7/7/21 Paramount Die Company announced that it has opened a new facility in Monterrey, Mexico, that will bolster its ability to serve international markets when it becomes operational in August.

The company, which notes that it is the world’s largest supplier of carbide wire drawing dies, reported that the new facility will enable it to better serve the Mexican and Latin American markets as well as provide additional capacity for production of wire drawing dies for export to international markets. More than half of Paramount Die’s products are already used outside the U.S. market, and the new facility will better position the company for further international expansion.

“With the addition of this new facility, Paramount Die expands its ability to quickly deliver world class products and services to the global market,” said Paramount Die President Richard Sarver. “The new facility will provide us additional capacity and will further strengthen our international competitiveness.”

Paramount is currently hiring and training staff for the new facility. The initial staff will be 20, and when fully operational, there will be more than a hundred employees.

Paramount’s plant in Abingdon, Maryland, will continue to function as the company’s primary manufacturing facility, technical R&D center and corporate headquarters. The Abingdon plant is also undergoing an expansion as Paramount continues to grow its production of carbide tooling for other metal forming applications, such as shaving, rolling and deep-draw tooling.

7/7/21 Optical Cable Corporation (OCC) and CommScope have entered into a long-term agreement to cross-license portions of their patent portfolios.

A press release said that the cross-license agreement relates to certain copper data communication connectivity patents of both OCC and CommScope, in addition to OCC’s in-building wireless patents. Both companies can access and implement the other company’s licensed patents and technologies under the agreement.

This agreement follows one in 2004 where CommScope and SMP Data Communications (now part of OCC) cross-licensed copper data communication connectivity technologies that included complementary core technologies related to Cat. 6/Cat. 6A RJ45 connector performance.
“We have had a long and productive relationship with OCC and we are pleased to extend it with this agreement,” said CommScope’s John Schmidt, vice president of building connectivity infrastructure.