President's Message
By Koen Van Goethem
I hope this message finds you all well and healthy in these everlasting difficult pandemic times. Although this winter we got a sprinkle of hope with the start of the vaccinations, this is now moving at full speed and will definitely help us to regain a more normal lifestyle.
Unfortunately, we experienced a very cold, long, and harsh winter, which resulted in unforeseen situations all over the globe with devastating effects on our world economy. A lot of industries had to call in Force Majeure (will have its effect for months), there was congestion of tankers in all the eastern US coast harbors for weeks and the Suez Canal was blocked… So, the Spring Break was more than welcome, although while still respecting the COVID-19 measures, it brought us the energy and positivity we all need.
If we look at our association, we can be very proud. Since last year, we have gained 8 new enthusiastic members from different areas of our industry. We continue to organize our Virtual Technical Committee meetings with each time more attendants (Winter edition 21st of January 2021). The input, commitment, and involvement of all the members is much appreciated. CIRTS continues to be the bridge between CI and Eurocord with a very positive outcome. A survey on Y-o-Y abrasion testing (CI 1503) was sent out and another survey for TC on Life Cycle Management was sent, as well. Thanks to Sarah Padilla, Meghan Woody, James Wolfington, and Pete Lance for the easy and smooth organization. A special thanks goes to Josh Walls for his time as chair and we will welcome Amy Jenkins to this position later this year.
During our February virtual Board meeting, it was confirmed to move the date of our Annual Meeting from May to the 9th – 11th of November. So, we hope to welcome you at the Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, and finally meet each other in person.
In the meantime, let’s stay in touch in our virtual communication world in which we stand together as a team, as partners, as friends. The Cordage Institute is an association in which we find these values. Together we will fight and defeat this virus.
Looking forward to seeing you at our next Virtual Summer Technical Meeting, 23rd – 24th of June 2021.
Stay healthy and take good care of yourself and your families.
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Cordage Institute Happenings |
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Cordage Institute Postpones Annual Conference & Anniversary Celebration to November 9-11, 2021 |
Please mark your calendar for the Cordage Institute’s Annual Conference and 100th Anniversary Celebration on November 9-11, 2021 at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.
To commemorate the Cordage Institute’s 100th anniversary, a special President’s Night Reception and Dinner, featuring a black-tie optional dress code, is being planned for Wednesday, November 10th. The evening will feature entertainment, a group photo, presentation of the Gale Foster Award of Merit and the Richards Technical Contribution Awards, and several surprises.
The program will also feature technical working group meetings, a meeting of the Technical Committee, the annual business meeting, a technical seminar, the Annual Gale Foster Memorial Golf Tournament, and plenty of opportunities to interact and connect with Cordage Institute members and industry professionals.
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Cordage Institute to Hold Virtual Meetings on June 23-24, 2021 |
In order to maintain momentum on Cordage Institute standards, guidelines, and test methods, Virtual Technical Meetings will be held on Wednesday, June 23rd and Thursday, June 24th.
The meetings will begin on both days at 7:00 a.m. PDT | 9:00 a.m. CDT | 10:00 a.m. EDT | 4:00 p.m. CEST. The agenda and meeting times will be confirmed based on how much time each Subcommittee and Task Group will need for their meetings.
In addition, a Virtual Special Meeting of the membership will be held on Thursday, June 24th as the first meeting of the day. This meeting, which is required by the bylaws, will be to elect Directors and Officers, and to review and approve the budget for the CI fiscal year beginning July 1st.
Please mark your calendar for these meetings. Once meeting times are finalized, an invitation with information on joining the meetings will be sent to CI members.
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Highlights of the January 2021 Virtual Technical Meeting |
On January 20-21, 2021, the Cordage Institute held its third Virtual Technical Meeting. The two-day meeting consisted of Technical Subcommittee and Task Group meetings, as well as a meeting of the full Technical Committee. During the full Technical Committee Meeting, reports from each Subcommittee and Task Group were provided.
