Figure 1: The Interwire Trade Exposition will be held October 26-27 at the Georgia World Congress Center. Source: Wire Association InternationalThe show goes on for the Interwire Trade Exposition — the longest running and largest wire and cable industry trade show in the Americas — October 26-27, 2021, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia.

Following a postponement from May to October, positive signs have emerged for the biennial event hosted by the Wire Association International (WAI). Interwire will remain an in-person event; Industry 4.0 will be the theme; and a transformation in manufacturing has arrived.

Industry 4.0 is a collection of technologies and procedures that combine to support the smart factory concept. The inaugural Industry 4.0 Pavilion at Interwire — a collaboration between The Wire Association and Messe Düsseldorf North America (MDNA) — will feature displays and educational briefings from ADVARIS; Cimteq; Davis-Standard; 40Factory SRL; InnoVites; MFL Group; MindSphere World Italia; Oden Technologies; Parsable; Rockwell Automation; Sikora; and TROESTER.

Interwire will illustrate how machine learning, automation, artificial intelligence (AI), big data, analytics, internet of things (IoT), predictive maintenance, and other factory and machine enhancements can positively affect the way wire is made and how well manufacturers compete on the world stage.

Commenting on Interwire, Richard Baker, vice president of Engineering at Prysmian Group North America, said “This year we are going to have an Industry 4.0 Pavilion and lots of technical presentations that will showcase the latest technologies of the 4th Industrial Revolution. Companies will demonstrate how Industry 4.0 technologies are applicable to wire and cable manufacturing and how the efficiency of equipment and processes can be significantly enhanced through their use.”

Used to best advantage, this innovative technology can transform data collected from machine sensors into information that can ultimately help improve processes and product quality; reduce scrap; increase productivity; and introduce more flexibility and profitability into the manufacturing plant.

In such an environment, the combination of software platforms, time-tested wire making methods and digital communication allows manufacturers to streamline processes and to conserve resources. Equipment is monitored; machine performance is tracked. The flow of material is followed. Causes of downtime are identified and examined. Changes are detected and adjustments made in real-time. As more data is collected and analyzed, machine learning can take place to improve production.

Below are descriptions from pavilion participants.

Oden Technologies helps manufacturers make different, better and faster decisions through machine learning and applied analytics. The company’s technology platform is pioneering the use of real-time predictive and prescriptive analytic tools that uncover untapped value to make more, waste less and innovate faster. The company is working to transform the manufacturing industry by digitizing, analyzing and perfecting peak factory performance through automated insights, interactive dashboards and real-time alerts.

ADVARIS’ software platform supports all aspects of wire and cable manufacturing. The enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is designed to help in metal billing, shipping of individual length requirements, rewinding and cutting orders, drum management, tool management and cable design. Specifically, the cable design is a product data management solution that has a material database, powerful design tool, compound recipe archive, BOM and routing tool, QC test plans, and costing and variant generators. The ADVARIS MRO maintenance system gives full control of tasks, transparency, asset management, analysis, and preventive and predictive tools.

Cimteq software solutions’ CableBuilder Enterprise and CableBuilder Go were designed to provide the flexibility needed to meet specific industry and company requirements. CableMES integrates seamlessly into CableBuilder Enterprise and a company’s ERP system, with real-time data transfers in both directions, keeping the business in sync with the shop floor at all times.

Davis-Standard will show both a VR experience into a fiber optic cable factory, and a secondary coating extrusion line that will feature Smart Buffering —its AI augmented line control package — designed to find and predict process problems before they lead to out of specification production and present the operator with recommended course corrections.

40Factory SRL specializes in the end-to-end development and delivery of industrial AIoT (artificial intelligence internet of things) solutions that range from edge computing applications (data acquisition, pre-processing, on-the-edge storage and data visualization) to cloud web applications for machine efficiency analysis, production traceability, process telemetry, energy consumption and predictive analytics (maintenance and quality).

InnoVites’ display will feature CableERP, which was created to solve the specific problems wire and cable manufacturers face, but which are not addressed by standard ERP packages. InnoVites also resells and implements CableBuilder Enterprise and CableMES across the wire and cable industry.

MFL Group will demonstrate its proprietary, fully responsive MFL X Industrial IoT App running on MindSphere®, the cloud-based open IIoT (Industrial IoT) operating system from Siemens. Now available for steel drawing lines, copper and aluminum rod breakdown lines, multiwire drawing lines and extrusion lines, the MFL X AI Cable Analyzer captures cable images during production and analyzes cable surface roughness and color in real time. The data analyzed by its proprietary AI agent completely eliminates the subjective evaluation of the operator.

MindSphere World Italia helps accelerate the adoption of the IIoT and drives digital transformation of manufacturing. Its mission is to create an environment in which thought leaders, developers, research institutes and manufacturers can network, develop standards and explore best practices.

Parsable offers Connected Worker®, which consists of modern digital tools that empower frontline workers and improve productivity, safety and quality. Manufacturers are digitizing standard operating procedures (SOPs), checklists and workflows with its Connected Worker® solution. The results include reduced unplanned stoppages, waste and paper; increased overall equipment effectiveness (OEE), throughput and compliance with digital traceability; and faster operator onboarding and certification.

Sikora will show a laser gauge head that generates measured values of a cable and provides this data via an interface. The data processing will be visualized schematically as a number matrix. Additionally, the company will show an animated cable production line with its measuring technology and a control center where, besides general production data, the measured value of its laser gauge is displayed.

TROESTER will demonstrate its Industry 4.0 solutions including its Maintenance Advisor with augmented reality features to illustrate the product value relative to data acquisition and analysis; preventive maintenance; and machine control.

Details are available at www.interwire21.com.