The WAI’s Education Committee plays a pivotal role in advancing the professional development and technical knowledge of industry professionals, and its role has never been more important as the focus is on delivering an ambitious program that serves a defined need.

The committee, comprised of a diverse group of experts, oversees the creation and implementation of innovative training programs that cater to the evolving needs of the wire and cable industry. Chaired by Matt Miles of Southwire, with Erik Perks of Prysmian as vice chair, the education committee is instrumental in driving WAI’s educational initiatives. The committee includes representatives from leading companies and institutions, bringing a wealth of expertise to the table.

Currently, the committee is overseeing the development of WAI’s new online training platform, which is set to revolutionize industry education. This platform offers a growing library of video content, meticulously curated to provide professionals with accessible, high-quality training materials. From foundational courses to advanced technical sessions, the platform is designed to meet the diverse needs of industry members.

The committee also actively collaborates on in-person events, such as the Advanced Extrusion Workshop. This hands-on session will offer participants a unique opportunity to deepen their understanding of extrusion processes, further showcasing the committee’s commitment to comprehensive education.

In addition to Miles and Perks, committee members include Brad Andrews of Condat Corp., Donald Dodge of Calmont Wire & Cable, Joseph Domblesky of Marquette University, Jason Giebfried of Paramount Die Co., Tracy Gooding of Mar-Mac Wire Inc.,
C. Richard Gordon of C. Richard Gordon Consulting, David Gzesh of Blachford Corp., Erik Macs of Wire & Plastic Machinery Corp., Richard Medoff of Ace Metal Inc., Isaac Muller of American Wire Group and Donald Neville of RichardsApex Europe Ltd.

Also, Dale Olp of A-1 Wire Tech Inc., Brian Parsons of Interstate Wire Co. Inc., Svet Pavlovsky of Blachford Corp., Horace Pops of Horace Pops Consulting, Cristian Rangel of Encore Wire Corp., Christopher Reeve of Insteel Wire Products, Matthew Reinoehl of SDI LaFarga COPPERWORKS, Eric Wagner of Charter Steel and Bhaskar Yalamanchili of Gerdau Long Steel North America.

The WAI Executive Committee Liaison is Kurt Breischaft of SDI LaFarga COPPERWORKS and the staff liaison is John Markowski. To learn more about WAI’s education initiatives, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 203-458-4044.

The Wire Association International will present a new program—Advanced Extrusion Workshop—as part of the Association’s ever-evolving educational offerings at Interwire 2025.

Scheduled for Wednesday, May 14, 2025, from 9 am to noon, the exclusive workshop will be limited to 50 participants. The unique immersive learning experience is designed to build on the foundational extrusion principles introduced by Erik Macs of Wire & Plastic Machinery Corp during the Fundamentals of Wire Manufacturing Course on Monday.

The workshop will take place at Southwire’s campus in Carrollton, offering participants invaluable up-close learning with extrusion equipment, shifting from the traditional classroom setting to a more practical, equipment-focused environment. The workshop will feature breakout activities and group exercises, allowing participants to collaborate and apply concepts in a practical setting.

The session is not meant to be just a lecture but a dynamic learning experience. When participants return from Southwire they will go on organized group visits to key extrusion exhibitors on the Interwire show floor, where they can hear about the latest advances and engage directly with industry leaders.

The workshop will be co-taught by Rick Chamberlin, an extrusion veteran, Hawkins Consulting, LLC; and an expert from Southwire. They will ensure participants walk away with a deep understanding of advanced extrusion techniques and their practical applications.

In a short time, the WAI has made significant strides in its online learning and professional development platform.

WAI staff is in the process of developing content and building out the platform. It is set for a soft launch later this year, with a full release at the beginning of 2025. One of the first offerings will be an introductory course on Ferrous Metallurgy, which is already nearing completion, alongside 12 general manufacturing safety courses. Each one consists of short videos, none lasting more than five minutes. Each module includes knowledge checks throughout the videos. Upon completing a module, learners receive a certificate of completion.

If you are interested in knowing more about the program and receiving early access to the platform
during the soft launch phase, contact John Markowski, project manager, education, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
or 203-458-4044.

Readers can expect to see more news about the video learning platform in this section in future issues.   

WAI has made significant headway with its innovative training and development initiative that is designed to enhance industry knowledge and skills through a structured and comprehensive approach.

Industry experts and staff have completed most of the first of five training modules. Each one consists of short videos, none lasting more than five minutes. Each module includes knowledge checks throughout the videos. Upon completing a module, learners receive a certificate of completion.

WAI is collaborating with a motion designer who specializes in manufacturing “explainer” videos. Each one will feature a blend of shop floor footage and animated segments that clarify complex concepts. Narration is done by a professional voiceover artist to ensure that the material is engaging and easy to follow. Each module is developed under the guidance of primary and secondary subject matter experts to ensure
the content is both accurate and relevant. The first four videos of the inaugural module, Ferrous Metallurgy, were showcased last month at Wire Expo 2024.

In parallel with content creation, WAI staff evaluated various learning management systems (LMS) to host the online training. WAI’s Education Committee has provided their input, and now it is advancing to the Executive Committee. The aim is to finalize the LMS selection by the end of July 2024. Key features being considered for the LMS include group enrollment and progress tracking, white-label access for large companies, the ability to host custom content, a user-friendly interface with Single Sign-On (SSO), and scalability to support future growth.

