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

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.