Upsolar is a global company, specialising in the design, engineering and manfacture of solar photovoltaic modules. It adheres to a policy of strict quality control in its manufacturing process to provide its
worldwide customers with reliable, excellent products for all residential and commercial projects. Here PES speaks to Adrien Pellarin the company’s Technical Support Manager …
PES: Welcome back to PES magazine. Can you tell us how your business has progressed since we last spoke, and what the current state of the market is?
Adrien Pellarin: Thank you very much for the invitation to speak with PES again. Since we last spoke, Upsolar has reinforced its position as a reliable, bankable, and high-value supplier in a market that is challenging and volatile. In recent months the solar market has seen supplies tighten for components and an increasing demand from markets anticipating FIT changes in the near future. Within this challenging context, Upsolar has been able to maintain quality sustained by competitive pricing, thanks to an integrated manufacturing approach that we call Excellence at each Step.
PES: Please tell us a little about this newly-evolved business model..
AP: The implementation of Excellence at each Step in our manufacturing process can be seen as a reinforcement of our commitment to delivering high- quality, cost-effective product solutions at each step in the production of an Upsolar module. To achieve this we work in co-operation with several international partners, such as Jinko, Tianda and Twne, who were selected for their high standards and expertise in each production phase. Diversifying our manufacturing platforms also means we can ensure supply chain stability, particularly with regard to materials. Finally, expanding our manufacturing bases enables us to better serve our customers through increasing capacity which is expected to reach 450MW in 2011.
PES: We note that you’re diversifying your manufacturing platforms through partnerships – do you find that collaboration is an effective business strategy?
AP: Excellence at each Step follows in the steps of Upsolar’s Total Quality Control system. Constant auditing by our partner Bureau Veritas, coupled with our testing and inspection standards by experts at our state-of-the-art R&D Center, guarantee all our manufacturing bases meet the same standards of quality as set by Upsolar for each phase in production. So, yes, we believe collaboration is the most effective strategy for providing our customers with a product that is both highly reliable and affordable.
