Solar manufacturing market predictions for 2011 are cloudy at best, with concerns around excess supply, subsidy changes and a fledgling euro. Larger, more established manufacturers are looking to stay at the top of the charts, while smaller companies are hoping to stay afloat. Macquarie Research offers broad advice: "Uncertainties abound in the global solar market but we remain confident that the lowest cost and/or most differentiated companies will outperform their peers." Barclays Capital is more specific: "We expect vertical integration and poly access to differentiate the winners from the losers in 2011." Three areas of focus for strategy improvements are in overall business, manufacturing, and sales and marketing. AGRION invites you to take a closer look at ways in which solar manufacturers large and small can keep ahead of the curve in this year’s uncertain market.

1.    Business Strategy: Coping with Market Uncertainty

• The benefits of vertical integration are many: reduction of external costs and reliance on third parties, shortening of production cycles, and tighter quality control. What steps can a company take toward vertical integration? How significant are the upfront capital requirements and the resulting ROIs?
• The shortage of raw materials for the solar cell (wafer and polysilicon) is a continuous concern looming large across the industry, creating further doubt throughout the market. What can be done to ensure reliable access to polysilicon feedstock?
• With VCs reluctance to fund capital-intensive businesses in the current economic environment, what are some of the more creative approaches solar companies are pursuing for building and financing their operations?

2.    Manufacturing Strategy: Optimizing Capital Expenditures

• Automation cuts costs and theoretically reduces waste. What solutions are available for adding automation to a solar manufacturing plant? What are the pros and cons of inline versus batch versus cluster automation? Is it best to go with an automation company that requires use of their production equipment or with an equipment supplier that also offers automation services?
• Standardized equipment produced in higher volumes can dramatically reduce costs. What place do turn-key manufacturing lines have in this industry currently? In the future?
• The alphabet soup of MES (Manufacturing Execution Systems), SPC (Statistical Process Controls) and APC (Advanced Process Controls) all constitute software solutions for tracking and streamlining the flow of materials through a manufacturing facility. Which are the best solutions currently available for solar manufacturers? Is implementation highly cost-prohibitive?

3.    Sales & Marketing Strategy: Leading the Pack in Customer Communication

• B2C - What are the most effective ways to address the top four barriers of entry for customers (Cost, Reliability, Complexity, Inertia)?
• B2B - What sales materials and marketing pitches are most successful in the boardrooms?
• Messaging - Research has shown that the "feel-good environmental" message alone is not a motivating factor for the purchase of renewable energy technologies. Should messaging be crafted to connect on a purely financial or value level, without any "green" slant?
• Budget - What percentage of capital should be devoted to sales and marketing efforts?

Speakers:

Applied Materials, Rick Smith, Global Product Management - Automation Products
Solaria Corporation, Abhay Maheshwari, PhD, Senior Vice President of Product Development
(More TBA)

Moderator:

Navigant Consulting, Paula Mints, Director, Energy Division, Principal Analyst, Solar Services Program

Download the Agenda

Participation Instructions:

The meeting will take place as a web conference online through WebEx. Participation links will be emailed 1 day prior to the event.

Registration:

Log in to www.agrion.org or create a new profile.  Register directly on the agenda page.

Please contact jennifer.jackson@agrion.org for any further questions or for requests to join the panel.