Oerlikon Corp. AG, a manufacturer of production systems, components and services for high-tech industrial applications, says Oerlikon Solar will become a new segment within the Oerlikon Group as the company expands its solar business. This new business segment is under the leadership of Oerlikon Solar CEO Jeannine Sargent.
"The creation of a standalone segment within Oerlikon further strengthens our solar presence and will enable us to extend our leadership in the marketplace," Sargent says." We are in a strong position to grow our market share while continuing to supply the industry with highly efficient solar manufacturing fabs."
To escalate production capacities, increase research and development activities and enter new business areas quicker, Oerlikon Solar will bring together all solar core competencies and new technologies under one umbrella. Providing complete, fully automated solar production solutions to customers requires seamless integration of key technologies, such as thin-film coating, laser advancements, specialized mechanical engineering fields and global customer support.
"With the solar industry representing a multibillion Swiss Franc business opportunity for Oerlikon, we felt it vital to expand our current solar operations and investments worldwide," comments Uwe Krüger, Oerlikon's CEO.
As part of this push, Oerlikon Solar plans to double production capacity at its plant in Truebbach, Switzerland, and has established a 1 MW pilot line. Additional manufacturing locations in the Asia Pacific region and the U.S. are also currently under evaluation.
