The Wire Association International’s (WAI) new online training platform was officially launched at the end of January 2025, marking a significant step forward in the Association’s commitment to advancing industry education.

The debut included details about three in-house-produced courses—Introduction to Ferrous Metallurgy, Single Layer Extrusion Overview, and Extrusion Applications—as well as 12 manufacturing safety courses from a third-party content provider, offering a diverse library for industry professionals.

A Jan. 29th Open House webinar, the kick-off for the launch, gave attendees a first-hand look at the platform’s features, course structure, and content, with a live demonstration and Q&A session. “I fully expect the response to the platform and webinar to be phenomenal,” said John Markowski, WAI’s Education Manager. “It’s clear there’s a strong demand for flexible, high-quality educational resources in our industry.”

Development is ongoing, with plans to introduce an online version of the Fundamentals of Wire Manufacturing Course later in 2025. “This course has been the cornerstone of WAI’s training efforts for years and moving it online will allow us to engage a broader audience,” Markowski explained.

At the time of launch, several companies were already prepared to integrate WAI’s training content into their employee onboarding efforts. Additionally, WAI is proud to announce a partnership with the Spring Manufacturers Institute (SMI), which will incorporate select ferrous metallurgy videos into SMI’s courses while also offering their participants access to WAI’s Introduction to Ferrous Metallurgy course. This collaboration expands WAI’s reach and aligns with SMI’s shared mission to support wire manufacturing education.

Steve Fetteroll, WAI’s Executive Director, shared Markowski’s enthusiasm for the platform’s potential. “The industry is evolving, and so are we. This platform reflects WAI’s dedication to meeting the growing need for accessible, top-tier training opportunities.”

Interwire 2025 will serve as a key stage for showcasing WAI’s new training materials to the wire and cable industry. As part of the event, John Markowski will host a session in the WAI Theater in the exhibition hall, highlighting the critical importance of workforce training in today’s evolving industry. The session will include a live demonstration of WAI’s training platform, offering attendees a look at how it can serve as a valuable solution to meet their companies’ training and professional development needs.

Visit wirenet.org for details on the platform, including future course additions and updates. Questions can be directed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Over the past 20 years, ACIMAF, IWMA and the WAI have produced numerous technical conferences throughout Europe. This time, they are being joined by Poland’s AGH University (AGH) to put on an event that will be held in Kraków, Poland, on Oct. 14, 2025. It is a most fitting addition as multiple members of WAI’s Poland Chapter have presented technical articles.

AGH is a public university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1913, the university focuses on innovative technologies, its research profile also includes engineering disciplines, exact sciences, earth sciences and social sciences. Its research scope includes wire production.

WAI Executive Director Steve Fetteroll credits RichardApex’s Don Neville—who recently completed his term as chairman of U.K.-based International Wire Machinery Association (IWMA)—for encouraging a collaboration with AGH. That led to support from AGH Dean Tadeusz Knych, the 2015 winner of WAI’s Mordica Award and a long-time member of the WAI Poland Chapter, and Dr. Beata Smyrak, an AGH professor. “The group is working well together and of course, it is a pleasure to have a chance to work more closely with genuine supporters.”

Professor Jerzy Lis, the rector of AGH, is also supporting the one-day event that will see concurrent ferrous and electrical tracks as well as tabletops.

Attendees will be presented an in-depth view of the manufacturing advances in wire and cable research, operations and production. While some presentations have already been secured, a call for papers has been issued for ferrous and nonferrous topics. The deadline for an abstract submission form is March 31, 2025. The form can be accessed online at BIT.LY/WAIABSTRACTS

After the program has been completed, there will be a gala dinner including local cuisine and history at the Depot at 15 św. Wawrzyńca Street. The complex is a rarity in Europe as it is the only depot complex virtually preserved in its entirety, the witness of the transformations in the city public transport from the introduction of horse trams, through narrow-gauge and standard-gauge electric trams, to buses. It has been renovated into the Museum of Engineering and Technology.

 The Holiday Inn Krakow City Centre hotel is a five-minute walk from the vast Main Square in the city’s historic Old Town. Local tram and bus stops are nearby, and Kraków Główny train station is within easy reach. John Paul II International Airport Kraków–Balice is a 25-minute drive.

Krakow’s 13th-century Rynek Główny square is lined with palaces and churches, including the iconic St. Mary’s Basilica. The Kazimierz Jewish Quarter, a 12-minute walk, is home to the 15th-century Old Synagogue and its Jewish culture museum. You can walk to the hilltop Wawel Royal Castle and the art museum within 15 minutes.

The hotel rooms reservations are the responsibility of each attendee. The rates are listed below in Zloty (Polish currency): single room standard: 580 PLN (approximately €137) and double-room standard: 680 PLN (approximately €160). Those rates include VAT, buffet breakfast, mini-gym access and internet access

An optional group tour for the Conference attendees and spouses has been arranged to the iconic Wieliczka Salt Mines. The preliminary cost is €140 per person. Rock salt was first discovered in Wieliczka in the 13th century, when the first shafts were dug, and it was mined continuously from then until 1996. Since 1976, the underground Wieliczka has been listed in the register of monuments, and in 1994 it was declared a national Historic Monument by the president of the Republic of Poland. The tour’s specific date/time will be announced later.

Attendees may also choose to visit the Wawel Royal Castle and Wawel Hill—a 15-minute walk from the hotel—that is one of the historically and culturally important sites in Poland. For centuries the residence of kings and the symbol of Polish statehood, the castle is now one of the country’s premier art museums.

The Report to Members that follows this section describes highlights from 2024, but there also was a significant effort by Association volunteers and staff to position WAI—which this year celebrates its 95th anniversary—to be a responsive body for the industry.

Those efforts led to the creation of the Centennial Plan presented to the WAI’s BoD last October. In it, four pillars were identified as crucial: an Education & Training Center; trade shows & conferences; WJI and WAI media platform; and member users/customers.

Key beliefs of the mission include that wire drawing and extrusion are specific processes that cannot be serviced by other industry associations; that technology, digital platforms and AI are paramount; and that in-person events will remain important to hybrid workforces.

It follows that WAI members and customers will be willing to pay for value, but to provide that the Association must engage Gen Z and millennials by a focus on digital platforms, ESG and sustainability.

That is where the four pillars come in. WAI’s focus is on becoming the industry’s preferred training resource and those are the pillars.

For education and training, it is transferring content from its Fundamental’s course, an advanced extrusion course and deploying an industry-specific Learning Management System.

For trade shows and conferences, WAI will deliver high-value content that informs and engages the industry, the goal being to increase attendance and support the training program.

For WJI and media platform, it will provide a digital presence that supports the magazine and training program with a new website.

For membership/customers, the goal is to increase those numbers and establish a revenue stream that funds/maintains the Association’s mission.

The year to come for WAI is both ambitious and exciting. You can expect to see multiple updates here.