F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 0 | W W W. W I R E N E T. O R G
STAFFING
CRISIS PUBLISHED BY
2020 LÄMNEÅ
WIRE JOURNAL DÜSSELDORF
SPOTLIGHT 39 Must-See Displays you will not want to miss
HALL 9 A-06
SAMPSISTEMI HALL 9 C-60
WITELS
HALL 9 E-39
NIEHOFF
HALL 10 C-06
WAFIOS
HALL 10 F-22/40
AIM
HALL 11 A-21
WTM
HALL 11 D-78
Wire Journal International is the official publication of the Wire Association International, which organizes the Interwire and Wire Expo tradeshows. © Cover photo: Messe Düsseldorf/ctillmann
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WIRE JOURNAL DÜSSELDORF
SPOTLIGHT
O F F I C I A L P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E W I R E A S S O C I AT I O N I N T E R N AT I O N A L
F E AT U R E
Staffing Crisis Wire and cable staffing is a tale of tide-like unequal extremes. At one end of the work force is an incoming trickle of young people, while at the other end is a steady outflow of retiring industry veterans. Many potential candidates simply do not aspire to work in a factory. So where does that leave employers? This feature focuses on what one manufacturer, Radix Wire, has done to make the factory experience attractive to top talent, and more.
Finding future key staffers can be an academic experience In 2017, Radix Wire & Cable (Radix Wire), based in Cleveland, Ohio, launched a co-op program initiated by Director of Engineering Dean Moore, who linked up with the University of Akron. Below, he discusses what has happened. This story, however, is not a “one-parter” as the collective pieces—which include the rationale for doing this, and comments from the university liaison and two of the interns—present a fuller sense of what has been done. Of note, it is a template that can be employed elsewhere. WJI: Before we go into your co-op program, we want to ask how and why Radix Wire changed its approach to finding new employees: how did that come to be? Moore: I’ve been doing this for almost 30 years. We’d hire an engineer for a specific role or opportunity, whether it be manufacturing or engineering or product development. That would kind of be their role, and they would move on from that. What’s changed is that I’ve seen that we miss out when we pigeonhole positions. Now, I look to see if a person fits the organization culturally, not just for a particular job. That goes especially for someone young in their career. WJI: What do you look for? Moore: You can get somebody to fill a job. I want a person who can help move things forward, someone whose reply to a challenge isn’t “I can’t.” That takes a person who can look beyond what’s right in front of them. What I mean by that is that for an engineer, things are always changing. So maybe a project or a product is not feasible today based on costs or the manufacturing process, but technology changes so quickly that maybe an ambitious person can look beyond what’s right in front of them and see potential solutions. WJI: Assuming a candidate has to be pretty smart to earn an engineering degree, isn’t that enough? Moore: You’d be surprised, but an engineering curriculum kind of drains some of that big view out of a person. Someone who’s been in the field 20 years has seen things work or fail, and unless they have the right personality, it’s hard to have the ambition, the ability, to see things differently. Most of the younger or less experienced engineers, you can help teach them that approach.
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F E AT U R E
Carino to speak on ‘Improving Hiring Practices’ at Feb. 27 WAI webinar
Carino
Peter Carino, the principal of Wire Resources, will share knowledge gained during his 37 years as a head hunter working exclusively in the wire and cable industry, during a WAI webinar that will be held at 11 am EST on Thursday, Feb. 27. In his “Improving Hiring Practices” webinar, Carino will cover a range of topics, from what a company should include in their search process for new talent as well as a couple of critical questions many hiring authorities miss asking before making a job offer. Wire Resources was founded in 1967, and Carino joined the company in 1982. He specializes in mid-senior level management positions in sales and marketing, manufacturing, engineering and general management. As this production represents a relaunch of the Association’s webinar series, registration will be free and open to everyone. The webinar will last for 45 minutes, and participants will be able to send in anonymous questions. WJI Editor Mark Marselli will serve as moderator. To register in advance for the webinar, use this url: bit.ly/WAI-Hiring.
