DGAP-News: Manz Automation expands business model as future manufacturer of turnkey, integrated production lines for CIGS thin-film solar modules
(firmenpresse) - Manz Automation AG / Alliance
19.07.2010 07:00
Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by
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- Exclusive know-how licensing and strategic alliance agreement with Würth
Solar for exclusive rights of use to its CIGS production technology
- Significant revenue and earnings growth already expected from 2011
- Total capital expenditure for the transaction amounts to EUR 50 million
for Manz Automation
Reutlingen/Schwäbisch-Hall, July 19, 2010 - Manz Automation AG, one of the
world's leading technology providers for the photovoltaic and flat panel
display (FPD) industries, has signed a know-how licensing and strategic
alliance agreement with Würth Solar GmbH&Co. KG. This gives Manz
exclusive rights of use to Würth Solar's CIGS production technology and
means that it is now the only provider who can currently offer an
integrated, fully productive production line for CIGS solar modules that
can be operated cost efficiently. Würth Solar is also contributing its more
than ten years of experience in developing and producing CIGS thin-film
modules to the strategic alliance. The existing contractual relationship
with Würth Solar and the Zentrum für Sonnenenergie- und
Wasserstoff-Forschung
Baden-Württemberg (ZSW - Center for solar energy and hydrogen research),
means that Manz also has exclusive access to their research results
regarding CIGS modules on glass substrates. The ZSW currently holds the
world record for CIGS technology with the highest efficiency of cells
recorded to date of 20.1%. This means that CIGS is the thin-film technology
with the highest efficiency potential. The strategic alliance is initially
laid out for a period of ten years. Manz Automation aims to use this
strategic alliance to become the market leader as a provider of fully
integrated, cost-effective CIGS production lines (CIGSfab).
As compensation for the expertise licensing and the in-depth support from
the partner's staff, Manz has undertaken to pay EUR 50 million, which is
due in installments through to commissioning of the first CIGSfab. In
addition, the company is planning addition capital expenditure for research
and development and to increase its staff. Financing for the transaction
has been secured. It will be financed from existing equity, additional
borrowing and from the cash flows that result from the expanded business
model in future.
Dieter Manz, Manz Automation AG's CEO, describes the strategic alliance
agreement as being a key milestone in securing innovation leadership for
thin-film technology: 'By bundling our expertise in this strategic
alliance, which is the only one of its kind in the world, we can supply
solar manufacturers with fully-integrated production lines that will have
the lowest manufacturing costs of all turnkey thin-film lines in the
future. In addition, we can present our customers with a really credible
technology and cost roadmap. This makes investments as secure as possible.
As a result, we are giving thin-film technology a new push and are
developing significant market potential.' ZSW's research results serve as a
basis in order to further increase thecurrent effectiveness of 12.8%,
which is currently at the top of the range industry-wide. The partners to
the strategic alliance thus believe that the conditions have been put in
place for cadmium-free CIGS technology to become the industry standard.
Bernd Sprecher, Managing Director of Würth Solar GmbH&Co. KG describes
the special features of the joint business model: 'We are contributing our
entire development and production expertise to this strategic alliance, and
are using our expertise to support the process from planning through to
execution and taking the production lines into operation in order to help
CIGS technology to finally break through. Parts of our existing CIGS line
in future will also be used as a development line for the cooperation. The
cooperation with Manz Automation is an important corner stone of the
strategic development of Würth Solar.' The strategic alliance partners
believe that the increased industrialization of CIGS module production will
result in a milestone in the photovoltaic industry, which will once again
significantly increase the cost-effectiveness of solar products.
For Manz Automation, this strategic step is the logical consequence of the
targets already realized on its path to becoming a specialist for
integrated production lines. Based on the large number of technologies
developed in house and which are already successfully established on the
market (for example for automation or laser processes), Manz reached a
further milestone with the acquisition of Intech in Taiwan in April 2008, a
company focusing on wet-chemical processes. In connection with the recently
formed Manz Coating for vacuum coating technology, Manz covers around 90%
of the value chain for CIGS thin-film technology. The fact that Manz
Automation masters all of the processes required in a production line,
optimally integrated solutions open up further potential for efficiency.
'Integration is our issue and the key to further significant cost
reductions,' summarized Dieter Manz on the reasons for this project. 'That
is why we have substantially reinforced our technology in a dynamic,
future-proof market. We can thus offer our customers end-to-end solutions
from a single source - and thus have a unique product portfolio
world-wide.'
The future additional offering will span entire CIGS production lines,
which are to be shipped to manufacturers of thin-film solar modules
world-wide. In total, the sales potential for a CIGSfab with a capacity of
120 MW per year is around EUR 150 million. Martin Hipp, Manz Automation's
CFO: 'We are forecasting significant revenue growth from this strategic
alliance from 2011. As a result of the enormous potential revenues from the
sale of a CIGS production line, we believe that the successful
implementation of our business model will bring us into a totally new
dimension for revenues and earnings in the coming years!'
Company profile: Manz Automation AG
Reutlingen-based Manz Automation AG (ISIN: DE000A0JQ5U3) is one of the
world's leading technology providers for production systems in the
photovoltaic industry, the FPD industry and for Li-ion battery production.
The Manz Group's core competences are in robotics, image processing, laser
technology, quality assurance, metallization, wet chemicals as well as
control and drive technology. In-depth research and development activities
mean that Manz Automation now ranks among the world's technology leaders in
these segments. Manz has special photovoltaic experience in the field of
integrated system solutions for the manufacture of crystalline solar cells
and thin-film solar modules. With regard to the latter, the company is
characterized, in particular, by its unique expertise in CIGS technology.
Manz is the only provider to have access to a 30 MW CIGS reference factory,
run by its strategic alliance partner Würth Solar. This factory has been
tried-and-trusted since 2006 with 24/7 operations, and offers the highest
effectiveness recorded to date in mass production. The factory will be
available in future as part of the strategic alliance with Würth for the
further development of production technology and the qualification of new
processes and materials. The Manz Group has sales and service branches in
Germany, Taiwan, the USA, China, South Korea, India and Spain. In addition,
the Manz Group has its own production facilities in Germany, Slovakia,
Hungary, Taiwan and China.
Investor relations contact:
cometis AG
Ulrich Wiehle / Dominic Großmann
Tel.: +49 (0)611 - 205855-15
Fax: +49 (0)611 - 205855-66
E-Mail: grossmann(at)cometis.de
Public relations contact:
Manz Automation AG
Axel Bartmann
Tel.: +49 (0)7121 - 9000-395
Fax: +49 (0)7121 - 9000-99
E-Mail: abartmann(at)manz-automation.com
19.07.2010 07:00 Ad hoc announcement, Financial News and Press Release distributed by DGAP. Medienarchiv atwww.dgap-medientreff.deandwww.dgap.de---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Language: English
Company: Manz Automation AG
Steigäckerstr. 5
72768 Reutlingen
Deutschland
Phone: +49 (0) 7121 9000-0
Fax: +49 (0) 7121 9000-99
E-mail: info(at)manz-automation.com
Internet: http://www.manz-automation.com
ISIN: DE000A0JQ5U3
WKN: A0JQ5U
Indices: TecDAX
Listed: Regulierter Markt in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Freiverkehr
in Berlin, München, Düsseldorf, Stuttgart
End of News DGAP News-Service
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Datum: 19.07.2010 - 07:00 Uhr
Sprache: Deutsch
News-ID 24064
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