07/07/2010 07:33:00 CEST
- New thin-film orders for more than EUR 8 million acquired in the US and Germany
- Further revival in thin-film segment expected for H2
- Backend lines and selective emitters continue to show substantial growth in demand
Reutlingen, July 7, 2010 – Manz Automation AG, one of the world’s leading technology providers for the photovoltaic and flat-panel display (FPD) industry, is recording significant increases in its order backlog. This passed the EUR 100 million mark as of June 30, 2010 for the first time since the financial crisis. This order backlog will mostly be recognized in revenues and earnings this year.
The backend lines that have been developed for the production of crystalline solar cells are enjoying strong increases in demand from solar cell manufacturers. Over the course of just a few months, Manz Automation has booked orders for a total of nine backend lines with an output totaling more than 500MW. In particular, the high-precision printer HAP 2400 which is integrated in these lines, combined with the OneStep Selective Emitter Technology is finding the favor of customers in Germany and abroad, as this process significantly improves the conductivity between the silicon wafer and the contact fingers. This increases the effectiveness of the crystalline cells by up to 0.5%. The machines are shipped, in particular, to high-growth Asian markets, including China, South Korea and India.
In addition, Manz Automation has also received new thin-film orders with a volume of around EUR 8 million. Customers from Germany and the USA have ordered second-generation laser scribing machines and equipment for factory automation. “We are currently seeing a significant revitalization in the thin-film segment, and are expecting growing dynamism in all of our market segments for the second half of the year,” explained Dieter Manz, Manz Automation’s CEO. “That means that our hopes of exceeding our operating and financial targets in the current fiscal year are growing – especially supported by the excellent development of the FPD segment in first half of 2010.”