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New Cordage Institute Members
The Cordage Institute is happy to welcome the following new members:
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Serving the industry for over 20 years, G&B Ropes has ensured high quality end products. G&B Ropes sources only first grade materials. Our raw materials undergo exhaustive and regular testing before being allowed into production. Our products receive exhaustive and thorough product development by our rope designers. After development, our lines are then tested on the water, in real world applications, before sending the line into production. From dinghies to destroyers, G&B manufactures ropes of uncompromising quality for every application. G&B Ropes are a unique weave of modern engineering and time-honored tradition. Our products are the result of years of experience in the lab, at the braiders, and perhaps more importantly, on the water. At G&B Ropes we realize that the best rope in the world isn’t worth it if you can’t get your hands on it when you need it. G&B is committed to not only producing ropes of uncompromising quality, but also to being your #1 rope source. That means high quality rope, on time, every time…when you need it. |
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Specialty Supplier
Seattle, WA
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Net Your Problem LLC is a recently formed, women owned business that exists to collect end of life fishing gear, nets, ropes, lines etc., and dispose of them responsibly. We do this primarily through mechanical recycling with our overseas recycling partners in Europe and Canada. To date, we have collected 914,000 lbs. of gear, a majority of which comes from Alaska, but we are also building collection operations in California and Maine and have grand visions to make recycling accessible to most major fishing ports in the US. We are always looking for new types of organizations to work with on the logistics and financial aspects of collecting end of life gear and consider producers to be an important partner in providing solutions to coastal communities and working waterfronts. In the absence of an effective recycling system, end of life fishing gear is sent to a landfill or an incinerator, or it sits forever in outdoor storage because there are no better options. All these common disposal methods waste valuable resources that could otherwise be reincorporated into the circular economy. Recovering old fishing gear for recycling also decreases the risk of fishing gear entering the environment as marine debris, microplastics, or carbon emissions, and advances the overall sustainability of the fishing industry. We look forward to working with the members of the Cordage Institute to improve the life cycle management of its members products. |
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Manufacturer
Mooresville, NC
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Orion Ropeworks is delighted to find its way back to the Cordage Institute, an organization that its forebearers had a role in shaping. Orion traces its roots back to a few heritage cordage manufacturers: Hooven Allison, Wellington, Crowe Ropes, and Doon Twines (of Canada), to name a few. We are a values-driven company with a focus on manufacturing excellence and on high integrity customer service. Our return to the Cordage Institute is symbolic of our rejuvenated commitment to these values. Orion carries a product portfolio that spans a broad variety of fibers (nylon, polyester, polyolefins, organics, blends), constructions (double braid, single braid, twisted), lengths, and diameters. We look forward to collaborating with the community and keeping the tradition of domestic cordage manufacturing alive.
Cordially yours - the Orion team
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Knots & Notes
By Sarah Padilla, Cordage Institute Technical Director
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The Knots and N otes section of Ropecord News informs you of the standards being developed by the Cordage Institute, as well as by other industry organizations. As we develop this section of the newsletter, please let us know what type of content is of interest to you by sending an email to sarah@ropecord.com or info@ropecord.com.
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Standards Update
Updates from the Cordage Institute Standards subcommittees on how things are progressing since the last newsletter.
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The Standard Review
Updates from other standards bodies that are relevant to the cordage industry.
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The Largest Self-Consumption Photovoltaic Plant in Spain and One of the Biggest in Europe at BRILEN/NOVAPET Site |
SAMCA GROUP will start in the following weeks the construction of the Photovoltaic Solar Power Plant for self-consumption which will supply 25% of the consumption of industrial complex BRILEN/NOVAPET, placed at the Poligono Valle del Cinca, Barbastro.
This investment means an important advance in sustainability and CO2 emissions reduction. The project will provide equivalent energy to the consumption of 8.250 families and will void 10.800 tons of CO2 emissions per year.
