Attendees of Wire & Cable Kraków are in for a treat when the international conference is held Tuesday, Oct. 14, at the Holiday Inn Kraków City Centre in Kraków, Poland.

Wire & Cable Kraków will be packed with innovation, insight and international collaboration. The conference program calls for 29 expert speakers to share their knowledge in this single-day technical blitz. The program will explore topics such as production efficiency, product development and sustainability. Ferrous and nonferrous sessions will run concurrently, offering something for everyone in the wire and cable world.

Scheduled speakers come from companies that include Tata Steel, the MFL Group, InnoVites, SAMP Group, Eder Engineering, Hyperion, TKT Group, Windak Group, Aeroel Marposs, Niehoff, WiTechs,

the Pittini Group, AGH University, CRU, Paramount Die, Metalube, Bekaert, Taymer Europe, Tokai University, Czestochowa University of Technology, University of Milano-Bicocca and Celanese.

A tabletop exhibition will be held by the conference. Space is limited to 25 companies. Contact WAI via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more details on getting a tabletop. Go to wirecable25.com for the latest info.

The WAI is a lead organizer, joining ACIMAF, the AGH University of Kraków and the International Wire & Machinery Association (IWMA). The conference is also backed by media partner Expometals.net, supported by WJI, and sponsored by the International Wire and Cable Machine Exhibitors Association (IWCEA). Media support also comes from Expometals.net. The International Wire and Cable Machine Exhibitors Association (IWCEA) is also an event sponsor. More sponsorship opportunities are available.

The event is designed to be more than “just a conference.” The experience begins early with a welcome dinner on Monday, Oct. 13 at the historic Stara Zajezdnia Kraków by DeSilva in the heart of Kazimierz. An optional private tour of the famed Wieliczka Salt Mine—with hotel transport—is also on the agenda.

Hotel rooms can be booked now for the Holiday Inn Kraków City Centre via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or calling tel. +48-12-619-00-51. Mention the password (THE WIRE KRAKÓW) when reserving.

This September, WAI’s Education Center, in collaboration with Hyperion Materials & Technologies, will host a two-part technical webinar series on consecutive Wednesday for wire die tool makers and wire producers. The sessions will offer in-depth guidance on evaluating PCD and carbide wire die quality, focusing on practical takeaways, red flag detection and cost-saving insights.

Part One: Differentiating High-Quality PCD Wire Dies. The first webinar, Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025, at 11 am EST, will take place virtually via Zoom. Led by Hector Ferrer Ribas and Andrew Gledhill, the presentation will cover the fundamentals of carbide and polycrystalline diamond (PCD) dies, noting what separates premium wire dies from substandard alternatives. Attendees will learn to spot red flags such as EDM cutting problems and cracks, explore how defects affect Total Cost of Ownership and receive a die quality checklist. An interactive segment will reinforce key learning points and highlight the latest advancements in PCD materials and quality assurance practices.

Part Two: Key Differentiators in Carbide Wire Dies. The second webinar, Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025, at 11 am EST Time, is also via Zoom. It will focus on identifying what makes a high-quality carbide wire die. Topics include common quality issues like casing problems, breakage, pores and scratches, along with their causes and consequences. Attendees will gain tools to evaluate manufacturing processes, material consistency, and traceability. The program will also cover innovations in carbide die materials and the importance of certifications and testing methods.

Each session is free for WAI members and $75 for non-members. Separate registration is required for each part. Not a member? Consider joining, as annual WAI membership is $150, and has year-round savings/benefits. Registration is now open. Don’t miss this chance to strengthen your technical expertise and make better-informed tooling decisions.

The Midwest Chapter will lead off the slate of WAI chapter golf tournaments on July 31 when it goes to a new location: the White Pines Golf Club in Bensenville, Illinois. Located just west of Chicago, the site has two 18-hole championship courses (east & west course), situated on over 260 acres. For more about the course, go to www.whitepinesgolf.com.

Up next will be the Ohio Valley Chapter (OVC), on Thursday, Aug. 21. As with its prior event, the OVC will offer a unique split activity format. Golfers will play at the Kensington Country Club. (www.kennsingtongolf.com). The shooting event will again be held at the Training Range (www.thetrainingrange.com) in nearby Austintown. Following both events, the Ohio Valley Chapter will hold an educational program.

The New England Chapter returns to the Tunxis Country Club (www.tunxisgolf.com) on Monday, Sept. 8, while the WAI Southeast Chapter event will be held Thursday, Oct. 16, at the Rock Barn Country Club and Spa (www.rockbarn.com) in Conover, North Carolina.

Registration can be made at wirenet.org at the individual chapter pages. The events are a great time to meet with peers, support good causes (college scholarship programs) and enjoy a day on the links.

