from the ground Up

by Jessica Cheam, The Straits Times, Jan 12 2008

SINGAPORE’S sunrise solar industry welcomed a new player yesterday, as Swiss firm Oerlikon Solar unveiled plans for a $39 million facility that would serve as its Asia headquarters.
The Switzerland-listed company, which makes equipment for the solar industry, is recruiting 100 staff this year, with plans to expand its workforce by 50 per cent in the coming years.
The centre – a first of its kind for Singapore – is expected to be operational by early next year, although Oerlikon has yet to pick a location.
It will be a multi-purpose facility for manufacturing; research and development; sales; and customer services, said Oerlikon’s chief executive, Ms Jeannine Sargent.
Asia will be a key growing market for solar panel production in the next few years, and Oerlikon’s Singapore headquarters will cater to this demand, added Ms Sargent.
“Asia’s capacity for solar panels produced will grow to more than 4 gigawatt-peak (GWp) by 2010, which is more than double that of the United States and Europe,” she said.
Mr Ko Kheng Hwa, the managing director of the Economic Development Board, which engaged Oerlikon in September to set up the solar facility, said Oerlikon’s entry would strengthen an ecosystem of solar industry players in Singapore.
The firm is the latest in a line of global solar industry players to set up shop in the Republic.
Just last month, leading Norway solar firm Renewable Energy Corporation picked Singapore over 200 locations to host a major $6.3 billion solar manufacturing plant – the world’s largest.
German solar cell manufacturer SolarWorld set up its regional headquarters in Singapore last April, while German solar firm Conergy started a local office in September.
“Our aim is to build up a strong cluster, so Singapore will become more attractive as a global hub for the solar industry,” said Mr Ko.
Supporting firms, such as those in the precision engineering sector, stand to benefit from this high-growth industry, he added.
Oerlikon specialises in providing technology solutions for thin-film solar technology – a next-generation technology that needs less material and is more energy-efficient than conventional methods.
It is used, for example, in building integrated photovoltaics – solar panels integrated into a building’s facade – due to its slimmer size and look.
Ms Sargent said the thin-film solar industry’s annual growth rate for 2005 to 2015 was expected to be a startling 45.7 per cent. Oerlikon’s solar sales for the year are estimated to reach more than 700 million Swiss francs (S$898.52 million).
The company decided to locate its regional headquarters in Singapore because the Republic has a highly skilled workforce with the “right technical abilities which we can leverage”, said Ms Sargent.
Oerlikon Solar is part of the Oerlikon Group, one of the world’s leading industrial solutions providers. The group has a presence in 35 countries and recorded 4.8 billion Swiss francs in total revenue in 2006.
What it provides
Oerlikon specialises in providing solutions for thin-film solar technology – a next-generation technology that needs less material and is more energy-efficient than conventional methods.
The technology is used, for example, in building integrated photovoltaics – solar panels integrated into a building’s facade – due to its slimmer size and look.