Applied Materials, Inc. announced today that it has signed a five-year service contract with Green Energy Technology Inc. (GET) of Taiwan to support GET's Applied SunFab(TM) Thin Film Line for solar module manufacturing. Through its SunFab Performance Service(TM) program, the most comprehensive service offering in the solar industry, Applied will reduce operating costs while enabling a quick ramp to volume production. Applied's SunFab Performance Service program has already reached strong momentum at leading solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturers in Europe and Asia, exceeding $100M in contracts for both single and tandem junction thin film PV applications.
“Green Energy Technology sees substantial advantages in aligning with Applied Materials to provide the support infrastructure, service technology and global expertise that can help make our new venture a success,” said Mr. Hurlon Lin, president of GET. “We believe the SunFab Performance Service program will allow us to run at the lowest possible costs and maximize our profitability, enabling us to focus on delivering world-class solar PV modules to our customers.”
“Leading solar and semiconductor manufacturers are increasingly looking to external resources to manage line performance and lower operating cost,” said Manfred Kerschbaum, senior vice president and general manager of Applied Global Services. “We are pleased to be able to use our extensive expertise and global resources to help GET and others maximize the return on their manufacturing equipment investment.”
Under the agreement, Applied will service GET’s Applied SunFab Thin Film Line using an unmatched range of engineering, logistics and automation software technologies. In addition to preventive and corrective maintenance, spare parts management and analytical services, Applied and GET will work together to develop continuous improvement programs and total factory optimization to enable low operating costs and on going productivity gains.