

3
Can you provide us with examples of this
strategy?
We are driving forward the process of putting
clients evenmore at the centre of our strategy,
establishing distribution channels that mirror
their own. That means maintaining the
widest possible geographical reach, in order
to meet our clients’ needs locally, in every
corner of the world.
That’s why we are creating regional centres
of excellence with high levels of expertise,
from which we believe the highest level of
technological innovation can be achieved
consistently, everywhere.
More generally, our focus has always been one
of pursuing greater manufacturing efficiency.
In 2014, we further increased the Group’s
overall capital expenditure to €163 million
.
Significant investment (around 30% of the
total) was aimed at improving technological
capabilities and our proposition mix, with
a particular focus on increasing the Group’s
footprint in Energy Projects and Telecom
segments. The Energy Products segment
gained tactical capital investments to
support the development of promising
markets. A significant portion of capital
spending was channelled to reduce fixed and
variable costs, with a focus on product design
and experimentation with new materials.
Innovation is the key to leadership, value
creation and clients’ satisfaction. It is also
our main competitive advantage
.