A wide spectrum of product innovation

In 2017, Prysmian Group undertook a number of Research & Development projects that led to significant sustainability results.

Design-To-Cost

Work dedicated to this programme continued in 2017 to lower production costs, both when developing a new product and when re-engineering an existing one. The aim is to reduce the quantity of materials used for cable production by redefining its design. The programme achieved cost savings totalling more than €13 million in 2017, with more than 1,050 projects benefiting from it.

Submarine cables

Activities related to the new large diameter aluminium conducting junction techniques were completed in 2017, with the production of a large part of the current COBRA project, which involves the supply of 320 kV direct current to connect the Netherlands to Denmark. The junction of conductors of different materials continued, with a series of mechanical checks enabling the solution to be deployed in structures featuring a three-pole 220 kV alternating current cable.

Terrestrial cables

In Very High Voltage Cable Systems, new prototypes for 525 kV HVDC systems insulated with proprietary P-Laser technology were produced. The conductor section, 3500 mm2, is the largest produced to date by Prysmian, while the choice of aluminium as the conductor material made it possible to limit the weight of the cable. Thanks to P-Laser technology, the system can operate at a conductor temperature of 90° C (instead of 70° C as is normally the case for HVDC cables insulated in XLPE) ensuring a power equal to that of a cable of the same voltage but with a conductor of 2500 mm2 section in insulated copper in XLPE.

Trade and installers

2017 was characterised by the definitive entry of the European standard on the homologation of cables, according to the Construction Products Regulation standards. The intense development activity carried out in previous years to adapt products to comply with the new legislation has allowed the Group to reach

a strong position in the various local markets from the outset. However, the work of completing the range and optimising costs will continue intensively throughout 2018.

Oil & Gas

The Group’s products and services known to the market as ‘SURF’ – Subsea Umbilical, Riser and Flowline -- for exploration and the offshore production of oil and gas, were joined by a new technology of umbilical cables called steel tube for dynamic applications. In the field of cables for submersible pumps, the technological trend of operators in the oil extraction sector is aimed at simplifying the installation and maintenance phases, as well as limiting the relative costs. This involves developing extremely innovative solutions that require new generation cables with very specific additional performance.

Optical Fibres

2017 saw further improvements in the process of manufacturing fibres at the Group’s factories in the USA and Brazil, where an autonomous production process is now operational. Another important innovation is the use of ‘few mode’ fibre technology, that allows digital information to be transmitted using a limited number of "modes", whereas, until now, it has only been possible to do so using single mode fibres.

Optical Cables

Work continued to increase the number and density of fibres contained in a single cable: the latest design involves the housing of 3,456 fibres, organised into 6 elementary nuclei of 576 fibres each in a single cable The design uses the BendBrightXS fibres with a diameter of 200 μm to promote miniaturisation without compromising sensitivity to bends.

Connectivity

Prysmian has continued to develop new accessories for the use of ultra-broadband access networks. The main innovations involved the development of a new range of termination caps, and the development of additional components for the joints, which have made it possible to extend their use in the network. In doing so, this innovation increases Prysmian's market share, and enables the development of multiple components and the launch of an extensive test program to qualify the joints.

OPGW

In Special and Submarine Optical cables, OPGW technology, in stainless steel with an aluminium coating, has been consolidated up to 96fo, while the spiral space technology has been integrated into the Group’s product portfolio. With these technologies, cables have been qualified for various projects in the field of special cables, such as dyke cables with a vertical height of 500m. The family of high mechanical strength and chemical (ALPA) or fire integrity (ALPAM) optical cables has also been developed further. The production of submarine cables started at the Vilanova plant in Spain. As for submarine cables, a 330 km optical core was successfully produced for the COBRA project.

Multimedia Solutions

Improvements have been made to the 6A U/UTP solution, based on discontinuous metal tape for cables with copper conductors. The Power of Ethernet technology continued to be the main engine for the extension of the product range and use in the field. With this technology, wireless access points, cameras, sensors and other Internet of Things (IoT) devices are connected to each other.

The new Reduced-Twisted-Pair technology is also gaining ground, meaning the first projects that will enable 1 Gbit/s transmission channels on a single pair have been qualified. This also allows us to support ongoing standardisation work.