CONFERENCE Sessions

Tuesday-Wednesday, May 9-10 | Room 312

Tuesday begins with a Continental breakfast in Rooms A312/311, and a welcome from WAI President Kurt Breischaft, who will introduce the Keynote speaker, Prysmian Chief Innovation Officer and R&D Officer Srinivas Siripurapu. At 10 am, the conference sessions begin. The WAI Theater opens at 1 pm, and at 1:30 pm it will host the Mordica Lecture.

TUESDAY, MAY 9

8:30 am Continental Breakfast

9:00 am - 10:00 am

Awards Ceremony, Annual Meeting & Keynote

With a bang of the gavel, President Kurt Breischaft will start the Annual Meeting. He will welcome attendees, present four award winners, and introduce the keynote speaker.

9:30 am - 10:00 am

Keynote Speaker: Innovation, Investments & Incentives – Electrifying the Wire and Cable industry for a brighter future

Dr. Srinivas Siripurapu, Prysmian Group

The trifecta of clean energy, grid modernization and digital transformation is driving innovation on steroids for the wire and cable (W&C) industry. For example, the US government has set a goal to deploy 30GW of new offshore wind energy by 2030 and 15GW of floating windfarms by 2035. These ambitious targets can only be achieved with reliable hi-tech cabling infrastructure such as novel 525kV HVDC systems that can transmit over 2GW of power. The presentation will showcase multiple examples of new technologies that will energize wire and cable manufacturing with increased investments and spur economic growth.

10:00 am - noon

INDUSTRY 4.0 SESSIONS

10:00 am - 10:30 am

How AI Will Change Wire & Cable Manufacturing

Willem Sundblad, Oden Technologies

Artificial intelligence (AI) will continue to affect your business environment. AI is already helping with challenges like workforce development, supply chain disruptions, and economic uncertainty. So how can your organization use AI to meet these challenges head on and continuously improve operations? Join us for a step-bystep breakdown of how companies are using AI today to make step and continuous improvements, what you’ll need to do to remain competitive, and overcome common pitfalls to success. Expect to learn: where AI will impact Wire and Cable manufacturing (and where it won’t); why most AI projects will fail; and what it takes to create a smart, enabled, and engaged workforce

10:30 am - 11:00 am

The Future of Industrial Work: How Smart AI is Helping to Unlock the True Potential of Today’s Workforce

Russ Fadel, Augmentir

Today’s manufacturing landscape is a dynamic mix of workforce challenges (including those brought on by Covid and the Great Resignation) and innovative solutions –many of which are powered by AI technology. This session will begin with a look at some dynamics in the manufacturing landscape and then focus on ways that technology (such as AI and connected worker solutions that recognize the variability in today’s workforce) are empowering workers by giving them tools and resources that will set them up for success.

11:00 am - 11:30 am

Unleashing the full potential of Industrial IoT

with GPT-3

Andrés Cartagena Ruiz, 40Factory

What if we could combine the knowledge written on a classical machine manual, that of an experienced senior operator, the process engineer, the maintenance crew and of the machine designers with historical machine production data? Then embed this knowledge in an Artificial Intelligence agent that could interact with the IIoT app user through natural human language.

11:30 am - noon

Lessons From The Journey To A Connected Enterprise

Will Berry, Southwire

Southwire has expanded the limits of what’s possible in the wire and cable industry through their multi-year digital transformation journey. This is your opportunity to hear directly from the Senior Vice President of Southwire, Will Berry, of what it actually took to succeed.

This interview session, hosted by CEO of Oden Technologies, Willem Sundblad, will dig into the obstacles and opportunities facing manufacturers as they progress towards becoming a connected, digitally enabled enterprise. Join this session to learn more about: preparing the organization for change; creating an improvement oriented culture; building an effective roadmap; evaluating partners/ vendors; and measuring success… And measuring it again.

