It’s still five months away, but the co-located 2025 staging of Interwire and the Global Continuous Casting Forum (GCCF) at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia, continues to grow, as thoughtful technical programs as well as the opportunity to network and see the sold-out Interwire show floor provide plenty of incentive. Also, registration is now open for both.

As of press time, some 275 exhibitors from 23 countries have taken more than 100,000 sq ft of floor space at Interwire, and an expansion is already underway. Full details on Interwire—both the conference and trade exposition—are now available on the event website; www.interwire25.com. That same website also includes program details for the GCCF and WAI’s day-long  Fundamentals of Wire Manufacturing course.

In its February issue, WJI will again publish prequels of Interwire and GCCF. The prequels will include a look at key elements of the co-located events. That includes information on two notable keynote speakers that promise to be especially compelling: Andrea Pirondini, CEO, Prysmian North America, and Chris Tuff, the best-selling author of the Millennial Whisper, who has been described as “a leader for leaders.

Hotel accommodations can be secured at EventSphere (www.evensphere.com), the lone official hotel provider of Interwire 2025. The Association does not encourage booking hotel reservations through any other source as third-party companies that contact you may misrepresent themselves as the official housing provider.

The technical programs for both events have been filled, and highlights will be presented in the February prequel. Of note, the GCCF will open with a tour. The GCCF planning committee has been working for seven months planning the four-day event. They have arranged for a special start for the event: a tour of the newly built Aurubis Richmond LLC operation in Augusta, Georgia. The $800 million hydrometallurgical facility was designed to recycle insulated copper cables, printed circuit boards and other metals without the need for a traditional smelter. It was designed to annually process more than 180,000 tons of  such materials.

Planning Committee Chairman Chris Tucker joined fellow committee member Richard Baker to visit with the Aurubis leadership and plan for the tour. Tucker credits Baker for securing the tour, which he considers a perfect start to the conference. The tour will occur as the operation is staging into operation and both Baker and Tucker described this as a once-in-a-career opportunity to see such a massive operation come to life.

Attendees need to indicate at the time of registration that they want to participate on this day-long tour on Monday, May 12. The tour of this unique site is limited to 100 individuals, so registering early is encouraged to secure a place on the tour.

Tom Herd has joined Radcliff Wire as vice president of sales and marketing. He previously led similar teams for several companies that supply engineered products and components to OEMs and manufacturers in several key industrial markets including automotive, aerospace, and medical. He has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He replaces Scott Kirkpatrick, who joined the company in 2003, and has retired. Based in Bristol, Connecticut, Radcliff Wire  manufactures custom shaped wire for industries including aerospace, automotive and others.

Italy’s SAMP announced a series of organizational changes that have taken effect. Reporting to SAMP CEO Jouni Heinonen, will be: Mattia Baccini, vice president, who will lead the Global Machine Division, overseeing operations (Bentivoglio, Italy. Changzhou, China. and Cortinovis do Brasil, Brazil); Davide Pasqualotto, vice president, will lead the Global Customer Service Division, providing rapid response and tailored solutions and building lasting customer relationships worldwide; Valentina Pozzobon, vice president, will lead the Group’s Corporate Functions, driving strategic initiatives and sustainable growth to ensure operational excellence and financial strength, and building robust corporate infrastructure to support global expansion and market leadership. Based in Bentivoglio, Italy, SAMP supplies a wide range of equipment for wire and cable production.

 Prysmian has announced a new organizational structure  that will see the following people designated as follows. Under Business Segments: transmission will be led by Raul Gil, a neLw appointment; power grid will be led by Cinzia Farisè; electrification will be led Cristiana Scelza; and digital solutions will be led by Frederick Persson. Under Regions, North America will be led by Andrea Pirondini; Europe will be by Marcello Del Brenna, a new appointment; ATAM will be led by Giacomo Sofia, a new appointment; MEART will be led by Erkan Aydogdu; and APAC will be led by Hamavand Shroff. Under Operations and Group Functions, operations will led by Javier Arata, a new appointment; finance, administration, control and IT will be led by Pier Francesco Facchini; HR and organization will be led by Francesco Tutino; strategy & M&A will be led by Iuri Longhi; sustainability, investor relations and communication will be led by Maria Cristina Bifulco; risk management and compliance will be led by Alessandro Nespoli; corporate affairs will be led by Jacopo Zirulia; innovation and R&D will be led by Srinivas Siripurapu; and internal audit will be led by Paola Pulidori. Based in Italy, Prysmian is the world’s largest wire and cable company.

Nader Saad has been named CFO of TiniFiber®. He is tasked with driving the company’s strategic initiatives, including expanding its product portfolio, enhancing its presence in the North American market and advancing its innovative technology. He has more than a decade of experience in senior financial leadership roles. Nader served as CFO and Senior Vice President of Finance at RPM, a leading logistics and supply chain firm operating across North America and Europe. He also held the role of Financial Controller at RJ, a multinational logistics company, and has experience in the fiber optics sector through his tenure at Rocket Fiber. Based in Lindenhurst, New York, TiniFiber® manufactures  patented Micro Armor Fiber™ optical cabling solutions.

