Wirenet Image Band
wirenet.org mobile image band

Wire Journal News

January 2021

Madison, Connecticut, USA – January 8, 2021 – The Wire Association International (WAI), Inc. announces the appointment of Thomas M. Heberling as president of the association for a one-year term that commenced on January 1, 2021. Heberling will serve as chairman of the Board of Directors and as the 68th president of the 91-year-old association, which is headquartered in Madison, Connecticut, USA.

Thomas Heberling is vice president of wire & cable manufacturing at Southwire Company, where he has worked for nearly 33 years.

A WAI member since 2010, he has served the association in many areas, including a crucial role as co-chair of its Member Relations Committee from 2012–2014 for which he was honored with WAI’s President’s Award 2017. In this role, he carried out a Board initiative that reshaped the educational products serving the industry, and served to further strengthen the value of membership in the Association.

Heberling became a WAI Director in 2017 and has served as an Executive Committee Liaison to multiple committees. In addition to his role as WAI president, Heberling will serve as Chairman of its Conference Programming and Executive Committee liaison to its Oversight Committee.

Commenting on this new appointment, Heberling said, “I am humbled to serve as WAI’s 2021 President and I am looking forward to the experience. I am committed to do what I can to help 2021 be a successful year for our association which would include a successful WAI Interwire program in the fall.”

Heberling holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA.

The Wire Association International, Inc. is governed by a network of volunteers from around the globe. Joining Heberling for the 2021 term are members of the association’s 2021 executive committee: First Vice President, James R. York, Insteel Industries; Second Vice President, Daniel Blais, Prysmian Group; Immediate Past President, Jan Sørige, Enkotec Co., Inc.; and Executive Committee Members Eric Bieberich, Fort Wayne Wire Die, Inc., and Kurt Breischaft, SDI LaFarga COPPERWORKS.

A leader in technology and innovation, Southwire Company, LLC is one of North America’s largest wire and cable producers. Southwire and its subsidiaries manufacture building wire and cable, metal-clad cable, portable and electronic cord products, OEM wire products and engineered products.

WAI, founded in 1930, is a not-for-profit association with nearly 1,800 individual members in 50 countries. The association serves the educational needs of the wire and cable manufacturing industry through a variety of products and services. WAI manages the Interwire Trade Exhibition and the WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo and publishes the Wire Journal International and the Wire Journal International Reference Guide.

Media Contacts: Janice E. Swindells, Director Marketing & Corporate Communications, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Tel.: 001-203-453-2777
x. 117; Steven J. Fetteroll, Executive Director, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Tel.: 001-203-453-1777.

Published in Press Releases

Ulbrich understands the need for rapid Medical Device development cycles. With the new Ulbrich Braid Wire Accelerator™ Program, timelines and specific design performance characteristics are faster and more precise than ever before. Once an order is placed, we will ship a set of bobbins directly from our manufacturing facility within 24 hours and can have the product in customers’ hands in 72 hours or less. Alloys currently offered through this program are Stainless Steels, Nitinol, L605, MP35N, Tungsten, and Copper Beryllium, with plans of adding new materials in the future.

Braid reinforcement wires are important components in minimally invasive delivery systems. Our wires enable torque transmission and strength in these critical systems, with just the right amount of flexibility. As a leader in specialty wire production and development, Ulbrich’s wire manufacturing capabilities can reach as small as 0.0005″ diameter (about 5 times thinner than a human hair). Ulbrich’s advantages include tight dimensional and mechanical property control, which translates to a consistent program of commonly used sizes and alloys for quick response to new and existing medical braid wire customers.

Inventory management and customer service are areas in which Ulbrich excels and this program allows for braid wire customers to stabilize their supply chain. Our Development Partnership serves as an extension of your design team. When it comes to metals, we can bring expertise, technology and extraordinary processing capabilities to your project. That’s lightning-fast support from Ulbrich, your trusted partner from concept through mass production!

Ulbrich Specialty Wire Products, located in Westminster, South Carolina, is equipped for rolling, drawing, annealing, straightening and precision winding of a variety of round, flat and square wire products. Our “focus factory” (factory within a factory) dedicates managers and engineers along with state-of-the-art equipment to produce and manage industry specific requirements. Ulbrich offers technical support and applications engineers who work directly with customers to determine product needs and specifications based upon our customers processes, equipment and specific needs. Ulbrich is on the technical forefront of the metals industry delivering precision wire products to an increasingly diversified and global marketplace, expanding into the medical, solar, electronics, aerospace, microwave cable, automotive and other industries.

Published in Press Releases

Hermitage PA, December 14, 2020 – Solar Atmospheres of Western PA (SAWPA) successfully achieves Nadcap AC7101/4 accreditation for their captive metallography laboratory and becomes an approved Boeing Process Source (D1-4426). The accreditation will allow SAWPA to test for microhardness, surface contamination, intergranular oxidation and grain size in accordance with various aerospace specifications including many Boeing process specifications. Furthermore, the accreditation will reduce Solar’s dependence on outside testing facilities and provide its customers with a single source supplier capable of meeting all testing needs internally. Along with the laboratory accreditation, SAWPA continued the 24-month merit status for Nadcap heat treating.

