With over 130 years of combined experience,
Prysmian and Draka have a long history and
have both always been at the forefront of
striving to meet evolving customer needs.
The history of our business charts the history
of the cable industry itself, marked by many
major milestones along the way, which
cement our reputation as an early adopter
and industry pioneer.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Prysmian’s
predecessor established itself on the international
stage through involvement in major projects such
as the laying of 5,150km of transatlantic telegraph
cable between Italy and the American continent,
the connection between northern Africa and Brazil,
and the reinstatement of the submarine telephone
line between Italy and Brazil. During the same
period, Draka’s predecessor was founded in 1910.
Enlargement of the product range and the opening
of new manufacturing facilities in strategic
markets such as Spain, the UK, North America,
Argentina and Brazil resulted in significant organic
growth of both companies between 1900 and 1950.
In 1970, a major milestone in the history of Draka
occurred, as it was acquired by Philips N.V. and
became part of the Wire & Cable division.
With Draka then once again becoming
independent, in order to expand their
commercial and industrial activities, both
companies embarked on acquisition campaigns
in the 1990s, followed by radical restructuring
processes. Prysmian became a listed company
in 2007, with shares quoted in the Blue Chip
segment of the Milan Stock Market, and a
genuine public company in 2010. The assets
and know-how amassed in more than a century
of history allowed the new business to embark
on a drive for growth in high value-added
markets and businesses.
The 2011 merger of Prysmian and Draka, and the
combination of the two market-leading companies,
culminated in the business we know today, the
Prysmian Group.
A JOURNEY THAT BEGAN TWO CENTURIES AGO
