8/12/21 – Citing the ongoing Covid-19 related effects in Brazil, organizers Cipa Fiera Milano and Messe Düsseldorf decided to cancel the 2021 staging of wire South America and TUBOTECH. The new dates for both events is Oct. 25-27, 2022, in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The events had been scheduled to be held Oct. 5–7, 2021. at the Sao Paulo Expo Exhibition & Convention Center. For further information on visiting or exhibiting at wire South America and TUBOTECH 2022, contact Messe Düsseldorf North America, tel. 312-781-5180, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or go to the event website, www.wire-south-america.com.

8/9/21 – The Wire Association International (WAI), Inc. announces two keynote speakers to open each day of Interwire 2021 at the Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Both presenters focus on a desire for change to make every day a rewarding experience—one emphasizing leadership, the other through operational improvements and technology.

Tuesday, Oct. 26. Award-winning documentary filmmaker Brett Culp, founder of The Rising Heroes Project, will address the audience with his presentation titled: “Superhero Leadership: How everyday people can have an extraordinary impact,” at 10:00 a.m.

Through his groundbreaking non-profit documentary work, Culp has pioneered the art of creating “mini-movements” that inspire the super-human spirit in all of us. His approach to community-building and relationship-driven engagement invite people to connect with a noble vision and make a difference together. Passionate, energetic, and engaging, he encourages audiences to find the superhero within and their own path to “everyday leadership.” His insights on connecting individuals to an organization’s mission and goals resonate, help us realize our greatest personal and business potential, and renew our collective sense of hope for the future.

Culp is known for the films, Legends of the Knight, and Look to the Sky, both of which explore the power of heroic stories and heroic individuals to inspire us to believe in a better tomorrow. His newest film, A Voice That Carries, premiered in early June 2021. His films are featured on Netflix, iTunes, Hulu, and other top digital platforms.

Wednesday, Oct. 27. Kathleen Edge, Executive Vice President of Operations at Southwire Company, LLC, will discuss “Southwire’s connected flexible operating system” at 10:00 a.m.

The Industrial Revolution 4.0 has been a decade in the making. The wire and cable industry is delivering power to this revolution with solutions and services. Southwire is on a mission to revolutionize operations and make the lives of its operators easier and more rewarding by equipping experienced employees with tools to realize the true benefits of technology.
Edge has led a group of 34 manufacturing locations, as well as ten distribution centers, and many worldwide support areas with a method that emphasizes lean operational toolkits; modernization; and safety improvements.

Industry 4.0 – the theme of the Interwire show – is evident in the activities and aspects taking place on the show floor including: the Industry 4.0 Pavilion, exhibits, mini briefings, and conference sessions. See the full program at www.interwire21.com.

REGISTRATION:
Interwire 2021 registration is open at www.interwire21.com. Since all activities will be held on the exhibit floor, registration includes the Industry 4.0 sessions, exhibits, keynotes, production solution demonstrations, and the welcome reception. Advance registration pricing is as follows: WAI member: $75 USD; New WAI member: $140 USD; Nonmember: $175. Registration for the hybrid Fundamentals of Wire Manufacturing course is separate with advance rates as follows: WAI member: $295 USD; New WAI member: $395 USD; Nonmember: $445.

The Wire Association International is a not-for-profit association with 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 Exposition and the WAI Operations Summit & Wire Expo and publishes the Wire Journal International and the Wire Journal International Reference Guide.

8/9/21 LEONI, global solution provider for energy and data management in automotive and other industries, has been named top performing supplier in North America by U.S. truck manufacturer PACCAR Inc.

LEONI Wiring Systems, Inc. was recognized within the Supplier Performance Management (SPM) program with the Leader Level Award. PACCAR is a leading global manufacturer of DAF, Kenworth and Peterbilt light, medium and heavy-duty commercial vehicles.

The award is of particular significance to LEONI in a year in which extraordinary challenges had to be overcome due to the global pandemic. It recognizes LEONI's outstanding customer focus to ensure product development, operations and aftermarket support, and alignment with PACCAR’s key business objectives. 
The award recognizes not only the close customer relationship between PACCAR and LEONI Wiring Systems, Inc., but also in particular LEONI's plants in Arad, Romania, and Durango and Hermosillo, Mexico. These plants contributed significantly to this award with their consistently high level of performance related to quality and delivery.

Ron Augustyn, PACCAR Vice President of Global Purchasing, recognized Leoni's achievements, saying, "PACCAR is pleased with the level of engagement from our suppliers in this very rigorous SPM program. Our suppliers create value for PACCAR, its customers and dealers, and their own companies under this program."
Jeremy Tibbett, SVP Account Management Trucks & Powertrain, received the award on behalf of LEONI: "We are very excited to receive the 2020 SPM Leader
award on behalf of the global LEONI team supporting PACCAR. It is a strong indication that our cross functional team has the proper focus, dedication, flexibility, and commitment to consistently perform on the highest levels to ensure customer satisfaction. And it further underlines the strategic working partnership and alignment between PACCAR and LEONI to ensure our mutual success."

