<PAGE>


                                                                  EXHIBIT 10(W)

            AMENDMENT NUMBER TWO dated as of February 18, 2000 ("Amendment No.
2"), to the Senior Subordinated Credit Agreement dated as of May 26, 1999 (the
"Credit Agreement"), among SUPERIOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS INC. (formerly known as
Superior/Essex Corp.), a Delaware corporation (the "Borrower"), SUPERIOR TELECOM
INC., a Delaware corporation (the "Parent"), each of the Subsidiary Guarantors
party thereto (the "Guarantors," and together with the Borrower and the Parent,
the "Credit Parties"), the lending institutions from time to time party thereto
(each a "Lender" and collectively, the "Lenders"), FLEET CORPORATE FINANCE,
INC., as Syndication Agent, and BANKERS TRUST COMPANY, as Administrative Agent
(the "Agents"). Capitalized terms used and not otherwise defined herein shall
have the meanings assigned to them in the Credit Agreement.

            WHEREAS, the Agents and the Lenders desire to amend a definition in
Section 9 of the Credit Agreement;

            WHEREAS, in connection with the foregoing, the Agents and the
Lenders have requested that certain provisions of the Credit Agreement be
amended; and

            WHEREAS, the Credit Parties have considered and agreed to the
Agents' and the Lenders' requests, upon the terms and conditions set forth in
this Amendment No. 2; and

            WHEREAS, the consent of the Credit Parties and the Required Lenders
is necessary to effect this Amendment No. 2;

            NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the foregoing, and for other
good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby
acknowledged, the parties hereto hereby agree as follows:

                             SECTION ONE - AMENDMENT

            The Credit Agreement is amended as hereinafter provided in this
Section One, effective as of February 18, 2000 (the "Amendment Effective Date").

1.1. Amendment to Section 9 (Definitions and Accounting Terms) of the Credit
Agreement.

      (a)  Section 9 shall be amended as follows:

      "Nine-Month Trigger Date" shall be amended by deleting the definition
      thereof and replacing it with the following:

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                                      -2-


            "'Nine-Month Trigger Date' shall mean April 21, 2000."

                  SECTION TWO - REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES

            Each of the Parent, Borrower and each Guarantor hereby confirms,
reaffirms and restates the representations and warranties made by it in Section
4 of the Credit Agreement and all such representations and warranties are true
and correct in all material respects as of the date hereof (it being understood
and agreed that any representation or warranty which by its terms is made as of
a specified date shall be required to be true and correct only as of such
specified date), except such representations and warranties need not be true and
correct to the extent that changes in the facts and conditions on which such
representations and warranties are based are required or permitted under the
Credit Agreement or such changes arise out of events not prohibited by the
covenants set forth in Sections 5 and 6 of the Credit Agreement or otherwise
permitted by consents or waivers. Each Credit Party, as applicable, hereby
further represents and warrants (which representations and warranties shall
survive the execution and delivery hereof) to the Agents and each Lender that:

            (a) Each Credit Party has the corporate power and authority to
      execute, deliver and perform this Amendment No. 2 and has taken all
      corporate actions necessary to authorize the execution, delivery and
      performance of this Amendment No. 2;

            (b) No consent of any person other than all of the Lenders and the
      Agents parties hereto, and no consent, permit, approval or authorization
      of, exemption by, notice or report to, or registration, filing or
      declaration with, any governmental authority is required in connection
      with the execution, delivery, performance, validity or enforceability
      against any Credit Party of this Amendment No. 2;

            (c) This Amendment No. 2 has been duly executed and delivered on
      behalf of each Credit Party by a duly authorized officer or
      attorney-in-fact of such Credit Party, and constitutes a legal, valid and
      binding obligation of each Credit Party enforceable against such Credit
      Party in accordance with its terms, except as such enforceability may be
      limited by (a) bankruptcy, insolvency, fraudulent conveyance, preferential
      transfer, reorganization, moratorium or other similar laws now or
      hereafter in effect relating

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                                      -3-


      to or affecting creditors' rights and remedies generally, (b) general
      principles of equity (whether such enforceability is considered in a
      proceeding in equity or at law), and by the discretion of the court before
      which any proceeding therefor may be brought, or (c) public policy
      considerations or court administrative, regulatory or other governmental
      decisions that may limit rights to indemnification or contribution or
      limit or affect any covenants or agreements relating to competition or
      future employment; and

            (d) The execution, delivery and performance of this Amendment No. 2
      will not violate (i) any provision of law applicable to any Credit Party
      or (ii) any contractual obligation of any Credit Party, other than such
      violations that would not reasonably be expected to result in, singly or
      in the aggregate, a Material Adverse Effect.

