Prysmian Group ramps up US broadband investment

News and Business

Prysmian Group says it is investing US$85 million in major equipment and technology upgrades at plants in North America, enabling the company to meet growing production needs for telecom customers. It says most of these investments and upgrades will take place at the Prysmian Group Claremont, N.C. facility to expand production of optical products. Additionally, the Claremont facility is expected to add 70 new employees in the next 18 months, bringing the total to 620.

The Group has four telecom production sites in the United States. In particular, the Claremont R&D centre, which is the only one of its kind, co-located in a joint optical fibre and optical fibre cable manufacturing facility. Products that make Claremont unique as a facility are for example FlexTube™ and ezMicroduct™ cables, with high fibre density designs enabled by bend-insensitive fibres. The Telecom business unit in North America, led by VP Pat Jacobi, supports the growth of major telecoms carriers in the country by providing new capacity and options for telecom network operators.

“Prysmian Group is committed to support the growth necessary to expand access to high-speed broadband in North America,” said Andrea Pirondini, chief executive officer of Prysmian Group North America. “The U.S. Rural Digital Opportunity Fund and the Canadian Universal Broadband Fund will also help build local economies and provide access to healthcare services and education opportunities. Prysmian Group continues to experience strong demand in North America for optical fibre in the telecom sector, and is proud to play a lead role as an enabler of the digital transformation across the Country. With these investments, we can continue to meet customer needs in support of 5G development in the U.S. and Canada,” added Pirondini.

“North America is a strategic market for our Group, and these investments are inserted into a global plan to increase our capacity to support the digital transformation with innovative products, going through the development of new ultra-broadband fibre optic telecommunication networks” added Philippe Vanhille, Prysmian’s EVP Telecom business. “These critical infrastructures must be based on a high quality and designed to provide high performance over time so as to be ready for the services of the future like 5G, smart cities, smart transportation, smart home,” he concludes.

For more information, visit www.prysmiangroup.com