Posted on Tue, Oct 20, 2009 @ 12:16 PM
Largest Global Solar Cell Manufacturer Selects Camstar's SolarSuiteTM to Lower Cost per Watt and Drive Quality Output
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (October 20, 2009) - Camstar Systems, Inc. announced today that Q-Cells SE (QCE; ISIN DE0005558662), the world's largest solar cell manufacturer, has selected Camstar's SolarSuiteTM, configured for the Solar industry on the Camstar Enterprise Platform, to drive down cost per watt through improved process quality and cell efficiency.
Q-Cells will deploy the solution in two new production lines in Bitterfeld-Thalheim, Germany, and in its new factory in Malaysia where production will exceed 300MW (peak) by the end of 2010.
Q-Cells selected SolarSuite over competing options for its strong "out-of-the-box" functionality that is designed specifically for and widely used by Camstar's global customers in the Solar and Semiconductor industries. In addition, in Q-Cells' environment of rapid process improvement and frequent tool upgrades, the unique flexibility of Camstar's platform enables rapid adaptation, global control and change enforcement - all critical to support Q-Cells' growth and quality goals.
"We are very pleased to be a strategic partner for Q-Cells as they create the most modern, fully automated solar cell production lines in the world," said Robert Rudder, Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing for Camstar. "We have made significant investment in our enterprise platform as a seamless foundation for manufacturing execution, quality management and manufacturing intelligence. That technology is delivering the ability not only to collect large volumes of data from automated tools, but to quickly analyze and immediately act upon that data for process improvement and increased equipment efficiency - driving real, measurable quality improvements faster."
Learn more about Camstar's SolarSuite in a live Webcast on November 5, 2009.
About Q-Cells Founded in 1999, Q-Cells SE is today one of the world's biggest manufacturers of solar cells. In 2008 the company, which currently employs around 2,400 staff, produced mono- and multicrystalline solar cells with expected total power of 570 Megawatt peak (MWp) and supplied them to solar module producers around the world. More than 250 scientists and engineers at Q-Cells are working on further developing the technology in order to attain the company's objective of rapidly and permanently reducing the cost of photovoltaic and making the technology affordable and competitive. As well as core business activities, since mid-2008 several Q-Cells SE subsidiaries have been producing photovoltaic modules on the basis of various thin-film technologies. Q-Cells SE is building a production plant in Malaysia, has branches in Hong Kong, China and Japan, is quoted on the Frankfurt stock exchange (QCE; WKN 555866) and is listed in the German technology index, TecDAX. For more information, visit http://www.q-cells.com/.
About Camstar Systems, Inc. Camstar is a leading innovator of software solutions that advance product quality in the manufacturing industry, enabling its customers to deliver the highest quality products on time, the first time, every time. The Camstar Enterprise Platform advances product quality throughout the product lifecycle, from design to planning to supply to manufacturing to customer product experience - all in a closed-loop learning process that allows future products to be designed better and manufacturing processes to be leaner and more efficient.
Camstar is the largest in its market, including solutions for manufacturing execution, process planning, enterprise quality management, and manufacturing intelligence. For over 20 years, Camstar has served hundreds of satisfied customers worldwide, including Abbott, AMD, Amkor, Arcelor, Beijing SE Potevio Mobile Communications, BIOTRONIK, Boston Scientific, Canadian Solar, CIBA Vision, Emcore, Hitachi, IBM, Kodak, Life Technologies, Luvata, MiaSole, Noven Pharmaceutical, NXP, Pacific Biosciences, Q-Cells, Roche, SanDisk, Xilinx, Zeiss, and ZOLL.
Posted on Tue, Sep 15, 2009 @ 12:07 PM
Vertically Integrated Manufacturer to Deploy Enterprise Manufacturing Platform for Cell and Module Processing in China
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (September 15, 2009) - Camstar Systems, Inc. announced today that Canadian Solar Inc.(NASDAQ: CSIQ), a leading vertically integrated provider of ingots, wafers, solar cells, and solar modules, has selected Camstar's SolarSuiteTM, configured for the Solar industry on the Camstar Enterprise Platform, to help reduce cell and panel cost per watt and create a more effective manufacturing process environment. Canadian Solar will deploy the solution in its cell manufacturing site in Suzhou and its module manufacturing site in Changshu, both in Jiangsu Province, China.
"In order to create optimal efficiency and deliver top quality while growing and innovating, Canadian Solar strives to continuously improve its processes and methods," said Mr. Dacheng Fang, VP of Business Integration at Canadian Solar. "The platform will help us improve manufacturing control, visibility and traceability of cell and module processes and materials, and consistent application of operational standards. Reliable, timely information will help us more quickly resolve issues and make fact-based decisions."
"Standardizing on one platform for both cell and module production is key to support growth," said Mr. Benny Zhang, Corporate IT Director for Canadian Solar. "Camstar's successful deployment track record and customer satisfaction levels were also major factors in selecting Camstar."
"A comprehensive platform for manufacturing execution and quality enables gathering and analysis of volumes of data to quickly optimize yields and reduce unit costs - an imperative for technological innovation and competitive advantage," said Mr. Rong L Chen, Acting President of SEMI China. "It is extremely encouraging to see that Canadian solar, a successful pioneer in the solar industry, is investing in the infrastructure required to strengthen their leadership position in the market."
"As the Solar industry races to bring innovative products to market, we are seeing rapid adoption of Camstar's solutions," said Mr. Manash Chakraborty, General Manager of Camstar for the Asia Pacific region. "The leaders, like Canadian Solar, know that to win the cost per watt battle and grow, they need technology to support continuous product and process improvement."
About Canadian Solar, Inc.
Canadian Solar Inc. is a leading vertically integrated provider of ingot, wafer, solar cell, solar module and other solar applications. Canadian Solar designs, manufactures and delivers solar products and solar systems for on-grid and off-grid use to customers worldwide. Canadian Solar is one of the world's largest solar module producers by manufacturing capacity. With operations in North America, Europe and Asia, Canadian Solar provides premium quality, cost-effective and environmentally-friendly solar solutions to support global sustainable development.
For more information, visit http://www.canadian-solar.com/.
About Camstar
Camstar is a leading innovator of manufacturing software solutions that advance product quality in the manufacturing industry, enabling its customers to deliver the highest quality products on time, the first time, every time. The Camstar Enterprise Platform advances product quality throughout the product lifecycle, from design to planning to supply to manufacturing to customer product experience - all in a closed-loop learning process that allows future products to be designed better and manufacturing processes to be leaner and more efficient.
Camstar is the largest in its market, with solutions for manufacturing execution, process planning, enterprise quality management, and manufacturing intelligence. For over 20 years, Camstar has served hundreds of satisfied customers worldwide, including AMD, Amkor, Beijing SE Potevio Mobile Communications, BIOTRONIK, Boston Scientific, Canadian Solar, CIBA Vision, Emcore, Hitachi, IBM, Kodak, Life Technologies, NXP, Renesas, SanDisk, Xilinx, Zeiss, and ZOLL. http://www.camstar.com/
To learn more about Camstar's solutions for the Solar industry, register to attend the webinar "Solutions Driving Efficiency in the Solar Industry" at www.camstar.info/solarsolutions.
Media Contacts:
Dana Saylors
Camstar Systems, Inc.
dsaylors@camstar.com
(704) 227-6673