Luvata’s Michael Nordgren talks to PES about keeping pace with technology, demand, politics and sunshine – on a global scale.
The last few years have thrown many curves in the way of manufacturing and to no one is this more apparent than those involved with solar photovoltaic. With Feed-in Tariffs coming and going and PV manufacturing spreading from Europe to Asia and the USA, it appears that there is no end to this wild ride in sight. Luvata, is an early pioneer of the photovoltaic industry; one that has seen and followed the twists and turns and even managed to innovate and grow both its products and processes. In this frank interview, Michael Nordgren, Managing Director of Luvata’s Pasir Gudang, Malaysia facility, gives his views on the progress of PV manufacturing in Asia and the keys to success when riding the business rollercoaster.
PES: Luvata is now manufacturing solar ribbon in Europe, Asia and the USA. Could you tell us a little bit about the ribbon manufacturing in Malaysia?
MN: Luvata has been manufacturing solar ribbon, branded Sunwire, for many years in Europe, however it wasn’t until 2008 that Luvata decided to expand its Sunwire manufacturing capabilities to Malaysia and the USA. Sunwire is used as both an interconnecting ribbon and a cross-connecting ribbon on PV panels.
Malaysia has not traditionally been known for its high-quality manufacturing base and as a result we’ve had to convince several customers that high quality Sunwire could be manufactured in Pasir Gudang as well. We’ve not been shy about the built-in quality control of the fully automated and proprietary machinery used to manufacture Sunwire, along with the dedicated, stand-alone facility that Luvata maintains in Malaysia; and customers have begun to understand our commitment to quality.
