohegun Sun Resort Conference Center. Contact: Anna Bzowski, tel. 203453-2777, ext. 126, abzowski@wirenet.org.

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

April 27-30, 2015: Global Continuous Casting Forum Atlanta, Georgia, USA. This WAI event, first staged in 2011, will be co-located with Interwire 2015. It returns with a new format: the scope has been expanded to include aluminum. Contact: www.castingforum15.com.

June 8-9, 2016: WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo Uncasville, Connecticut, USA. This WAI event, which will be held at the Mohegan Sun Resort Center, will include its trade show, technical programs and WAI’s 86th Annual Convention. WAI, USA. Tel. 001-203-4532777, www.wirenet.org.

8 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

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INDUSTRY NEWS

INDUSTRY NEWS ABB to provide 38-km power transmission cable to TenneT ABB reports that it has won an order from DutchGerman transmission grid operator TenneT to design, engineer, supply and install an Alternating Current (AC) power transmission cable system for use in a wind farm project in the German North Sea. A press release noted the following about the project, which will see the cable link the AC platform of the Butendiek offshore wind farm to the HVDC converter platform SylWin alpha. The Butendiek wind farm is located about 30 km off the island of Sylt. The high-voltage cable system to be supplied is a three-core 155 kV AC submarine cable, about 38 km long, that is scheduled to be installed and commissioned in 2015. The cable

ABB will supply a power transmission cable system for the German North Sea. originally destined for this project was lost in an incident in the Mediterranean Sea in July and ABB was requested to step in and help to support the project schedule. The cable system will have capacity to transmit 144 megawatts (MW) of wind power, enough to meet the electricity needs of approximately 150,000 German households. The project should eliminate nearly 750,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year that could have resulted from fossil-fueled generation.

General Cable to exit Asia Pacific and African manufacturing, get new CEO U.S.-based General Cable Corporation announced that it plans to exit all of its Asia Pacific and African manufacturing operations, and that it will seek a successor for company President and CEO Gregory B. Kenny.

A press release said that the company “will simplify its global portfolio and reduce operational complexity by focusing on core strategic operations in North America, Latin America and Europe.” The announcement came as the company issued its third quarter report, which covered a range of actions. The company is developing a divestiture plan for its Asia Pacific and African assets, directed by Peter A. Campbell, executive vice president and CEO of General Cable Asia Pacific, the release said. Those operations, it said, represent annual revenue of approximately $1 billion on a consolidated basis. The action follows two separate announcements made earlier this year by the company. In February, the company announced that it would close two North American electric utility manufacturing plants, those actions projected to result in annual savings of $3 million to $5 million. In July, the company reported that it would restructure its operations, which includes the closing of a company plant in North America, Peru and India as well as a further focus on optimizing its resources by consolidation and realignment of other facilities. Those actions, it said, are expected to save $10 million this year, with annual savings up to $75 million by 2016. The job cuts would be about 7% of the company’s total workforce, about a thousand positions. In its 3rd quarter report, the company said it was taking charges of $106 million for its operations in Europe and the Mediterranean segment, and $30 million for the ROW segment. It also noted that it plans to close the company’s aluminum rod mill in Brazil by the end of the year. “We are making excellent progress on our previously announced restructuring program but, given the persistently uneven global demand and pricing environment, we have decided to accelerate and expand our efforts,” said Kenny, who the release said is expected to stay with the company and serve as chairman of the board once the new CEO is named. It added that the board expects to add “another operations-experienced independent director.” “The announcement of planned actions in Europe represents substantial progress as we plan to consolidate and realign our businesses to drive the improvement of underperforming assets,” Kenny said. “In Colombia, we are consolidating and streamlining our assets, further strengthening our platform for future success in one of the most attractive long-term growth markets in Latin America. In addition, we are continuing our work on the previously announced facility closures in India, Peru and North America which are advancing according to plan. Production has ceased in India and Peru and we are in the process of unwinding the capital employed.”

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

10 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

NEC Corp to supply 1st submarine cable system across South Atlantic NEC Corp. announced that it has signed a contract with Angola Cables S.A. to become the system supplier for the world’s first submarine cable system being built across the South Atlantic.

Multiple media reported the following about the 6,200km South Atlantic Cable System (SACS). The project will see a four-fiber-pair cable connect Angola and Brazil, directly linking the African continent to Latin America for the first time, to enable high-speed and high-capacity international data transmissions, spurring trade and economic growth. Construction of the project, valued

Route of proposed SACS submarine cable system across the South Atlantic. at approximately US$160 million, is expected to begin before the end of the year, and would be ready for service during the fourth quarter of 2016. NEC said that the cable and optical transmission technologies will have an initial design capacity of 40 terabytes per second to meet growing demand from

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INDUSTRY NEWS

The planned actions in Europe and Colombia are projected to save $48 million a year. “We believe these actions will optimize (our) asset base and sharpen the company’s strategic focus on its core assets, while retaining a meaningful level of exposure to developing economies that may offer future growth opportunities,” said John E. Welsh, III, chairman of the board of directors. Venezuela continues to be a sore spot for the company, which noted in the report that government policies continue to hamper operations. “Adjusted results and guidance reflect the removal of the impact of our Venezuelan operations on a standalone basis due to the ongoing economic and political uncertainty in that country, principally driven by the foreign currency exchange system, government-imposed profit caps/limitations and limited access to U.S. dollars for the import of raw materials. However, we expect ongoing operations in Venezuela to continue, and we cannot predict the amounts of any future income or expenses we may incur relating to our Venezuelan operations.”

INDUSTRY NEWS

broadband, mobile, broadcasting and enterprise trafﬁc crossing the South Atlantic. The cable will stretch from the Sangano cable landing station in Angola, near the capital city of Luanda, to a data center in Fortaleza, Brazil, that will be built for multiple cable systems that are under construction by Angola Cables. Angola Cables recently announced the construction of another cable system, COTA (Cable Of The Americas), connecting Santos and Fortaleza to Miami in the United States. “In this way Angola Cables will connect Angola and Africa directly to Brazil and the United States.” NEC notes that it has supplied more than 200,000 km of cable systems over its 40 plus years.

MLP Steel installs new rolling mill MLP Steel Company reports that it has installed a new state-of-the-art rolling mill to add to the company’s capabilities of rolling special shapes and profiles at its Fayette Steel operation in Scottdale, Pennsylvania. A press release said that the mill, located in existing space, is designed to produce flat wire, special shapes and profiles to exacting tolerances in sizes ranging from .030 to .375 in. thick to .187 to 1.0 in. wide. The profile geometry and control parameters are monitored throughout the coil by an in-line laser measuring system, and laser measuring ensures dimensional accuracy and uniformity throughout the coil, it said. Company President Jeff Pfeifer said that the company is in the final stages of primary runs, and that it has made some modifications to the mill, which is able to produce 600 ft per min. That production rate is faster than the existing mil, but both will be utilized to help meet increased business activity.

MLP Steel Company’s new rolling mill at its plant in Scottdale, Pennsylvania. The project was a joint effort by MLP Steel, HerrVoss-Stamco and Premier Automation, the release said. Herr-Voss-Stamco provided the project management and engineering assistance; Premier Automation performed the electrical engineering, design and fabrication of the controls; and MLP Steel contributed engineering, machining, and fabrication of the mill. At its website, MLP Steel notes that the company “is positioned to meet the challenges of an ever changing mar-

12 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

ketplace where new technologies are demanding higher strength materials rolled to close dimensional tolerances.”

HVDC superconductor cable energized LS Cable & System and AMSC announced that a high voltage direct current (HVDC) high temperature superconductor (HTS) cable has been energized on Jeju Island’s smart grid demonstration site in a venture by Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO). A press release said that the 500 meter, 80kV DC cable, powered by AMSC’s Amperium® HTS wire and installed in KEPCO’s electricity grid, furthers a previous venture by the three partners. “With the energizing of the HVDC cable at Jeju Island, KEPCO and LS Cable have taken another step forward in upgrading Korea’s electricity network and fulﬁlling KEPCO’s vision of securing a worldclass competitive edge through the development of green and smart technologies,” said AMSC President and CEO Daniel P. McGahn.

AMSC’s Amperium wire was used in KEPCO’s HTS smart grid cable project. AMSC photo. “We believe Korea is the earliest country in the world to adopt smart and clean energy such as smart grid, Energy Storage System (ESS), and micro grid. The energizing of the ﬁrst direct current high temperature superconductor cable in a real grid demonstrates KEPCO’s commitment to developing world-class, leading edge technologies,” said KEPCO President and CEO HwanEik Cho. “We expect to continue to develop superconductor cable projects with the objective of being the foremost utility in superconductor-enabled solutions.” Per the company, in 2011, KEPCO, LS Cable & System, and AMSC energized a 22.9 kV AC cable system at the I’cheon substation located near the city of Seoul. The cable successfully operated for two years. At the time of installation, it was the longest distribution voltage superconductor power cable in operation. KEPCO is also conducting type testing for a one-km 154kV AC cable system that uses AMSC’s Amperium HTS wire. The HVDC HTS cables are power dense and have zero resistance, making them an ideal solution to moving large amounts of power underground and with a minimal footprint, the release said. Capable of conducting 150 times the amount of electricity that can be conducted by copper or aluminum devices of the same size, the cables have no electrical losses, making them a perfect conductor of electricity. Future cables may be able to move up to 10

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tional process for producing extruded steel wire, in which steel wire is plated with a very thick zinc coating layer and then PVC coated, is an energy hog. Hence, the idea put forth by Officine Maccaferri, a world leader in the R&D and manufacture of advanced environmental civil engineering solutions, to develop a new and innovative production process in which the zinc coating process is minimized. Polyamide 6 plays a central role in this project, because, compared to PVC, it ensures better technical and environmental performance. Speakers at the meeting included Ruggero Targhetta, sole administrator, EURIS European Research Investments Services; Stefania Biasuzzi, EURIS project manager; Francesco Ferraiolo, corporate technical director, Officine Maccaferri; Claudio Colibri, corporate R&D manager of Officine Maccaferri; Cesare Clausi, Europe business manager, RadiciGroup Plastics Business Area; Erico Spini, marketing & application development direcAll-Italian pilot project launched to tor, RadiciGroup Plastics Business Area; and Roberto innovate responsible steel production Bazzani, sales and marketing VP, SAMP. Three Italian companies—SAMP, Officine Maccaferri “We expect many benefits from this project,” Colibri and the RadiciGroup—met Oct. 29 during what was said. Beyond the stated goals, “we also expect to described as an enthusiastic kickoff of a partnership in a contribute to the application of the experimental PEF pilot project supported by the European Commission’s methodology for the environmental evaluation of proLIFE+-Inno.Pro.Wire (Life +) program, an all-Italian pilot cesses and products, to promote wider acceptance of the project. environmental factor as a parameter in public bidding A press release said that the three companies, which for road construction and maintenance and, last but not met at Officine Maccaferri’s headquarters in Zola least, to raise awareness of the advantages of embarking Predosa, Bologna, held a kick-off meeting to implement on an environmental sustainable path in industrial prothe focus of the Life+ program, which was noted as folduction through an effective communication strategy.” lows. The goal is to design an innovative process with Spini observed that polyamide is a viable lower envilower environmental impact for producing extruded steel ronmental impact alternative to PVC as material for wire to be used in making metal net protection and conuse in extruded steel wire coating. “The excellent techtainment structures. The sustainability aspect of the projnical characteristics of this material has allowed us to ect is the use of polyamide 6 (PA6 engineering plastics) set ambitious objectives for (this) challenge, such as a as a viable alternative to PVC for coating the steel wire. 20% reduction in wire coating thickness and a 30-50% Tests will be conducted not only on conventional PA6 but increase in the service life of the final product, the metal also on PA6.10 engineering plastics produced using 64% gabion. Among the advantages of using polyamide are biopolymer manufactured from sebacic acid. The tradia reduction of about 20% in wire weight for a coating of equal thickness and improved resistance to mechanical damage during the installation and servicing of the gabions.” Thanks to our long experience in the field of extrusion, SAMP will contribute to develop a solution with lower environFrom l-r, Erico Spini, marketing & application development director, RadiciGroup; Cesare Clausi, mental impact,” said Europe business manager, RadiciGroup; Antonio Maccaferri, president, SAMP Group; Mariella Bazzani. “Our main Radici, senior M&A analyst, RadiciGroup; Francesco Ferraiolo, corporate technical director, goals are to increase Officine Maccaferri; Angelo Radici, president, RadiciGroup; Licia Spettoli, marketing assistant, the energy efficienOfficine Maccaferri; and Claudio Colibri, corporate R&D manager, Officine Maccaferri. cy, to improve solid gigawatts (GW) of power within an eight meter right-ofway, it said, noting that a similar overhead circuit would require multiple extremely high voltage circuits and an approximately 120 meter right-of-way. “The HVDC superconducting cable system offers transmission performance superior to that of the alternating current (AC) system. Interest in this technology has been building up in Asia, the United States and Europe, where new power network implementation is needed,” said Ja-Eun Koo, President and CEO, LS Cable & System. KEPCO notes that it is South Korea’s sole power distributor, serving 13 million households. It also generates approximately 90% of Korea’s power supply and is one of the world’s top 10 electric utilities, with an installed capacity of nearly 64,000 MW (primarily from thermal and nuclear plants).

14 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Keystone Steel and Wire to upgrade its Bartonville mill U.S.-based Keystone Steel and Wire Company has placed an order with Siemens Metals Technologies to upgrade the cooling conveyors of a two-strand wire rod mill in its plant in Bartonville, Illinois. The project, a press release said, includes new blowers, auxiliary systems as well as electric and automation equipment. The upgrade will enable Keystone to produce steel grades with higher tensile strengths with improved and more uniform quality, thus extending their product range, it said, adding that the new equipment is expected to be commissioned in late 2014. At its website, Keystone Steel & Wire notes that its campus in Bartonville is one of the largest wire mills in the world, with over 2,000,000 sq ft of manufacturing space over the 1,000-acre location. Further, that Keystone’s 900 employees last year produced over 650,000 tons of steel.

and Ericsson. Construction, it said, is slated to start in the ﬁrst half of 2015, with the cable to be operational 18 months later. The stories noted that the majority of undersea cables stretch from the U.S. east coast to Europe, and Brazil’s data currently travels across the Atlantic via the U.S. They noted that some government agencies have already switched email clients from Microsoft Outlook to the state-developed Expresso system to avoid espionage, and that state departments have been told to use domestic technology companies instead of U.S. ﬁrms to ensure backdoor access to computer systems cannot be installed illicitly.

U.S. likely out of Brazil cable project because of spying Plans in Brazil to build a 3,500-mile internet cable under the Atlantic very likely will go forward without participation by any U.S. companies. Multiple news reports, including Bloomberg, said that Brazil ofﬁcials, citing allegations of spying by the National Security Agency (NSA), do not want to include any U.S. companies in the project. Per the reports, Francisco Ziober Filho, president of Brazilian telecommunications provider Telebras, said that it will only partner with European, Asian and local vendors. The project calls for the cable to run 3,500 miles from the Brazilian city of Fortaleza to Portugal, bypassing Brazil’s existing internet trafﬁc routes to Europe, which currently go through the U.S. Earlier this year, Ziober said at a press conference that Telebras will work with Madrid-based Islalink Submarine Cables SL and an as-yet-undetermined Brazilian associate to construct the system. Another project participant may be Asian and European suppliers such as Huawei Technologies, Alcatel-Lucent DECEMBER 2014 | 15

INDUSTRY NEWS

waste management and to develop solutions that are suitable for all existing production lines.”

INDUSTRY NEWS

Staffers at Precision Wire Components LLC are joining Creganna-Tactx Medical. Photo PWC website.

