SMA Solar Technology AG

Regulatory Filings • Dec 9, 2009

News Details

Corporate | 9 December 2009 09:58

SMA Solar Technology AG: SMA enhances manufacturing capacity through interim solutions and plans expansion at new commercial area Sandershaeuser Berg in Niestetal

SMA Solar Technology AG / Miscellaneous

09.12.2009

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DGAP - a company of EquityStory AG.
The issuer / publisher is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

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Niestetal, December 9, 2009 - In order to serve the current high demand for
solar inverters and to become even more flexible in responding to the
future developments of the solar markets, SMA Solar Technology AG (SMA)
will enhance its production capacities through interim solutions over the
next six months. In the medium term, SMA is planning to develop additional
production facilities as well at the new commercial area Sandershaeuser
Berg near Niestetal.

Through the establishment of the world's largest solar inverter factory,
SMA was already able to substantially amplify its production capacities to
up to five gigawatt this year. Over the last couple of weeks, the output
figures were increased again. Against the background of the current high
demand for solar inverters, a further extension of the maximum yearly
production capacity to nine to ten gigawatt can be achieved stepwise
through interim solutions over the next six months, provided the demand
remains at a high level.

In the medium term, these interim solutions will be replaced by the
establishment of additional production facilities at the new commercial
area Sandershaeuser Berg east of the Autobahn 7. These new facilities will
enable SMA to serve the growing photovoltaic market and to react even more
flexibly to market volatility and demand surges. In the new commercial area
of the City of Niestetal, SMA is planning to firstly build a new service
center. Additional production facilities as well as a central storage
facility for the components of the inverters will follow. As SMA will
continue to exclusively produce order-related, there will be no storage
facilities for the company's final products.

SMA will also enhance the infrastructure at the company headquarters
through the creation of further office space. The investment for all
building activities planned so far from 2010 to 2012 would be at EUR 80 to
120 million per year, financed through own capital resources.

'The solar sector is a highly dynamic market characterized by strong
volatility. Therefore, a lot of flexibility is required in order to quickly
adapt to the different market developments', explains Günther Cramer, Chief
Executive Officer of SMA Solar Technology AG. 'With the extension of our
capacities at Sandershaeuser Berg, we will advance our proven flexibility
strategy, which prepares us for the further market developments.
Furthermore, the commercial area Sandershaeuser Berg gives us the
possibility for additional enhancements of our production facilities. This
will make interim solutions unnecessary in the future.'

The exact timing and construction planning for the individual building
phases of the new SMA site Sandershaeuser Berg are not yet completed.

About SMA
The SMA Group generated sales of more than 680 million Euros in 2008 and is
the worldwide market leader for photovoltaic inverters, a key component of
all solar power plants. It is headquartered in Niestetal, near Kassel,
Germany and represented by foreign subsidiaries in twelve countries on four
continents. The Group employs a staff of over 3,500 (incl. temporary
employees). SMA's product portfolio includes the most comprehensive range
of inverters on the market, offering a compatible inverter for every type
of photovoltaic module and for all plant sizes. The product range covers
both inverters for photovoltaic plants connected to the grid as well as
inverters for off-grid systems. Since 2008, the Group's parent company SMA
Solar Technology AG has been listed on the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt
Stock Exchange (S92) and also in the TecDAX index. In recent years, SMA has
received numerous awards for its excellence as an employer.

Press contact:
SMA Solar Technology AG

Volker Wasgindt
Head of Press and Association Work
Sonnenallee 1
34266 Niestetal
Germany
Phone +49 561 9522-11 21
Fax +49 561 9522-11 03
Volker.Wasgindt@SMA.de

Investor Relations:
SMA Solar Technology AG
Sonnenallee 1
34266 Niestetal
Germany
Fax +49 561 9522-22 23
ir@SMA.de

Anna Raudszus (Institutional Investors/Analysts)
Phone +49 561 9522-22 22

Julia Damm (Private Investors)
Phone +49 561 9522-11 64

Disclaimer:
This press release serves only as information and does not constitute an
offer or invitation to subscribe for, acquire, hold or sell any securities
of SMA Solar Technology AG (the 'Company') or any present or future
subsidiary of the Company (together with the Company, the 'SMA Group') nor
should it form the basis of, or be relied upon in connection with, any
contract to purchase or subscribe for any securities in the Company or any
member of the SMA Group or commitment whatsoever. Securities may not be
offered or sold in the United States of America absent registration or an
exemption from registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as
amended.
This press release can contain future-oriented statements. Future-oriented
statements are statements which do not describe facts of the past. They
also include statements about our assumptions and expectations. These
statements are based on plans, estimations and forecasts which the
executive board of SMA Solar Technology AG (SMA or company) has available
at this time. Future-oriented statements are therefore only valid on the
day on which they are made. Future-oriented statements by nature contain
risks and elements of uncertainty. Various known and unknown risks,
uncertainties and other factors can lead to considerable differences
between the actual results, the financial position, the development or the
performance of the corporation and the estimates given here. These factors
include those which SMA has discussed in published reports. These reports
are available on the SMA website at www.SMA.de. The company accepts no
obligation whatsoever to update these future-oriented statements or to
adjust them to future events or developments.

09.12.2009 Financial News distributed by DGAP. Media archive at www.dgap-medientreff.de and www.dgap.de

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Language: English
Company: SMA Solar Technology AG
Sonnenallee 1
34266 Niestetal
Deutschland
Phone: +49 (0)561 / 9522 - 0
Fax: +49 (0)561 / 9522 - 100
E-mail: info@sma.de
Internet: http://www.sma.de
ISIN: DE000A0DJ6J9
WKN: A0DJ6J
Indices: TecDAX
Listed: Regulierter Markt in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Freiverkehr
in Berlin, Düsseldorf, München, Stuttgart

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