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| 2012 aNNual rEpOrT prySmiaN grOup
CONSOlidaTEd FiNaNCial STaTEmENTS >
DIRECTORS’ REPORT
Prysmian Group has always attributed key strategic
importance to Research & Development to maintain its market
leadership, by providing its customers with technologically
innovative solutions at increasingly competitive costs. The
acquisition of Draka in 2011 has added to the Group’s know-
how and expanded its expertise in specific high value-added
fields. The Group currently has 17 Centres of Excellence, with
headquarters in Milan, and about 570 qualified professionals.
With more than 5,600 patents granted or filed and
partnerships with major universities and research centres in
Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Brazil, the Prysmian Group
means to be industry leader in R&D.
The Group’s total expenditure on Research, Development and
Innovation amounted to approximately Euro 69 million in
2012, broadly in line with the previous year.
The main achievements during the year in the
Energy
business
included:
• in the area of Submarine cables, completion of development
and internal qualification testing for the 600kV DC layered
insulation cables for the Westernlink project in the UK;
production and industrialisation was started at the Arco
Felice plant in August 2012. Development and internal
qualification testing were also completed for a new-
design 48-strand optical fibre submarine cable with both
interstitial and unipolar steel tubes; this product has already
been put into production for a project for the Dutch operator
TenneT;
• in the area of High Voltage cables, a Milliken 2500 mm² Cu
conductor was developed with enamelled oxidised low AC
resistant wires for production at the Abbeville plant (USA);
the Abbeville plant also obtained HVDC qualification with
the development of a 2500 mm² conductor with prototype
insulation; 150 kV EPR insulated cables with class 5
conductor successfully continued to be developed and
produced for the Feltoflex offshore platform project. Lastly,
the transfer of Welded Aluminium Sheath technology to the
Pignataro plant in Italy was completed;
RESEARCH
AND DEVELOPMENT
The Prysmian Group has 5,644 patents and
patent applications, covering 914 inventions,
of which 258 in the Energy business and 656
in the Telecom business.