WJI: So how did your desire to find young engineers with the right “big picture” outlook lead you to the University of Akron? Moore: We started this program two and a half years ago and to date we have nine students taking part. Through the College of Engineering at the University of Akron, a student who completes his or her sophomore year can get placed in the program. They begin alternating school with 16 weeks of full-time work here. Three of the interns are graduating this May, and the other six are in the rotation. So, this is our first class that’s graduating, and I’m pleased to say that all three have expressed interest in the field. Two want to join us, and the third relocated to Oregon, and through references, he was able to get a job out there. Moore
WJI: So what did your three interns do? Moore: We wanted to help shape the students who came here. We built the program to get what I see as the full spectrum experience, with transferable skills. They got to experience process engineering, product engineering and product development in a factory. We started off by having them run equipment with the operators so they would be familiar with all the processes we have, then we began to tie them into development projects. They ran those with guidance from either me or some of our engineers. They got involved with stage gate processes and concept design development. They not only had project management, but project ownership, and that included having them make presentations to the executive team as they progressed and at the end of each rotation. That included their impact on the company. They experienced engineering on a level that classes can prepare you for but cannot replicate. WJI: How much were they able to learn? Moore: A lot. By the time they’re done with our co-op program, if they go through the rotations, these interns are not entry-level engineers. They can compete with a two- to five-year engineer. So it’s worked out very well. WJI: Could other companies do what you’ve done here, working with a local university? Moore: Absolutely. The negative that I would see for mid-size or smaller companies is that the co-op arrangement takes time to get up to speed, and it obviously is a drain on resources. You’ve got to get the students and integrate them into the company and what you’re trying to do. We made sure that they were fully engaged with all the process product development. We sent them to large tech testing labs, and they’ve
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F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 0 W I R E J O U R N A L I N T E R N AT I O N A L
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PUBLISHED BY
2020 LÄMNEÅ
WIRE JOURNAL DÜSSELDORF
SPOTLIGHT 39 Must-See Displays you will not want to miss
HALL 9 A-06
SAMPSISTEMI HALL 9 C-60
WITELS
HALL 9 E-39
NIEHOFF
HALL 10 C-06
WAFIOS
HALL 10 F-22/40
AIM
HALL 11 A-21
WTM
HALL 11 D-78
Wire Journal International is the official publication of the Wire Association International, which organizes the Interwire and Wire Expo tradeshows. © Cover photo: Messe Düsseldorf/ctillmann
9A Lämneå Bruk Hall 9 A-06 What’s to see? The No Twist Coiler NTC 1200: a machine that will revolutionize your wire drawing process. What makes it special? The No Twist Coiler 1200 can streamline your wire production like no other machine. How? The NTC 1200 can effectively serve as both a take-up and a payoff, providing considerable in-line space-savings. The innovative design allows it to be used as a take-up for the drawing machine, while the model’s inverted carrier is used as the payoff in the next production step, with finished product placed directly on the floor. The result? The package is handled as an undriven payoff for twist-free and straight wire with lower downtime due to continuous production abilities. For live demonstrations and details about this groundbreaking machine, visit our stand.
Sikora AG Hall 9 A-41 What’s to see? FIBER TENSION 6003: a new stand-alone gauge head for tension measurement of optical fibers in drawing towers.
What makes it special? The tension of the optical fiber influences crucial online and offline fiber parameters. Sikora’s new FIBER TENSION 6003 gauge head ensures the highest quality with a more precise and faster tension measurement. The gauge head, based on birefringence, can be used for hot and cold measurement of the bare fiber independent of the fiber position in the measuring field. For example, installed before forced cooling, the system generates reliable and stable measuring values for immediate tension control.
Woywod/PLASTICOLOR Hall 9 A-42 What’s to see? New PLASTICOLOR 3500 dosing unit eliminates ages-old “dead spots” concern. What makes it special? The newest PLASTICOLOR dosing unit design uses round material flow channels throughout the unit to eliminate dead spots caused by “hung up” pellets that can create scrap. The mixer’s patented material inlet ensures precise and constant dosing. The sealing of the screw shaft controls blocks the majority of powders and materials, but optional additional sealing is available for the most challenging production conditions. Backpressure is used to protect the motor and gearbox, and the quick discharge has a larger diameter and easy action slide for quicker and easier material discharge.
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Düsseldorf Spotlight 2020
W W W. W I R E N E T. O R G
9 A-B Rosendahl Nextrom GmbH Hall 9 A-60 What’s to see? RoSET: new insulation technology for MV cables that replaces XLPE.
What makes it special? RoSET (Rosendahl Superior Extrusion Technology) is a new MV cable-manufacturing package from one strong source. The polypropylene-based compounds (PPC) can be used to insulate power cables up to 30/36 kV. RoSET includes a dedicated MV line-type RM-A, a PPC insulation material starter package, process know-how and a type-test guarantee. Many tests on our production line showed that polypropylene is an equal or better alternative to XLPE. Manufacturers benefit from lower production and material costs, higher production speeds, smaller floorspace needs, and more.
OMCG Hall 9 B-14 What’s to see? A bending advance that makes it stunningly fast at going from a file to a completed part.
What makes it special? OMCG’s new CNC eccentric-bend head machine with EP4 program and P8/16 inspect function simplifies creation of new parts from the get-go from a file. Just sequence the CAD file to the EP4 to simulate the first part, and the P8/16 inspect unit returns corrected data to the bender to start production. How easy! The new, flexible eccentric-bend head (pictured) with quick-change bend pin and mandrel on bearings allows for smooth generation and bend radii forming. When sharp bends are required, the mandrel nose can be used and is perfect for the exact radii.
PWM Hall 9 B-41 What’s to see? A new version of the ST40 cold welder for strip. What makes it special? The ST40, developed specifically for nonferrous strip, can now be used with the welding head positioned either vertically or horizontally on the cart. This versatility gives manufacturers more options for tailoring the position of the machine to suit individual production set ups and applications. The air/hydraulic-powered ST40 is the only cold pressure welding machine able to join end-to-end strip as thin as 0.2 mm and as wide as 45 mm, and is low maintenance, straightforward and cost-effective to operate. See it at the PWM stand.
W W W. W I R E N E T. O R G
Düsseldorf Spotlight 2020
W I R E J O U R N A L I N T E R N AT I O N A L
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