2008 Main achievements
The main achievements in the R&D sector of Prysmian were:
    • The world’s first extruded submarine cable for 200kV in direct current.
    • Development of flexible cables with optical fibre sensors allowing measurement of cable wear and tear.
    • New technology for manufacturing hybrid umbilical cables, improving their reliability and performance, even at
      depths of over 2,000 metres.
    • The new medium voltage P-Laser cables, manufactured with a completely innovative process and product 
       technology.
    • In the area of optical cables, a new range of products was developed using micro-module technology.

Protection of intellectual property rights
Protecting its portfolio of patents and trademarks is a major part of the Group’s business, particularly due to its strategy of growth in high technology market segments.
At 31 December 2008, the Prysmian Group owned 3,072 patents and patent applications throughout the world covering 457 inventions. At the end of 2008, the Prysmian Group also owned 2,440 trademarks for products or product lines.

Quality at every stage of the production cycle
The quality of all Prysmian products is ensured by strict monitoring of every stage of the production cycle, from the procurement of raw materials to the delivery of the finished product, by means of an extensive system of control for each specific stage of the cycle.
In raw materials procurement the focus of controls is on the selection of suppliers, thus assuring the quality of individual supplies that have to be accompanied by the relevant certificates showing their compliance with the standards established at the contract.

High standards of customer service
To ensure a high standard of customer service, Prysmian has since 2003 commissioned outside consultants to conduct a series of customer satisfaction surveys and take monthly measurements of service indicators.