Plant Metallurgist Greg Scheuring states, “This is a critical step for Solar Atmospheres of Western PA. We were missing out on a significant amount of production work and R&D projects because we were not qualified to certify test results to aerospace standards. Customers require a facility that can provide a one-stop shop.” Scheuring continues, “But this is really just the first phase of a broader goal. With Nadcap accreditation, SAWPA can seek out approval from specific Primes like Boeing, who consider Nadcap accreditation as a pre-requisite for their own internal qualification procedures. This accreditation will open up many new opportunities for SAWPA moving forward.”

For additional information about the Nadcap Laboratory at Solar Atmospheres of Western PA, contact Greg Scheuring at 1-855-934-3284 x2253, email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and visit us at solaratm.com.

Published in Press Releases

Securing a new medical quality standard is set to open up a £1m opportunity for one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of round, flat and profile wire.

Alloy Wire International (AWI), which offers a 60-strong range of Exotic alloys, has taken just nine months to refine its systems to achieve ISO 13485 - the quality standard for supplying medical devices. This accreditation is recognised throughout the world and means new and existing customers can purchase material from the firm’s two sites in the West Midlands and Yorkshire.

“Companies in the medical sector demand exacting quality, full traceability and superior performance, after all they are often producing devices that improve or save lives,” commented Paul Chatterley, Sales Executive at AWI. “We had been aware for some time that our wire has been purchased to undergo further processing for use in this industry, but Covid-19 really brought it into focus how critical a supplier we could be to clients in this field. He continued: “From supplying 5km of wire in unbelievably strict timescales for use in the Nightingale Hospital to meeting the needs of a spring maker working with the VentilatorChallengeUK consortium, our team has really stepped up to the challenge over the last nine months. 

 “This got us thinking…are there more opportunities out there than we actually realise? Are we missing out by not holding the necessary quality accreditation? The answer to both questions was yes!” AWI, which holds more than 200 tonnes of EU/DFARS compliant stock at any one time, immediately assigned its quality and technical team to work towards ISO 13485, starting with integrating the clauses into the firm’s QUENSH (Quality, Environmental, Safety & Health) Management System. Care was taken to ensure that the medical clauses didn’t contradict ones used in aerospace and, once this was completed, the business was ready for its two-stage audit by URS, an audit the company passed with no non-conformances raised.

Paul added: “ISO 13845 gives our clients peace of mind that we operate to the highest standards and we believe could deliver an additional £1m of sales in this sector. “We’re already seeing clients in China purchasing Phynox and other alloys for medical applications, whilst European customers are investing in Alloy MP35N, stainless steel 316LVM and 304V (vacuum melted grades).”

Whilst 2020 has definitely thrown up a number of challenges, Alloy Wire International has remained true to its annual investment plans, spending over £1m on material to ensure it can meet demand from sectors including medical, power generation and commercial air transport. There has also been the redevelopment of its offices in the West Midlands and the introduction of the latest wet drawing machine for producing wire from 0.063” (1.6mm) to 0.028” (0.7mm) diameter, plus a take-up spooler that can handle and store larger weight rolled wire profiles. 

For further information, please visit www.alloywire.com or follow Alloy Wire International on LinkedIn

Published in Press Releases

Central Wire Industries (CWI) is pleased to announce that select CWI Generation4 welding products manufactured in their Lancaster facility are now certified as meeting the requirements of the Canadian Welding Bureau standard for Arc Welding Electrodes.

The list of certified Gen4 welding products include the following:
GEN 308/308L (ER308L)
GEN 309/309L (ER309L)
GEN 316/316L (ER316L)
GEN 308LSi (ER308LSi)
GEN 309LSi (ER309LSi)
GEN 316LSi (ER316LSi)
GEN 409Nb (ER409Nb)
GEN 430 (ER430)
GEN 430LNb (ER430LNb)

The standard met for all above products is CSA W48-18 (GMAW/GTAW Stainless Steel) in sizes between 0.020” (0.5mm) and 0.157” (4.0mm). The certification is effective through November 16, 2022. A Certification of Welding Consumable has now been issued for each of the qualified products, and a copy is available by request. Driven by North American customer demand, CWI Lancaster joins the CWI Perth, ON location, having previously been certified.

This is the culmination of months of work by the dedicated and expert staff within CWI along with the CWI Lancaster manufacturing plant. The process of certification involved, among other things, passing rigorous testing requirements as witnessed by authorized CWB auditors. A sincere congratulation to all members of the CWI Lancaster team.

About Central Wire Industries
Central Wire Industries (CWI) is an international leader in wire drawing, value added services, and downstream products. With 14 locations in 3 countries, 750+ employees and over 60 years of
excellence, CWI offers the widest range of high-performance specialty alloys in nickel, stainless and red.