Creganna-Tactx Medical reports plan to acquire Precision Wire Components Creganna-Tactx Medical, a provider of medical device outsourcing solutions, announced that it has agreed to buy Precision Wire Components LLC (PWC), which specializes in wire processing for the medical device industry. A press release said that the combined company, which will be known as Creganna Medical, “brings together two respected brands with market leading positions in the design, development and manufacture of minimally invasive devices.” The acquisition, it said, will strengthen Creganna’s global footprint, enhance its technical capabilities and deepen customer partnerships. Per its website, PWC, founded in 1996 in Tualatin, Oregon, and owned by The Riverside Company, designs and produces high-precision medical wires and supporting components that are used in a wide variety of minimally invasive medical procedures. In 2009, it opened a manufacturing and cleanroom facility in Heredia, Costa Rica, to locally support multinational customers establishing operations in the region. The company’s capabilities include wire straightening, grinding, coil winding, heat treating, forming, flattening, coating, and assembly of custom guidewires and devices. The release said that all PWC employees and facilities will become part of Creganna Medical. Together, the company will have over 2,000 staffers worldwide, 450,000 sq ft of manufacturing capacity and an operational presence in every major medical device manufacturing hub across the globe. “This acquisition will generate tremendous value for all of our customers,” said PWC CEO Geoff Hall. “Together, we are creating one team with a much broader set of skills, services and capabilities that will be able to provide unmatched levels of service and support in multiple markets and locations.” PWC has manufacturing facilities in Tualatin, Oregon, and Heredia, Costa Rica while Creganna has operations in the U.S., Europe and Asia. PWC’s expertise will complement Creganna’s existing solutions for minimally invasive delivery and access devices through the addi16 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

tion of its wire component and coiling technologies, it said. Creganna-Tactx Medical notes that it is ranked among the top 10 global companies in the medical device outsourcing industry. Based in Ireland and serving over 400 companies across 30 countries, CregannaTactx Medical’s customers include leading medical device and life science companies.

Fenn LLC acquired by Quality Products Earlier this year, Quality Products, Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of aircraft ground support equipment, hydraulic press machine tools, press brakes, hydraulic presses and shears, announced that it has acquired Fenn LLC from SPX. A press release said that Fenn LLC will continue to offer its industrial line, which includes Torin spring coilers, swagers and impact cut-off machines as well as provide machine service and spare parts support. “This is a great outcome for our customers and our companies, and we couldn’t be more excited about our future together,” said Fenn President Paul Uccello. “With other businesses in capital equipment manufacturing, we believe QPI has the right combination of business experience and resources to allow Fenn to continue to develop and produce high quality machines.” Fenn will join QPI’s Machine Tools segment, which also includes Multi-Press and Pacific Press.

JDR Cables to supply 10 miles of cable for wind energy project in North Sea U.K.-based JDR Cables reports that it has won a contract for the design and manufacture of a hybrid power steel cable. A press release said that the cable contract, from Wintershall Noordzee B.V., is to be supplied to the Ravn field development which is in the North Sea. The company will deliver more than 10 miles of cable to provide power and control for the project, which will

Sarawak Cable reports Malaysia order Sarawak Cable Berhad announced that it has been chosen to be a supplier to Shanghai Electric Group Co. Ltd. (SEG), which is constructing a coal-fired power plant in Malaysia. A report in Malaysia’s The Star said that the project will take some 40 months to complete. Based about 60 km from Mukah town, and 25 km from the existing two 135 MW Mukah power station, the order for the 300 MW Balingian coal-fired power plant is one of Sarawak Energy’s new generation projects to generate inexpensive energy to customers of Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (Score).

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also see the connection of a new platform to an existing platform so that long-term well testing can be done off the Danish coast. The cable, it said, will be manufactured at and loaded out of JDR’s deep-water, quayside Hartlepool facility, with delivery scheduled for the third quarter of 2015. The release said that the order follows several recent orders, which include a contract to supply 62 miles of cable for the Vattenfall AB Sandbank offshore wind farm; an order for more than 40 miles of cable for the Nordsee One Offshore wind farm, which is 25 miles north of the German Juist island; and a third for more than 60 miles of copper core cable for the Statoil/Statkraft Dudgeon offshore wind farm, which is off the Norfolk coast.

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New location for the IWMA The International Wire & Machinery Association (IWMA), the world’s largest corporate trade association for the wire and cable industry, reports that it is moving to new offices in the U.K. A press release said that the IWMA will be moving to an office complex, ideally situated near Birmingham International Airport, as part of the association’s longterm expansion plans to develop its membership and grow internationally. The IWMA is currently based in the same building as Intras Ltd., publishers of EuroWire, Wire & Cable ASIA and WiredInUSA, in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. “This is both an exciting and challenging time for the IWMA, but one which we are very much looking forward to,” said IWMA Chairman Steven Rika. “We have, and continue to maintain an excellent relationship with everyone at Intras and I expect to see us working closely together for the foreseeable future.” “Following on from a corporate re-branding and new website in 2013 I am delighted to see the IWMA take up residence in its own premises which has come about at precisely the right time with the association in such good hands,” said Debi Coleman, IWMA Marketing & Events Co-ordinator.

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ASIAN FOCUS Resort company hopes to build world’s largest cable ride in Vietnam caves

“has upset environmentalists, the cave’s original discoverers and inspired an online petition.” The petition warns that, “This project is suicidal and (would) have an infinite An okay has been given for a Vietnamese resort compadamaging impact on the Son Doong Cave, and the ecosysny to begin surveys for a proposed $212 million project tem of the entire region at Phong Nha - Ke Bang National that would see construction of the world’s longest cable Park.” car ride, which would travel through three caves. In the report, Howard Limbert, who first explored the A report in Tuoi Tre News said that the Sun Group, cave in 2009 and has explored hundreds of caves in the which owns the InterContinental Hotel in Danang and area, said that he is one of those staunchly against the built the Ba Na hills idea of a cable car syscable car system, tem. “The damage to wants to build a Son Doong cave would 10.6-km-long cable car be irreversible, and the in the world’s largest cable cars would rob cave: the UNESCOthe cave of its pristine listed Son Doong charms and the advenin north-central Qu ture thrills it has to offer. ang Binh Province “The construction would in Vietnam. The proalso take its toll on posed cable car system the cave’s surrounding would travel through areas.” Tien Son and Phong Dang Minh Truong, Nha caves (the latter Sun’s CEO, told Saigonwas formerly believed based Tuoi Tre News to be the largest cave that the project will in Vietnam) and then involve foreign experts the Son Doong cave, with three of its seven and satisfy UNESCO’s stations in the ninecriteria for sustainable km-long Son Doong. It A cave in Son Doong, which may host a record cable car system. development. He also said that if the project noted that 80 UNESCOgets a final okay and is constructed, it would be longest listed sites already have cable car systems, although cable car ride in the world, ahead of Tianmen Shan in the report added that none of those are in remote cave China. systems within national parks. The project has sparked The article observed that Vietnam “has a fondness for some on-line reaction, including the below comments, cable cars.” It said that they “pop up in many tourist spots, both pro and con. from the Ba Na hills in the center of the country to provin“What an insane idea! What on earth are they thinking cial spots popular with domestic tourists such as Nui Ba up there? “Gee, this is a wonder of nature! Let’s stick a Den (Black Lady Mountain), south of Saigon.” cable-car down the middle of it!” Per the report, Son Doong was discovered by local Ho “Cable cars sounds like the best way to allow millions Khanh in 1991 and explored by a group from the British to enjoy the caves with the least amount of affect on the Cave Research Association in 2009, led by Howard and ecology itself.” Deb Limbert. The UNESCO-listed cave receives under “This will ‘tackify’ the cave. By that, I mean it will 250 visitors a year who all trek with the one travel commake it look like just another “plastic” attraction. Just pany licensed to offer tours, Oxacis Tours. Those doing another ‘tourist trap’ on the tourist trail. so have to trek and camp, with porters carrying baggage “Maybe not so bad; a cable car will allow flocks of tourand food. ists to see the wonder with no ability to get lost or handle While Son Doong still hosts few visitors, the other caves, the stalagmites.” such as Phong Nha, within the Phong Nha-Ke Bang nation“The construction of a cable car will surely be super al park are far more touristed. The area has received 2.5 vigilant in such a sensitive zone.” million visitors so far this year and may rise to three mil“I love all the comments in the article and in the forum lion in 2015, according to Vietnamese news sources. The about keeping the cave system ‘pristine’. Pristine for what impacts of mass tourism are already being felt and experts purpose? If only a few hundred are able to enjoy it a year, worry that extending that to the pristine Son Doong, which what’s the point? I like the guy who first explored it (aka, is so large it contains a jungle and could fit skyscrapers toured it) and his self righteousness. By stepping one foot within it, would be reckless at best. into its mouth he affected it but I guess he is doing it for The proposed cable car, however, has not been welcome by all. The Tuoi Tre New report said that the project science or something, right?” 18 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

dumping duty to the involved products. The domestic steel maker, De Acero filed the complaint in June 2013.

Turkey to increase import tax on wire rod Per a news posting at yieh.com, Turkey’s government plans to increase import taxes on wire rod and rebar, the goal being to protect the domestic steel industry “from cheap and poor quality imports.” The report said the measure “will cause some impact on China exports.” It noted that Chinese steel mills mostly use BOF steelmaking process, while Turkey produces by electric furnace with scrap as raw material. “The international iron ore price index fell to US$80/ton (CFR), while Turkey’s scrap import price is about US$330/ton (CFR), thus the production cost of Chinese steel mills is lower than that of Turkey. Besides, coupled with export tax rebates on boron added rebar and wire, Chinese products are more competitive in the Turkey market.”

Mexico finds against galvanized steel wire netting from China Per media reports, the Ministry of Economic Affairs of International Trade Practice Head Office in Mexico has informed the Chinese officials that it has made its final determination in an antidumping investigation against galvanized steel wire netting imported from China. The finding, the reports said, is that Mexico will levy US$2.08 per kg of anti-

China steel industry has entered what has been called a ‘new normal’ stage As the world economy evolves, so does that of China, which has seen its steel industry enter a “New Normal” stage. An article in www.steelhome.cn reports that China President Xi Jinping said that the nation needs to adapt to a new normal in the pace of economic growth and remain cool minded amid a slowdown that analysts forecast will lead to the weakest expansion since 1990. Li Xinchuang, head of the Metallurgical Industrial Planning Institute, said that the “new normal” stage would see low growth in consumption, low growth in production, sustained low growth steel price, poor profit and low raw materials price. The article noted that while steel prices have been low, steel companies in China “enjoyed the profit” much of the year. The China Iron and Steel Association reported that China realized CNY 16.2 billion profit in the first eight months, soaring 97.8% YoY. Observed Zhou Guoquan, VP from Jiangsu Zenith Steel Group, “Honestly, steel enterprises only suffered loss in first quarter, and even made money of CNY 400 per tonne to CNY 500 per tonne steel produced when the market was on the rise.”

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PEOPLE

PEOPLE Thorne Bartlett has joined T & T Marketing, Inc., as a business development/supplier relations manager, based in New Jersey. He has many years of wire and cable experience, most recently as global business development director at The Dow Chemical Company. He worked for nearly 30 years at Dow and Union Carbide in a variety of positions, from account manager and logistics Bartlett manager to director of data management and product marketing. He holds an MS degree in chemical engineering from Rutgers University. Based in the U.S., T & T Marketing is a single-source supplier of insulation, shielding, bare copper and more to the wire and cable industry.

great deal of satisfaction that comes from being able to start something from scratch with two of my sons, and then be able to hand over the overall management of their continued growth to my eldest son. David’s proven success in executive positions with his previous employer gives me great comfort that we are aligned for the future growth and success of both companies.” Granite Falls Duncan Furnace, based in Granite Falls, North Carolina, manufactures drawn steel wire and annealed wire products for a wide variety of industrial markets, and R&D Plastics of Hickory Ltd., based in Hickory, North Carolina, manufactures polyethylene and polypropylene products.

Granite Falls Furnace and R&D Plastics have named David L. Duncan, Jr., as CEO of both businesses. He has 23 years of industry experience, most recently serving as vice president of corporate sales at Hickory Springs Mfg. Co. “I am very happy that my eldest son has joined his two brothers and me in the businesses that we began over 11 and 14 years ago respectively,” said Chairman Dave Duncan. “As a father, there is a

Brian Parsons has joined Dekoron Wire & Cable as vice president/general manager. A 21-year industry veteran, he was most recently plant manager for Southwire’s OEM market cable manufacturing facility in Mineral Wells, Texas, which was acquired in 2009 from Cable Tech Global/NOMA Cable Tech. Working at that facility under its prior ownership from 1997 to 2009, he was promoted from engineering and quality assurance manager to

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Davis-Standard, LLC, announced that Bob Preston is resigning as CEO to serve as chairman and CEO of a materials company in the southeast U.S. A significant investor in Davis-Standard who joined the business in 2011, he will continue to serve as vice-chairman of the

board of directors. A search is underway for a new CEO, during which time the company’s daily operations will be managed by CFO Mike Pisch, Vice President Global Operations Todd Pearson and Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing Jim Murphy. Based in Pawcatuck, Connecticut, USA, Davis-Standard, LLC, supplies extrusion and converting technology for fields that include wire and cable.

PEOPLE

plant manager, then to general manager. He previously was an engineering and quality assurance manager at Coleman Cable, and he began his industry career as a process engineer for Superior Cable. He holds a B.S. degree in mechanical engineering, and a M.S. degree in business administration from Texas A&M University. He currently serves as chairman of WAI’s Education Committee, and Parsons during the early 2000s he was a representative on the Ad Hoc technical committee involved in harmonizing UL/CSA standards for flexible cable. He will report to Steven Bonnell, Group President of Marmon Engineered Wire & Cable, Specialty Wire & Cable Group and President of RSCC Wire & Cable. Based in Mount Pleasant, Texas, and a business of Marmon Engineered Wire & Cable, Dekoron Wire & Cable, LLC, manufactures cables for the oil and gas, petrochemical, power generation and specialty cable markets.

Preston

obituary Greg Becker, a longtime wire and cable industry, died Feb. 24, 2014, at his home in Wadesboro, North Carolina, at age 66. The New York native last worked as a sales engineer for Wire & Plastic Machinery from 1997 to 2003, when he retired due to a disability. Previous employers before that included Nokia-Maillefer. He was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, having served during the Vietnam War, and was active in local groups, including the Wadesboro Rotary Club. Survivors include a son, Nathan; a daughter, Courtney Regan McGuire; siblings Kenneth Becker, Denise Jakaitis, Dennis Becker, Cheryl Brown, Lynda

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FIBER WATCH

FIBER WATCH PLDT’s 2014 optical cable network expansion to finish with typhoon repairs Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. has undertaken a program to install underground fiber optic cables in areas hit by typhoon Yolanda in the Visayas region to strengthen the resiliency of its network and help revive the economies of the affected provinces. Per an announcement from PLDT, the company said that it has completed two fiber-in-the-loop areas under the so-called PLDT Yolanda Project, worth about approximately US$8.9 million. The project, which covers Leyte, Samar, Cebu and Panay Island, will replace the aerial cables in the areas damaged by the typhoon in November last year. Both fixed line and wireless customers will benefit by the project. “We have started fortifying our domestic fiber optic network in the Visayas, beginning with the areas that were hit by typhoon Yolanda,” said Rolando Peña, who heads PLDT’s technology group. “Underground cables are less vulnerable to fiber cuts due to typhoons and landslides. This helps makes our network more resilient and less susceptible to disruptions.” PLDT President and Chief Executive Napoleon Nazareno said that was the company’s way of helping the Visayas region to recover from the devastating impact of the typhoon. “With the Yolanda Project, we are re-connecting

22 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

A view of hurricane damage in the Leyte Province. the affected provinces to the rest of the Philippines and the world with high-quality voice, data, and multimedia services in a much more robust and sustainable manner,” he said. Earlier this year, PLDT fortified its 600-km fiber optic cable network in Northern Luzon, strengthening its capacity to provide multimedia services to an estimated 11 million subscribers of PLDT mobile subsidiaries, Smart and Sun Cellular, and around 450,000 customers of PLDT HOME. PLDT reports that its total fiber assets now top 90,000 km, including the installation of more than 150 km of submarine and inland fiber optic cables that link the island of Bohol with the major urban centers in the Visayas and Mindanao areas.

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FROM:

Paul Uccello, President, Fenn LLC David Somers, CEO, Quality Products Inc.

