On Saturday, March 23rd, 2024, Ulbrich Stainless Steels & Special Metals, Inc., celebrated the company’s centennial anniversary with a grand gala at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville, Connecticut. The event marked 100 years of the Ulbrich family legacy and was attended by over 600 employees, retirees and notable government officials.

Per the company report, the gala kicked off with an executive and family photoshoot before employees and their guests poured into the Aqua Turf’s Kay’s Pier banquet hall for cocktail hour. Upon seating at their tables, captivated attendees watched with reverence as the Governor’s Foot Guard presented the colors. Chris Ulbrich, company chairman and CEO, had the honor of introducing the Foot Guard, explaining that the historic military regiment had been active since the earliest days of the American Revolution. As the ceremonies came to a close, Chris Ulbrich gave a heartfelt speech, thanking all the Ulbrich team members, both past and present, for their contributions to the company. He also expressed gratitude to the entire Ulbrich community, from vendors to suppliers and organizations that serve the community.

The event was graced by the presence of Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz, Connecticut Chief Manufacturing Officer Paul Lavoie, State Representative Dave Yaccarino, former Wallingford Mayor William Dickenson. In addition to Mayor Scarpati of Meriden, Mayor Vincent Cervoni of Wallingford and First Selectman Micheal J. Freda of North Haven also attended the event.

Bysiewicz, Lavoie and the mayors each spoke to Ulbrich’s longevity and the importance of manufacturing jobs to the state’s economic prosperity. Mayor Scarpati and Mayor Cervoni proclaimed that March 23rd is now officially dedicated to celebrating Ulbrich’s contributions to our communities. The governor’s office presented a 100th birthday card to the Ulbrich family.

The gala celebrated Ulbrich’s journey since 1924, acknowledging the countless hardworking men and women who have been the driving force behind the company’s achievements. Chris Ulbrich highlighted the company’s adaptability, from making mess kits during World War II to contributing to lunar landings, Mars missions, and life-saving medical devices.

An announcement said that a special gift, a book titled “More than Metal,” chronicling the company’s history, would be mailed to the homes of all attendees. The book was originally written by longtime company Chairman and CEO Fred Ulbrich, Jr., and finished as part of the company’s centennial celebration.

Superior Essex, a global leader in the magnet wire and communication cables industry and a majority owner of the Essex Furukawa Magnet Wire joint venture with Furukawa Electric, announced that it has agreed to take over the remaining minority interest held by Furukawa Electric in Essex Furukawa.

A press release said that when the transaction is completed, Superior Essex will become the sole owner of the brand, assets and operations currently conducted by the global Essex Furukawa joint venture. Superior Essex plans to relaunch its magnet wire business under a new company name this year. This entity will continue to operate all current facilities of the Essex Furukawa joint venture around the world, which includes the Japanese and Malaysian (Kuala Lumpur) magnet wire facilities contributed by Furukawa Electric in October 2020.

“I want to thank the entire Furukawa Electric team,” Superior Essex CEO Daniel Choi said. “Over the last several years—operating together as Essex Furukawa—we have been able to create many successes.”

The collaboration between Superior Essex and Furukawa Electric in Essex Furukawa began in October 2020, with the aim of leveraging their combined experience and knowledge to drive innovation and deliver manufacturing excellence, technological advancement, and outstanding customer service.

The acquisition of Furukawa Electric’s minority interest in Essex Furukawa marks an important milestone for Superior Essex as it takes full control of its global operations and strengthens its commitment to delivering exceptional products and services to its customers worldwide.

Superior Essex is the parent brand of Essex Furukawa Magnet Wire, Superior Essex Communications, Essex Energy Italy, IVA, Lacroix + Kress, Hi-Wire, and Essex Brownell. It has over 3,000 employees in 11 countries, on three continents. Furukawa Electric Group has 127 group companies including Furukawa Electric Co., Ltd., and approximately 50,000 employees around the world.

Arcole, a French private equity fund, has made a majority investment in Setic in partnership with longstanding shareholder and CEO Thierry Collard, who will continue in his current role.