Anne Nichols
860-630-4224
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
metal. CWI manufactures round and shaped wire, strand, cable and wire rope, cable hardware,
assemblies, and more. Learn more by visiting www.centralwire.com

Published in Press Releases
January 4, 2021

Obituary: Michael Homa

Michael Homa, who had a long career with Tamaqua Cable Products/Draka Cableteq, died Nov. 11, 2020, at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest, Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Homa’s 35-year career saw him work for Draka Cableteq in Schuylkill Haven, Pennsylvania, formerly Tamaqua Cable Products, which was owned by two generations of the Combs family prior to its sale. He was vice president of manufacturing at Tamaqua Cable when the company was acquired by Draka in 1997. He retired in 2005.

Homa, a 1998 recipient of the WCMA Distinguished Career Award, retired in 2005. He was a member of the Columbia Hose Company for 60 years, a member of the Six County Firemen’s Association for 50 years, a lifetime member of the Schuylkill County Historical Fire Society, a member of the Saint Clair Fish and Game Association and a former president of the Schuylkill County Society for Crippled Children. He is survived by his wife, Carol Ann; daughter Heather; and son Michael.

Published in People

IEWC has promoted Pat Rislov to chief supply chain officer, with the company’s quality, business intelligence and marketing teams now also part of his oversight, joining sourcing, materials management, and logistics. He joined IEWC in 2018 as vice president of supply chain. He has more than 25 years of experience in the retail space with organizations including Kohl’s Department Stores and Steinhafels Furniture, where he earned progressive leadership roles specializing in inventory management, e-commerce operations, logistics and supply chain management. He holds a B.S. degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He will continue to report directly to company CEO Mike Veum. Based in New Berlin, Wisconsin, USA, IEWC supplies comprehensive wire, cable and wire management solutions.

Published in People

Genuine Cable Group (GCG) recently named Marc Abbagnaro as chief commercial officer. He will lead the commercial efforts across all GCG targeted business segments, including the telecom/broadband, factory automation, marine, building automation, assembly and infrastructure segments. He most recently worked for Anixter International, where he was senior vice president of sales for Anixter’s Electrical and Electronic Solutions division. Over 10 years, he held sales leadership roles in the U.S. as well as global sales positions covering the Americas and China. Owned by Auda Group, a private equity firm, Genuine Cable Group is a value-added distributor of wire, cable and related products to a variety of niche markets. 

Published in People

Richard T. Wagner has been promoted to senior vice president and COO of Insteel Industries, Inc. He joined the company in 1992 and most recently served as vice president and general manager of the concrete reinforcing products business unit of its subsidiary, Insteel Wire Products Company, from 1998 to October 2020. From 1977 to 1992, he served in various positions with Florida Wire and Cable, Inc., a manufacturer of PC strand and galvanized strand products that was later acquired by Insteel in 2000. In 2007, he was appointed vice president of Insteel Industries. He also served as WAI president in 2018. Based in Mount Airy, North Carolina, Insteel Industries is one of the nation’s largest manufacturers of steel wire reinforcing products for concrete construction applications. 



Published in People

On Dec. 3, the Wire & Cable Manufacturers Alliance (WCMA), hosted its first Virtual Presentation and Annual Meeting, with the below wrapup provided by Executive Director Ed Fenton.

The event included a presentation by John Traynor, executive vice president and chief investment officer, Peoples Bank Wealth Management. A frequent WCMA speaker, he returned to cover key economic, political, and manufacturing topics that will impact the industry during 2021. That included expectations for business growth drivers and what to expect from Washington and from the private equity community. He confirmed what WCMA has reported during the Covid-19 crisis: manufacturing segments, other than the significantly impacted oil/gas and commercial aerospace industries, will finish the year somewhat better than expected. That should be followed by a healthy recovery over the next year, or two, assuming vaccines are in place and effective.

Two individual management presentations were also made. “Cycles in Metal Market Prices,” by John Gross, JE Gross Consulting/The Copper Journal, and “Simplifying Supply Chains: More Important Now Than Ever,” by Mike Kelley, Kelley Productivity Partners. WCMA will schedule a specific follow up by Kelley during Q1 2021 for more details about his topic.

Participants who were able to take part in the virtual event considered the content valuable for their 2021 planning. WCMA has lost revenue dues to events not being able to be held, but dues from members has made it possible for the organization to continue to send charity donations to Toys for Tots and UCONN Health Center Cancer research, as well as scholarship donations to WAI’s Wire Foundation, IWCS and the Copper Club.

WCMA welcomed four new members: Encore Wire, Electrolock, Trans Cable Internatoional, and Quantum Design. The WCMA’s board of directors also approved an extension of Director and Officer terms through 2021 because of the pandemic.

Finally, WCMA is still hoping to be able to hold its Distinguished Career Awards dinner on April 17, and its Annual Golf Outing and Fundraiser (date TBD). Visit www.wcmainc.org, where details will be provided as soon as they become available.

Published in Industry News
Page 1 of 3

Gallery

Contact us

The Wire Association Int.

71 Bradley Road, Suite 9

Madison, CT 06443-2662

P: (203) 453-2777