Rich Past, Bright Future at Fenn... For Fenn, 2014 represents an exciting year of positive change. Ownership of our 114 year old company was acquired by Ohio-based Quality Products, Inc. from SPX Corporation. This is a great outcome for our customers and our companies, and we couldn’t be more excited about our future together. With other businesses in capital equipment manufacturing, we believe QPI has the right combination of business experience and resources to allow Fenn to continue to develop and produce high quality machines right here in Connecticut, USA. As a strategic owner, QPI brings their long term commitment and vision of creating a family of customer focused manufacturers that employ sound engineering knowledge and skill, innovative ideas, and continuous improvement processes. As Fenn transitions into a new partnership with Quality Products, Inc., we want to introduce our customers to QPI. QPI operates in two segments: the Machine Tools and Aircraft Ground Support Equipment. QPI’s Machine Tools segment consists of Multi-Press, Pacific Press and Fenn. With roots tracing back to the 1920’s, Multi-Press is a respected provider of hi-tech hydraulic and electrical control presses including a full line of bench, floor model, and 4-post configurations. Pacific Press is known as a leader in hydraulic press brakes, shears and presses in North America, manufacturing a broad range of metal forming equipment that promises reliability and durability. In the Aircraft Ground Support Equipment category, Columbus Jack has served the aviation industry for decades, providing ground support equipment to commercial, military and civilian aircraft clientele. Over the next several months, you will notice several changes including a soon to be launched new website and a modernized brand. And while we are excited about our future and the innovations that come before us, we continue to remember our roots and our history. Fenn will continue to produce custom engineered machinery to our customer’s specifications, whether it be rolling mill, wire flattening and shaping, drawbench, or turks head applications. In addition, Fenn will also continue to proudly offer its industrial line of products including Torin spring coilers, swagers and impact cut off machines. Along with these product lines, we are committing to a renewed focus on machine service and spare parts support. Today, as a QPI company, Fenn will work to continue its tradition as the industry’s leading provider of metal forming solutions. We are grateful for the opportunity to serve you and look forward to many more years of delivering extraordinary value to you and your business. Sincerely, Paul Uccello President, Fenn LLC

David Somers CEO, Quality Products, Inc.

FASTENER UPDATE

FASTENER UPDATE Harbour acquires Titan Fasteners

Morito Co. buys Scovill Fasteners

Lindstrom, a Harbour Group company, reports that it has acquired the assets of Titan Fastener Products, Inc., a distributor of packaged fasteners, specialty and hard-to-find fasteners, and other related products, “Titan Fasteners is a unique company with a strong market presence, and the Titan team is respected as one of the best in the industry,” said Jeff Fox, Harbour Group’s chairman and CEO. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Per a press release, Titan Fasteners provides more than 45,000 different packaged products to its fastener and industrial distributor customers from its headquarters in Brunswick, Georgia, and additional facilities in Chicago, Illinois. Lindstrom President Mike Wrenn said that the Titan name is well known. “Our combined product offering is over 133,000 SKUs, the broadest line in the industry, and we are very excited by our opportunities as we combine the strengths of both companies.” Lindstrom notes that it is the largest master distributor of metric fasteners in the U.S. “Lindstrom’s culture is a great fit with us,” said Titan President Eric Kuchar. “We realize that one size does not fit all, so we are flexible in our approach. Like Lindstrom, value-added services such as packaging, plating, and kitting are a very large part of what we offer.”

Morito Co., Ltd., a global supplier of apparel fasteners, components for automobiles and cameras, and other niche manufactured products, reports that it has acquired Scovill Fasteners, which will operate as a subsidiary of Morito. Founded in 1802 and based in Clarkesville, Georgia, and Scovill Fasteners develops and manufactures a diverse range of high-performance fasteners for various apparel and industrial markets that produce items such as clothing, sporting goods, boating products and military equipment. Company CEO Craig Stoudt said that Scovill Fasteners has made signiﬁcant improvements across all functional areas of its business and maintained a continued focus on building a culture of excellence. “We are committed to continuing to exceed the expectations of our customers, suppliers, employees and other key stakeholders. Our organization is excited about our future with Morito.” “Scovill Fasteners is an important part our global growth strategy, and will be a strong asset in positioning Morito for the future,” said Morito President Takaki Ichitsubo. “This acquisition is critical to accelerating our strategy of expanding our revenue base and market position outside of Japan. It brings strong beneﬁts to both Morito and Scovill Fasteners, as well as customers and suppliers.” 

24 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

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WAI NEWS

WAI Dec. 2014

MEMBERSHIP

SPOTLIGHT This section introduces a new WAI member each issue.

Scott Dillon Director of Manufacturing Engineering Belden Americas Group

Q: What does your company do? A: Belden Inc. designs and manufactures networking and connectivity products used in broadcast, enterprise and industrial markets globally. Over the last several years, Belden has transformed from a provider of high quality cable to an industry-leading manufacturer of end-to-end signal transmission solutions. Belden’s products are used to ensure reliable and secure transmission of data, audio and video needed for today’s complex and dynamic applications. Q: What is your role there? A: I have a great team that works to drive improvements in safety, quality, delivery and cost primarily in our Industrial and Enterprise Connectivity plants. My team and I are like most people: we wear the hat that is most critical at the time. Besides the focused improvement projects, we are involved in larger strategic projects like acquisitions, plant rearrangements and consolidations. Q: What do you like best about your position? A: I work with a great group of people and our work is always changing. My job allows me to learn from new companies and new cultures. Q: How has the industry most changed? A: Like most industries today, we are tied to the overall economy. Current economic conditions continue to drive companies in our industry to find ways to capture market share or expand the markets they serve. Q: How does your company remain competitive? A: One of the key characteristics that drew me to Belden is that we drive improvements at all levels and functions of the organization, not only shop floor operations. This culture of intense focus on driving process change and equipment improvements is a key priority for Belden. Q: Why did you recently join WAI? A: Our company recently became a Platinum member. I continue to find WJI a valuable read.

26 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Jemma Gregoire Op Eng Wirerope Works Inc

John Mancinelli Ntl Sls Mgr Conneaut Industries Inc

James Brooks Prd Dev Chmst RichardsApex Inc

Adam Michael Grier Reg Sls Mgr Zumbach Electronics Corp

Jeff Rothe Exhbt Mgr Selmarq

Robert Bulitta VP Engr Micro Products Co

Ed Harrington Mgr Engr Micro Products Co

Lynne M Russell Sls Mgr NE DeWal Industries Inc

Hamond Dayal Mgr Dir-Intl Micro Products Co

Skip Hobbie Eng Mgr Harris Products Group

Peter Urbanski Electr Eng Micro Products Co

Scott Dillon Dir of Mfg Eng Belden Americas Group

Mike Larson Sls Rep Dyneon LLC

Adam Fore Sr Tech Micro Products Co

Roland R LeBeau Val Strm Mgr Mercury Wire Products

DECEMBER 2014 | 27

WAI NEWS

Kathy Beaudoin Dir Sls Comtran Cable LLC

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

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

CONVENTION: APRIL 27-30, 2015

EXPOSITION: APRIL 28-30, 2015

A meeting this productive shows up every other year. Georgia World Congress Center | Atlanta, Georgia, USA

Industry leaders are following www.Interwire15.com for details on the largest wire and cable meeting place and marketplace in the Americas. Decidedly the most valuable use of your time...until 2017. Wire & Cable Making Machinery | Live Demonstrations | Supplies & Equipment | New Trends & Products | Global Networking | Educational Focus: Dust Control, Raw Materials, Processing, Applications, Recruiting & Retention, Manufacturing Workshop | Plant Tour: Southwire SCR | Also with WAI’s 2nd Global Continuous Casting Forum

Corporate SponSorS: PLATINUM | Sonoco ReelS and SpoolS • WiRe & plaStic MachineRy coRp. GOLD | continuuS-pRopeRzi S.p.a. SILVER | caRRiS ReelS inc. • GeM GRavuRe co. inc. • nexanS • SikoRa inteRnational coRp. BRONZE | RichaRdSapex inc.

Supporting SponSorS: BauM’S caStoRine co. • cheMSon • coMMiSSion BRokeRS inc. • heRitaGe WiRe die • lloyd & BouvieR inc. The Wire Association International, Inc. | Telephone: (001) 203-453-2777 | www.wirenet.org

PARTICIPATING EXHIBITORS A. Appiani Srl Ace Metal Inc. ADVARIS GmbH Aeroel Srl Agape Industry Inc. AIM Inc. All Forming Machinery Inc. Allied Mineral Products Amacoil Inc. American & Efird Inc. American Kuhne Inc. Anbao Wire & Mesh Co. Ltd. Assomac Machines Ltd. AW Machinery LLC Axjo America Inc. Aztech Lubricants LLC B & H Tool Co. Inc. B & Z Galvanized Wire Ind. Balloffet Die Corp. Baum’s Castorine Co. Inc. Bechem Lubrication Technology LLC Beijing BIHI International Exhibition Co. Ltd. Beijing Orient PengSheng Tech Co. Ltd. Bekaert Bergandi Machinery Co. Beta LaserMike/NDC Technologies Beta Steel Blachford Corp. BLM Group USA Corp. Bloom Engineering Co. Inc. Boockmann GmbH/The Slover Group Bow Technology Breen Color Concentrates Inc. Brookfield Wire Co. Buhler-Wurz Kaltwalztechnik GmbH Butt Welders USA Caballe SA Cable Consultants Corp. Cable Services & Systems Calmec Precision Inc. Candor Sweden AB Canterbury Engineering Co. Inc. Carris Reels Inc. Ceeco Bartell Products, Bartell Machinery Systems Cemanco LC Central Wire Industries Ltd. Ceramtech CERSA-MCI Chase Wire & Cable Materials Chemetall Chengdu Centran Industrial Co. Ltd. Cimteq Clifford Welding Systems Clinton Instrument Co. CM Furnaces Inc CMEC International Exhibition Ltd. CN Wire Corp. Collins & Jewell Co. Inc. Cometo Commission Brokers Inc. Condat Condat Lubricants Conneaut Industries Inc. Continuus-Properzi SpA Custom Machining & Fabrications LLC Daloo Davis-Standard LLC Die Quip Corp. Domeks Makine Ltd. Sti Dynamex Corp. Ebner Furnaces Inc. EJP Maschinen GmbH Electron Beam Technologies Inc. EMSCO Enercon Industries Engineered Machinery Group Inc. Enkotec Co. Inc. Er-Bakir ERA Wire Inc.

Ernst Koch Esteves Group USA Etna Products Inc. Eurobend SA Eurolls Group Srl Eurowire Magazine George Evans Corp. EVG Inc. Evolution Products Fabritex Inc. Fastener Engineers - Lewis Machine Fenn LLC FIB Fil-Tec Inc. Filtertech Inc. Fine International Corp. Finoptics Inc Fisk Alloy Wire Inc. Flymca & Flyro FMS USA Inc. Foerster Instruments Inc. Fort Wayne Wire Die Inc. Fortune Machinery Freedom Technologies Fridea Srl Frigeco USA Inc./ MFL USA Service Corp. Frigerio USA Frontier Composites & Castings Inc. FSP-One Fuhr GmbH & Co. Kg Gavlick Machinery Corp. GCR Eurodraw SpA Gem Gravure Co Inc. Genca W. Gillies Technologies LLC GIMAX srl GMP Slovakia s.r.o Granite Falls Furnace Guill Tool & Engineering Co. Guney Celik Hafner & Krullmann GmbH Hangzhou JR Exhibition Co. Ltd. Hariton Machinery Heany Industries Inc. Heatbath Corp. Henrich Maschinenfabrik GmbH Heritage Wire Die Inc. HFSAB H Folke Sandelin AB Holland Colours Americas Inc. Houghton International Inc. Howar Equipment Inc. Huestis Industrial Huttner Maschinenfabrik ICE Wire Line Equipment Inc. IDEAL Welding Systems INFLEX Inc INHOL LLC InnoVites Inosym Integrated Control Technologies Interequip SA International Wire & Cable Machinery Association IP Automation Inc Isotek Corp. IW/Bare Wire Division IW/High Performance Conductors IWE Spools & Handling GmbH IWG High Performance Conductors Inc. Joe Snee Associates, Inc. Joe-Tools Jouhsen-Bundgens Inc. Kablosan Turkey-FBC Yayincilik Ltd. sti Kalmark Intergrated Systems Ltd. KEIR Manufacturing Inc. Keystone Steel & Wire Co. Kieselstein GmbH King Steel Corp. Kinrei of America KMK Lamnea Bruk AB

Kopilowitz Engineering Ltd. Lake Michigan Metals Inc. LaserLinc Inc. Leggett & Platt Wire Group Leoni Wire Inc. Lesmo Machinery America Inc. Lloyd & Bouvier Inc. Lubrimetal Corp. LUKAS Anlagenbau GmbH M+E Madison Steel Inc. Magnetic Technologies Ltd. Maillefer Extrusion Oy Mario Frigerio SpA Mathiasen Machinery Inc. Messe Düsseldorf North America Metal Resource Solutions Inc. Metalloid Corp. Metallurgical Council of China MFL USA Service Corp. MGS Manufacturing Inc. Micro Products Co. Microdia USA Mid-South Wire Morgan-Koch Corp. Mossberg Associates Inc. Mossberg Industries Inc. Neptco Nextrom OY Niagara Composites Int’l.Inc. Niehoff Endex North America Inc. Maschinenfabrik NIEHOFF GmbH & Co KG Nimsco LLC / SB2C Numalliance North America Inc. Oklahoma Steel & Wire OMCG North America Inc. OM Lesmo Otomec Srl Ozyasar Tel Ve Galvanizleme P & R Specialty Inc. P/A Industries Paramount Die Co. Parkway-Kew Corp. Troester Maschinenfabrik GmbH & Co. KG Pentre Group Ltd.-Hearl Heaton Phifer Wire Inc. Pioneer USA Pittsfield Plastics Eng. Inc. PKG Equipment Inc. Plas-Ties Co. Plastic Equip LLC Plasticolor Plymouth Wire Reels & Dies Inc. Pneumatic Power Tool & Co. Polytec Inc. Pourtier Pourtier & Setic of America Precision Die Technologies Inc. Premier Wire Die PrintSafe Process Control Corp. Progressive Machinery Inc. Promostar srl Properzi International Inc. Proton Products PWM QED Wire Lines Inc. Queins Machines GmbH Raajratna Stainless Wire Inc. RAD-CON Inc. Radyne Corp. Rainbow Rubber & Plastics Rautomead Ltd. Reber Systematic GmbH + Co KG REDEX Reel-O-Matic Inc. Refractron Technologies Corp. RichardsApex Inc. Rizzardi Rockford Manufacturing Group Inc. continued

30 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

WAI NEWS

PARTICIPATING EXHIBITORS (cont’d) Roloil Rosendahl GmbH Rosendahl Nextrom Technologies Roteq Machinery Inc. RSD Group USA RTD Manufacturing S&E Specialty Polymers Saint-Gobain SAMP SpA SAMP USA Inc. SAMPSISTEMI Sarkuysan SA Schlatter Inc. Schmidt Maschinenbau GmbH Scienscope International Setic Shanghai Pudong International Exhibition Co. Sikora International Corp. SIMPACKS Sirio Wire Sivaco Wire Group Sjogren Industries Inc. SKET Verseilmaschinenbau GmbH Sonoco Reels Spirka Schnellflechter GmbH STAKU- Anlagenbau Starrett-Bytewise Measurement Systems Stolberger Inc DBA Wardwell Braiding August Strecker GmbH & Co KG Subec AB Sudhir Enterprises Sylvin Technologies Inc. T & T Marketing Inc. Talledega Castings & Machine Co. Tantec Est Inc. Tapeformers Ltd. Taubensee Steel & Wire Co. Taymer International Inc. Tecnofil SA Teknikor Teknor Apex Tensor Machinery Ltd. Thermoplastics Engineering Corp. Tien Chen Diamond Industry Co.Ltd. Tramev Traxit North America LLC Tubular Products Co. Tulsa Power Inc. United Wire Co. Inc. UPCAST OY Vandor Corp. VINSTON US Corp. Vollmer America Inc. Vom Hagen & Funke GmbH W3 Ultrasonics LLC WAFIOS Machinery Corp. WCISA / Wire Forming Technology International Weber & Scher Mfg. Co. Inc. Welding Wire Machineries Windak Inc. Wire & Cable Technology International Wire & Plastic Machinery Corp. Wire Association International, Inc. Wire Journal International Wire Lab Co. Wire Machine Systems (WMS) Wire World WiTechs Witels Albert USA Ltd. Woodburn Diamond Die Inc. Worth Steel & Machinery Inc. Woywod Kunststoffmaschinen GmbH & Co Vertriebs KG Yield Management Corp. Zumbach Electronics Corp.

