Applied Materials Announces Powerful SunFab Performance Service;
Signs Multiyear Agreement with T-Solar
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Applied Materials, Inc. today announced another first for the solar
industry with its SunFab Performance Service™
program. This unique service solution guarantees the performance
cost and output of the Applied SunFab™
Thin Film Line for producing solar modules, enabling continuous cost
reduction based on megawatt output. As the most comprehensive integrated
support solution in the solar industry, the SunFab Performance Service
allows customers to quickly ramp to volume production and optimize the
efficiency and productivity of their SunFab™
Line.
Applied has signed a multiyear agreement to provide the SunFab
Performance Service to T-Solar Global S.A. of Spain for the Applied
SunFab Thin Film Line. Using 5.7m2 glass
panels, the SunFab Line can reduce the cost of utility-scale
photovoltaic installations by more than 20%. “Based
on Applied’s proven track record of providing
service and technology to the chip industry, we are very confident that
we have made the best choice for this key project,”
said Juan Laso, general manager of T-Solar.
As part of this service agreement, Applied will manage and optimize
T-Solar’s SunFab Line performance with a wide
variety of engineering, logistics, technology and automation software
solutions. In addition to all preventive and corrective maintenance and
complete parts management, Applied will provide continuous improvement
programs and total factory optimization to enable low operating cost and
on-going productivity gains.
“By entrusting the equipment, maintenance and
performance of our solar production line to Applied, we are guaranteed
specific results that minimize our risk, shorten our time to production,
and meet our profit goals,” stated Cesar
Alberte, fab director of T-Solar. “We view
this as the most economic solution to running our solar fab that over
time will allow us to drop the cost per watt of solar energy.”
“Guaranteeing performance through cost of
operation and associated megawatt output represents a major shift from
the traditional service model,” said Manfred
Kerschbaum, senior vice president and general manager of Applied Global
Services. “We are pleased to pioneer the way
in providing customers like T-Solar with a comprehensive service program
that represents a step function improvement in value and the most
complete and dependable choice for maintaining and optimizing their
investment.”
In 2007, T-Solar became the first company in Europe to order an Applied
SunFab Thin Film production line. The line is expected to have a nominal
rated capacity of 40 megawatts per year when fully operational, enabling
T-Solar to capitalize on the rapidly expanding market in Spain for
photovoltaic installations.
T-Solar Global S.A. is an
industrial group based in Spain focused on photovoltaic technologies. In
addition to investing in next-generation manufacturing, T-Solar installs
and operates its own PV power generation plants. At T-Solar, we are
passionate about what we do, as we sow the seeds of a better world; it
is our genuine belief that PV technology will in the long run
significantly contribute to a more sustainable approach to power
generation.
Applied Materials, Inc.
(Nasdaq:AMAT) is the global leader in Nanomanufacturing Technology™
solutions with a broad portfolio of innovative equipment, service and
software products for the fabrication of semiconductor chips, flat panel
displays, solar photovoltaic cells, flexible electronics and energy
efficient glass. At Applied Materials, we apply Nanomanufacturing
Technology to improve the way people live. Learn more at www.appliedmaterials.com.