A press release said that the investment will present a new phase of growth for Setic, a global leader in designing and manufacturing machinery for the wire and cable industry that is based in France in Roanne and Paris. The strategic investment aims at accelerating Setic’s development and enables a drastic deleveraging. “The company is thus in a very good position to capitalize on the favorable market trends anticipated in the coming years.”

Setic will fully embrace its role as a French industrial leader at the service of energy transition. The first steps on this path include enhancing the sales structure of the U.S. subsidiary, upgrading facilities in Roanne with new R&D capabilities, and rebranding the group as “Setic Pourtier” on the occasion of its 75th anniversary, combining the legacy of both historical brands. The presence of Arcole will not have an impact on customers.

Collard said that he was pleased with the deal. “I am delighted to have secured the redeployment of Setic Pourtier, keeping ownership in French hands and ensuring a promising future for our team while consolidating our growth trajectory that has taken us from a period of crisis to outstanding financial performance in just two years,” he said.

“We are thrilled about this investment, that gives Arcole the opportunity to support an industrial company with a French footprint and a global reach, based on a century-long legacy of technical excellence and innovation,” said Arcole Managing Partner Renaud Sueur. “I am very happy to partner with Thierry Collard, the CEO of Setic Pourtier, whose experience and knowledge of the market have been decisive in our will to invest in the Group.”

Bekaert and Edison Next have signed a 12-year on-site solar power purchase agreement (PPA) at the Bekaert plant in Sardinia, Italy.

A press release said that the 6.1 MW solar installation marks another major milestone in Bekaert’s sustainability strategy, Creating a Better Tomorrow. The PPA will see the installation of a photovoltaic system at the Bekaert plant in the province of Cagliari, Sardinia. The solar installation is capable of meeting more than 20% of the plant’s current energy requirements.

The photovoltaic system at the Sardinia plant will be completed and operative in 2025. Edison Next will finance, develop and manage the installation. Covering an area of about 23,000 sq m, the system is designed to produce more than 11.2 GWh a year and reduce annual emissions of about 3,000 metric tons of CO₂. Bekaert Sardinia expects to self-consume 93% of the renewable electricity generated.

“This state-of-the-art solar project at Bekaert’s Sardinia plant incorporates trackers that follow the path of the sun to optimize renewable energy production,” said Michael Hamilton, VP Procurement Commodities Category at Bekaert. “It will accelerate our sustainability ambitions as well as make us less dependent on energy price inflation. Since opening the solar plant in Burgos, Spain, last year this marks a next milestone to achieve the goal of reducing our greenhouse gas emissions by 46.2% by 2030.”

“We are proud to be able to contribute to the sustainability goals of Bekaert, one of the Italian, European and global leaders in the steel sector,” said Marco Steardo, Industry Director of Edison Next. “The development of this large photovoltaic system in fact marks an important step in the decarbonization path of Bekaert Sardinia and the Bekaert Group in general towards their ambition of net zero by 2050.”

South Korea’s Taihan Cable & Solution announced that it plans to set up a specialized test facility for HVDC (High Voltage Direct Current) cable at one of its main production sites in Dangjin.

A press release said that the dedicated test facility will be built on approximately 7,000 sq m of unused land at the Dangjin plant, which is one of Taihan’s main production sites. The construction aims to be completed within the first quarter of next year. Taihan plans to equip the facility to be able to simultaneously test two lines of HVDC cables, including both land and submarine cables. Specifically, the facility will be capable of conducting long-term reliability tests (PQ Test), which can take more than a year, and Temporary Over Voltage (TOV) tests, recently adopted as a mandatory test item for international HVDC cables. This will complete the infrastructure needed to perform internationally recognized certifications.

In other news, Taihan Cable & Solution reported on Feb. 22 that it had won a project for a 500 kV EHV power project from the Electric Power Systems Engineering Company, a joint venture of the Egyptian government. The project involves linking an existing substation and a new HVDC converter station in the Badr region, located in the northeast of Egypt, with underground power cables. Taihan will supply 500 kV HVAC cables and oversee the project management.

“With this order, Taihan has made its first entry into the Egyptian EHV market,” the release said. It noted that 500kV is the highest voltage used in Egypt. “Taihan succeeded in pioneering the market, breaking through the competition not only with local companies but also with leading global companies.”