manz - passion for efficiency

Manz AG in Reutlingen, Germany, is a leading global high-tech equipment manufacturer. Over the past few years, the company has developed from an automation specialist to a provider of integrated system solutions for the production of crystalline silicon solar cells and thin-film solar modules, as well as the manufacturing of flat panel displays. A new business area is the development and manufacture of production systems for lithium-ion batteries.

The group, established in 1987, is headed by company founder Dieter Manz and has been publicly listed in Germany since 2006. Manz operates production facilities in Germany, China, Taiwan, Slovakia and Hungary. In addition, it has sales and service branches in the United States, South Korea and India. At the end of September 2011, Manz AG had around 1,950 employees, including 900 in Asia. Sales in the last business year exceeded 180 million euros.

Driven by the company’s new slogan, “passion for efficiency”, Manz engineers promise to provide their customers from various future key industries with evermore efficient manufacturing systems. Therefore, Manz is continuously optimising its product portfolio. The aim is to achieve highly reliable production processes on the customer side while steadily improving performance parameters for products manufactured on Manz equipment. This makes the Manz Group an important driver of innovation, helping to achieve breakthroughs in key technologies of our times, such as sustainable power generation, displays for global communication needs and e-mobility. Manz focuses its R&D efforts on production systems for the photovoltaics industry, flat panel displays and lithium-ion batteries. Research facilities are located in Germany, Taiwan and Israel.

In the summer of 2010, Manz signed a cooperation agreement with Würth Solar, Schwäbisch Hall, Germany, that gives Manz access to exclusive know-how in CIGS thin-film technology. After the acquisition of the CIGS modules innovation line of Würth Solar in January 2012, technology licenses will also be transferred to the company on an unrestricted basis. Thanks to this agreement, Manz is the first manufacturer in the world offering a turnkey production line for CIGS solar modules that can be operated profitably today. Furthermore, Manz has the largest team of CIGS experts of the complete industry at its disposal. CIGS modules are currently considered the most efficient on the market.

Manz AG has its roots in Baden-Württemberg in Germany, historically one of the cradle regions of German engineering and today one of the world’s leading high-tech regions. Manz employs people from 27 countries and is active in all the important growth markets around the world. With the opening of a new production facility in Suzhou, China, planned for the beginning of 2012, Manz will be able to meet current market trends even more effectively.

As part of its commitment to corporate social responsibility, Manz supports a project called “Providing a future – metal workshop in Ethiopia”. This initiative offers vocational training to young people in Ethiopia.