(openPR) - Lyss, 20 November 2008. 3S Swiss Solar Systems AG, the global supplier of production equipment for the manufacture of solar modules, has handed over a semi-automatic production line to the Spanish company Eurener Energia Solar. This underlines the strength of the 3S Industries AG subsidiary in the field of solar module production. The next line will be delivered to India.

After entering the business with semi-automatic production lines in March of this year, 3S Swiss Solar Systems AG has now delivered the first line. "The new line is completely tailored to the specific needs of our customer", said CEO Patrick Hofer-Noser. "We plan and build our production lines in such a way that the module producers obtain the optimal degree of automation for their needs." Eurener Energia Solar, located in Alicante, has been manufacturing successfully since 2006 on a manual 3S production line. In order to expand their output, the Spaniards have now installed a semi-automatic 20MW line comprised of an automatic string soldering station from Somont, a laminating line from 3S Swiss Solar Systems and a module tester from Pasan.

Since the acquisition of Somont, the group of companies under 3S Industries AG is in possession of all the key technologies for the production of solar modules. This bundled technological know-how and many years of experience are used by the organisation, domiciled in Lyss (CH), for the development of state-of-the-art, integrated production facilities. Apart from the sale of individual components for solar module production, the group will in future continue the expansion of its Production Line division by, among other things, cooperating with system integrators.

3S Swiss Solar Systems has been operating a first semi-automatic production line since spring of this year at its own technical centre. The centre in Lyss serves not only as a test facility for customers but also as a training line. Here, 3S Swiss Solar Systems AG also produces its own modules for innovative, building-integrated solar systems.

3S Industries AG

3S Industries AG brings together the three key technologies in the field of solar module production, namely soldering, laminating and testing, under a single roof. With the acquisition of Somont, the Group has continued its expansion strategy and, with automatic string soldering machinery, has added the missing element in the value-creation chain of solar module production. 3S Swiss Solar Systems has been the world's technological market leader in laminating for years. In August 2007, 3S Industries acquired a further key technology with Pasan SA, the leading producer of module testers.

The three companies operate independently of each other on the market, each focused on one of the three key technologies. Furthermore, 3S Industries integrates this production equipment in turnkey, automatic production lines. 3S Industries is also a producer of solar modules and plans and develops building-integrated solar systems.

Dr. Anja Knaus
Head of Corporate Communications
Schachenweg 24
CH 3250 Lyss
phone +41(0)32 391 1136 fax +41(0)32 391 1112
anja.knaus@3-s.ch