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DSM and Clariter Partner to Pursue Chemical Recycling Solution for Dyneema®-Based End-Products |
Royal DSM, a global science-based company in Nutrition, Health and Sustainable Living, and Clariter, an international clean-tech company, today announced a strategic partnership to pursue a next-generation chemical recycling solution for products based on DSM’s Dyneema®, an ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fiber. As a first step, sample products – including ropes, nets, and ballistic materials made with Dyneema® – were successfully converted at Clariter’s pilot plant in Poland, demonstrating the recyclability potential of Dyneema® and underlining the active commitment of DSM Protective Materials to shape a more sustainable world.
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Applied Fiber and Eckhart Sign Agreement to Deliver Next Generation Automated Fiber Rope Termination Technology |
To support worldwide demand, Applied Fiber is licensing its fiber rope socketed termination technology to select industry partners. Licensed partners will have access to Applied Fiber’s substantial portfolio of products, applications and service to expand the use of terminated fiber rope globally – growing market potential and new opportunities.
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Samson Introduces CLASSROOMTM
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Samson, the leading developer of high-performance synthetic rope solutions and global market leader in commercial marine and industrial applications, is pleased to announce CLASSROOM. An online virtual education experience, CLASSROOM was developed to bring Samson’s expertise to end users across markets, with a focus on workboat, mooring and utility.
Today’s working environments include social distancing, rotating crews, and ever-changing technical innovations. Providing real-world training to keep personnel informed of best practices in using the tools of the trade is crucial to success and operational safety. High-performance ropes are no exception and Samson has developed CLASSROOM to help.
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TP Industrial Yarns Further Expands Production Capacity in the First Quarter of 2021 |
With humble beginnings, two decades ago as a yarn distributor, TP Industrial’s focus was primarily on commodity yarns – Polyester, Nylon, and the like. Over the years our mission evolved, and in 2015 TP set out to expand our offerings and focus more on value-add services to include yarn testing and converting. Recognizing that the production of quality custom converted products requires the ability to perform a range of physical property tests, we invested in a state-of-the-art Quality Lab which enables us to test tensile strength, shrinkage, and abrasion resistance, all in-house. These advancements allowed us to develop our own TITAN HMPE product line, which has been very successful and well-received in the market.
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COSCO Joint Capital with Four Brothers Rope |
On 31st March 2021, COSCO SHIPPING International Trading Company Limitehereinafter referred to as “Subscriber”) entered into the Capital Increase Agreement with Zhejiang Four Brothers Rope Co., Ltd (hereinafter referred to as “Target Company”). According to the Capital Increase Agreement, the Subscriber conditionally agreed to subscribe for registered capital of the Target Company, representing 48% equity interest in the Target Company, by way of capital injection into the Target Company. Upon completion of the Transaction, the Subscriber will hold 48% of the enlarged registered capital of the Target Company.
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Samson Now Offering Products Made with Bio-Sourced Fiber |
Samson, the strongest name in rope, is pleased to announce that we are now offering several of our products, including AmSteel®-Blue, AmSteel®-X, Saturn-12™, EverSteel®-X, and Turbo-RC™, with the option of sustainable, bio-sourced fiber. This innovation utilizes the mass balance approach to sourcing and further reduces reliance on fossil-based resources. Made from climate-neutral feedstock through sustainable forestry, using Samson products with bio-sourced fiber will enable customers to reduce their carbon footprint without compromising performance. Samson customers can continue to enjoy the tested and proven performance advantages of these products with the additional benefit of a lower carbon footprint.
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The Eurocord Corner
By Philippe Verschueren, Secretary General Eurocord
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Brussels is like any other city in Europe, suffering from hesitation, back and forth communications in terms of the pandemic and its vaccination program, but Eurocord is there, alive and kicking!
