An accomplished and adept organisation that is known for remaining one step ahead of the competition, GT Advanced Technologies is a leading light when it comes to innovation – and crucially, delivering a profitable outcome. We grabbed a few minutes with the company’s Jeff Nestel-Patt, Senior Director of Marketing.
PES: The company is well known for polysilicon and crystal growth, but can you tell us a little about your expanding PV product portfolio?
Jeff Nestel-Patt: Over the past four years, we have acquired new technology and invested in new development programs to significantly expand and diversify our product portfolio and the markets that we serve. In 2010, we entered the sapphire production market through our acquisition of Crystal Systems. Today we are a leading supplier of sapphire crystal growth furnaces to the world’s LED and speciality sapphire markets. We are also building a sapphire materials business at the facility we operate in Mesa, Arizona.
In 2012, we acquired the assets of Twin Creeks and are making significant progress with the Hyperion ion implant system to create ultra-thin substrates from silicon, sapphire and silicon carbide. These advanced materials open up several new markets such as power electronics and consumer electronics where low-cost, high volume materials are needed to create next generation devices.
Our traditional solar business is still very important to the company and we continue to develop next generation products for our polysilicon and DSS multicrystalline growth offerings. Additionally, we have continued to expand our silicon crystal growth product offering with our HiCz monocrystalline system that is optimised for producing high quality, low-cost material for N-type wafers.
Lastly, we are very excited about our new Merlin metallisation and interconnect technology that will become commercially available in Q1 of 2015. Merlin is an innovative technology that will lower the cost and improve the performance of solar panels through its unique engineered, interconnect technology. Merlin’s innovative design lowers resistive losses increasing the power of the panel and opens up new module form factors by eliminating frames, making panels more flexible and lighter.
PES: Tell us about your recently-announced project win for leading edge HiCz Technology.
JNP: We were pleased to announce the project win for our HiCz monocrystalline production systems to a new customer in the Middle East. The new project is significant for two reasons. First, it represents a market expansion for GT into a new and very promising market for the solar industry. We believe the Middle East is poised for significant growth over the coming years and we are pleased to be a part of this opportunity. Secondly, the project represents the first order for our next generation HiCz system. The HiCz system is a continuously-feeding monocrystalline puller that lowers the cost of producing N-type wafers for next generation solar cells.
PES: The company is well established and well known. Is it ever tempting to take your ‘foot off the gas’ as far as innovation goes and relying on your existing products for growth?
JNP: Innovation is the lifeblood of any technology company. Without a commitment to research and development and a product roadmap of new and innovative products you will lose your competitive position in the market. Innovation is how we compete in the global market where you are often coming up against lower cost competitors with similar types of products.
The way to compete and win is to constantly stay one generation ahead of your competition. We have invested heavily in new R&D even during the downturn in the solar industry to ensure we have a strong product portfolio with next generation products that are ready when the next wave of capital investment occurs.
PES: Is the company’s size always an asset or can it ever be a hindrance?
JNP: GT is an extremely agile company. The pace of our diversification efforts over the past four years is a testimony to our ability to see strategic opportunities and marshal the resources needed to go after it. Our leadership position in our core markets gives us the technical expertise and the financial resources we need to continue to grow the company.
PES: We’ve been interested to hear about a new innovation that you’ve announced called Merlin. Can you tell us any more about it and its features?
JNP: Merlin is perfect example of GT’s agility and strategic vision. In a little more than 18 months, we have taken an idea to create a better performing solar module to the point of commercial readiness. Merlin can have a significant impact on the PV value stream.
Merlin’s uniqueness lies in the way it is able to put the right amount of copper on the cell at exactly the right place. The benefit of this is that it lowers resistive losses which increases power output at the cell and module level. The engineered interconnect also makes panels more durable and opens up new module form factors that eliminate the rigid frame making modules much lighter and easier to handle and install. We have received important IEC and UL certifications and by the end of 2014 will have our initial 100 MW grid production facility up and running to satisfy early customer orders next year.
PES: Is South East Asia a prime territory for you? Where else are you seeing solid growth?
JNP: The solar industry is a global industry. Companies need to compete on a global basis if they plan on staying relevant in this expanding industry. As a leading equipment and materials supplier, Asia remains a very significant market for us. Yet, not all of the growth opportunity is limited to the major players in China. Our recent win for a large polysilicon production facility in Malaysia and our project in Qatar show that there are new business opportunities outside of the traditional Asia markets. Lastly, our Merlin technology opens up new market growth opportunities for us not only in Asia, but also right here in the United States.
PES: Is your corner of the market set to grow still further? How do you intend to capitalise on future growth?
JNP: GT’s “corner” of the market is growing. We now have products and technology that allows us to compete in areas outside our traditional upstream polysilicon and multicrystalline growth segments. We offer a complete suite of products and services for polysilicon production.
We offer both multicrystalline and monocrystalline crystal growth systems, and our new Merlin metallisation and interconnect technology positions us to compete in the cell and module portion of the value chain. Our Hyperion implanter is a multi-platform system capable of addressing multiple markets from the solar industry to power electronics, consumer electronics and medical devices.
PES: Finally, what are your thoughts about the coming 12 months? Is 2015 looking as positive for you as 2014?
JNP: Governments around the world are recognising that it is in their best interests to support the growth of renewable energy. The world continues to become more integrated and interconnected and the decisions and events in one part of the world quickly impact people living elsewhere. This is particularly true for global energy usage and the environmental impact of that usage. The solar industry is in the process of rebalancing the gap between production capacity and demand, and we think 2015 will bring a return to better growth through new capital equipment investment to produce the next generation of lower-cost, more efficient solar modules.
Merlin(tm), HiCz(tm), Hyperion(tm) are all Trademarks.
