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Amid the global economic crisis, one sector that has not contracted but has actually expanded is the utilities infrastructure in the Middle East. The government of Dubai announced in January that it will spend AED 37.7 billion (US$10.3 billion) as part of its 2009 budget. A considerable part will be spent on infrastructure projects and power networks will be a significant portion of this plan. According to data provided by Dow Wire and Cable, the regional demand for medium and high voltage cables amounts to 270,000 km and this is expected to rise in the next 2-3 years. While there is still growing demand for medium and high voltage cables, there is currently shrinking demand for smaller products such as building wire.

"At present, the market share of foreign manufacturers in the Chinese low and medium-voltage inverter market exceeds 70%. In 2013, the top 5 low and medium-voltage inverter manufacturers by market share were all foreign companies, namely ABB, Siemens, Yaskawa, Delta Electronics and Schneider Electric, of which the market share of ABB and Siemens were 16.6% and 15.4%, respectively."

As China's economic lifeline, the iron and steel industry used to be a black smoke maker and blue-sky killer in the eyes of many people. In 2007, SO2 emissions by China's large and medium-sized steel and iron enterprises were estimated at 756,368 tons, down 0.51 percent year-on-year. And the discharge of industrial coal ash was 382,275 tons with a 2.79 percent decline. Otherwise, soot discharges increased 3.02 percent, totaling 156,648 tons. The Long March of environmental protection and energy efficiency for China's steel and iron enterprises is still challenging, though many in the iron and steel industry have launched a green revolution in order to improve their old image. Wuhan Iron and Steel (Group) Corp (WISCO) is one such environmental protection warrior. As China's thrid largest steel and iron manufacturer, WISCO used to be a major polluter in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province. Many residents complained and criticized the firm, joking that sparrows would turn black after flying over WISCO's mills.

cable longevity

"Although medium and heavy duty vehicles represent just a fraction of all vehicles on roadways today, they contribute significantly to road transportation sector fuel consumption and carbon emissions. "

"Besides an imbalanced market, renewed U.S. dollar strength could also weigh on copper prices. Additionally, there is also the rising threat of substitution over the long term. Nomura's Jones estimates around 75% of demand could be at "medium or high risk" of substitution." In many instances, copper could be replaced by aluminum, which is markedly cheaper than copper even after adjusting for differences in conductivity. Jones sees air conditioning and auto manufacturing as key areas where the compelling economics of aluminum pose a major threat to copper demand."

"The copper industry is already facing substitution challenges from materials like aluminium and needs to use technology to help ensure larger-scale, more permanent switches are not made, industry participants said. A group of panelists at the Metal Bulletin and American Metal Market Copper Seminar in New York on Wednesday June 6 said that while technology is clearly an opportunity for the industry, there are still some risks. According to Freeport McMoRan vp sales and marketing Steve Higgins, much of the "easy substitution" - such as plumbing tube or transformer lines - has already happened. "Substitution is less than 2% of refined demand today… It's a bit troubling, but it happens," he said. "The bigger worry is that aluminium is going to make inroads into products that have high switching costs - ACR tubing, motors, or into some medium to high voltage power cables and the like that the manufacturers have to go in and put in a lot of capital costs to convert. Once converted, switching back becomes "extraordinarily difficult," he said. "That's the biggest risk to our market as I..."

"Nexans supplies low voltage power cables, instrumentation and control cables and medium voltage power cables, essential for the operation of the cruise liners. Around 3,000 km of cables have been delivered for Anthem of the Seas and some 2,400 km will be supplied for Norwegian Escape."

Aluminum may have been responding to two different events in the week ending July 11 when it hit a succession of all-time price highs , but the market remains divided over the medium-term direction, given that world fundamentals point to weak demand and rising stock levels. \n\nFundamentally, however, analysts and market players were mixed in their impressions of whether the price could be sustained, especially as word emerged from China that the cuts may not be a certainty. \n\nAluminum finished floor trade for the week at $3,318/mt, up $150 from the July 4 closing price of $3,168. Fundamentally, however, analysts and market players were mixed in their impressions of whether the price could be sustained, especially as word emerged from China that the cuts may not be a certainty. \n\nPointed out a US broker, "When you hear producers [in China] are shutting production because demand is weak, that's normally bearish," yet the market saw "insane" price moves. "I hear metal just continues to pour into warehouses, and not all of it reported, obviously, [since] otherwise you'd see it in the stock numbers. A lot is going off warrant," he pointed out. \n\n\n

The road to grid parity for PV power generation will be difficult, needing five or more years to compete with utility power, unsubsidized, on a large scale, noted Mark Thirsk, managing partner at Linx Consulting, at a recent SEMI PV forecast luncheon (Sept. 18) in Santa Clara, CA Most input materials for PV production are in relative oversupply and will not constrain production, Thirsk pointed out - and for this reason manufacturers are conservative about capacity investment. In particular, his PV module production forecast (see Fig. 1, above) shows an overstep in demand in 2008. One reason for suppliers' reluctance to build capacity for entering the silicon supply chain is that it is an inefficient process. "Only about 15% of all the silicon going into the supply chain goes into the wafers, so it's a pretty wasteful and capital intensive process, so there is a lot of reluctance to build capacity," said Thirsk. Despite the efficiency challenges, Thirsk's forecast indicates that an oversupply may occur in 2009 Because >40% of PV grade silicon is lost at the wafering step, Thirsk believes this represents a significant opportunity for the right technology. Additionally, diamond wire is a potential replacement for slurry technology, but this technology is still immature. In the crystalline silicon (c-Si) value chain, Thirsk sees opportunities for optimizing mono-crystalline wafers with metal wrap technology and backside contacts; process optimization and material improvements would improve cell efficiency, and glass, wafer, backsheet, and grid improvements can enable more efficient light capture. Looking ahead, Thirsk told the audience that while thin-film technologies will enjoy strong growth "and may be more attractive to value-add materials and equipment suppliers, thin-film cell production will remain a minority share for the medium term." (see Fig. 3, below) He closed his presentation encouraging the creation of a Moore's Law type of roadmap for the PV

The CBI said that small and medium firms were struggling with high energy and raw material prices.

Furukawa Electric Co. Ltd. and Tohoku University Graduate School have jointly introduced a medical application made of copper alloy. This development refers to an apparatus that uses copper shape memory alloy and aims to correct ingrown nails. What the apparatus does is to insert an alloy plate at both sides of the nail correcting its curvature. Tohoku University is currently using the instrument on a pilot basis, however, Furukawa is planning to start selling it within this fiscal year. The company expects to sell a significant volume of the newly developed instrument as about 10 million people in Japan suffer from ingrown nails.

Furukawa Magnet Wire Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of Furukawa Electric Group, announced that it has expanded its facility in Malaysia. Production capacity of its TEX-E, trilayer insulated wire, which is principally used in rechargers for computers and mobile phones, has been doubled. The company expects that demand will increase in China and other emerging markets in the medium to long term. In addition, it was reported that Furukawa Electric increased its stake in Chongqing Changhua Automobile Harness Co. Ltd., the China-based wiring harness assembler, to 65% from its previously held 50% share.

Four major manufacturers of wire and cable are set to increase their level of capital investment in this fiscal year. The companies are expected to make large investments within emerging country markets, which promise growth over the medium to long term. Another area of investment is the field of smartphone components. Sumitomo Electric Industries Ltd., SWCC Showa Holdings Co. Ltd. and Furukawa Electric Co. Ltd. will expand capital investment "significantly", while Fujikura Ltd., will do so only "slightly".