Manz Automation announced last month that its order backlog had passed the €100 million mark for the first time since the financial crisis. The German company, which supplies manufacturing technology to the photovoltaic and flat-panel display industries, also said it was expanding its business model to become a manufacturer of turnkey, integrated production lines for CIGS (copper indium gallium selenide) thin-film solar modules.
Manz has made a deal with Würth Solar giving it exclusive rights to Würth’s CIGS thin-film production technology. Manz believes that CIGS has the highest efficiency potential of all current thin-film technologies; already CIGS-based solar cells have recorded efficiencies of more than 20%.
During the first half of 2010, Manz received new orders from thin-film solar manufacturers in the US and Germany amounting to €8 million. “We are currently seeing a significant revitalisation in the thin-film segment, and are expecting growing dynamism in all of our market segments for the second half of the year,” said Dieter Manz, the firm’s chief executive officer.
Manz’s shares jumped 18.6% during July to reach €54.99 each.
| Market: | Frankfurt |
| Symbol: | M5Z |
| Price: | €54.99 |
| 12 month high/low: | €71.42/€42.80 |
| Market cap: | €246m |
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