Obituary

Prof. Etienne Aernoudt, a prolific technical paper author, researcher and university professor who specialized in steel wire research and won WAI’s 2009 Mordica Memorial Award, died Dec. 6 at age 86.

A native of Belgium, Aernoudt earned an MSc degree in metallurgical engineering and a diploma in nuclear sciences at Catholic University of Leuven (CUL) in 1962. In 1964, he joined Bekaert Steel Wire Corporation (Bekaert) and became manager of its metal forming research center in Zwevegem, Belgium. He left Bekaert and continued his scientific training at the Westfalische Technische Hochschule, where he earned his PhD degree in sciences in 1966. He later returned to Bekaert. He started doing research work at CUL, where he was an assistant professor. In 1970, he became an associate professor, working in the Faculty of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering at CUL. In 1974, he became a full professor, and in 1987 he was named rector of the Technical University of Leuven, the post he occupied for six years.

While working for Bekaert, Aernoudt was credited for producing the first hair-thin stainless steel fibers (10 micrometer). The scope of his wire research was wide. He dealt with cold deformations and metal texture as well as technological issues as extrusion, powder metallurgy, shape memory alloys, composite materials and biomaterials. He was an author on some 250 papers published in scientific journals about wire theory and technology, and nine books.

Aernoudt served in roles in multiple research organizations, including as chairman of the Metallurgical Society of the Royal Institution of Flemish Engineers (1976-1980); chairman of a working group on Neo-Ceramics and Powder Metallurgy (1982-1987); the International Conference of Textures of Materials (1988–1993), the Flemish Council for Industrial Scientific Research (1988–1991); the General Assembly of the Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (1987– 1993); and chairman of a working group of the Royal Belgian Academy Council of Applied Science (1997-1999). He retired from CUL in 2003.

Beyond professional organizations, Aernoudt cooperated closely with colleagues and was praised for having a remarkable capacity for discovering talented people and contributing to their professional development. He was described as a person of powerful intellect, kindness and a very good sense of humor. He was also close to members of WAI’s Poland Chapter, especially Jan Pilarczyk, a retired professor at Częstochowa University who had nominated him for the Mordica Memorial Award in 200

To those who like to plan ahead, to block off time for a “must attend” event, two WAI Chapters would like to help.

The New England Chapter will return to the Tunxis Country Club on Sept. 8, 2025, and the Southeast Chapter will return to the Rockbarn Country Club on Oct. 16, 2025. For more details, visit the home pages of the chapters at wirenet.org or contact WAI Member Services Manager Corey Flynn at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The WAI New England Chapter’s Annual Dinner will return to the Mohegan Sun Resort & Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut, on Feb. 6.

The event will again be held this year inside the Cabaret Theatre, starting with the reception at 5:30 pm, followed by the meeting. Registration opens at 5 pm. The program is still being finalized, and the January WJI will have a full preview. The meeting will include the introduction of the 2025 officers, the raffle and the perfect setting to catch up with friends and colleagues. The event remains a key fundraiser for the chapter’s Scholarship Fund, and companies/individuals can help further that goal by becoming a meeting sponsor. Registration is now open through WAI’s event registration system. WAI Chapter members in good standing receive discounted rates.

There will be a review of chapter activity in 2024. Looking back to the last meeting, Jan. 26, Keynote speaker Michelle Dray—creator of the “Getting Unstuck & Leading Fearlessly” program—presented a different focus on personnel. Her 11-week program is designed for women, but she told attendees that it also applied to men. She explained the different signs of “career stuck-ness, and how they were different for industry newcomers (0-five years) or those who have been around longer but also face plateau issues. Her message worked, and she had very good reviews.

One of the highlights was the annual golf tournament on Sept. 11 at the Tunxis Country Club in Farmington, Connecticut. A total of 135 golfers played, with the Fluorogistx-sponsored team of Jim Elliott and Rick Larson from New England Wire Technologies, and Jim Bliss, Marmon IEI, winning with a score of 60, 12 under par. The chapter’s scholarship fund was also a big winner, as the raffle once again saw members dig deep to support the cause.

Another was the WAI’s New England Chapter annual educational event on Nov. 7 at Accel International’s plant in Cheshire, Connecticut, followed by a networking dinner. Including WAI staff, a total of 46 people from 30 companies took part.

Accel International Holdings CEO and Founder Tony Oh talked to attendees about the company’s history and gave an overview, followed by attendees splitting into small groups to walk through the facility. That was followed by a dinner at Viron Rondo Osteria, where participants enjoyed a networking dinner.

The New England Chapter, the WAI’s largest one, currently has 209 members.