Prysmian Group Breaks Ground on R&D Center Expansion

Today Prysmian Group, the world leader in the energy and telecom cables and systems industry, announced the planned expansion of the company’s 53,000 square foot Research and Development Center at its North American headquarters in Lexington. The expansion will make way for a new Prysmian Group Academy, the company’s network of corporate education facilities designed to enhance the potential of professionals via specialized programs.

The new Prysmian Group Academy in Lexington will welcome hundreds of the company’s research and development experts and offer elementary to advanced courses taught by instructors from around the globe. Construction on the project is now underway and is expected to be completed January 2018 with classes starting the same month.

“Prysmian Group has been introducing new technologies to the market since its inception, and is excited to bring the brightest experts from around the world to Lexington for continued training in our newly expanded R&D Center,” said Hakan Ozmen, CEO of Prysmian Group North America. “This academy will serve as the starting point for the development of innovative products with lower environmental impacts for our customers.”

Plans for the academy include an interactive exhibition hall that will demonstrate Prysmian Group’s advance technologies in a hands-on way, including state of the art portable partial discharge detection technology (PRY-CAM®), smoke evaluation of halogenated vs. non-halogenated (AFUMEX®) compounds, detection of cable aging, demonstration of bend and ultra-bend-resistant fiber, ribbon fiber technology, interactive telecom and power grids and more.

“Prysmian Group puts employees and customers first by investing in the people who will create the technology of tomorrow,” said Marcelo de Araujo Andrade, Senior Vice President of Prysmian Group Research & Development. “This new R&D will advance the creation and development of new, technologically advanced products and systems that will positively impact communities around the world.”

Prysmian Group has several academies throughout the world and partners with major universities and research centers to offer instruction for technical skills and continued development for its managers and professionals. The company has 17 global R&D centers equipped with advanced proprietary technologies and invests more than $95 million annually on R&D initiatives.