The Ferrous Metallurgy module is slated for completion by late summer/early fall 2024, along with the soft launch of the LMS. The second module, Single Layer Extrusion Overview, is expected to be ready by the end of 2024. n

The Wire Association International is seeking presentations for its return to the Georgia World Congress Center in 2025 for both Interwire as well as what will be the fourth staging of the Global Continuous Casting Forum (GCCF) to be held May 12-15, 2025.

Interwire is held every other year whereas the GCCF was on a four-year schedule (2011, 2015 and 2019) prior to Covid. Presenters are needed for both events.

Chris Tucker, Encore Wire, will head the GCCF organizing committee. He will be joined by Richard Baker, Cableforce Consulting; Kurt Breischaft, SDI LaFarga COPPERWORKS; John Hugens, Hugens Metallurgy & Combustion; Martin Lecours, Rio Tinto; Giuseppe Marcantoni, Properzi International; Juan Sanchez, Freeport McMoran; Janusz Sekunda, Prysmian; Patrick Slaughter, Southwire; Robert White, Hazelett; and Florin Teglas, Nexans.

Suggested topics for the 2025 event include: casting technologies, electrical energy, global copper and aluminum markets, cost-saving opportunities, filtration concepts, molten metal, combustion systems, furnaces, degassing, metal flow, refractories, aluminum and copper alloys and sustainability. The submission date is Oct. 2, and questions can be sent to WAI’s John Markowski at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Presentations for Interwire are also being sought. The organizing team is being led by Conference Co-Chairmen WAI President Daniel Blais and Eric Biebrerich. Preferred topics for Interwire will include topics that address key industry needs. Future articles will address the specific topics. At this point, companies are welcome to suggest presentations for the committee to consider. Those also can be sent to WAI’s John Markowski at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Wire Association International will once again partner with two other industry associations—IWMA and ACIMAF—to hold Wire & Cable Krakow. The one day event will be held on Oct. 14, 2025, at the Holiday Inn Krakow City Centre.

In addition to the three industry associations, Wire & Cable Krakow has the support of the University of Science and Technology (AGH) and Czestochowa Technical University (CTU).

The Conference Committee includes Don Neville, RichardsApex Europe, Ltd., IWMA; Ferrucio Bellina, TKT Group, ACIMAF; Eric Bieberich, Fort Wayne Wire Die; Jessica Bennett, IWMA; Dr. Beata Smyrak, Prof. Tadeusz Knych; both of AGH University, Poland Chapter; and Steve Fetteroll, WAI.

While planning for the event continues, the format will be similar to that for Wire & Cable Milan in 2023, which got very good reviews. Wire & Cable Krakow will have an electrical and a nonferrous track, each with up to 12 slots that will last 20 minutes. Look for more information to follow in future issues.

On April 4, WAI volunteers and staff joined forces at the Points Meeting for the initial allocation of exhibitor booth space for the 2025 Interwire Trade Exposition, which will be held on May 13-15, 2025, in Atlanta.

The Points Meeting is important because it is used to decide where booths will be placed based on a formula that uses the number of years of participation and the size of booth. A total of 118 companies took part in the Points Meeting that was held online at the WAI’s office in Madison, Connecticut. By the end of the day, 64,000 sq ft of exhibit space was reserved.

The team that managed the process included volunteers Erik Macs of Wire & Plastic Machinery; Harish Panchal, consultant; Joe Snee of Joe Snee Associates; and John Zachow of Davis-Standard. WAI staff representative included the sales team of Anna Bzowski and Shannon Timme; Corey Flynn, manager of member services; Chuck Szymaszek, director of technology; and Sheila Kuever, controller.

Also there was WAI Executive Director Steve Fetteroll, who said that the smoothly run kick-off bodes well for Interwire, which requires extensive planning in many stages. “I am grateful to the entire team for their efforts. The process works well, and during it a lot of elements have to be addressed so that when attendees walk the show floor next year, all is right.”

Fetteroll, who served as an observer during the day-long meeting, said that the results for the kick-off were inspiring. “It’s hard to appreciate just how widespread and committed the industry support is for Interwire. Of the 118 exhibitors that reserved floor space, 110 had participated in previous shows, with many having done so since the event was launched in 1981.

In a launch that may be as innovative for the WAI’s technical mission as the introduction of multi-wire drawing systems, the Wire Association International will debut its new online training and professional development program at the WAI Resource Center during the upcoming Wire Expo.

WAI will premiere its first video, “Introduction to Ferrous Metallurgy,” from the initial module titled “Fundamentals of Ferrous Metallurgy.” The videos are currently undergoing production, promising a captivating learning experience unmatched in the industry. What makes them innovative is that the online training incorporates animation with actual shop floor footage and includes interactive knowledge checks throughout.

The videos are being produced through a WAI partnership with a motion designer company and will be thoroughly vetted by industry veterans. Plans call for multiple modules to be produced each year. The first one, to be shown at Wire Expo, is a snippet, but it will be substantial enough for viewers to sense its potential, a taste of what is to come.

“WAI is poised to revolutionize professional development in our industry,” said WAI President Daniel Blais of Prysmian. “We anticipate the modules will serve as an unparalleled educational resource, empowering employees with the knowledge and skills essential for success.”

The full module, slated for release later this year, will also mark the launch of WAI’s new learning management system. This state-of-the-art platform is designed to provide comprehensive educational content and interactive features, catering to the diverse needs of professionals.

“Our commitment to excellence shines through in this initiative, reinforcing WAI’s mission to foster knowledge, collaboration, and growth within the Association’s global network,” said WAI’s Executive Director Steve Fetteroll.

Wire Expo attendees are encouraged to stop by the WAI Resource Center to learn more about the program, see the preview of the first video and share their thoughts.