Eurocord has remained active, especially on the technical meetings side. We had our autumn sessions last year and in spring this year some major breakthroughs in TC 3, (Life Cycle Management & Circular Design of Rope - Fishing Gear – Baler Twine and Wrap) and saw the light, initiated by its Chairman Koen Van Goethem. As such, a new CEN committee was formed (TC 466), headed, and managed by Eurocord members, aiming at the standardization of the fishing gear with a view on their end-of-life. Next to that, a new task force was set up to determine a strategy and concrete actions for the next steps.
There has been movement in the Machinery Directive and in MEG-4 environments. For the MD, the question (still to be decided) is now which technical committee of CEN will be best placed to handle the specificities of the use of synthetic yarn ropes in lifting applications. Strangely enough, there is also some lobby work to accomplish in the European standardization bodies. The team however has an undisputed competence in the matter and should thus drive the decision and the outcome in a good direction. MEG-4 taskforce in turn is also ready to issue recommendations to OCIMF, with the needed focus on the important items and comprehensive treatment of the respective questions. And finally, within the ISO TC 38 / WG 21 community, some new standards have been prepared, others brought to fruition (FDIS-stage) or reviewed as need be.
The virtual meeting mode has allowed more of our members to participate in those meetings, which is useful and reveals to be more than relevant at times. On top of that, all our respective Chairmen and our Technical Director (Antonio Freitas not to name him) have shown an impressive enthusiasm in moving things forward. I do not forget that some Cordage Institute members take prominent roles in some of our technical developments, and we are very grateful for their valuable contribution.
Even our next General Assembly (June 8th) will be held in the virtual form and quite some people already have shown their willingness to participate. All of that combined clearly confirms our Association is running smoothly and can count on its members' support and be a driving force.
2022 will normally be a year for a Joint Convention CI – Eurocord to be held in Europe. We will get back to you in due time, but all of us will definitely be looking forward to meeting his or her peers from over the ocean.
I wish all of you a safe and sound continuation of your endeavors and truly hope all of us can get back to “business as usual” soon.
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In Memoriam: Stanley Fishfader |
Stanley Fishfader, of Wilmington’s Coordinated Equipment Company, died peacefully at home at the age of 96 on February 26, 2021. Stanley grew a small Compton junkyard, Cooperative Pipe and Steel, that his father Abe Fishfader purchased in 1938, into Wilmington's Coordinated Equipment Company, which has provided quality, durable and reliable wire rope products to industries such as aerospace, marine construction, energy, utilities, and oil since 1952.
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Bipartisan Save Our Seas 2.0 Act Signed into Law
National Law Review, Volume X, Number 358
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Save Our Seas 2.0 Act, signed December 2020, will establish a Marine Debris Foundation, promotes a circular economy in the US, improves domestic infrastructure to prevent marine debris, and promotes engagement with the global community.
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Remembering Mary
By Gloria Forouzan
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The only trace of her life is a brick size marker in Allegheny Cemetery with one word on it: Mary.
Years of painstaking research have resulted in enough threads to weave together an account of the remarkable life of this woman, Mary Pattison Irwin. Remembering Mary is my contribution to recognizing Women’s History Month, March 2021.
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June 8, 2021
Virtual Meeting
June 23-24, 2021
Virtual Meeting
August 16-19, 2021
Houston, Texas
NRG Park
August 23-25 2021
Raleigh, NC
September 26-29, 2021
Nashville, TN
Omni Nashville Hotel
October 25-28, 2021
Chicago, IL
November 9-11, 2021
White Sulphur Springs, WV
The Greenbrier
December 1-3, 2021
New Orleans, LA
New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center
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Ropecord News
Ropecord News is published by the Cordage Institute. The Cordage Institute is an international association of rope, twine, and related manufacturers, their suppliers, and affiliated industries. Articles appearing in Ropecord News are the views of the authors and not necessarily those of the Cordage Institute. Members are encouraged to contribute articles and items of interest by emailing them to info@ropecord.com.
Peter M. Lance, Executive Director
Tel: 610-971-4854
Fax: 610-971-4859
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