2:00 pm - 3:30 pm

Workforce Sessions

2:00 pm - 2:30 pm

Behind the Numbers…..Establishing World Class Safety and Training Programs

Rob Caillet, CSP, Vice President of Environmental, Health & Safety, CSP, Encore Wire

Executives and investors often gauge a company’s safety and training programs by using lagging indicators, like recordable injury rates and turnover percentage. While lagging indicators can tell you a lot about these programs, focusing on leading indicators and embracing these activities will drive the improved performance that executives will notice. Rob will discuss which key leading indicators and strategies must be embraced to ignite the culture change that results in fewer injuries and a reduction in turnover. Learn from a proven leader how to transition ownership of the safety and training programs from the Safety and Training Departments to the front line leadership team.

Interwire 2023

2:30 pm - 3:00 pm

The State of the Manufacturing Workplace

Matt Dionne, TYGES Elite

Dionne will share his unique perspective on what the short and long-term workplace trends will be that will shape the direction of the wire and cable industry. Matt spent 25 years in a wide variety of manufacturing industries and now spends his days with C level executives across many of the same industries where he was employed, including the wire sector.

3:00 pm - 3:30 pm

Executive Panel: Adapting to the Workforce

Challenges with senior industry leaders

Moderator: Drew Richards, RichardApex

Panelists include: Joe Barrett, president, Davis Wire, and David Fisher, president, James Monroe Wire & Cable.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 10

8:30 am

Continental Breakfast

9:00 am - 9:30 am

Keynote Speaker:

The Future is Electrified!

Richard “Rich” Stinson, Southwire

Industry megatrends are changing the future, and electrification is going to play a major role. There is a fundamental need and desire to decarbonize - the only way to do it is to move from an oil-gas fueled economy to an economy driven by electrification. We must be ready to meet the needs of our customers. It’s a great time to be in the electrical industry, and Southwire, under Rich’s leadership, is focused on further strengthening the future of manufacturing as we all become even more connected, and as electrification plays an even greater role.

9:30 am - 10:00 am

Featured Speaker: To Boldly Go: The Experience of Spaceflight

Dr. Mary Ellen Weber, NASA Astronaut

Going into space—into orbit—requires mind-boggling speed with inconceivable risk and decision times of mere seconds. How does one prepare for this risk and responsibility? What is the awe-inspiring experience of weightlessness and viewing planet earth from hundreds of miles above really like? Drawing on ten years as a NASA Astronaut and two Space Shuttle flights—including one to the International Space Station—Mary Ellen Weber brings this experience vividly to life, sharing behind-the-scenes anecdotes and video footage.

10:00 am - noon

Industry Outlook

10:00 am - 10:30 am

Can the cable industry avoid the impending economic downturn

Aisling Hubert, Editor CRU’s Wire & Cable Market Outlook

Global wire and cable markets are exposed to a range of sectors including construction, manufacturing, and energy. This presentation discusses the degree to which global megatrends in electrification, renewable energy and interconnectivity may compensate for a potential wider economic slowdown.

10:30 am - 11:15 am

Executive Panel - Steel Market

Moderator: James York, Insteel Industries

The past several years have been some of most turbulent times for steel pricing as well as supply and demand. This highly experienced panel will share their evaluation of the market including short and long-term dynamics that will impact the industry. Panelists include Andy Tablot, vice president and general manager, Mid-South Wire Company; James York, Sr. vice president, Insteel Industries; and Alex Nedergaard, director, Americas Consumable Purchasing, The Lincoln Electric Company.

11:15 am - noon

Executive Panel - Copper Supply and Demand

Moderator: Kurt Breischaft, SDI LaFarga COPPERWORKS

Hear from wire and cable industry leaders on the changing copper supply chain as ESG compliance is enacted across the globe while supply and demand factors are difficult to predict. Panelists include Jeffrey Kot, Group Vice President, Procurement – Marmon Electrical; John Gross, president, J.E. Gross Consulting Inc; Chuck Oldaker, CPA, CGMA, executive vice president and CFO, Service Wire Company 