26-11-2008 / Solland Solar strongest grower in 2008

Solland Solar has won the annual FD Gazellen Award for the second year in a row. The solar cell manufacturer has realised the strongest growth in turnover of all small and medium-sized enterprises in the Netherlands in the 2005-2007 period (2,819 percent). Solland Solar was also the winner of the FD Gazellen Award in 2007.

A total of 679 companies were selected from 18,000 candidates eligible for the award organised by the Financieele Dagblad newspaper together with the Ministry of Economic Affairs, MKB-Nederland and Graydon research agency. The selected companies satisfied the main criterion of showing a growth in turnover of at least 20 percent over the past three years. Only companies employing a maximum of 250 people qualified for the award.

Solland Solar realised the greatest expansion by far of all the Top 100 companies shortlisted by the Financieele Dagblad for the Gazellen Award. With turnover growth of some 2,800 percent, the Heerlen-based company outperformed runners-up Mero Projectmanagement (1,254 percent) and Emergo Business Partners (968 percent). In fact, Solland is growing so rapidly that it will exceed the staffing criterion of the FD Gazellen Award (maximum of 250 employees) in the coming year.

Sunweb
Solland owes most of its exponential growth to the quality of the solar cells it produces, to its innovative ability and to the high level of customer satisfaction, according to director Jac Hanssen. Solland expects to make another giant leap forward in the coming year with the introduction of a new solar cell model. ‘Our Sunweb cell will be completely different from the cells that have been available to date. Sunweb supplies 2 percent more output by concentrating on conducting the generated energy on the back of the cell. Processed and connected in a solar panel, this can increase up to 9 percent. In this sector, that is a considerable improvement.’

About Solland Solar
Solland Solar (www.sollandsolar.com) is a Dutch-German manufacturer of solar cells (photovoltaic cells). When production started at the end of 2005, Solland Solar’s capacity was 20 MWp per year. After a few expansions, the capacity is now about 170 MWp per year, making Solland Solar the largest producer of solar cells in the Netherlands. Constant growth is a key objective of Solland Solar. During 2009, yet another production line will be added, raising the yearly production capacity to 320 MWp per year. The number of employees is also growing strongly. In 2007, Solland had 200 employees. This number increased to 400 this year and the expectation is that there will be 650 employees by the end of 2009.
At the beginning of 2007, DELTA NV, via DELTA Solar BV and Sunergy Investco (in which DELTA has a controlling interest of 55%), acquired a 90% controlling interest in Solland Solar Energy Holding BV, a solar cell manufacturer in Heerlen).

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