-Program to increase cost efficiency and overall competitiveness
-Intended transfer of German 230MW cell- and 130MW module capacity
-German organization to be restructured and concentrated on core strengths
-Negotiations with Works Council to start in Germany immediately
-Sharpened profile of the German organization to leverage Q CELLS leadership position in R&D, Technology and Quality
[Thalheim, Germany, 21 January 2015] – Hanwha Q CELLS announced today that it will launch a program to sharpen the company´s international profile of R&D and production, designed to further improve cost & efficiency and increase the overall competitiveness of the company. As part of the program, Hanwha Q CELLS’ German site will cease production as of 1 March 2015. At present, its German site has production capacities of 230MW for cells and 130MW for modules respectively. It is intended to transfer the respective production equipment to more cost competitive sites, namely the company´s main production site in Cyberjaya, Malaysia, for cells and another site to be determined later for modules. The organization in Germany will be restructured accordingly and focused on its core functions: Research & Development (R&D) as well as Quality Management of leading technology and high quality PV products “Engineered in Germany”, Component Sales as well as Power Plant Solutions Business. The company will enter into negotiations with the works council in Germany immediately in order to reach an agreement on the terms and conditions of the restructuring program. The production transfer to other sites and the corresponding reshaping is estimated to lead to a reduction of the workforce in Germany by around 550 positions. Around 350 jobs will be maintained at Hanwha Q CELLS in Germany.
Cost competitiveness a must in solar industry
Hanwha Q CELLS launches the reshaping program in response to intensifying cost competition in the global PV industry. Since the take-over of Q CELLS by Hanwha in October 2012 sales prices as well as feed-in-tariffs in the international PV markets have kept declining. In order to mitigate these downward trends, the entire PV industry is leaving no stone unturned to achieve the most important precondition for success in solar industry – cost competitiveness. Kasey Son, CFO at Hanwha Q CELLS, said: “Against the background of the keen cost competition in global solar industry, the management of Hanwha Q CELLS has decided to transfer the German cell and module production facilities to more cost competitive sites including our Malaysian factory. This hasn´t been an easy decision considering the impact on our employees in Germany, but it is necessary in order to ensure the overall competitiveness of Hanwha Q CELLS. I´d like to emphasize, that this decision has been made independently from the recently announced merger of Hanwha Q CELLS with Hanwha SolarOne.”