8/9/21  Prysmian Group proudly launched their first Global eNclusion Week, a five-day digital initiative with 50+ events and 120 speakers highlighting the importance of building diverse and inclusive workspaces. The series of digital panels and workshops focused on four main themes: Gender Diversity; Diversity & Inclusion (in all forms); Inclusive Culture in the workplace; and Generational Diversity & Inclusion. Over 4,600 participants attended with almost a third of the participants joining six or more events.

The highest attended North America session was How to be a Better Ally, which featured Melissa DePino and Michelle Saahene of From Privilege to Progress. The duo shared the impactful story of the day they met – when two Black men were unjustly arrested in a Philadelphia Starbucks while waiting for a friend – and the conversation that incident sparked for them and the rest of the world. Throughout the session, attendees learned about checking their unexamined biases, in the workplace and everywhere, and steps to take to become a better ally.

Other North America sessions featured Prysmian Group employees and experts from partner companies. Panels discussed supporting the LGBTQ+ community, the importance of inclusion in every employee’s day-to-day job, how the pandemic challenged the mindset of management to embrace a new approach, appreciating all generations and inclusive hiring.

The week-long event, held May 12-21, showcased education, listening and acceptance and is just one phase in the company’s overall diversity and inclusion strategy put forth by their Side by Side program. As the world leader in the energy and telecom cable systems industry, the company accepts the responsibility to embody a more inclusive culture.

8/9/21  

CommScope announced that Tom Cloonan, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the company’s Broadband Networks segment, has been appointed the interim CTO of the company as it evaluates its longer-term strategic requirements. He replaces Morgan Kurk, who stepped down as CTO and segment leader of the Broadband Networks. Cloonan, who joined CommScope through its acquisition of ARRIS acquisition, served as CTO of the Network and Cloud segment, among other positions, since 2002. He holds a BSEE degree from Illinois Institute of Technology, a MSEE degree from Purdue University and a PhD in physics from Heriot-Watt University in Scotland. The company also reported that Ric Johnsen, who served as senior vice president, Converged Network Solutions (CNS), Broadband Networks, will assume leadership of the entire Broadband Networks segment. Previously, he led CommScope’s Network Cable and Connectivity business for nearly 11 years. Past employers included Alcatel, where he was vice president of the optical fiber business for Europe and Asia. The U.S. Army veteran holds a B.S. degree in general engineering from the United States Military Academy, and an MS degree in communications engineering from the United States Naval Postgraduate School. Based in Hickory, North Carolina, CommScope is a global leader in network connectivity.

Cimteq has promoted James Concannon from technical account manager to commercial account manager, responsible for the company’s European and U.K. sales regions. He joined the company in 2018, and was lauded for being a well-established and productive member of the sales team. Prior to joining Cimteq, he worked for Thomson Reuters for more than five years as a client services manager and as the client liaison team lead. He also worked for more than five years for Avox Limited. He holds a degree from Yale College Wrexham. Based in Wrexham, U.S., Cimteq supplies software and services designed to help wire and cable manufacturers optimize their processes.

Earlier this year, David Galas was promoted to president of OMCG Inc. He joined the company in 2019 as national sales manager with considerable industry experience. Prior to OMCG, he served most recently as a regional sales manager for WAFIOS Machinery for five years. Before that, he was a U.S. business development manager for Numalliance North America for more than four years. Other employers included Pro-Tech Machine Tool, Inc., where he was a territory sales manager for more than 14 years; Ellison Technology; and PCC Airfoils, SMP. He holds a B.S. degree in applied science in manufacturing engineering from Miami University. Part of Italy’s OMCG Srl, and based in Bensenville, Illinois, USA, OMCG Inc. supplies wire, tube and strip forming equipment. 

Obituary
Albert “Al” Bavosi, a pioneer in the marking and coding field, died July 13 at age 78.
Bavosi was the co-founder and owner of Wachusett Marking Co., started in 1976, which was later sold to Gem Gravure in the early 2000s. The Massachusetts native was a Vietnam Veteran, having served in the U.S. Air Force as a crew chief stationed at Bien Hoa Air Base in South Vietnam. He returned home to West Boylston, and in 1976, he and his uncle Joe Bacchiocchi and brother Donny started Wachusett Marking Company. He was known for exceptional mechanical skills and strong work ethic in developing and manufacturing metal-marking wheels. Thirty-three years later, he sold the company to a big competitor, Gem Gravure, but even after the sale he continued to work for the company until he retired a few years ago.
Gem Gravure Executive Vice President Paul Gemelli said that Bavosi “was a terrific guy with a strong work ethic, a great sense of humor, and an outgoing personality. ... My father (the late David Gemelli) and Al always had a very close relationship. In particular, my father always respected Al for starting and building up his own business, and like everyone he just enjoyed being around him.
Bavosi is survived by his wife of 52 years, Kathleen Ann (Villnave) Bavosi; four children, Michele DeVillers, Amie Moore, Timothy Bavosi and Jennifer Cadwallader; a brother, Donald Bavosi; 11 grandchildren; and 13 nieces and nephews.