WAI will soon “rightsize” with a move from its headquarters (since 1976) to a smaller office in Madison.

WAI is on the move...literally The WAI has sold the headquarters that was built in Guilford, Connecticut, in 1976 and will soon be moving about six miles to the second floor of an office building in nearby Madison. At one point during the late 1990s, the Association had 25 full-time employees packed into the site, but as the heady days of the late 1990s faded and electronics enabled more to be done with less, staffing was reduced. The office today has 12 employees, and as WAI Executive Director Steve Fetteroll explains in his editorial (see p. 6), WAI’s Board of Directors supported a move to a smaller, more cost-effective headquarters.

Former Navy commander named as keynote speaker for Interwire 2015 Mike Abrashoff, who took command of one of the poorest performing ships in the U.S. Navy and transformed it into an award-winner as well as the basis of a best-seller book, It’s Your Ship, will be the keynote speaker at Interwire 2015. At age 36, Abrashoff, the most junior commanding officer in the Pacific Fleet, was named Commander of the USS Benfold. The ship was said to have had exceptionally low morale and unacceptably high turnover and few thought that this ship could improve. In many ways, the USS Benfold was actually an extreme example of the same problems facMike Abrashoff ing many organizations today. Abrashoff’s solution was to establish a system of management techniques he calls “The Leadership Roadmap.” His leadership approach was a process of replacing command and control with commitment and cohesion, and by engaging the hearts, minds, and loy-

The best way to deliver an encore is to add to the cast.

Aluminum joins copper for WAI’s second Global Continuous Casting Forum April 27 - 30, 2015 | Atlanta, Georgia, USA | With Interwire 2015 Join a renowned ensemble of continuous casting practitioners, raw material suppliers, and equipment manufacturers on an educational journey from ore to more at WAI’s second Global Continuous Casting Forum. Shared sessions. Independent technical tracks. Unalloyed networking. All focused on saving money through performance-based casting technologies. www.castingforum15.com.

ADVANCE REGISTRATION FORM Convention: April 27-30, 2015 | Exhibits: April 28-30, 2015 Georgia World Congress Center | Atlanta, Georgia, USA

4. EVENT REGISTRATION (Required) *advance (on or before March 29, 2015) | *on-site (after March 29, 2015) *advance

LAST NAME

*on-site

FULL REGISTRATION PLUS NEW WAI MEMBERSHIP (BL/AEM) FIRST NAME

MIDDLE

Includes exhibits, opening reception, technical sessions & online proceedings, production solutions, keynote lunch, and one year WAI membership.

TITLE

New Member

$425 q

$525 q

Member

$375 q

$475 q

Non Member

$475 q

$575 q

$75 q

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FULL REGISTRATION (BL/AE)

COMPANY

Includes exhibits, opening reception, technical sessions & online proceedings, production solutions and keynote lunch.

STREET/MAILING ADDRESS

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2ND ADDRESS LINE IF NEEDED CITY

Tuesday-Thursday, April 28-30, 2015 Includes exhibits and production solutions. STATE/PROV.

POSTAL CODE

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Tuesday, April 28, 2015 Note: opening reception is already included in full registration fees.

COUNTRY CODE TELEPHONE (include area code)

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E-MAIL (Required) [

]

2. BUSINESS INFORMATION (Required)

FUNDAMENTALS OF WIRE MANUFACTURING (Includes Exhibits) (GDS) Monday, April 27, 2015 Includes program handouts, lunch, exhibits, and production solutions. q Ferrous Track (FT) q Nonferrous/Electrical Track (NT)

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$275 q

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A. Which ONE of the following best describes your company’s type of business? CHECK ONLY ONE. WIRE MANUFACTURING 10 q Aluminum & Al. Alloys (Rod/Bar, Bare Wire) 20 q Copper & Copper Alloys (Rod/Bar, Bare Wire) 30 q Steel & Steel Alloys (Rod/Bar, Bare Wire) 40 q Other Metal (Rod/Bar, Bare Wire) 50 q Electrical (Insulated Wire) 53 q Communication (Insulated Wire) 55 q Fiber Optics FASTENERS, WIRE FORMING, FABRICATING 61 q Fastener Manufacture 62 q Four-Slide Forming 64 q Hot and/or Cold Forming and Heading 66 q Spring Manufacture 68 q Wire Cloth Mesh Screening 69 q Other Forming and Fabricating Please Specify ___________________________

SUPPLIERS TO THE WIRE INDUSTRY 72 q Machinery 74 q Process, Accessories, Materials WIRE END-USER 11 q Appliance 12 q Communications (Voice/Data) 13 q Computer 14 q Construction/Building 15 q Electrical (Equip./Components/Power) 16 q Transportation/Vehicular 17 q Wire Formed Durable Goods OTHER 80 q Service Cntrs, Distrib. & Warehouses 90 q Consultants 92 q Govt., Library, Others Allied to Field

B. Which ONE of the following best describes your primary job function? CHECK ONLY ONE. 10 q General & Administrative Management 20 q Engineering and/or Operations and/or Production 30 q Technical and/or Research & Development and/or Quality Control 40 q Purchasing 50 q Sales & Marketing 90 q Other Please Specify _____________________________________________________________

SOUTHWIRE ROD MILL TOUR (SR) Monday, April 27, 2015 Note: Space is limited and preference will be given to full conference registrants. Individual registrations subject to approval.

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MANUFACTURING MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP (MMW) Thursday, April 30, 2015 Note: Space is limited and preference will be given to full conference registrants.

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GLOBAL CONTINUOUS CASTING FORUM (CCF) Monday-Thursday, April 27-30, 2015 Includes Global Continuous Casting Forum AND Interwire 2015 Exhibits, Full Technical Program, and Opening Reception.

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Three industry presentations have been scheduled to be held on Tuesday, April 28, at the Global Continuous Casting Forum (GCCF), which will be co-located with Interwire 2015 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The ﬁrst of the afternoon presentations is “Copper: The Metal for the Future,” by Stephen J. Ruth, Freeport McMoRan Sales Co. Inc., USA. This presentation will brieﬂy review the current state of the copper market and examine the future uses of this innovative metal in an ever-changing world. The second presentation is “The Outlook for Global Aluminum and Aluminum Wire Rod Markets,” by Paul Williams, CRU Group, U.K. It will cover the outlook for aluminum over the next two years, discussing whether the current improvement in the market will continue. The third presentation, “Global Scrap Markets,” is by Mike Jaap, USA. It will review change in the nonferrous copper and aluminum scrap markets over the past 20 years, and look at what may be to come. For more on the programs at GCCF, visit the event website at www.castingforum15.com.

Interwire 2015 update: less than 5% of the exhibit space is still available Five months out from WAI’s staging of Interwire 2015 in Atlanta, exhibitors have now accounted for more than 95% of the floor plan’s 106,100 sq ft at the Georgia World Congress Center. “We’ve continued to see late interest, and that includes some first-time exhibitors, which is always very welcome,” said WAI Sales Director Bob Xeller. He noted that all of the larger booths have been taken, but that if demand continues to stream in, it may be possible to expand the floor plan.

We haven’t improved our wire straighteners. We improved wire straightening. Sjogren lets you improve the way you work right now: subtle engineering details make big differences in productivity. No matter what material, application, scale or configuration you rely on — work how you want, only better.

SJOGREN.COM • 508.987.3206

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DECEMBER 2014 | 33

WAI NEWS

3 industry perspectives set for co-located Global Continuous Casting Forum (GCCF)

alties of workers—with conviction and humility. His methods brought about breakthrough results. Personnel turnover decreased to an unprecedented 1%, the rate of military promotions tripled and the crew slashed operating expenses by 25%. Regarded now as the ﬁnest ship in the Paciﬁc Fleet, the USS Benfold won the prestigious Spokane Trophy for having the highest degree of combat readiness. Abrashoff recounted the leadership lessons from his turnaround of USS Benfold in his book, which has sold more than 800,000 copies to date. At Interwire, he will discuss his approach, the essence of which can apply to any business.

CHAPTER CORNER

CHAPTER CORNER Trio wins Western Chapter golf tourney The 32 golfers who took part in the Western Chapter’s 14th Annual Golf Tournament, which was held Oct. 20 at the Sierra Lakes Golf Course in Fontana, California, were blessed with a perfect sunny day in the 80s.

From l-r, the winning team of Michael Weiss, Paul Gemelli and Marty Kenner. It was also a doubly-good day for the winning team of Michael Weiss, Whitmor/Wirenetics; Paul Gemelli, Gem Gravure; and Marty Kenner, Commission Brokers, who took ﬁrst place with a ﬁnal score that was 16 under par. Second place went to the team of Fred Camarena, Jr., Camarena Associates; John Gomez, Helistrand; and Philip Shows, Neptco. Taking third was the team of Michael Howard, Coast Wire & Plastic Tech; David Cobb, Teknor Apex; Richard Aldrich and Gareth Davis. “No matter whether you win or not, the golf tournament never gets old,” said event organizer Michael Howard. Coast Wire & Plastic Tech. “We get to see each other, have a great time and raise money for our scholarship fund.” Howard also wanted to thank the following event sponsors: Blue Moon Commodities, Southland, Leoni, Teknor Apex, Commission Brokers, Q-S Technologies.

34 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

IWG/High Performance Conductors, F. Camarena, Rubadue, JMS Machinery and Whitmor/Wirenetics.

Bribery, blackmail, seduction and more are on tap for N.E. Chapter’s meeting It may not be highbrow theater, but attendees at the New England Chapter’s annual meeting, to be held Jan. 29, 2015, at the Mohegan Sun Resort Conference Center, are likely to be highly amused when they are entertained by a traveling troupe from Brickroad Productions. The production, called “Hard Candy,” will present the story of job applicants at Banff Enterprises who will do anything to claw their way up the corporate ladder. Per the description, “In a fast-paced series of hilarious interviews, the new recruits try every trick in the book, from bribery, nepotism, and the Old Boy Network to blackmail, seduction and mind control.” Actors from a past producThe event will also include tion of “Hard Candy” by the naming of new officers Brickroad Productions. and, as ever, much networking and camaraderie. Also, the on-site raffle to benefit the chapter’s scholarship fund will include tickets to a Boston Red Sox game. Different company sponsorships are available, with Platinum at $500, Gold at $350, Silver at $250 and Bronze at $150. Tickets are $120 for chapter members, $130 for WAI members, and $140 for non-members. To register and for more details, contact WAI’s Anna Bzowski at tel. 203453- 2777, ext. 126, abzowski@wirenet.org.

I can help WAI members learn more about copper, continuous casting, and process innovation. Q: Why did you join WAI? A: To network and connect with like-minded business professionals and enhance my career development through WAI technical programs and contacts. I also like the ability to meet many suppliers in one location.

Q: Why do you renew your membership? A: To stay abreast of the latest technologies for a competitive edge and keep in touch with friends and colleagues from around the world. I am at the point in my career that I would like to give back to the WAI and our industry by being a voice for manufacturing.

Q: What would you be doing if you hadn’t become involved in the wire industry?

A: I’d be in the metals industry. I like metallurgy and molten metals.

Gary Spence VP Nonferrous Metals | Encore Wire Corp. Member Since: 1980

Q: What do your co-workers say about you? A: They think I am always trying to improve something, innovative, very knowledgeable of copper continuous casting, results oriented, outspoken, and fair.

Q: What did your most valuable WAI contact help Meet Gary Spence. One of WAI’s worldwide members. One compelling story. You’ll find Gary where innovation and old-world ethics collide. He’s continuously improving. In 43 years he’s gathered more information on copper continuous casting than most will ever learn—until April 2015, that is, when he will join a casting call of his international colleagues at Interwire for the second global continuous casting forum of his design. The encore? Aluminum will join his cast. He’s an expert. An optimistic leader. And, he’s emblematic of the knowledge base accessible through WAI. Gary’s profile reveals key themes familiar to all distinguished personalities, namely:

you do?

A: Many helped further my professional development and assisted me in achieving product and process improvements. I now have global contacts to communicate with via the Internet at anytime.

Q: Who was your mentor? A: My parents; they instilled a strong work ethic. I have also been fortunate to work for three outstanding companies all with strong, innovative leadership.

Q: Who is the most famous person you’ve met? A: I met Brooks Robinson—the Baltimore Oriole third baseman with a golden glove—at a ball game in San Francisco.

Q: What do you do for leisure? A: You can find me at a health club, on my Harley, or by the water.

MNEMONIC TIP: GARY SPENCE. GARY SPENDS TIME ON INNOVATION.

Q: What is your lifelong ambition? A: In business to be recognized as an expert by my peers. To be the best I can be at whatever I pursue.

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Meet your peers. Achieve your goals. Join WAI’s community at www.wirenet.org. The Wire Association International, Inc. 1570 Boston Post Road | P.O. Box 578 | Guilford, CT 06437-0578 USA | Telephone: (001) 203-453-2777 | Fax: (001) 203-453-8384 | www.wirenet.org

EVENT REVIEW

WRAP-UP

Representatives from multiple industry organizations that supported Wire & Cable India outside the venue prior to the opening.

Good showing at Wire & Cable India Organizers of Wire & Cable India, which was co-located at the Bombay Convention & Exhibition Center in Mumbai with Tube India International and Metallurgy India 2014, report that the collective events conﬁrmed the importance of the trade shows at reaching the industry market in India. A press release from organizers Messe Düsseldorf/ Messe Düsseldorf India said that their three collective events saw 388 exhibitors from 25 countries present

Activity on the show ﬂoor for the wire and cable event.

36 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

their latest technology and services. In addition to individual exhibitors, the trade fairs featured country group exhibits from Austria, China, Germany, Italy and North America. A total of 10,600 trade visitors came, seeking innovations, technologies and trends in the relevant sectors. “Exhibitors were pleased with the high participation of visitors with decision-making authority and praised their pre-show preparations. Many exhibitors have already announced that they plan to exhibit again in 2016.” Industry groups supporting the events included the International Wire and Cable Exhibitors Association (IWCEA), the International Wire & Machinery Association (IWMA), the Italian Wire Machinery Manufacturers Association (ACIMAF), the Wire and Cable Industry Suppliers Association USA (WCISA), the International Tube Association (ITA) and the German Engineering Federation (VDMA). Also, the Steel Wire Manufacturers Association of India (SWMAI), the Institute for Steel Development & Growth (INSDAG) and the Indian Stainless Steel Development Association (ISSDA). “The IWMA was honored to support the 5th international exhibition for the wire and cable industry in India,” said IWMA Executive Manager Andy Lewis. “We were able to support our existing members at the show as well as meet with industry colleagues and new many new contacts alike.”

REELS AND DRUMS

Dave Forber, c, talks to attendees at the Wire & Plastic Machinery booth. Exhibitors were generally pleased with the results. “The show was very well organized,” said Daniel Thomas, managing director, Niehoff of India PVT Ltd. “There was good attendance from the entire industry despite the tough economic environment in India.” Wilson Ling, executive vice director, Shanghai Electric Cable Research Institute (SECRI), said that his organization has taken part in the event several times because it believes in supporting the communication of the China and India wire and cable industry. “This trade fair has established its leading position in South Asia. We are delighted to see the number of exhibitors and visitors growing and more opportunities of cooperation and exchange.” Dr. Kalliopi Jain, director of continuous improvement for Associated Engineers & Industrial Ltd, said that the event provides a good forum to interact with existing customers and showcase new developments. “It has always been the right place to start and establish good friendships in the industry and to approach new clients. Especially this year, it has been an excellent show for our company.” Rahul Sachdev, executive vice president, Wire & Plastic Machinery, said that the show got off to a slow start due to a national holiday the previous week, but that the next two days were much better. “Not only was attendance up but we noticed that quite a few higher management personnel and key decision makers were walking the aisles. We had a constant ﬂow of these individuals at our booth and held some very productive meetings.” The event will return to Mumbai for the next staging on Oct. 5-7, 2016. For more details on attending or exhibiting, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America, tel. 312-781-5180, info@mdna. com, www.mdna.com.

