12/6/21 – Essex Furukawa has expanded its relationship with The Copper Mark, the only comprehensive social and environmental assurance program for the copper industry, to join as semis-fabricator partners committed to participate in a pilot program.
A press release said that the partnership aligns with Essex Furukawa and its Vision 2030 to meet the Accountability, Reporting, and Governance (elements) as well as Supply Chain Transparency of its holistic sustainability program.
The Copper Mark is an assurance framework available for the copper industry to demonstrate its responsible production practices and its contribution to the United Nations SDGs. There are two phases where the Copper Mark and Essex Furukawa will work together. The first is self-assessment, to run to March 2022, and the second, the assurance process, is from April 2022 to December 2022.
“Being able to further advance our sourcing, sustainability, and external partnerships like those with The Copper Mark all positively impact Vision 2030 as well as Essex Furukawa and the entire copper industry,” said Austin Robinson, sustainability project manager for Essex Furukawa. “While it is far from the finish line for the task at hand for Essex Furukawa, it is a tremendous step in the direction of Vision 2030 achieving its leadership position in the industry.”
12/6/21 – If you have a loved one who is an audiophile and money is no object, The Cable Company, a supplier of premium cables, can provide just what you need: a pair of two-meter-long Emperor Double Crown Speaker Cables from Siltech Cables. The cables start at $50,000 ($74,000 for a three-meter model) and go up an additional $5,000 for a Biwire option. Below, the manufacturer explains why the emperor cables deserves your respect (and loot).
For over 25 years, Siltech Cables have been made exclusively in Holland. Siltech pioneered the use of silver as their primary cable conductor, now combined in their top models with gold which is impregnated to smooth silver's crystal boundaries. The Siltech Royal Signature Emperor Double Crown (Mono X-tal Ag + G7 technology) high-end loudspeaker cables embody every last ounce of Siltech’s knowledge and technology.
The twisted twin co-axial construction used in the Classic Anniversary and Explorer series delivers a perfect balance of performance, price and practicality, its elegant self-shielding topology eliminating both unnecessary elements and the performance compromises that go with them. But once performance becomes paramount, the rules change. An external, circumferential shield can produce even better results – but only if you can space it far enough away from the conductors. Thick and stiff external insulation imparts added mechanical isolation. That means cables that are heavy and less flexible, but once heard we think you’ll agree, that’s a small price to pay given the performance on offer.
Those substantial casings contain our latest G7 silver/gold alloy or, in the Crown Series cables, our revolutionary (and incredibly costly) S8 silver mono-crystal conductors, combined with advanced insulation materials and precision manufacturing techniques to create a genuinely state-of-the-art family of eight interconnects, five speaker cables, three power cords and no fewer than eight digital cables, including USB and FireWire. Breathtakingly accurate and musically involving, the Royal Signature Series are the best cables that Siltech can make: in a world of uncertainty, history suggests that that makes them the best cables you can buy.
For more details, or perhaps to make this the most memorable Christmas ever for a certain person, go to www.thecableco.com, and to learn about the cables, go to www.siltechcables.com.
1/3/22 – Leoni will officially close its plant in Chicopee, Massachusetts—the German cable maker’s first wire plant in the U.S., by Feb. 4, resulting in the loss of some 80 jobs.
A press release said that the company tried to but could not find a buyer for the plant, which opened in October 1991. “Unfortunately, despite intensive conversations with several potential investors, it was not possible to find a long-term continuation perspective for LWI, both strategically and financially.” The result is that the plant, which produces cables, ropes and braids for the aerospace, data communications and other industries, will be closed.
A company spokesman said that the operation was not part of the company’s previously announced plans. “As is well known, Leoni AG wants to strategically focus on consolidating its leading position as a supplier of wiring systems for the automotive industry. Against this backdrop, the company has already sold several non-automotive units in 2021.” Last November, WJI reported that Leoni AG had sold the majority of its Wire & Cable Solutions division to strategic investor BizLink Holding Inc. At the time, Leoni AG CEO Aldo Kamper said that the move had to be made. “With this step, we are once again proving that we are consistently continuing to implement our announced and already advanced focus on the Wiring System Division.”
12/6/21 – NKT plans to extend its presence in Poland with a local execution hub that will prepare it for the market opportunities driven by the country’s green transformation in Poland.
A press release said that NKT is now expanding its local presence with an execution center to prepare for a growing demand for both on- and offshore power cables. The center will be located in Gdynia, Poland, close to the Baltic Sea where several offshore wind farms are expected to be located.
The execution center is not a production site but a hub from where a company can execute local projects, both onshore and offshore. “The idea is to first hire cable jointers for installation projects where they are connecting the produced cable lengths. At a later stage, the plan is to hire more project-oriented people to drive offshore wind projects, so the center development is linked to future projects we win in Poland,” a company spokesman said.
NKT expects to hire the first power cable jointers by the end of 2021 and will hire additional people to the execution center as the potential market opportunities emerge with the first offshore wind projects materializing in the coming years. With two existing manufacturing sites in Poland specializing in building wires, low-voltage power cables and PVC compounds, NKT is also well-positioned to meet the growing demand for power cables driven by the expected reinforcement of the Polish power grid.
“We already have a strong footprint in Poland, and it is natural for us to take steps to strengthen our position in the country with the new execution hub,” said NKT CEO Alexander Kara. He noted that NKT is preparing to support Poland’s national ambition to install up to 11 GW of offshore wind capacity in the Baltic Sea by 2040.
12/6/21 – LS Cable & System (LS C&S) announced that it has entered into an MOU for cooperation in the domestic offshore wind power business with Northland Power, a Canadian new and renewable energy developer.
A press release said that in the MOU, the two companies agree to their roles for offshore wind power generation business, agreeing to cooperate in related EPC (design, procurement and construction). Canadian-based Northland Power builds and operates new and renewable energy infrastructure such as wind power and photovoltaics. Founded in 1987, it is seeking to advance into Asian countries such as Taiwan and Japan. LS C&S was a priority supplier of submarine cables for Northland Power’s 1GW Hai Long Wind Farm Project in Taiwan.
As Northland Power is expanding its business in Korea, e.g., the 1.3 GW Dado Ocean Wind Power Project in Jeollanam-do, LS C&S expects to see its sales grow. “With this MOU, we will comply with the government’s new and renewable energy policy and contribute to job creation,” LS C&S President & CEO Roe-Hyun Myung said.
LS C&S also announced that the company signed an agreement on an “industry-finance cooperation program for the promotion of the submarine cable industry” with Korea Development Bank (KDB). LS C&S will receive funds from KDB totaling KRW 1 trillion over the next five years. The money will be used for its environmentally friendly business, such as submarine cables.
“LS Cable & System is investing huge amounts of money in the submarine cable industry in line with the government’s carbon neutral policy,” said the company.