Prysmian Group Makes $14 Million Investment in Optical Cable

LEXINGTON, SC — Prysmian Group, a global provider of telecom cables and systems, will invest approximately $14 million between 2016 and 2018 in its optical cable division.

Steve Szymanski, vice president of the Telecom Business for Prysmian Group, noted, “Between 2016 and 2018, approximately $14 million will be invested into the optical cable component of our cable and wire business. This represents Prysmian’s largest investment in optical cable in North America in at least a decade. Because of this investment, we are currently recruiting for employees in Lexington, and that will continue into the foreseeable future. There is a definitive interest in recruiting manufacturing, material, and process oriented students from the State’s technical schools.”

Build the Future International Graduate Program
This investment also means more opportunities for recent graduates interested in the company’s international graduate program, Build the Future, which offers participants interested in a career with Prysmian Group the opportunity to work side-by-side with mentors and highly specialized teams to learn the skills they will need to succeed and make a valuable contribution, right from the beginning. “Looking to the growth of Prysmian North America, we’ve implemented a graduate program to give college graduates the opportunity to gain real-world experience and growth towards their career goals," said Hakan Ozmen, president and CEO, Prysmian North America.

Prysmian Group’s Lexington plant is one of the largest fiber optic cable plants in the world. It produces more than a quarter of the demand in North America, but with ongoing capital investments in human and machinery capabilities, Lexington hopes to increase supply in North America. The Lexington plant, which houses research and development, product development, product management, customer service, and staff functions, is a major leader and player in providing broadband and fiber to the home space. It helps to guide industry direction at both the local and national industry levels and in Washington, D.C.

Recently, the Lexington plant made a $1.5 million capital investment in ribbon technology in the optical cable plant for the telecom carrier and hyper scale data center markets; this project is underway and will be completed by the end of the year.