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SEPTEMBER 2014 | 37

INDUSTRY EVENT

EVENT REVIEW

Metal reels for wire and cable. Process and transport.

FEATURE

Agents & agencies It is not every person who is willing to forgo a steady paycheck to take their chances to go out on their own as an agent. Who are these people who serve as the “middle man” between OEMs and customers? In this feature, representatives from 11 such companies, both single and multiple agents, discuss their field. It also includes the thoughts of one supplier and one distributor.

WJI: How has the role of an agency changed over the years? I am not sure for others, but for us the method and goal remains the same. Provide a complete service whereby a North America manufacturer works seamlessly with the representative to receive goods and have said goods serviced in a timely manner. The internet has surely changed the ﬁeld considerably, as information is available readily, yet it has constantly documented that the information is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to completing a project. A good agent always ensures that the needs of the customers as well as the manufacturers are met. HOWAR Equipment.

At Interwire 2013, HOWAR Equipment staff

AGENTS/AGENCIES (AND ONE DISTRIBUTOR) IN FEATURE Rick Amaral/Amaral Automation Associates (amaralautomation.com): During my years of selling and managing for a single manufacturer, I noticed customers would constantly ask for help beyond the product I was promoting. That got me to think that developing relationships and supporting customer needs would be more fun than just pedaling a product. Hence, we were reborn as Amaral Associates! Fred Hardy, Cable Consultants Corp. (cableconsultantscorp.com): El-Tech Technology, Inc./Cable Consultants Corporation (CCC) was founded in 1962 by Dr. Dimitri Stein, who in the early 1950s recognized the need for the technical exchange of ideas between Europe and America.

38 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Fred Camarena, F. Camarena, Inc. (fredcamarena@gmail.com): In 1989, while working for Phelps Dodge, I was asked to transfer from Venezuela to Chile. I reached out to wire and cable industry colleagues and got inquiries for assistance. Companies began asking me to represent them on the west coast as well as in Mexico, and that was the foundation for the company. Rainier Lashofer/CEMANCO (ceramco.com): CEMANCO was founded in the late 1980s as the U.S. subsidiary of Germany’s Witels Albert to better penetrate the American market. In 1996, Beliza Lashofer and I bought the company and relocated to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Eight years later, we completed a new ware-

house and moved to Pompano Beach, Florida. Mark Garretson, Flynn-Garretson Associated Companies, LLC (flynngarretson.com): Five years ago, I was looking for rewarding work that would satisfy my long-term needs. At that time, there were few jobs, even for someone with my decades of experience in the PVC compounding industry. Chris Hauer, HOWAR Equipment (howarequipment.com): HOWAR Equipment was founded in 2003 as a source for comprehensive lines of accessories for manufacturing wire and cable, all from high-quality European suppliers.

Joe Snee, Joe Snee Associates (joe@jsnee.com). After working with two companies for 16 years, the last four in a rep agency, I decided to form my company in early 2012. Hindsight being 20/20, this is something that I should have done years before. Rene Mayer, Mossberg Associates, Inc. (mossberg-reel. com). Our parent company closed our U.S. manufacturing facility and asked John Henschel and myself to continue to handle sales. The understanding was that at some point we would have to become independent agents to continue to selling for them. We formed our company and six years later were on our own.

FEATURE

I would say that a career as an agent has become more short-lived. It used to be (particularly in Europe) that you secured a few good companies to represent and would typically be with these companies for decades. When I became managing director of Joachim Uhing KG in Kiel, Germany, in 1993, I was instantly fascinated by the war stories of their five national and 20-plus international agents that I would see regularly for meetings. These agents were mostly engineers with vast experience in the industry and impeccable knowledge about every product they represented. I was also impressed by stories about how much money you could make as a good agent and how nicely their companies would treat them during shows and meetings. Being an agent was a desirable, lifelong career that not only required the right background but also the ability to “charm” potential customers into buying. There was true loyalty between agents and manufacturers but with the industry falling on harder times in the 1980s, the resulting bankruptcies, mergers and downsizing changed the work environment for agents considerably; it became more challenging to find financially sound companies with competitive products. I don’t think that the role of an agency has changed that much but working circumstances have certainly become more difficult for aspiring agents. Business with a particular company may last for a few years but then thin out due to increasing competitive requirements, making it necessary to regularly find new promising companies. Also, becoming an agent sometimes is the result of a desperate attempt to continue work in the industry after a layoff. As a result, agents often take on too many mismatched products and drop brochures instead of assisting companies with their

CEMANCO’s Rainier and Beliza Lashofer purchasing decisions. On the other side, I noticed that companies are not as willing to spend money and time to properly train their agents. Sometimes it seems to be more like “trial and error”: let the agent run for a few months and see what turns up; if not enough, go ﬁnd another agent. Please note that this is a personal observation and absolutely not meant to generalize or discredit hard-working agents and companies. CEMANCO. Our role has changed over the years from a company licensing cable manufacturing systems to a company marketing cabling machines and welding technology. In principal, little has changed in the role of an agency over the years. Regular contact between CCC technical staff and cable and welded tube producers is still extremely important. Cable Consultants Corp.

Don Young, Protec Inc. (dyoung6775@gmail.com): Protec actually started in 1995 as the sales department for Hi-Draw Machinery in the U.K. and Chemserve-Trio in South Africa. When both closed in 2002, I was let go. I bought the company to carry on as a sales agency and consulting business. John Reills and Jessica Hoogendoorn, T & T Marketing (ttmarketinginc.com). Founded in 1988 as a one-man consulting firm, T & T Marketing grew into a sales representation and distribution company. We inventory wire and cable materials and offer compounding capabilities that include a polymer testing lab facility.

Patrick Carney, Technical Marketing Services (tmspat@cox. net): Some 10-15 years ago, several overseas equipment manufacturers decided they wanted to make a change from a direct sales force to an agent-based concept. Fabio Bellina, TKT Group (tktgroup.it). TKT Group was founded in 1945 with the ambitious aim of providing to the Italian wire industry specific lubricants for the wire drawing. Until that year, standard industrial soaps were used and TECNOVO was the first company to start this kind of production in Italy. Next year we will proudly celebrate our company's 70th anniversary.

DECEMBER 2014 | 39

FEATURE

This role has definitely changed over the years. I have become more of a consultative partner with my clients’ businesses, anywhere from looking for other business opportunities to referrals for open positions. As a private representative, I have also seen a change in responsibilities on how to run a financially sound business. In today’s market, you have to be more pro-active in your own collections. As the economy has fluctuated throughout the years, securing payments is a key to your success. F. Camarena, Inc.

In my brief tenure the role is not only to be able to work with the customer with one’s own products but also to be able to serve as a resource when called upon. At the end of the day though, the main role is to ﬁnd a solution for the customer. It is important to build a relationship with all of your contacts. Joe Snee Associates. Previously, many agencies were only commercially based. Now, agencies must also be able to provide customers with technically competent solutions. Compared to

A supplier’s perspective: the right agent can make a huge difference and have enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship ever since. He has been very proactive in acquiring qualified leads across a variety of industries, and continues to help us expand our customer base. What makes him special? He has a thorough understanding of our client’s project goals and technical specifications, and that makes it possible for us to provide the ideal solution at a competitive WJI: How important are agents to your company? price. His attention to detail and Zenhye: Agents enable us to customer focus has assisted Fenn better conduct business on a in establishing excellent client global scale. With Fenn machinrelationships. The importance of ery sold in nearly 30 countries, finding the right agent truly cannot agents play a crucial role in be overestimated. facilitating personal relationships One other point, when conductwith our customers. Our goal is ing business on a global scale, to fully understand each customit is crucial to stay cognizant of er’s application and technical cultural differences and language specifications, and local agents barriers. Agents have an importhelp to provide that detailed level ant role in getting both parties on of service across a variety of culJacquelyn Zenhye and Namdeo Ranjane the same page. tures, languages and industries. We believe that based on our size and the nature of our WJI: How do you decide what are reasonable expectabusiness, the only way to successfully drive exports is tions for an agent in a given country? through the use of an agent. Zenhye: The true indicator of an agent’s success is the volume and quality of inquiries and the resulting volume of WJI: What do you look for in an agent? sales. Every country has its own economic challenges, trends Zenhye: Technical knowledge, paired with diligence, and trade regulations, making the sales approach different are key attributes for a successful agent. We sell both for every agent. Regular communication between Fenn and standard and highly customizable machinery for a variety our agents helps maintain awareness of these conditions. of metal-forming applications. It is important for an agent Agents serve as the voice of the customer. They communito have the technical inclination to learn and understand cate technical and service inquiries, and we, in turn, strive to our products and applications. This technical ability is provide specialized support wherever possible. crucial to be able to recognize opportunities and gather all the necessary details so we can propose the best solution. WJI: Do you have openings for agents at this time? Some countries are considered more difficult to export Zenhye: Fenn is always looking for new, qualified to than others, but our agents have been instrumental in agent talent, both domestically and abroad. Particular creating success stories. India, for example is considered a areas of interest are: Brazil, Mexico, South East Asia and challenging market for some, but Fenn has enjoyed repeatEastern and Western Europe, however we encourage all ed success largely due to the diligence of our agent there, interested parties to reach out to us. Qualified individuals Namdeo Ranjane. We met Namdeo through networking can contact us at info@fenn-torin.com.

The Fenn Division of Quality Products, Inc., has been a global supplier of metal-forming equipment for more than a century. The U.S.-based company uses agents to sell its metal-forming machinery around the world. Below, Jacquelyn Zenhye, director of marketing, Fenn LLC, discusses the company’s view of agents with WJI.

40 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

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FEATURE

years ago, when cable factories had large technical staffs, current staffing levels dictate that the cable makers make use of “outside” assistance, i.e., an experienced agent. Technical Marketing Services. Customers run hot and cold on agents, depending on how much the agent has to offer. It’s kind of like going to Home Depot and asking for help. The response you get quickly reveals if the guy knows more than you. If so, the next time you need assistance you will seek out that guy. It’s no different with this industry. A broad-based knowledgeable agent has to show the customer they are getting a value stream support partner, otherwise they will feel they are paying for a “suit,” not a product. Agents cannot rely on just being the expert in their product line: they need to Rick Amaral, Amaral Associates spend time understanding the full scope of the customer’s business in order to speak to their needs beyond one product. This is one of the frustrations as an agent. Sometimes we really know something but a customer may not believe it. Sometime we literally don’t know, and we look to the customer to help develop the solution. That can work against us, unless we have a relationship with them. Then we get “you can pay for lunch for me teaching you.” Amaral Associates. This business has not changed significantly over the years that I’ve been in the industry. Years ago, I believe agents were most successful with “relationship selling” among people they had worked closely with in the industry. Today, I find less emphasis from many customers on personal relationships, although they remain extremely valuable, and more on the depth of business relationships. Buyers and engineers do not have as much available time. They do far more work and have limited personal time. To participate in relationship building activities such as industry group sponsored golf outings, and even trade events, requires a substantial investment of valuable time. They need information specific to the projects at hand. Our value as an agent today comes from having the products and data our customers need—when they need it—and the ability to watch over the customer’s business needs proactively. Our supply partners also have a need for timely, accurate exchanges of detailed requirements. They count on agencies to use their assets in personnel and equipment with the same courtesy we show to our customers. Flynn-Garretson. I find more companies using sales agents, if not completely covering all sales functions, then at least to supplement their sales group. This is especially true for international companies as they have to be able to cover a larger world market for lower sales expenses while utilizing a smaller sales organization. The advantage of using agents is that a company only generates a sales expense after the sale is made. Protec Inc. Competition has increased a lot and so has the economic scenario, which day-by-day can quickly change. At the same time, new technology development drives companies to continuously assess their product 42 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

I like to think we have broken the mold of a typical agent by selling one product, working with several partners. We tried to add other products, but that did not work well, so we decided to do what we knew best. We spend 100% of our time working on one product line: designing and selling metal reels. Mossberg Associates.

WJI: What kind of background does a person need to be a good agent? Does it help to be a maverick? As an agent you have to be able to not only satisfy your customer, but also the partner companies you represent. It is the most difﬁcult part of the job, because you have no control over the manufacturing schedules. Yes, you need industry and product expertise, but have to be the type of person that can balance the needs of a customer verses your suppliers capabilities. Mossberg Associates.

FEATURE

portfolio. For all those reasons, the role of an agency is increasingly a strategic choice. It’s far more that of an external business service dealing with customers on public relations. Today, an agency has to be the natural extension of their client’s internal sales force, with the same mission, same policy and same vision of headquarters. Fabio Bellina, TKT Group.

Pat Carney, Technical Marketing Services

To be a good agent you must be able to gain the trust of your customers by providing a high quality product and be able to technically support it . . . the product must be able to produce “as advertised.” Of course, an engineering background along with cable making experience is a virtual requirement in today’s climate. Technical Marketing Services. Professional, reliable and customer oriented. There’s no precise “identikit” of a good agent; that person needs to be a good sales manager, be ﬂexible and able to adapt the

DECEMBER 2014 | 43

FEATURE

approach method depending on the context, country, company roles and types of clients. Good industry expertise is well appreciated, but often “soft skills” have a leading role in negotiations. TKT Group. Beyond industry expertise, an agent must be able to listen and fully understand what the client is seeking. An agent must also be able to decide when to offer the client the “special” machines he needs and when to offer the standard machines his principal produces. The agent has to be able to interact with all departments involved

Fred Hardy, Cable Consultants Corporation

44 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

in a project. Good communication and people skills are essential for a good agent/representative. An outgoing personality will always be an advantage but good product knowledge and the ability to follow through will bring better results. Cable Consultants Corp. Foremost, a good agent needs patience and a thorough understanding of the industry because even a lot of sales talent does not help you when you are barking up the wrong tree. Sometimes I still don’t get why we can’t close a sale when our product ﬁts the application perfectly, offers obvious advantages in terms of cost and/or quality and to top it, we have it in stock. Now, it could be that the person I am dealing with really does not like me or my strange accent, but often it is more that the responsible person on the customer side is overwhelmed with work on a regular basis and will just repeat order parts without regard for price or quality in order to save time. I am convinced that this very real scenario causes a lot of unnecessary costs. Another reason for rejection is fear: if you are responsible for replacement parts, machine components and machinery, every change of suppliers that you authorize or support may lead to problems that can affect production, and guess who will be spanked? So, in many cases even the best product knowledge or genius does not help you close the sale; only friendly persistence and repetition may be able to help convince the customer to give you and your product a

Open-mindedness, and well rounded. It is very tricky to ensure that all parties are represented fairly as the representative needs to consider the needs of both the customers and the manufacturers. There are often different cultures and languages at work and the representative needs to know how to juggle these. Knowing different languages is a key asset as well since this bridges the communication gap. HOWAR Equipment. People skills are extremely important in running your own agency. Every client is different; each one has a preference in terms of how they would like to be treated. You need to have an intuitive understanding of how best to deal with them. Of course, you also must have the skills, expertise and knowledge to be able to communicate and recommend outcomes and products. You need to be able to

FEATURE

chance. Include as many relevant people who are involved in decision-making in your regular contact materials like brochures, emails, newsletters and possibly visits. The ability to deal with rejection is an essential key to being a successful agent today. Last but not least, you must do your homework with your product. If it is a dud compared to the industry standard, ﬁnd a supplier with a better product or do something else. The same goes if your supplier does not care about promised delivery dates and you take a beating for “lying” to your customer. CEMANCO.

