SCHOTT Solar creates space for further growth

The move will allow for a major planned expansion of solar cell production capacity at the company’s Alzenau facility.



„For SCHOTT, the re-location of SCHOTT`s Solar headquarters in Mainz is a tremendous opportunity for the city of Mainz, “ explains Prof. Dr.-Ing. Udo Ungeheuer, Chairman of the Management Board of SCHOTT AG. „The Rhineland-Palatinate state capital’s name will be spread throughout the whole world together with our innovative solar technology products.“



Kurt Beck, Minister President of Rhineland-Palatinate, says: “This decision shows that our state is an attractive and future-oriented location. We see that the attractiveness of a state is not only dependent on direct subsidy programs. As we can see in the case of SCHOTT Solar, the overall business climate is a major aspect for this decision.”



Along with the present research and development activities at the facility, Alzenau will continue to play an important role as a technical competence center for SCHOTT Solar. “Undertaking these measures will create the necessary space for further expansion” says Dr. Martin Heming, Chief Executive Officer, when explaining the background. According to current planning, the Alzenau facility will more than double its solar cell production capacity by September 30, 2011.



At the same time, existing land at the SCHOTT complex in Mainz will be used to incorporate the SCHOTT Solar administrative departments into a new company headquarters being built there. Construction of the new Mainz company headquarters should be completed by the end of 2009.



More Information at http://www.schottsolar.de/

SCHOTT is an international technology group that sees its core purpose as the lasting improvement of living and working conditions. To this end, the company has been developing special materials, components and systems for nearly 125 years. The main areas of focus are the household appliances industry, pharmaceuticals, solar energy, electronics, optics and the automotive industry. The SCHOTT Group is present in close proximity to its customers with production and sales companies in all its major markets. The Group’s approximately 16,700 employees generate worldwide sales of approximately 2.1 billion euros. The company's technological and economic expertise is closely linked with its social and ecological responsibility. The parent company of the SCHOTT Group is SCHOTT AG, whose sole shareholder is the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung (Foundation).



SCHOTT Solar’s high quality products exploit the virtually inexhaustible potential of the sun as a renewable source of energy. For this purpose SCHOTT Solar produces important components for photovoltaic applications and solar energy plants with parabolic trough technology. In the photovoltaic industry, the company is one of the few integrated manufacturers of crystalline silicon wafers, cells and modules. Wafer production is mainly carried out through a WACKER SCHOTT Solar joint venture, which ensures the supply of silicon necessary for long-term growth. Thanks to over 20 years of experience in thin-film technology, SCHOTT Solar also regards itself as one of the industry’s cutting-edge companies. In receiver production for solar power plants with parabolic trough technology, SCHOTT Solar considers itself to be the market and technology leader. The receivers are key components in large-scale power plants that generate electricity from solar energy centrally on the basis of parabolic trough technology and can supply entire cities with power. SCHOTT Solar has production facilities in Germany, the Czech Republic, the USA and Spain. SCHOTT Solar’s innovative power and technological expertise date back to the late 1950s. SCHOTT Solar GmbH is a wholly owned subsidiary of the international SCHOTT technology group. SCHOTT develops special materials, components and systems for the household appliance, pharmaceutical, solar energy, electronics, optical and automotive industries. With around 16,700 employees, the SCHOTT Group generated a worldwide turnover of about 2.1 billion euros in fiscal year 2006/2007.