NEW & Noteworthy RECEPTION

Industry 4.0. The speakers for this session include: Willem Sundblad, co-founder and CEO of Oden Technologies; Russ Fadel, CEO of Augmentir; Will Berry, Sr. VP Engineering and Modernization of Southwire; and Andrés Cartagena Ruiz of 40Factory.

Workforce. Technology matters, but only if you have the employees who make it possible. Speakers for this session include Rob Caillet, Vice President of Environmental, Health & Safety, CSP, Encore Wire.

Executive Panel: Adapting to the Workforce Challenges with senior industry leaders. Panelists include: Joe Barrett, president, Davis Wire, and David Fisher, president, James Monroe Wire & Cable.

Executive Panel: Steel market. Industry veterans will evaluate the market for steel pricing and supply and demand, including short and long-term dynamics.

Executive Panel: Copper Supply and Demand. Wire and cable industry leaders discuss the changing copper supply chain as ESG compliance is enacted across the globe while supply and demand factors are difficult to predict.

CRU: Can the cable industry avoid the impending economic downturn? Aisling Hubert, editor of CRU’s Wire & Cable Market Outlook, will address global megatrends in electrification, renewable energy and interconnectivity.

Fundamentally speaking, you might want to be at the WAI’s iconic education course

It’s worth getting to Atlanta a day early to take part in WAI’s renown Fundamentals of Wire Manufacturing course. A full slate of industry veterans will be ready to share their shop-floor know-how on Monday, May 8. Whether you are an industry newcomer or moving to new duties or could just use a refresher, this day-long program will explain the basics of wire and cable production, electrical and ferrous. See p. 64.

The Interwire show floor awaits!

Some 300 companies will be represented on the show floor at the Georgia World Congress Center, more than ready to once again share their latest news with attendees. The event—the largest such one for the Americas— will include some 30 new exhibitors. The WAI Resource Center will be on the show floor, and returning there by popular demand will be the WAI Member Lounge, where Association members can stop by and relax. To top it off, there’ll be a Beer Festival on Tuesday and Wednesday.

There’ll be much to see, much to do.

The setting? Why, it’s a Mercedes-Benz

The location for WAI’s Opening Reception on Tuesday, May 9, will be quite familiar to Interwire attendees. Located near the Georgia World Congress Center, the Mercedes-Benz Stadium is notable for many reasons.

The menu for reception, sponsored by Encore Wire, Davis-Standard and Southwire, will be familiar, but if you have not been there before, the site itself is an attraction. Opened in 2017, the stadium can seat 71,000 fans, and expand up to 75,000 for major events. It has been deemed the world’s most sustainable stadium, holding the United States Green Building Council’s LEED Platinum certification and its highest score ever for a sports project.

The stadium has some 4,000 miles of fiber-optic cables and 1,800+ wireless access points for Wi-Fi access. The fixed roof, which has 85,000 bolts, can open and close in eight minutes. Some 200 pieces of artwork from 55 artists are displayed throughout the stadium.

Indeed, it will be ... a Mercedes experience.

Sponsored by Encore Wire, Davis-Standard and Southwire

This Southwire Keynote Speaker is also an acknowledged Association champion

Southwire President & CEO Rich Stinson will lead off the presentations at 9 am on Wednesday morning, when he presents his keynote speech, “The future is Electrified!” He will focus on the role of energy as society shifts from, an oil-gas fueled economy to one driven by electrification. Since joining Southwire in 2016, he has directed efforts to make the company generationally sustainable for the next century and beyond. Following his speech, Stinson will be honored by the Association as the recipient of its inaugural Champion Award. See p. 57.

High-flying astronaut will speak twice

Following Rich Stinson’s speech, former astronaut Mary Ellen Weber will reach to the skies to share her experiences in her talk, “To Boldly Go: The Experience of Spaceflight.”

Weber will talk about what it is like to be an astronaut, including behind-the scenes anecdotes and video footage. Her speech promises to be inspiring, and if you can’t sit in on it—or even if you do—she will make a second presentation that afternoon at 2:30 pm at the WAI Theater. See below.

WAI Theater expected to get rave reviews

All systems should be go for the WAI Theater, which has a far-ranging three-day schedule. See p. 69.

• On Tuesday at 1:30 pm, the WAI Theater will host the Mordica Lecture by Dr. Bruce Kiefer, as well as six technical presentations before and after.

• Top billing on Wednesday at the WAI Theater goes to the astronaut Mary Ellen Weber, who will make a second presentation, “A New Era of Space Travel: Commercial Space, NASA, Tourism, the Moon, and Mars.” There’s plenty else offered throughout the day, including eight technical presentations. Also, Production Solutions, with scheduled presenters Svet Pavlovsky, R&D chemist, Blachford Co.; a two-person talk by Dr. Horace Pops, president, Horace Pops Consulting, and Matt Reinoehl, process metallurgist, SDI LaFarga COPPERWORKS; and Eric Bieberich, president, Fort Wayne Wire Die.

• On Thursday, it’s time for a re-run. The Planning Committee, recognizing that attendees are quite busy, has scheduled a repeat performance of Production Solutions.

BEER Festival

A great way to top off the exhibits

Attendees will be most welcomed by exhibitors on the show floor, and the WAI—with the sponsorship of Rainbow Rubber—will add to the socializing on Tuesday and Wednesday with a Beer Festival from 3 pm to 5 pm. This show floor visit should be on your “to do” list.

Sponsored by Rainbow Rubber & Plastic

WAI Member Lounge

Rest your legs, charge your battery

Attendees may have many booths to visit at Interwire, but if you are a WAI member you can make one stop all about you. The WAI will again host the WAI Lounge, which will offer members a place to spend some quality time n a comfy chair and have some refreshments. And, since you will be next to the WAI Resource Center, stop by. We’ve got some new products you might want to see.

HOTEL Reservations

Got a room yet?

Reservations can now be made at all the eight official hotels for Interwire 2023 through EventSphere via www.interwire23.com.

The hotels are: AC Hotel by Marriott Atlanta Downtown; American Hotel Atlanta Downtown, a DoubleTree by Hilton; Embassy Suites Atlanta at Centennial Park; Glenn Hotel - A Marriott Autograph Collection Hotel; Hilton Garden Inn Atlanta Downtown; Holiday Inn Express & Suites Atlanta Downtown; Omni Hotel at CNN Center; and The Westin Peachtree Plaza.

You can also contact EventSphere via phone 24/7 at either 877-419-8753 (toll free)/864-208-2945 (international). All hotels have a seven-day cancellation policy, with the exception of the Omni, which sets that at 72 hours. The reservations cut-off is April 28, after which availability and the WAI’s lower block rate is not guaranteed.