Fred Camarena, F. Camarena, Inc. understand your clients’ needs, and that requires industry experience, and as a representative you must be able to continue to learn as well. As far as being a maverick, that comes with the territory: you cannot be timid or afraid to take a risk in presenting your recommendations and ideas to your customers. F. Camarena, Inc. A person must know their core business intimately. A strong background in both the sales and technical aspects of this core business is critical to long-term success. Each person who decides to take this career

DECEMBER 2014 | 45

FEATURE

A distributor’s take: a similar yet different sales role Founded in 1988 as a one-man consulting firm, T & T Marketing grew into a sales representation and distribution company with a “virtual” office. A specialty distributor with an extensive product line, it inventories and distributes everything from bare copper to filling, shielding, insulating and jacketing products. It also offers a variety of services as well as compounding capabilities, including a polymer testing lab facility. It is one of the few exclusive wire and cable distributors in the U.S. and Canada. Below are replies the company provided about its role in the wire and cable industry. WJI: How do you differ from an agent? T & T: Although T & T offers some representation services for our suppliers, the majority of our business is distribution. This means we stock material in warehouses, offer our own technical support, do our own marketing, have a dedicated customer service team and have a team of industry-experienced sales people. We also develop our own compounds.

setting. However, you do have to evaluate potential reps differently than for a traditional ofﬁce setting. Our employees have to be organized and capable of working independently. Some people just aren’t disciplined enough to work from home. WJI: How have tech advances impacted distributors? T & T: The advances in technology are really what have made the way T & T does business possible. The implementation of new channels of communication allows our employees to stay connected throughout the day and make it easier for team members to collaborate. Similarly, technology also allows us to respond much faster to customer needs than in the past.

WJI: What makes a distributor successful? T & T: T & T has continued to grow and develop because we strive to be flexible and dynamic. We want to have a one-on-one relationship with our customers and have the capabilities to address their unique needs. We work with our customers to identify what materials are best suited to their needs and to find ways where we can help their businesses From l-r at IWCS, Jason Wolken, Southwest Acct. Mgr.; Jessica Hoogendoorn, Mktg. & Sales Admin.; Craig Shell, Southeast Acct. succeed. There is no such thing as a oneMgr.; Roger Hoogendoorn, Mid-Atlantic Acct. Mgr.; Pat Harper, size-fits-all approach for us. Our customers New England Acct. Mgr.; and John Reills, Dir. of Finance & Admin. vary greatly in size and by final product. To be a successful distributor, you must put your customers first. WJI: What challenges do you face as a distributor? We make sure our salespeople have extensive wire T & T: One challenge has been to stay ahead of our and cable industry knowledge and are fully trained on customers’ needs and a changing industry. For example, our products. We also offer one-stop shopping services. customers no longer want to stock a lot of material; they Customers can order multiple products at once and bundle are going leaner. We, in turn, have to carry more invenshipments. Finally, our mantra is to get out and meet with tory so that we can send product when it is needed. our customers and our suppliers, so our employees continuously attend trade shows and industry events to broaden WJI: What is special about your particular business? and nourish relationships. T & T: Being a distributor in itself is special work. People tend to use the term “middle man,” which can WJI: What are the pluses of being a virtual distributor? have a negative connotation. But in reality, distribuT & T: A key benefit is our hiring process. When looktors can offer benefits that customers may not get from ing for experience and talent, you are not geographically bigger suppliers, especially if they are small- to medilimited, and it is a huge benefit to have top-notch sales um-size manufacturers. T & T offers bundling services, people strategically located all over the country. New competitive pricing, convenient shipping locations, technology has allowed us to grow and expand. People personalized technical and customer service, and much can now take their offices with them when they travel, more. When you buy a product from us, the value you which in a way is a reflection of our business model. It receive goes beyond the cost of the material. also provides a great work/life balance. It gives an added sense of comfort that you don’t get in the typical office 46 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

FEATURE

path is in a different place in their lives. Some do it to “stay busy” in familiar territory. Some, maybe most, cannot seem to live without staying involved with the industry Mark Garretson, Flynn-Garretson and its people. Others try to force it despite the difﬁculties of having a young family or a lingering illness, etc. As different as these situations are, there are as many or more personality traits that lead to an endeavor being successful. At the very least, being well versed in the businesses being represented is mandatory. How successful an endeavor will be always directly relates to the sweat equity invested. Whether you are sales or tech orientated, nothing beats hard work. Flynn-Garretson. In general, having an outgoing personality is always helpful in life. It helps put people at ease, which helps

them feel more comfortable with the relationship. After all, if you’re not having fun, then it’s just work! More importantly, an agent needs to be a problem solver, a consultant, a service advisor, and to have the experience to know where to go to get an answer. One of the major hurdles that experience overcomes is proving to the customer that you do understand the requirements, and therefore can work together to help provide the best cost-effective solution, all the while not taking too much time diverting the key focus of a visit. However, it is crucial to leverage other products so the agent can be a full-cycle resource to the customer. Be a maverick only in the sense that you are willing to pull out of stops to get the job done. Amaral Associates. The attributes for a good agent would be similar to that for a good salesman: honest, self-motivated, good knowledge of both the product and the market you represent. You have to enjoy working with the customers, but beyond that you also need a business background. After all, you are running a business, not just selling, so you need to understand ﬁnance, accounting and marketing. As well as selling a product, you are marketing yourself to potential clients who might want to use you as their agent. You are trying to develop a strong customer base as well as establishing a good client base that can generate revenue for your company. Protec Inc.

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I think the general consensus is that a sales agent has to be outgoing but there are exceptions to every rule. You certainly need to understand manufacturing and be organized (even if my desk doesn’t look that way, it is). As the saying goes, it takes all kinds, and what works for one person may not work for another. Joe Snee Associates.

Electronics has completely changed the activities of a sales representative. Formerly, a sales representative would have a secretary and an inside sales/support person. Today, the sales representative is a “one man band.” Inquiries, quotations and technical support can be provided almost immediately. The electronic storage of technical information/photos and sales provides the sales representative with a host of material, and in many cases eliminates the need to contact the head ofﬁce or technical support. Cable Consultants Corp.

WJI: How has electronics changed your ﬁeld? It’s sped up all facets of our job. It allows us to communicate with clients across state lines and continents at

If by electronics, you are talking about smart phones, e-mail, internet, video conference calling, etc., these have allowed me to service my customers faster and more efﬁciently, especially with dealing with so many international

Joe Snee and Ginny Ruckel, Joe Snee Associates

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DECEMBER 2014 | 49

FEATURE

any hour of the day. It’s what 24/7 really is. A skilled user of technology can do the work of many. At times that can feel like both a godsend and a necessary evil! I sincerely believe we are becoming oversaturated with technology. People have “lost time” as it relates to our communication instincts. Sooner or later, those who stick their faces into the touch screens will have to come out to see the sunshine. Human beings are not islands; they were designed to communicate face to face. I strongly believe that the next big wave of communicating will be face to face again, as in the past, but with technology guiding it. Amaral Associates.

FEATURE

clients. Basically my office is open 24/7. I can get myself in front of and handle a larger volume of customers at less cost. However, now there is no downtime. It used to be after 5 pm you could go back to the hotel, relax, have a beer and watch some sports. Now you go Don Young, Protec Inc. back to the hotel and spend hours answering e-mails or conversing with your international clients. Protec Inc. I remember when I received my first AT&T phone card and dialed all those numbers to keep in touch with customers and the office. It seemed like such an innovation over carrying all those dimes and quarters. Productivity improved, but it was nothing like today’s innovations. There is no downtime. The office is almost always “open” and is “portable.” Communication has become so vital that I have gained business at times because I answered the phone when someone else allowed the call to go to voicemail. I have e-records from many years in a thumb drive that would have filled a warehouse in my younger years. Flynn-Garretson. It has always been part of my career in wire and cable. I do not go back to the pad and pencil days. Joe Snee Associates. Yes, I do think that electronics is definitely a plus in today’s business world. Instant notifications and the ability to instantly reply have kept me in touch with customers in answering questions and solving problems. That goes particularly for international as it allows one to handle decisions in a timelier manner. You become an asset and even more valuable to your customers. F. Camarena, Inc. Almost all of our potential and actual contacts have unrestricted access to the internet, so a company needs to have a meaningful, professional web page that makes it quick and easy for someone in engineering, maintenance or purchasing to find what they are looking for. It also enables them to compare vendors, which could be good or bad depending on how well product information is presented. Electronics can make it more difficult to get a user to change to your products as larger companies are using computerized order systems, and those favor vendors that are already in the system as it creates an additional hurdle for a new vendor who needs to be registered before being able to do business with them. CEMANCO.

50 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

WJI: Do you/your reps travel more or less today? How do you choose which trade shows to go to? I travel less due to the mix that I have. This would certainly vary greatly from agency to agency. Joe Snee Associates. Definitely less due to staggering travel costs. Electronic means of communication have replaced personal visits to a certain degree. Of course, this does not necessarily apply for vendors of expensive capital equipment. We have never done cold call trips and I do not see the need for them. Due to thinned-out personnel situations in most factories it is difficult enough to plan visits to contacts you already know. Unfortunately, it seems that trade shows offer less and less valuable leads but we still attend Wire Expo, Interwire and wire Düsseldorf as well as an occasional “exotic” show like Brazil. CEMANCO. I travel about the same, however I make far fewer cold calls. I prefer to attend the trade shows that I feel most of my customers or potential customers would be at. I go to the WAI trade show every spring and the Düsseldorf show every other year. As much as I’d like to, it doesn’t make economic sense to attend the other distant world shows. Protec Inc. It’s difficult to say if reps travel more or less today but over the last decades one important thing hasn’t changed: “face-toface” meetings have not been replaced by any other communication systems. One cannot be at multiple places at the same time, so we make a careful assessment of Fabio Bellina, TKT Group both our business trip itineraries and trade show attendance. The generic yardstick is customer need. In some countries, the preliminary visit before the agreement is not an option, it’s mandatory, and we grant all the support and technical assistance if necessary. TKT Group. I travel about half of the time. Unlike the “old days” of the 70s and 80s, getting in the car and driving the territory every month has gotten more difficult, so scheduling is far more critical than ever. Gas, meals and hotels are also more expensive, so plans must be extremely efficient and cost-effective. Customer demands come first, so those are always the main driver for most trips. I also have several relationships where a customer will prefer to see us when needed rather than having a monthly “routine” meeting, regardless

We travel as much as we did 15 years ago, but there are more trade shows today than ever, so we participate on a regional basis, being active in the territories that we are contracted to support. Amaral Associates. Yes, reps do travel more today than five years ago. Cold-calling trips are still a staple of this business and can be managed to be productive and successful. I try to participate in all the major national and international trade shows as these are important. Before I go to a trade show I decide the amount of time I will spend there, although one has to be flexible. Being present at trade shows can be as important as a sales call. F. Camarena, Inc. Personal contact remains a staple as a good sales representative. Close contact at customer factories allow us to better understand the needs on the manufacturing floor. There is no such thing as a cold-call trip as all is organized ahead of time in order to have mutually beneficial meetings. Trade shows are a mechanism to reaffirm our presence in the market and showcase ourselves to additional companies which we have not had the pleasure of working with yet. HOWAR Equipment. Current communications technology advances have certainly reduced required travel time, but with the widely spaced cable industry geographic locations a certain amount of (quality) “windshield time” is still required. Technical Marketing Services.

FEATURE

of need. So, to answer succinctly, it depends on the circumstances. Cold calls or, “chasing windmills” are still a fun part of the job. I have had some terriﬁc surprises over the years from stopping in at an unknown company. With the internet’s help, cold calls can still be made and pre-qualiﬁed to an extent never before possible. Trade show attendance and participation are always decided based upon a return on the investment in time and money. Unless there is an emergency, we participate at most industry events within our businesses geographic region, especially Interwire and WAI chapter events. Flynn-Garretson.

Rene Meyer, Mossberg Associates Because we sell a non-consumable product, we never really traveled a lot, and now we do even less because the technology today allows to us do so much more. We attend exhibitions, business meetings and outings to stay in contact with customers and to keep updated on what is happening in the industry. Mossberg Associates. More travel is required owing to a sluggish market in the cable sector. Cold calls are expensive and should only be undertaken when the sales representative has a pre-arranged visit in the area. If, by chance, a potential client is in vicinity, then a cold call is justified. Selecting which trade shows to attend is difficult. First, there are too many. Trade shows held in an area with several major cable producers will influence the choice. The attendance figures of previous trade shows will also be considered. Cable Consultants Corp. WJI: Can an agent be successful without sacrificing family time? Is the field prone to burnout? Yes. The secret is to get your family (especially your wife/partner) interested in your job and product lines. Do nothing in your family life that will have a negative effect on your profession and do nothing in your professional life that will have a negative effect on your family.

DECEMBER 2014 | 51

FEATURE

Burnout can occur in any field. It is normally the result of a manager not recognizing the symptoms in one of his staff or the person involved not being aware of his own limitations. Cable Consultants Corp. Time management is key and focused work is important. There are most definitely long hours and many miles traveled, but one does not have to give up family nor personal sanity in order to successful. You may lose some hair along the way but you do not need to lose family if you are diligent and focused. HOWAR Equipment. I believe working as an agent allows the best possibility for having a normal family life. Because you do work for yourself, you can, to some extent, set up your own work schedule. If you don’t want to work any given day, you don’t. Of course, you don’t earn any money either, but it does allow you to schedule your time so you can catch one of your children’s sporting events or take your wife away for a long weekend. But to be successful, you have to be willing to put the time in somewhere, which might mean you’re working in the office late at night or on weekends. It’s not a 9-to-5 job. The sales part might be, because that’s when customers will see you, but there is far more to running a sales agency than just sales. Protec Inc. Managing a balance between work and family is very important in order to be successful. However, there are times that sacrificing family time comes with the territory of developing a successful business. And yes, field burnout can happen. I have discovered through the years that part of managing this is the relationships you build with your customers. They do become your friends, and as friends, this makes the travel more interesting and enjoyable. I have attended family events for some of my customers, such as weddings, anniversaries, birthday dinners, etc., and they, in turn, have also been a part of my family celebrations and milestones. F. Camarena, Inc.

52 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Per our experience, being a good agent doesn’t mean one has to work 24 hours a day. With our organization model, the agent acts as the mediator between company and customer, facilitating that business relationship. A good agent is an entrepreneur, and excellent organizational skills are very important for this kind of work as well as being far from burnout as much as possible. It’s highly inadvisable and counter-productive to spread stress to customers. Fabio Bellina,TKT Group. I think if a person’s priorities are right in life, he or she will surely choose the correct answer individually. Flynn-Garretson. It works for me and I have not yet burned out. If you enjoy what you I do not think that you will be prone to burn out. If it is a chore to do, then find something else. I once heard someone say, “This isn’t what I do, this is what I am.” In my case it fits. I have been able to balance family and work. The reality is that working as a rep gives me a lot of flexibility. Joe Snee Associates. After almost 20 years with CEMANCO, there are times when things don’t go smoothly and I ask myself, “Why am I still doing this?” Fortunately, there are more days in the office that are actually satisfying and almost fun. CEMANCO. I actually find my family time much improved from a regular employed position. Being a rep opens up home office work, flex time and attention to family activities. Most reps don’t have to spend many nights out of town, so their downtime is more relaxing and offers more quality time to plan family activities. I have yet to find rep who is burnt out. I think it’s because they are motivated by “the hunt.” Working with customers and principals provides a wide educational opportunity; seeing various processes and people is an exciting life. If burnout comes, the rep is in the wrong field. There is so much to learn, it is so rewarding. Personally, I wouldn’t do anything else (except golf more). Amaral Associates.

PRODUCTS & MEDIA

PRODUCTS TECHNOLOGY Cable design features anti-counterfeit technology to ensure product integrity U.S.-based Northwire, a business of The Lemo Group, reports that the company continues to deploy anti-counterfeit technology in its cable products to protect customers against the flourishing counterfeit industry. A press release said that Northwire has used a variety of methods to ensure that its customers can be confident that its cables are the real thing. “From covert to overt, our anti-counterfeit measures suit a wide variety of applications,” said Northwire Technical Sales Manager Brad Steege. He explained that the measures can be as simple as custom cable legends or product-specific, UL-listed part registration to more sophisticated protective measures, such as custom made over-molded printed circuit boards or smart chips that assist in validation of each product’s supply chain path. “Invisible to the human eye, our authentication technology cannot be detected by a general physical examination,” said Steege. These proven, effective mechanisms, along with educational resources on identifying counterfeit cables and wires, deliver benefits to employee safety, company reputation and the bottom line, he said. The release said that the measures are necessary “because the sophisticated multi-billion dollar global ‘gray market’ demands cooperative efforts between OEMs, distributors, resellers, consumers, watch-dog organizations and government entities.” Contact: Northwire, www.northwire.com.

