SMA Solar Technology AG

Regulatory Filings • Oct 26, 2009

News Details

Corporate | 26 October 2009 19:57

SMA Solar Technology AG: SMA to establish largest US production facility for solar inverters in Denver, Colorado

SMA Solar Technology AG / Miscellaneous

26.10.2009

Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by
DGAP - a company of EquityStory AG.
The issuer / publisher is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

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Niestetal, October 26, 2009 - In order to optimize the supply of inverters
to the growing North American solar market, the SMA Group of Companies
(SMA) will establish an additional production facility in Denver, Colorado.
At its inauguration, the yearly production capacity of the new facility
will be around one gigawatt with an option for expansion. The central SMA
site for production, as well as research and development, in Niestetal and
Kassel (Germany) will continue to grow in the years to come.

In the new US production facility for solar inverters, SMA will produce the
Sunny Boy, Sunny Central and Sunny Island product lines for the North
American market. SMA, the Etkin Johnson Group, the State of Colorado and
the City of Denver have signed agreements for the establishment of this
largest production facility for solar inverters in the US.

'We will implement the successful manufacturing concepts already employed
in Germany, in our new US production. This will ensure maximum flexibility
in the production of our solar inverters', explains Uwe Hertel, Senior Vice
President of Production at SMA.

The premises and buildings for the new one gigawatt production facility
have been rented long-term. Additionally, an option for additional space
has been negotiated with the Etkin Johnson Group, a Denver based real
estate developer, and Forest City Enterprises in order to be prepared for
further growth of the US photovoltaic market.

'In the medium term, we expect the US market to become the largest solar
market globally', says Günther Cramer, Chief Executive Officer of SMA Solar
Technology AG. 'With the new production in Denver, SMA will be able to
reduce transportation and interim storage costs as well as currency
exchange risks.'

In the near future, SMA will employ a staff of 700 (including temporary
employees) in Denver. Production is planned to begin around the middle of
2010. The investment for the new production line and building enhancements
is estimated at around 15 million Euros.

Denver will become the first international production site for SMA. 'Our
headquarters for production, as well as research and development, will
remain in Niestetal and Kassel, in Germany. There, with the recent
inauguration of the world's largest inverter factory, which boasts a
production capacity of four gigawatts per year, we are clearly showing our
commitment to the high-tech location Germany', emphasizes Günther Cramer.
'With the construction of that factory alone, 1,000 new jobs were created
this year and we will continue to develop that site.'

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 eleven 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 Corporate News 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 Corporate News 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.

26.10.2009 Financial News transmitted by DGAP

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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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