WAI’s Poland Chapter was an active part of a key 75th anniversary at Poland’s Częstochowa University of Technology (CUT) in Częstochowa, which along with the AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow, Poland, has accounted for dozens of technical papers being presented at WAI events.

The Poland Chapter, while small in numbers, has been most productive since it was founded in the U.S. in 1999, and recognized in Poland in 2002. Three of its members from either CUT or AGH have won the Association’s Mordica Memorial Award for the excellence of their technical research and papers. It has also supported Wire & Cable Poland 2025, to be held Oct. 14, in Krakow, Poland.

The June 6th celebration of the establishment of the Faculty of Production Engineering and Materials Technology was organized by the university, helped by Jan Pilarczyk, the driving force behind the creation of the Poland Chapter. It was held under the honorary patronage of the current CUT rector, Marek Warzecha, PhD, DSc, a CUT associate professor. The Faculty, one of the oldest units of the University, dates back to 1949, when the Department of Metal Technology was established at the then Faculty of Mechanics.

The ceremony highlighted the role of the Poland Chapter. Over 20 years, in cooperation with the Institute of Plastic Processing and Automation of the Faculty of Production Engineering and Materials Technology, the chapter staged 10 international seminars and nine international conferences.

 Multiple participants were cited for their efforts over the years Those include the MSC Management Board of Agnieszka Gwiazdowicz, Piotr Milewski, Maciej Górak and Jan Pilarczyk.

“On behalf of the Faculty authorities and myself, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to all former and current Faculty employees for their invaluable contribution to its development and achievements to date,” said Pilarczyk, who is retiring from chapter duties this year. He has presented multiple technical papers over the years and was the 2004 winner of the WAI’s Mordica Memorial Award. The two other prior winners include the late Bogdan Golis, CUT, in 2000, and Tadeusz Knych, AGH, 2015.

The June 6th event marked important accomplishments, but it also featured another element that Pilarczyk explained has been important to the chapter over the years: camaraderie. He also thanked all those that have been part of the activities to date and wishes them continued success in the Poland Chapter’s mission of furthering industry education and cooperation.

As part of a strategic reorganization of its commercial and operational leadership that was completed earlier this year, the SAMP Group announced that Marcel Baettig was appointed chief executive officer (CEO). He has deep expertise in business strategy, operations, and organizational transformation across global markets, most recently at Humatica AG, where he advised portfolio companies and listed firms on strategic organizational alignment, including SAMP Group. He replaced outgoing CEO Jouni Heinonen, whose assignment as CEO had been planned to be short term, and is now serving in board positions. Two senior executives were also promoted. Giorgio Albertazzi was promoted from sales director EMEA to appointed chief commercial officer (CCO). He has been with the company for more than two decades and was described as being instrumental in growing the company’s presence across the EMEA region. He holds a degree in economics. Matteo Nascetti was promoted from general manager to chief operating officer (COO). He has nearly two decades of experience in machinery and precision engineering, and was said to have had a key role in optimizing production processes and boosting operational performance. Based near Bologna, Italy, the SAMP Group provides equipment for the entire wire and cable production chain, including rod breakdown lines, multi-wire drawing lines, extrusion lines, bunching machines and engineering solutions.

 Neal Hamer as joined the American Wire Group as director of engineering - power equipment, responsible for driving the company’s technical strategy and expanding the in-house engineering capabilities to support the growing power equipment segment. He will assess AWG’s current technical landscape across transformers, switchgear and substation solutions, while aligning supplier specifications with industry standards. He most recently was director, operations electrical engineering, for Invenergy LLC, where he worked in multiple positions for more than 11 years. Prior to that he was a protection engineer for GE Energy for four years. Based in Miami, Florida, American Wire Group manufactures wire, cable and related products for the power utility and renewable energy industries. 

Jack Ritter has joined the Service Wire team as an inside sales representative in the Houston sales office. He will be serving utility markets in the Midwest. He worked for the company while he was getting his B.S. degree in industrial distribution from Texas A&M University. In other Service Wire news, two company employees were selected to tED Magazine’s prestigious “30 Under 35” list. Matt Cardwell, corporate manufacturing engineering manager, joined the company in 2018. In 2019, he was instrumental in the build-out and commissioning of the new Houston plant before returning to West Virginia to take on his current role. He was described as “a strong leader and one of the best engineers in the industry.” Sarah Wotring, who has worked as an inside sales representative for more than three years, was described as “an energetic problem-solver ... (who continually produces) outstanding results.” She has demonstrated a keen ability to manage strong sales relations. Based in Culloden, West Virginia, Service Wire Co., manufactures wire and cable for sectors from industrial to utility, and more.