Nexans (www.nexans.com) recently announced that it has changed the name of its research, testing, and design facility in New Holland, PA and has promoted the individual who manages the facility.

The new name, the Data Communications Competence Center, replaces the old name, the New Holland Competence Center. The name change "encompasses our current LAN activities, as well as our broader scope, recognizing our evolution into other data-communications applications," says Eric Lawrence, technical director of the Data Communications Competence Center.

Lawrence, who has managed the center since its inception more than a year ago, was promoted earlier in February to the position of Nexans' technical director for cabling systems product lines in North America. He reports to Nexans' technical vice president, Michel Rousseau, who works at Nexans' headquarters in Paris, France.

"The new name clarifies our core competencies that will be our primary focus," Lawrence adds. "But, like our other competence centers, we will continue to support the entire Nexans group."

The previous name reflected the center's location-New Holland, PA, which is also the headquarters of Berk-Tek (www.berktek.com), a division of Nexans, and the site of Berk-Tek's UTP cable manufacturing plant.