The solid set of figures delivered for the first quarter of 2016 reflected an uptrend in sales, accompanied by a marked improvement in profitability that positively surprised the market. CEO Valerio Battista pointed out that Prysmian technological leadership and project execution capability underpinned the excellent performance of the Submarine Cables and Systems business. Excellence and technological leadership are the foundations of Prysmian success, once again demonstrated with this bright start to the year.
That’s why INSIGHT devoted the cover story of this issue to the visionary topic of the united grids of Europe. The continent is betting hard on offshore wind as a pillar of the future integrated and ecofriendly energy market. And Prysmian, as the world leader of the cable industry, is playing its part by multiplying its efforts to provide Europe with the most efficient and state-of-the-art transmission systems. Such a contribution can be made thanks to increased capacities – such as those resulting from the investment in our Pikkala plant in Finland – and breakthrough technologies, such as the 525 kV XLPE extruded cable solution for High Voltage Direct Current applications. Capacity and technology are essential. But making both sustainable is also a must for Prysmian, and so we constantly measure the degree of sustainability of our business and our relationships with economies and societies. Our FOCUS ON section is devoted to Prysmian’s fifth Sustainability Report, published in accordance with G4 Guidelines. It showed that in 2015 the Group has further increased its commitment to sustainable business development by improving its governance of sustainability issues, conducting a more comprehensive analysis of the impact of its activities, and updating its materiality analysis.
Building the backbone of Europe’s telecom future was our topic of choice for the MARKETS & TRENDS section, as the significant role that high-quality fibre cables will play in the viability of any future infrastructures that will form the Digital Single Market, is an increasingly acknowledged concept among business and policy making circles across the continent. Prysmian Group is urging institutions and the public across Europe to embrace the most modern fibre technology to ensure the success of long-lasting, high-speed networks, both technically and commercially.
