Olivier Haldi, Global Business Development Photovoltaics and Alternative Energies, met up with PES to share the reason behind the recent rebranding from Multi-Contact to Stäubli Electrical Connectors and the importance of using high-quality components.
PES: Welcome back to PES Solar/PV magazine. Thanks for talking with us. For the benefit of our newer readers, would you like to begin by explaining a little about the background of Stäubli and the importance of the Solar/PV industry to you?
Olivier Haldi: Originally founded in 1892 as a small workshop in Horgen/Zurich, today Stäubli is a multi-national group headquartered in Pfäffikon, Switzerland. We are a global mechatronics solution provider with three dedicated activities: fluid and electrical connectors, robotics, which are also used in PV panel production lines and textiles. We serve customers who want to increase their productivity in many industrial sectors.
We are an international group that currently operates in 29 countries, with agents in 50 countries on four continents. Our global workforce of 5000 shares a commitment to partnering with customers in nearly every industry to provide comprehensive solutions with longterm support.
Stäubli Electrical Connectors, formerly Multi-Contact, was founded in 1962 and is part of the Swiss Stäubli family. We have over 55 years of practical experience in producing reliable electrical connectors for different industries. We have been the pioneer and market leader for electrical connectors in photovoltaics for more than 20 years.
The first industrial photovoltaic connector (MC3) was introduced by Stäubli in 1996 followed by the original MC4 in 2002 setting the industry standard ever since. The exclusive MULTILAM advanced contact technology raised the bar in terms of consistent quality and outstanding dependability. We never compromise when it comes to quality, long-term reliability or our partners’ success.
Today, we have more than 200 GW of installed photovoltaic capacity, amounting to nearly 50% of the global cumulative PV capacity that had been successfully connected using our Stäubli photovoltaic connectors. This figure demonstrates the reliability and highest quality of our products. They guarantee proper operation over their whole lifetime, >25 years, defy harsh environmental influences and have a positive impact on the bankability of photovoltaic projects. Our position on the global market is the result of our continuous efforts to meet and exceed our customers’ demands.