Cable makes it easier and safer to charge hybrid and electric vehicles Germany’s Leoni AG reports that its new cable product, the illuminated Electrical Vehicle Cable (iEVC), makes it safer and easier to charge cables used for electric and hybrid vehicles. A press release said the following about the new product. iEVC represents a new charging cable concept that includes a status-indicating light function. It visibly tracks the charging progress with a color change in the cable jacket. By having this illumination unit integrated along the charging cable, the driver can see the charge status of his or her electric car or plug-in hybrid even from a greater distance and without the use of any additional devices. Further, optical signals provide such additional information as a trouble-free connection or malfunction. The consistent illumination of the cable

across its entire length also averts the threat of tripping over the cable in dark or poorly lit areas. The cable can display any color and is continuously dimmable. The iEVC system can be universally deployed from the home to supercharging, regardless of the vehicle and the charging mode. As the illuminated charging cable does not contain any electronics or active lamps, which would compromise the mechanical properties, it is just as robust as conventional charging cables. Thanks to the use of LED technology it is also very energy-efficient. The cable weight also remains the same due to the intelligent use of materials and despite the extended range of functions compared with standard products. The targeted use of bio-based materials and recycled copper raises the proportion of sustainable materials in the charging cable to above 50%, and sets new standards in terms of efficient use of resources. Contact: Leoni AG, www.leoni.com.

Smaller diameter cable is optimized for use in microwave assemblies U.S.-based W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc. (Gore) has introduced a smaller diameter cable to further enhance the company’s GORE-FLIGHT™ Microwave Assembly, 6 Series portfolio. A press release said that the new cable solution “delivers the lowest insertion loss for an assembly using Size 8 RF contacts.” Insertion loss, it said, is maintained during and after installation, ensuring reliable performance for the life of the system. “The robust construction of these assemblies reduces total costs by withstanding the challenges of installation, preventing costly production delays, field service frequency, and the need for purchasing replacement assemblies. These lightweight assembly constructions improve fuel efficiency and increase payload.” DECEMBER 2014 | 53

PRODUCTS & MEDIA

The GORE-FLIGHT Microwave Assembly, 6 Series, is ideally suited for aerospace applications where compact proﬁle and light weight constructions are top design priorities, the release said. The new compact option in this line, it said, measures 6.1 mm in diameter, weighs 60 g/m and offers a minimum bend radius of 25.4 mm, with typical, guaranteed and installed insertion loss for the model rated at 0.342 dB/ft, 0.384 dB/ft and 0.354 dB/ft, respectively. It added that the 6 Series maintains a consistent impedance of 50 ± 1 ohms, providing excellent VSWR characteristics and eliminating insertion loss stack-up issues when assemblies are cascaded or routed through airframe bulkheads, with shielding effectiveness rated at 90 dB through 18 GHz. Contact: W.L. Gore & Associates, Inc., electronics.usa@wlgore.com, www.gore.com or www.gore.com/gore-ﬂight.

New hybrid fiber camera cable was designed to be both smaller and lighter

U.S.-based General Cable reports that its ﬂexible yet durable Gepco® Brand HDC720HD hybrid ﬁber cable is notably both smaller and lighter. A press release noted the following about the cable, which it said was shown earlier this year at the 2014

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54 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

NAB show. The cable is radically different from typical industry products. It offers the same performance characteristics of traditional SMPTE 311 cables, but the 8.8 mm hybrid fiber cable is 16% smaller and 40% lighter. Its revolutionary construction starts with replacing the typical heavy steel strength member with a Kevlar® strength member that has the same pull strength of steel, but is lighter and more flexible, it said. The cable has virtually no memory, making the cable easier to pay off, lay flat and wind back up on the drum. It also uses bend-insensitive fiber elements with very low attenuation and a bend radius of 0.2 mm, versus 2.0 mm for traditional single-mode fiber, in a breakout style with additional Kevlar protection around the individual fibers. Instead of the typical outer braid, the HDC720HD has two 18 AWG drain wires and a foil shield that allow the cable to be more flexible, lighter and smaller in diameter. The power conductors consist of two 16 AWG conductors to achieve the same distance a regular

Threadless cable gland makes for less cable strain and stress

U.S.-based HELUKABEL has introduced HELUTOP Easy, new cable gland technology that is designed to quickly and simply relieve stress and strain on cables. A press release reported the following about HELUTOP Easy. Using a unique, patented spring/snap system, the product allows for quick and easy installation in hard-to-reach areas and spaces with no access

for locknuts. Assembly is simple: push the cable gland in and turn clockwise, which can be done by hand and achieve the same tight ﬁt of traditional glands held in place with locknuts. No tools are required for installation, although disassembly requires the use of a special tool to prevent any damage. Thanks to improved installation times and making conventional fastening techniques like threaded holes and locknuts unnecessary, the HELUTOP Easy offers substantial cost savings. The product is currently available in plastic and comes in sizes Ø16 and Ø20 (corresponds to M16 and M20). Additional sizes including Ø25 and Ø32 are coming soon. The body material is PA 6, with a wall thickness of 0.54.0 mm). Colors include Gray RAL 7001, black RAL 9005, red RAL 3020, white RAL 9003 and blue RAL 5015. Contact: HELUKABEL, www.helukabel.com.

Cat. 6 patch cable is downsized

U.S.-based Comtran Cable LLC has introduced a Cat. 6 28 AWG Patch cable that is nearly 50% smaller than standard Cat. 6 patch cable, offering multiple advantages for contractors and installers. A press release noted the following about the new

DECEMBER 2014 | 55

PRODUCTS & MEDIA

SMPTE 311 cable performs to, while the master jacket is polyurethane material with a glossy ﬁnish that reduces the pickup of dirt and debris from outside applications, making it easier to keep clean. Contact: General Cable Corporation, www.gepco.com or www.generalcable.com.

PRODUCTS & MEDIA

product, which it said has a reduced diameter of .0145 in., making it nearly half the size of a standard Cat. 6 patch cable. That size reduction allows twice the amount of space for more cables to be routed through pathways. With more space in the pathway, there is increased airﬂow and cooling. “This cable is the per-

fect solution for those tight squeeze environments that require Cat. 6 electrical performance plus flexibility,” said General Manager Joe Barry. “Data center managers will appreciate how much more free air space will be created allowing increased air flow and reduced cooling costs.” The new Cat. 6 28 AWG Patch cable exceeds all ANSI/TIA-568-C.2 Cat. 6 standards for NEXT and RL and also features an attenuation de-rating factor of 1.9. Its tight bend radius simplifies installation in high volume areas while the cable’s smaller size provides improved flexibility, which eases overall cable management, the release said. Contact: Joe Barry, Comtran Cable LLC,

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56 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

MEDIA Guide covers a range of device replacements for electrical wiring

The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) has published NEMA WD 8-2013 Guidelines for Electrical Wiring Device Replacement. A press release said that the guide contains a complete checklist intended for evaluating the safety of wiring devices and associated electrical equipment installed in residences, by building maintenance and management personnel. NEMA WD 8-2013 may be downloaded at no cost or purchased in hardcopy for $36 on the NEMA website. NEMA also has published the 2015 edition of its Electrical Standards & Products Guide (ESPG), a comprehensive listing of NEMA electrical standards as well as an extensive directory of manufacturers and their products.

Video shows company’s expertise in melt-stream technologies U.S.-based Nordson Corporation has placed a short video at its website that showcases the company’s expertise as a global source of melt stream technologies that it said provides a valuable alternative for processors seeking ways to optimize their extrusion and molding operations. A press release said that the video, “Extraordinary Technologies for Today’s Plastics,” describes the range

of complementary melt processing component systems now available from Nordson following a period of strategic acquisitions. The range, it said, includes systems for melting, homogenizing, filtering, metering and giving shape to thermoplastics, as well as applying polymer and fluid coatings. “Nordson now serves as a single global source of screws, barrels, filtration systems, pumps, valves, and flat dies through more than 30 offices around the world, providing customers with sales service, technical support, and recommendations for optimizing their overall melt stream process,” the release said. Nordson Corporation began manufacturing systems for dispensing thermoplastics in 1964. Starting three years ago, Nordson acquired the following companies: Verbruggen (flat extrusion dies); EDI (flat extrusion, fluid coating, and pelletizing dies); Premier Dies (fluid coating dies); Xaloy (screws and barrels for extrusion and molding); BKG (pelletizing systems); and Kreyenborg (melt pumps and filtration systems). The products from these acquisitions are now brands within the Nordson PPS group. Contact: Nordson Corporation, www.nordson.com.

PRODUCTS & MEDIA

NEMA, the association of electrical equipment and medical imaging manufacturers, was founded in 1926 and is headquartered in Rosslyn, Virginia. Per NEMA Assistant Vice President Paul Molitor, the association publishes more than 500 electrical standards and technical papers governing literally millions of unique member products across 54 market segments. “This is the one place where members’ customers can directly connect standards with their products,” he said. Contact: National Electrical Manufacturers Association, www.nema.org.

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TECHNICAL PAPER Part 1: Properties of high carbon steel wires drawn at extremely slow speeds

TECHNICAL PAPERS

MEDA

ARD

The first part of this paper focuses on different aspect of high-tensile strength wires and strain aging. The second part will focus on other factors, including static strain aging characteristics of cold-drawn, spheroidized annealed high-carbon steel wire. By Yoshira Yamada High--carbon steel wires such as music spring wire, rope wire, pre-stressed concrete wire, steel tire cord, main cable wire for suspension bridges, etc., are produced via the patenting and cold-drawing process. Most of the energy consumed in drawing of high carbon steel wire is converted into heat, and the energy stored in cold-drawn wire is only a small portion of the total energy consumed. A typical commercial high-carbon steel wire continuous drawing operation has a final die drawing speed that often is higher than 100 m/min. At such high-speeds, most of the heat generated by plastic deformation and friction between die and wire is accumulated in the drawn wire. The resultant rise in temperature sometimes causes breakage and/or strain aging brittleness. To prevent such problems, capstan cooling—such as the BISRA narrow gap capstan1, die and wire water cooling such as the Kobe direct water cooling system2 and Veetrac3—were developed. Fig. 1 shows the relationship between the temperature of wire emerging from a die and drawing speed using a single head drawing machine4. The figure suggests that the wire can be maintained at room temperature when drawing speed is kept extremely low, because most of the heat generated both by friction at the wire/die interface and by

plastic deformation of the wire itself is transferred to the die via the wire/die contact area. The author confirmed that the high-carbon steel wire temperature can be maintained at around room temperature or below 50°C, when the drawing speed is 0.05 m/min. Lueg and Treptow5 reported that the temperature of wire emerging from a die increases in proportion to the cube root of the drawing speed. This also indicates that the wire temperature rise during drawing is avoided when the drawing speed is very low. The first part of this paper focuses on the highest tensile strength wires with sufficient ductility and toughness, which are produced either by drawing at a speed of 0.05 m/min at all passes or by normal speed continuous dry drawing with direct water cooling. The middle part presents the mechanism of strain aging, including the effect of intermediate strain aging put in between pre-drawing and post-drawing on the strain aging characteristics of postdrawn high-carbon steel wire. Then, the effects of various factors—such as wire diameter, friction coefficient, reduction of area per pass etc., on wire temperature rise and strain aging—are discussed. Finally, the static strain aging characteristics of cold drawn spheroidized annealed high-carbon steel wire are presented.

Effect of drawing speed on drawing limit tensile strength of high carbon steel wire

Fig. 1. Relationship between drawing speed and wire temperature4. 58 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

In this paper, drawing limit tensile strength (DLTS) is defined as the maximum drawn wire tensile strength above which tensile strength obtained by higher reduction of area by drawing, the wire fractures with longitudinal crack (delamination) in a torsion test or reduction of the area at the tensile fracture becomes less than 40%. Lead-patented, 5.6-mm, high-carbon steel wire rod (composition: 0.75C, 0.24 Si and 0.50 Mn in mass %) was used for investigation of the effect of drawing speed on the drawn wire properties4. Table 1 shows the four drawing conditions used for the test, which used the same die schedule. For the first three drawing conditions, two continuous drawing machines were consecutively used, while a universal testing machine was used for the fourth condition (drawing speed: 0.05 mm/min for every die).

Drawing condition (speed at ﬁnal die)

(1)

(5.6) – 4.75 – 4.05 – 3.45 – 2.94 – 2.5 (2.5) – 2.14 – 1.83 – 1.56 – 1.34 mm ( ): mm ( ): Start diameter Start diameter 24 inch accumulating type continuous 12 inch accumulating type continuous drawdrawing machine ing machine 50 m/min 58 m/min

(2)

180 m/min

210 m/min

(3)

300m/min

350 m/min

Drawing machine Drawing condition

Universal testing machine (4)

0.05 m/min (every each die)

Table 1. Drawing conditions (1) to (4). Tensile and torsion test results for these drawn wires are shown, respectively, in Figs. 2-4, where wires that fractured with delamination in a torsion test were omitted from plotting. Fig. 5 shows the DLTS of wires drawn in the four conditions against wire diameter, including the maximum tensile strength of piano wire speciﬁed in Japan Industrial Standard (JIS) G3522 is also plotted against wire diameter. Fig. 5 shows that the wires drawn under the ﬁrst and fourth conditions are found to have attained DLTSs 200 MPa higher than the maximum tensile strength of JIS G3522, while the wires drawn under conditions two and three have attained DLTSs that are nearly equivalent to the maximum tensile strength level of JIS G3522. It is found from Figs 3 and 4 that the wire drawn at the lowest speed (condition four) displays better ductility than other wires (conditions one through three), although the tensile strength of the wire produced under condition four is lower than other wires when the comparison is made at the same total strain of drawing. Moreover, the wires drawn at the slowest speed (condition four) are characterized by relatively large torsion numbers to fracture without any delamination. That is, the ratio of the torsion numbers of wire drawn at the lowest speed of 0.05 m/min (condition four) to that drawn at the highest speed (condition three) is clearly found to be superior to the ratio of the reduction of area value at tensile fracture drawn under condition four to that drawn under condition three as shown in Table 2. While the fracture initiation site of wire in a torsion test is generally the wire surface layer, the fracture initiation site in a tensile test is normally the wire core portion. Therefore, it is suggested that torsion numbers in a torsion test are adversely affected by wire surface layer strain aging brittleness caused by wire surface/die interface friction heat due to a high drawing speed. Reduction of area value at a wire tensile fracture is considered to be affected more by the wire core portion ductility than that at the surface layer. The strain aging brittleness of wire surface layer caused by high speed friction heat in continuous wire drawing (conditions one through three) is thought to have been effectively prevented for wire drawn at extremely low speed (condition four).

Fig. 2. Effect of drawing speed on tensile strength of lead patented and drawn high carbon steel wire4.

Fig. 3. Effect of drawing speed on torsion number of drawn wire4. DECEMBER 2014 | 59

TECHNICAL PAPERS

Die schedule Diameter mm Drawing machine

TECHNICAL PAPERS

Drawing limit tensile strength attained by extremely low speed drawing

Fig. 4. Effect of drawing speed on reduction of area at tensile fracture of drawn wire4.

Fig. 5. Drawing limit tensile strengths obtained by drawing in condition (1) to (4).

