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Research & Development
Prysmian has always attributed key strategic importance to Research & Development in the
management and development of its business. The Group has: 7 Research & Development Centres
(Italy, France, UK, Germany, Spain, United States and South Americal) with headquarters in Milan;
established collaboration agreements with major universities and research centres (including the
Polytechnic of Milan and the National Research Council of Italy - CNR); more than 400 skilled
professionals; over 3,000 patents granted or filed. In 2008, Research & Development investments
amounted to approximately Euro 45.3 milliion, in line with the year before (Euro 45,5 million in
2007).
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, since 2003
has commissioned outside consultants to conduct a series of customer satisfaction surveys and
take monthly measurements of service indicators.
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