History

History

A JOURNEY THAT BEGAN TWO CENTURIES AGO

With over 140 years of cumulative experience, the Group has a long history and has always been at the forefront of striving to meet evolving customer needs.
The history of our business charts the history of the cable industry itself, marked by many major milestones along the way, which cement our reputation as an early adopter and industry pioneer.

  1. 1900
  2. 1910
  3. 1970
  4. 1990
  5. 2010
  6. 2011

  1. The first international projects

    1900

    The company which, about a hundred years later, was to be named Prysmian, quickly achieved an international dimension, thanks to its involvement in crucial projects like the laying of 5,150 Km of transatlantic telegraph cable for communication between Italy and South America (1925), the laying of submarine cables for the Long-Distance Telephone Network between Italy and Brazil and the connection between Brazil and North Africa.

  2. Birth of Draka, destined for outstanding growth

    1910

    At the same time as the rapid development of the future Prysmian, the company was founded that would later take the name of Draka. Between 1910 and 1950, the company stood out for its unceasing growth, linked to the continuous widening of its product range and the opening of new production plants in strategic markets like Spain, United Kingdom, North America, Argentina and Brazil.

  3. Philips bets on Draka

    1970

    That year was one of the milestones in the history of Draka: the company was acquired by the Dutch multinational Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V., known as Philips, and became part of its Wires and Cables division.

  4. Acquisition campaigns

    1990

    The 1990s saw Prysmian and Draka running at a faster and faster rate. To expand their commercial and industrial activities, both companies began acquisition campaigns, followed by significant restructuring processes. They were near to becoming two giants in the sector of power supply and telecommunications.

  5. From listed company to public company

    2010

    In 2007 Prysmian entered the Stock Exchange, with shares quoted in the Blue Chips segment of the Milan Stock Exchange. Three years later, Prysmian became a public company, listed in the Italian Stock exchange in the FTSE MIB index. In the absence of a controlling shareholder, Prysmian is managed according to principles of transparency, counting on its ability to obtain and deserve, every day, the confidence of the stakeholders.

  6. Birth of the Group

    2011

    The Prysmian Group was formed by the merger between Prysmian and Draka: two commercial brands, a single group, which by integrating the strong points of both companies became world leader in the field of cables and systems for power and telecommunications. Today it boasts the widest range in the market of products, services and technologies and in geographical coverage.