In the presence of the Federal Minister for the Environment, Norbert Röttgen, SMA Solar Technology AG (SMA) celebrated its 30th anniversary last week. At the same time, the company inaugurated the world's largest service center for PV inverters. Beginning spring 2012, SMA will bundle its service activities in the 258,000 square foot building, with the aim of expanding the broad range of services offered to customers around the globe.
Since its founding in 1981, SMA has grown from a small German engineering firm for control systems into the world market and technology leader in PV inverters. During this time, SMA has repeatedly set trends in the field of photovoltaics and significantly contributed to the spread of renewable energy. "The company founders’ vision of a 100 % decentralized, renewable energy supply is what drives SMA forward to this day. Today, the global energy turnaround has become irreversible and is going to benefit the company long term”, states Pierre-Pascal Urbon, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer of SMA. One of the most important topics in the energy supply sector is integration of electricity from renewable sources into the power distribution grid. As smart plant and grid managers, solutions from SMA make an important contribution in addressing this challenge. “SMA is poised to help shape the worldwide energy supply change as a global energy management company", Urbon continues.
Against this background, SMA is also celebrating its service expertise. Right now, the largest service center for PV inverters worldwide is being erected at the Sandershäuser Berg industrial area. Beginning spring 2012, replacement devices from all over the world will be analyzed, tested and repaired in the new building which provides 258,000 square feet of floor space. SMA has a global network of 85 service sites in 19 countries. At the ultra-modern Sandershäuser Berg site, the company will yet again optimize customer service processes. This is aimed to ensure that excellent service with short response times will be maintained in the future, even as inverter shipments increase. In Germany, SMA devices are replaced within 24 hours, and in other countries within 48 hours. "The new service center at Sandershäuser Berg will provide a perfect infrastructure that will enable us to achieve further improvements with regard to speed, quality and costs", emphasizes Executive Vice President of Service, Souleymane Niang.
The new Service Center has not only been designed with optimum functionality, but also with a focus on sustainable and efficient energy usage. This concept includes a fully insulated shell with a wooden-frame construction and incorporates effective heat recovery while utilizing wasted heat from production. In addition, a photovoltaic plant with a power output of 1 Megawatt is being installed on the building’s roof.