At the next experiment to investigate the effect of patenting condition on DLTS of high carbon steel wire, a drawing speed of 0.05 m/min at every pass was adopted. As the measure of drawn wire ductility, reduction of area at tensile fracture was adopted. The torsion test was omitted because drawing high carbon steel wire at a speed of 0.05 m/min was found to give excellent torsion value without delamination in the previous investigation described above. After lead-patenting 12-mm rods (chemical composition: 0.84 C – 0.27 Si – 0.82 Mn – 0.016 P – 0.018 S – 0.057 Al – 0.006 N in mass pct) under conditions A, B, C and D shown in Table 3, the microstructure observations (Fig. 6) and the tensile tests were conducted, for which the results are also included in Table 3. These patented wire rods were acid-pickled and then zinc-phosphate coated for drawing. Drawing of these wire rods was conducted with a universal testing machine. The die schedule and the total reduction by drawing are given in Table 4. The tensile test results of these wires are shown in Fig. 7. Apart from the bainite structure wire (condition D), the other drawn wires (conditions A, B and C) were found to have a drawing limit tensile strength approximately 330 to 450 MPa higher than the maximum tensile strength level of JIS G3522 piano wire (Fig. 8). The other two DLTS data obtained by drawing at a speed of 0.05 m/min at each pass were as follows: Starting from 13 mm high-carbon steel wire rod with the chemical composition: 0.78 C – 0.27 Si – 0.74 Mn – 0.72 Cr – 0.047 Al in mass pct and a tensile strength of 1,105 MPa, 4.0-mm drawn wire with a DLTS of 2193 MPa, and starting from 13-mm JIS SWRH77B (AISI 1080) wire rod with a tensile strength of 826 MPa, a DLTS of 2,410 MPa at 2.0 mm, were obtained. This DLTS data, obtained by drawing at 0.05 m/min, is summarized in Fig. 9, apart from that with the bainitic structure (D in Fig. 8). The extremely low-speed drawing proved that the DLTS of 0.5 to 1.0% chromium resulted in high-carbon steel wire with as-patented tensile strength up to 1500 MPa that does not exceed the tensile strength range in Fig. 9, although these data points are disregarded in the ﬁgure.

Effect of direct water cooling in continuous drawing on drawing limit tensile strength

Fig. 6. Microstructure of as-patented high carbon steel wire in condition A to D designated in Table 3.

60 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

The data in Fig. 9 suggests that if sufﬁcient cooling is realized in high speed continuous multi-pass wire drawing, tensile strengths 200 to 450 MPa higher than the maximum tensile strength speciﬁed in JIS G 3522 may be attainable. There were some previous data obtained by Kobe Steel Ltd., that silicon addition to high carbon steel wire did not increase the DLTS in conventional continuous drawing without direct water cooling. However, according to a paper by T. Takahashi et al, the strength at maximum ductility of high carbon steel wire was reported to be increased about 10 kgf/mm2 (98 MPa) by increasing the silicon content from 0.25 % to 1.2 %, although the draw-

Drawing speed at 2. 5mm m/ min

Relative ductility of as-drawn wire (2.5 mm)

DECEMBER 2014 | 61

TECHNICAL PAPERS

0.017P – 0.014S – 0.055Al in mass pct (Manganese was decreased from 1.2 Reduction of area at Torsion numbers pct to 0.76%). Therefore, tensile fracture (100 diameter) conventional continuous (4) 0.05 1.5 2.0 drawing without direct (1) 50 1.3 1.2 water cooling was also conducted for the same (2) 180 0.9 1.0 wire rod and the same (3) 300 1.0 1.0 pass schedule using the same drawing machines. Table 2. Comparison of ductility of 2.5 mm wires drawn under four different drawing The drawing conditions conditions 1-4, using the wire drawn under condition 3 as the basis. applied to this experiment are presented in Table 5. Tensile Reduction of The tensile and torAustenitizing Cooling for Microstrength area at tensile sion test results of wires condition transformation structure MPa fracture % obtained after each pass are shown in Fig. 10. The A 950°C 10 min Air cooling Pearlite 1066 29.3 DLTS of the direct waterB ibid 600° C Lead bath Pearlite 1135 36.1 cooled wire was found to be higher than that of C ibid 500° C Lead bath Pearlite 1255 44.0 non-water cooled drawn D ibid 400° C Lead bath Bainite 1422 43.3 wire, judging from the Table 3. Patenting conditions and tensile properties after patenting (12 mm). torsion test results (See Table 6). Fig. 11 plots the ing condition was not described7. Then, Shinko Wire Co., DLTSs obtained versus the wire diameters and the Ltd., and the Wire Rod and Bar Development Department maximum tensile strength curve specified in JIS G 3522. (the author was a section manager there), Kobe Steel Ltd. From the data in Fig. 11, it is confirmed that silicon carried out joint research to investigate how high tensile alloying in high carbon steel wire does not suppress or strength could be obtained by silicon addition to high cardiminish strain aging brittleness caused by normal speed bon steel wire. In this research, the author required Shinko continuous drawing. Wire Co. to apply the Kobe direct water cooling method2 Fig. 11 indicates that direct water cooling at the die back that was originally proposed by the author and completed surface and wire exited from the die played an important by Dr. H. Kawakami et al. It was previously known that role in developing higher strength steel wire exceeding silicon alloying in high carbon steel wire does not alter normal strength levels specified in wire standards such the static strain aging characteristics and that softening of as JIS G3522 etc. to a greater extent than alloying silicon wire by recovery and recrystallization is retarded at highin steel. Although in recent papers by A. Bell et al13 and er temperatures by silicon addition to high carbon steel by R.E. Pennington et al14 dealing with cold drawn high wire8. Then, 13-mm, hot-rolled steel wire rod (60 ton LD carbon high silicon steel wire, drawing conditions and converter melt, chemical composition: 0.85 C – 1.2 Si – wire temperature during drawing are not described, it is 1.2 Mn – 0.0044 N, in mass pct) was lead patented, acid considered to be important for production of high strength pickled, zinc-phosphate coated and drawn to 5 mm in eight wire to control the wire temperature rise during drawing as passes at a final speed of 100 m/min using a continuous low as possible. drawing machine with direct water-cooling apparatuses attached at all eight dies. 5.05 mm as-drawn wire with a Strain aging of high-carbon steel wire tensile strength of 2160 MPa (with sufficient ductility, no drawn at a speed of 0.05 m/min delamination in torsion test) and 5 mm hot-dip zinc-plated 5.6 mm high carbon steel wire rod zinc phosphate coatsteel wire with a tensile strength of 2013 MPa (torsion ed after lead-patenting was drawn to 2.5 mm at a speed number: 25 for specimen length 100 times diameter, no of 0.05 m/min at all dies (total reduction of area: 80%). 9-10 delamination) were produced . The result of this joint The chemical composition of the wire rod and the die 11 research was later published as a paper . schedule adopted are shown in Table 7. After aging the test In the joint research described above, continuous drawpieces cut from the as-drawn wire at temperatures from 40 ing without application of direct water cooling was not to 300°C each for five min, tensile tests were conducted investigated. For this reason, the author then planned to at room temperature. The results15 are shown in Fig. 12. investigate the effect of applying direct water cooling The mechanical property change due to static strain aging in continuous multi-pass drawing on the DLTS of lead (low temperature annealing) is divided into three stages16 patented 5.5 mm high-carbon, high-silicon steel wire rod as shown in Fig. 12 (U.T.S.: Tensile strength) when aging with the chemical composition: 0.85C – 1.19Si – 0.76Mn – time is between 5 to 15 min.

Drawing condition

TECHNICAL PAPERS

The first stage aging occurs between room temperature and around 150°C. At this stage, carbon and nitrogen atoms in solid solution in ferrite (α iron) diffuse to dislocations to anchor them17 (Cottrell atmospheres formation), contributing to age-strengthening of the wire. In fine pearlite structure steel, however, carbon concentration in solid solution in ferrite after cooling to room temperature from patenting temperature is too limited to markedly strengthen the wire at the first stage after cold drawing. This is because most of carbon atoms in solid solution in ferrite at patenting temperature diffuse to the nearest boundary of ferrite/cementite and precipitate as cementite during cooling after patenting16 . The second stage aging occurs following the first stage or at the temperature range of about 150°C to 200-220°C in heavily deformed pearlite steel. At this stage, decomposition (resolution) of some part of deformed lamellar cementite occurs until all the dislocations in ferrite are fully anchored by carbon atoms (Cottrell atmosphere formation) supplied from the decomposed cementite lamellae. The drawn high carbon steel wire becomes brittle with the progress of second stage aging. To obtain the highest strength as-drawn wire with sufficient ductility, brittleness caused by second stage aging must be avoided in wire drawing. This mechanism of static strain aging was later verified by some researchers including C. E. Hincliffe and G.D.W. Smith who used differential calorimetry and atom probe techniques18 . The first suggestion of partial cementite decomposition by aging after cold deformation was likely made by D.V. Wilson using tempered martensite high carbon steel19. Fig.13 shows isothermal aging curves of high carbon steel wire cold drawn to 2.50 mm in five passes shown in Table 7, at a drawing speed of 0.05 m/min at each pass. Some starting

Fig. 7 Tensile test results of wires drawn in varying patenting conditions6 shown in Table 3.

62 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

points (temperature and time) of second stage aging are a little difficult to identify from the data curves in Fig. 13, but the data indicate that second stage aging starts later as aging temperature decreases (This means second stage aging is a kind of thermal activation process16,20). A more exact start point of second stage aging is identifiable by electrical resistivity measurement as reported by the present author16,20. According to electrical resistivity data reported2, in such drawn wire as second stage starts at 140°C in 320 seconds, it is also estimated to start at 300°C after 0.04 second and at 420°C in 0.0007 second. At the third stage of static strain aging, high carbon steel wire is over-aged or tensile strength decreases with aging time or temperature. Recovery and recrystallization with cementite spheroidization occurs at temperature 400°C and higher. Silicon in high carbon steel wire was reported to retard recovery and recrystallization of the wire8.

Strain aging during normal speed drawing Fig. 14 shows the effect of aging temperature for 5 min on tensile properties of wire which was drawn from 5.6 to 2.5 mm at a final speed of 300 m/min using a continuous multi-pass drawing machine without direct water cooling4, 21. The wire was drawn with the same patented wire rod and had the same die schedule applied (Table 7) as the wire shown in Fig. 12. The wire temperature measured with a contact type thermometer at the exit of the final die in drawing was 300°C. Comparing Fig. 14 with Fig. 12, it is found that the 2.5 mm wire drawn at the final drawing speed of 300 m/min shows minimal tensile strength increase by the aging at first and second stage (from 40 to 200°C, each for 5 min), in

Fig. 8. Tensile test results of wire drawn in varying patenting conditions6 shown in Table 3. (Circle mark: Tensile strength estimated from the data line for patenting condition B in Fig. 7).

Fig. 9. Drawing limit tensile strengths obtained by drawing at a speed of 0.05 m/min at all passes.

Fig. 10. Tensile and torsion test Fig. 11. Drawing limit tensile results for high-carbon, high-silicon strengths of drawn high-carbon, steel wire12. high-silicon steel wire.

Fig. 12. Tensile properties of static strain-aged 2.5-mm wire after drawing at a speed of 0.05 m/min4, 15. DECEMBER 2014 | 63

TECHNICAL PAPERS

contrast to the data in Diameter mm 12.0 – 11.1 – 9.5 – 8.2 – 6.9 – 6.0 – 5.2 – 4.4 – 3.7 – 3.2 – 2.8 – 2.4 – 2.0 Fig. 12, indicating that Total reduction 0 14.4 53.3 75.0 86.6 92.9 96.0 the wire drawn at the of area % 37.3 66.3 81.2 90.5 94.6 97.2 final speed of 300 m/ min was strain aged Table 4. Die schedule and total reduction by drawing. considerably during drawing operation. Drawing machine 24 inch continuous drawing machine 12 inch continuous drawing machine Static strain aging + Dead block during drawing nor(5.5) – 4.75 – 4.15 – 3.55 – 3.10 – (2.37) – 2.14 – 1.90 – 1.69 – 1.54 mally occurs in wire Die schedule mm 2.69 – 2.37 ( ): Start diameter ( ): Start diameter after emerging from a die while the wire Total reduction % 84.9 92.2 (57.8 from 2.37 dia.) temperature is still 180 (1.54 mm dia.) high. Dynamic strain Drawing speed m/min 250 (2.37 mm dia.) aging (a kind of blue Cooling conditions Direct water cooling except dead block (2.37 mm dia.) brittleness) during No direct water cooling drawing occurs only in the wire portion that Table 5. Drawing conditions for patented high-carbon, high-silicon steel wire rod is passing through the deformation zone in Cooling of die back-face Wire dia. mm Tensile strength Tensile strength a die when wire temand wire after die MPa JIS Piano wire MPa perature and strain Direct water cooling 1.69 2561 2060 - 2260 rate meet a range Non direct water cooling 2.69 2108 1910 - 2110 of dynamic strain aging conditions. It is generally agreed Table 6. Drawing limit tensile strength of high carbon high silicon steel wire that dynamic strain aging is due to some Chemical composition mass % form of interaction C Si Mn P S Al N between dislocations 0.80 0.26 0.80 0.009 0.022 0.067 0.0063 and interstitial solute atoms (carbon and Die schedule diameter mm nitrogen). Generally, (5.6) – 4.75 – 4.03 – 3.43 – 2.96 – 2.50 ( ): Wire rod diameter the temperature at Table 7. Chemical composition and die schedule for investigating aging of wire.

TECHNICAL PAPERS Fig. 13. Wire tensile properties post isothermal static strain aging at temps (drawing speed: 0.05 m/min)20.

by carbon atoms supplied from the decomposed cementite lamellae, resulting in higher flow stress and brittleness. However, the strain rate and temperature conditions under which second stage dynamic strain aging occurs are considered to be limited to a rather narrow range, because at temperature above about 450°C or 500°C, recovery (dislocation annihilation in ferrite) progresses in deforming wire resulting in softening of the wire. In high-speed continuous drawing of high-carbon steel wire, it is considered to be possible that the second stage dynamic strain aging occurs especially at the wire surface layer where excessive friction heat is generated due to a combination of high reduction per pass, high drawing speed, poor lubricity due to die wear, insufficient lubricant supply or other reasons not yet analyzed. Even if the drawing speed and the reduction per pass are the same in drawing, the strain rate is inversely proportional to the wire diameter. This indicates that the steel wire with larger diameter has more chance to suffer dynamic strain aging compared with fine steel wire. Editor’s note: the second part of this paper, including references, will be in the January 2015 issue.

Fig. 14. Tensile properties of static strain aged 2.5 mm dia. wire after drawing at final speed 300 m/min21. which dynamic strain aging occurs becomes higher as strain rate increases. According to M. Sudo et al22, dynamic strain age strengthening of as-patented high carbon steel wire occurs in two stages: At a lower temperature stage a serrated load-elongation curve appears only in nitrogen enriched steel (0.01% N) during deformation with higher flow stress, although this strengthening by nitrogen is negligible compared with that of the higher temperature side dynamic strain aging due to carbon atoms supplied from decomposing cementite lamellae to ferrite. At a temperature of around 450°C and a strain rate of the order of 102/s, which is realized in normal commercial continuous wire drawing operations, second stage dynamic strain aging is considered to progress with simultaneous decomposition of cementite lamellae and Cottrell atmosphere formation around moving dislocations in ferrite

64 | WIRE JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL

Yoshiro Yamada is a principal of a Japanese PE-Office, Yamada Research & Consulting, an adjunct professor at the graduate school, Kansai Univ., and an honorary member of the Japan Society of Spring Engineers. He holds bachelor, master and doctor degrees in metallurgy, all from Osaka Univ. In 1966, he joined Kobe Steel Ltd., and over 26 years researched and developed wire rod and related technologies as a researcher, a section manager and a general manager at its Central Research Lab. and Wire Rod and Bar development Department. He worked at Suncall Corp. from 1993 to 2002 as a director and as a technical adviser, focusing on spring wires and springs. He was a lecturer at Setsunan University from 2006 to 2012. This paper, which was presented at WAI’s 83rd Annual Convention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, May 2013, won the Association’s Allan B. Dove Award for best ferrous paper, his third win (1985 and 1991), following an honorable mention (1976).

Yoshiro Yamada accepts his award at Wire Expo 2014.

Investigation of Shielding Effectiveness and Differential Alien Crosstalk Correlation in Twisted Pair Cables By Wayne Hopkinson and Trent Hayes

DECEMBER 2014 | 65

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TECHNICAL PAPERS 66 | This paper was presented at the 62nd IWCS Conference

TECHNICAL PAPERS DECEMBER 2014 | 67

TECHNICAL PAPERS 68 | This paper was presented at the 62nd IWCS Conference

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