2017 Yearly Overview | Prysmian Group

MARGINS IMPROVED IN OUR STRATEGIC BUSINESSES PRYSMIAN GROUP 2017 YEARLY OVERVIEW An enduring commitment to R&D. Prysmian’s investments in research, development and innovation during 2017 totalled around €84 million, confirming our continual commitment and focus on sustainable growth over the long term. In 2017, the European Investment Bank (EIB) announced the finalisation of a loan for €110 million to fund the Group's European R&D programmes over the period 2017-2020. Also, thanks to EIB financing, we have been able to step up our level of investment, with cable technology proving it can make a decisive contribution to the challenges of digitalisation and the development of more efficient and environmentally sustainable power grids. Human capital development. In 2017, through the ‘Build The Future’, ‘Make It’ and ‘Sell It’ programmes, Prysmian recruited 150 talented people from over 60,000 global applications. The selected talent appreciated the international development schemes and quality of our training. In the same period, over 5,100 employees attended training courses at the Prysmian Group Academy and our new Manufacturing Academy. Sustainability, a driver for growth. The economic value generated by Prysmian in 2017 amounted to €7,866 million from €7,480 million in 2016. The Group has continued to devote ever more attention to corporate social responsibility, aligning our Sustainable Development Strategy with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the United Nations, setting measurable sustainability targets to be achieved by 2020. In 2017, Prysmian confirmed for the second year its inclusion in the prestigious Carbon Clean 200 Report™ as the only Italian firm present and ranked 58th. Acquisition of General Cable. At the end of 2017, the Group announced its entry into a merger agreement that saw the purchase of 100% of General Cable shares, marking a milestone in our history, and a strategic and unique opportunity for the creation of value for our shareholders. This combined group – which will be present in more than 50 countries with approximately 31,000 employees – will also result in high geographical presence with majorly increased exposure in North America, along with expansion in Europe and Latin America. Internal and external high growth strategy deployed in 2017