CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS >
DIRECTORS’ REPORT
98
| 2013 ANNUAL REPORT | PRYSMIAN GROUP
element went into production at Delft; the 150 kV Feltoflex
cable for the EXXON Mobil project achieved qualification
and entered production.
• With reference to developments in P-Laser technology,
a 1,000 mm² Cu 150 kV cable was fully qualified and
installed in the Lacchiarella circuit for the Italian customer
Terna; the cable has a much lower environmental impact
than conventional XLPE systems, and is designed to
be fully compatible with this type of cable. This is the
first installation in the world of a 150 kV cable with
thermoplastic insulation at operating temperatures of ≥
90 °C, which has been laid in a particularly important part
of the national transmission grid located in the south-west
of Milan. In addition, testing of a 240 mm² Al 20 kV cable
for Iberdrola was started and the 20 kV and 30 kV versions
of the cable were fully qualified; in The Netherlands, the
manufacture and sale of 20 kV cable to the customer
Alliander was completed. Lastly, the pre-qualification
phase was started for a 320 kV HVDC prototype; this
development displayed the benefits of P-Laser technology,
which not only reduces the product’s environmental impact
(due to the thermoplastic recyclable nature of all the cable’s
components) but also allows complete elimination of the
degassing phase typical of cross-linked insulated cable.
• In the Trade & Installers and Power Distribution businesses,
with a difficult market backdrop especially in Europe,
attention focused on the transfer of know-how and
technology from European subsidiaries to those operating
in emerging markets such as China, Hong Kong, North
America and Brazil.
• In the OEM cables business, several new products were
released during the year, including SHD and SHD-GC
cables (standard mining cable in accordance with ICEA
standards) in South America, EN-compliant railway cables
for applications down to -50 °C, developed in France and
Germany, hybrid cables with low and medium voltage for
mining applications (Tenax R - Tri Plug) in Germany, a 25 kV
railway power cable for Alstom in partnership with France
and Germany, the Panzerflex ELXX, a lighter and smaller
cable, for Crane application in Italy, a cable for submersible
pumps in North America that meets Franklin Electric and
European standards for drinking water applications; in
addition, work continued on the transfer of know-how
and technology between subsidiaries in order to serve
customers locally without the need for production by other
sites in the Group.
• In the Elevator Cables business, several new products were
developed during the year, including special conductor flat
cables for high-speed elevators, suspended cable bundles
up to 4.25” in width, developed under a joint venture in
China with Nantong Zhongyao Mechanical & Electrical
Manufacturing Co. Ltd., brakes for safety ropes up to 5/8”,
developed in partnership with a Chinese supplier (the brake
is designed and optimised to stop unexpected movement
of the elevator), a special monitoring system developed
in partnership with Electrodyn Systems for old generation
elevators lacking built-in sensors, and the automatic
Acculube Rope Oiler system.
• In the area of Prycam technology, two important new
versions of the products were developed in 2013 to
monitor electrical parameters in fixed installations:
Prycam Grids, for monitoring high and medium voltage
systems, and Prycam Drive, targeting the sector of engines
and generators. Both instruments, offering very high
performance in terms of measurement sensitivity and
reliability, are fully accessible online, allowing data to be
stored in a database and the setting of alarm functions for
anomalies detected during monitoring.
Achievements in the
Telecom business
included:
• In the field of Optical Fibre and Optical cables for
telecommunications, the Group carried on developing bend-
resistant fibre (BendBright-XS) and special eco-friendly
cabling solutions for FTTH (Fibre to the Home) applications
and for mobile networks (LTE and 4G networks). These new
products (Micro and Nano Flextube optical cables) offer an
excellent solution for use in conduits congested with other
cables. In addition, the new “RetractaNet” technology, able
to reduce user connection costs by up to 25%, was rolled on
a massive scale in The Netherlands.
• In the Connectivity field, several new connectivity
accessories were developed for use in FTTH (Fibre to the
Home) and FTTA (Fibre to the Antenna) applications; in
particular, new types of joints were qualified for installation
in the basements of buildings and/or apartment buildings
for connecting the distribution network to the building’s
own network.
In terms of
industrial innovation
, the strategic role played
by materials in cable and accessories technology had led
Prysmian Group to step up its exploratory studies in this area.
Among the main achievements in the year:
• In the petrochemicals sector, prototypes of 4” and 6”
flexible pipes were manufactured in Brazil for deepwater
pre-salt oil fields, using innovative technology that can
minimise corrosion by hydrogen sulphide and carbon
dioxide, thus allowing these pipes to be used in oil and gas
reserves full of such gases, like those off the coast of Brazil.
• Innovative materials for SURF applications were
successfully tested, both in the lab and factory, for use
in manufacturing flexible pipes and umbilicals; these
materials have much better thermo-mechanical and
chemical stability than those currently used.
• A technique was developed and validated for determining
the gas permeability of polymeric materials used in flexible
pipe manufacture; this process allows the composition
