Prysmian beefing up North American fiber cable production
Prysmian Group says it will spend $85 million on equipment and technology upgrades at plants in North America. The fiber and cable manufacturers’ plant in Claremont, NC, will see the most attention, which will result in increased production capacity. Headcount at the facility is expect to grow by up to 70 in the next 18 months, which would see employment there approach 620.
The Claremont facility produces both optical fiber and fiber cable products, including Prysmian’s FlexTube and ezMicroduct cables, high-density products with bend-insensitive fibers. The facility also is home to an R&D center.
“Prysmian Group is committed to support the growth necessary to expand access to high-speed broadband in North America,” commented Andrea Pirondini, CEO 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 fiber 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.”
“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 fiber optic telecommunication networks” added Philippe Vanhille, executive vice president, Telecom BU of Prysmian Group. “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 homes.”
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Stephen Hardy | Editorial Director and Associate Publisher, Lightwave
Stephen Hardy is editorial director and associate publisher of Lightwave and Broadband Technology Report, part of the Lighting & Technology Group at Endeavor Business Media. Stephen is responsible for establishing and executing editorial strategy across the both brands’ websites, email newsletters, events, and other information products. He has covered the fiber-optics space for more than 20 years, and communications and technology for more than 35 years. During his tenure, Lightwave has received awards from Folio: and the American Society of Business Press Editors (ASBPE) for editorial excellence. Prior to joining Lightwave in 1997, Stephen worked for Telecommunications magazine and the Journal of Electronic Defense.
Stephen has moderated panels at numerous events, including the Optica Executive Forum, ECOC, and SCTE Cable-Tec Expo. He also is program director for the Lightwave Innovation Reviews and the Diamond Technology Reviews.
He has written numerous articles in all aspects of optical communications and fiber-optic networks, including fiber to the home (FTTH), PON, optical components, DWDM, fiber cables, packet optical transport, optical transceivers, lasers, fiber optic testing, and more.
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