2017 Yearly Overview | Prysmian Group

19 TECHNOLOGY BREAKTHROUGHS New investments allowed the Group to achieve significant results for the development of energy and telecom networks. In particular, submarine power cable for ultra-high depths (3,000); our P-Laser 600 kV cable portfolio; Flextube®, the optical cable with the highest fibre density in the world, and Pry-Cam electrical grid monitoring technologies, developed by Prysmian Electronics and confirmed to be a breakthrough technology for condition-assessment and asset management. LANDMARK PROJECTS In 2017, Prysmian started work on the IFA2 project – a 320-kV submarine cable system between France and Britain capable of transmitting up to 1,000 MW and contributing to the development of an increasingly interconnected European energy network. We’ve also been awarded a cable contract to link the floating Kincardine Offshore Wind Farm to mainland UK, marking Prysmian's entry into this emerging sector. In the US, Prysmian will partner the telecom carrier Verizon Communications in its ‘One Fiber’ project – 17 million kilometres of ribbon and loose tube cables that will foster an IoT digital transformation through the deployment of 5G services. OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE Prysmian launched its first Factory 4.0 project in the optical cable plant of Calais, France. This pilot will allow the Group to develop more extensive plans to progressively install Factory 4.0 solutions in all 82 plants worldwide. This ‘Fast Track’ approach ensures full traceability of production activities and materials used, enables better management of events that could jeopardise production processes, and provides all the relevant information needed to identify causes and possible solutions in real-time. EXTERNAL GROWTH After the 2016 acquisition of the assets of Shen Huan Cable in China and the copper data cables business of Corning in Germany, 2017 saw Prysmian confirm its willingness to pursue an independent growth strategy, announcing a merger agreement with American company General Cable. This is a unique opportunity for the Group to enhance its worldwide leadership by increasing its presence in North America and expanding its footprint in Europe and South America.