                          SECTION THREE - MISCELLANEOUS

            (a) Except as herein expressly amended, the Credit Agreement and all
other agreements, documents, instruments and certificates executed in connection
therewith, except as otherwise provided herein, are ratified and confirmed in
all respects and shall remain in full force and effect in accordance with their
respective terms.

            (b) This Amendment No. 2 may be executed by the parties hereto in
one or more counterparts, each of which shall be an original and all of which
shall constitute one and the same agreement.

            (c) THIS AMENDMENT NO. 2 SHALL BE GOVERNED BY, CONSTRUED AND
ENFORCED IN ACCORDANCE WITH, THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK WITHOUT REGARD TO
THE PRINCIPLES OF CONFLICT OF LAWS.

            (d) This Amendment No. 2 shall not constitute a consent or waiver to
or modification of any provision, term or condition of the Credit Agreement,
other than such terms, provisions, or conditions that are required to consummate
the transactions contemplated by this Amendment. All terms, provisions,
covenants, representations, warranties, agreements and conditions contained in
the Credit Agreement, as amended hereby, shall remain in full force and effect.

                            [Signature Pages Follow]

<PAGE>

                       Signature Pages to Amendment No. 2

            IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties hereto have caused their duly
authorized officers to execute and deliver this Amendment No. 2 as of the date
first above written.


                                        SUPERIOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS, INC., as
                                          Borrower

                                        By:
                                              ----------------------------------
                                              Name:
                                              Title:


                                        SUPERIOR TELECOM INC., as Guarantor

                                        By:
                                              ----------------------------------
                                              Name:
                                              Title:


                                        DNE SYSTEMS, INC.,
                                          as Guarantor

                                        By:
                                              ----------------------------------
                                              Name:
                                              Title:


                                        DNE MANUFACTURING & SERVICE COMPANY,
                                          as Guarantor

                                        By:
                                              ----------------------------------
                                              Name:
                                              Title:

<PAGE>

                                        DNE TECHNOLOGIES, INC.,
                                          as Guarantor

                                        By:
                                              ----------------------------------
                                              Name:
                                              Title:


                                        TEXAS SUT INC.,
                                          as Guarantor

                                        By:
                                              ----------------------------------
                                              Name:
                                              Title:

<PAGE>

                                        ESSEX GROUP, INC.,
                                            as Guarantor

                                        By:
                                              ----------------------------------
                                              Name:
                                              Title:


                                        ESSEX INTERNATIONAL INC.,
                                          as Guarantor

                                        By:
                                              ----------------------------------
                                              Name:
                                              Title:


                                        ACTIVE INDUSTRIES, INC.,
                                          as Guarantor

                                        By:
                                              ----------------------------------
                                              Name:
                                              Title:


                                        DIAMOND WIRE & CABLE CO.,
                                          as Guarantor

                                        By:
                                              ----------------------------------
                                              Name:
                                              Title:

<PAGE>

                                        ESSEX GROUP MEXICO INC.,
                                          as Guarantor

                                        By:
                                              ----------------------------------
                                              Name:
                                              Title:


                                        ESSEX MEXICO HOLDINGS, L.L.C.,
                                          as Guarantor

                                        By:
                                              ----------------------------------
                                              Name:
                                              Title:


                                        ESSEX SERVICES, INC.,
                                          as Guarantor

                                        By:
                                              ----------------------------------
                                              Name:
                                              Title:


                                        ESSEX TECHNOLOGY, INC.,
                                          as Guarantor

                                        By:
                                              ----------------------------------
                                              Name:
                                              Title:


                                        ESSEX WIRE CORPORATION,
                                          as Guarantor

                                        By:
                                              ----------------------------------
                                              Name:
                                              Title:

<PAGE>

                                        BANKERS TRUST COMPANY,
                                          as Administrative Agent

                                        By:
                                              ----------------------------------
                                              Name:
                                              Title:

<PAGE>

                                        FLEET CORPORATE FINANCE, INC.,
                                          as Syndication Agent

                                        By:
                                              ----------------------------------
                                              Name:
                                              Title:

<PAGE>

                                        FLEET CORPORATE FINANCE, INC.,
                                          as Lender

                                        By:
                                              ----------------------------------
                                              Name:
                                              Title:




<PAGE>



                                    BANKERS TRUST COMPANY,
                                       as Lender


                                    By:
                                         ---------------------------------------
                                         Name:
                                         Title: