EANS-News: centrotherm SiTec achieves important milestone at Chinese state company with "First Ingot Out"
07.07.2011 – 09:57
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Corporate news transmitted by euro adhoc. The issuer/originator is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Company Information Blaubeuren (euro adhoc) - July 7, 2011 - With "First Ingot Out", centrotherm SiTec GmbH, a wholly-owned subsidiary of centrotherm photovoltaics AG, has achieved an important production milestone at large Chinese polysilicon manufacturer expanding to ingot at Shaanxi Province. The first 450 kilogram ingot was produced in less than 60 hours in the multi-crystalline ingot furnace developed by centrotherm SiTec, and has already achieved high quality standards. "The system has impressively exceeded market standards with this commercial production run", commented Dr. Christian Hoess, Head of Crystallization Development. "The potentials of this technology have not yet been fully exhausted. This furnace type offers customers upgrade options to boost capacity by further 35% while at the same time entailing lower expenditure." "With this "First Ingot Out" that we reached on a very ambitious timescale, we have shown that we can offer excellent technology along the entire solar value chain, and not only in the polysilicon and solar cell areas", noted Dr. Albrecht Mozer, Managing Director of centrotherm SiTec. "As a provider of technology and key equipment along the entire solar value chain, we enable our customers to implement optimally integrated production processes entailing low operating costs and outstanding quality." Further multi-crystalline ingot furnaces are currently being installed and ramped up at Chinese state company. In the multi-crystalline ingot furnace, polysilicon chunks are initially melt in a silica crucible at over 1,450° Celsius. The silicon melt is then converted into multi-crystalline ingots by a process of directional solidification. Bricks and wafers are subsequently cut from these multi-crystalline ingots, before being processed to produce solar cells and modules. About centrotherm photovoltaics AG centrotherm photovoltaics AG, which is based at Blaubeuren, Germany, is the world's leading technology and equipment provider for the photovoltaics sector. The company equips well-known solar companies and new sector entrants with turnkey production lines and single equipment to manufacture silicon, ingots and bricks, crystalline solar cells and modules, and thin film modules. As a consequence, the Group possesses a broad and well-founded technological basis, as well as key equipment at practically all steps of the photovoltaics value chain. centrotherm photovoltaics guarantees its customers important performance parameters such as production capacity, efficiencies, and completion deadlines. The Group employs over 1,700 staff members, and operates in Europe, Asia and the USA. centrotherm photovoltaics achieved revenue in the 2010 financial year of EUR 624,2 million, EBIT of EUR 75.4 million. The company is listed in the TecDAX index on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Contact: Saskia Feil Senior Manager Investor & Public Relations Tel: +49 7344 918-8890 E-mail: saskia.feil@centrotherm.de Dr. Torsten Knödler Manager Public Relations Tel: +49 7344 918-8898 E-mail: torsten.knoedler@centrotherm.de Further inquiry note: Dr. Torsten Knödler Manager Public Relations Tel.: 07344 - 918-8898 E-Mail: torsten.knoedler@centrotherm.de end of announcement euro adhoc -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- company: centrotherm photovoltaics AG Johannes-Schmid-Str. 8 D-89143 Blaubeuren phone: +49 (0) 7344 91880 mail: info@centrotherm.de WWW: http://www.centrotherm.de sector: Energy ISIN: DE000A0JMMN2 indexes: TecDAX stockmarkets: regulated dealing/prime standard: Frankfurt, free trade: Berlin, Hamburg, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf, München language: English