CRU’s 13th Wire & Cable Conference will be arriving in Brussels, the centre for European policymaking, on 11-12 June 2019.

This well-established annual gathering for leaders of the wire and cable industry, offers valuable peer-to-peer networking, and interactive discussions between cable-makers, distributors and other industry experts from around the world. Influential market-leaders will share their strategies and insights into the challenges facing both the metallic wire and optical fibre insulated cable industries.

Delegates will gain access to expert opinions on the macro economic and technical trends specific to the power, communication, construction and automotive sector which are impacting their businesses. The event offers a dual-streamed agenda, covering both energy cable and communication cable issues, bringing together the entire wire and cable supply chain.

This year’s conference will have a special focus on the use of wire and cable in automotive industries with an opening presentation featuring Markus Thoma, Managing Director of automotive wire industry leader, LEONI Kabel GmbH. Markuswill look to disseminate how trends towards connectivity and electric vehicles are likely to impact the wire and cable industry.

“Cars are becoming increasingly sophisticated, which on the whole means more wiring. New developments and enhancements like electric and hybrid cars, and in-car entertainment, as well as safety features such as intelligent braking, blind spot monitors, night vision, electronic stability control and attention assist, are just some of the features driving a rise in cabling volume within a car” commented CRU’s Michael Finch, Head of Wire and Cable, CRU.

In addition to LEONI, the world’s other leading cable-makers will be represented with Hamid R Al Zayani, Managing Director, Midal Cables giving a highlight presentation; and a panel discussion of optical cable leaders including; Ankit Agarwal, CEO Telecoms, Sterlite Tech, Dr. Bernhard Deutsch, Vice President and General Manager of Optical Fiber and Cable at Corning Incorporated, and Antoni Bosch, Vice President, Telecom Solutions at Prysmian.

Being in Brussels, the centre for European policymaking, participants will also hear from leaders of industry groups such as the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E), Union of the Electricity Industry (Eurelectric), European Copper Institute, FTTH Council Europe and Europacable.

Delegates will be given the opportunity to visit Aurubis’ copper production facility in Olen. Starting with one of the largest copper scrap yards in Europe, the tour will cover the full process from scrap to semi-finished products