Solar shakeout: Sunways to cut 40% of workforce - SolarStar

Germany""s Sunways has announced an unspecified but “significant” reduction in solar cell manufacturing with the loss of 120 jobs, approximately 50% of the workforce at its cell manufacturing subsidiary, Sunways Production GmbH.

As PV  -Tech recently reported, Sunways is struggling to curtail losses and it has announced restructuring measures that include a total headcount reduction of 40% across the company and a corresponding but unspecified reduction in production of modules and PV inverters.

In total, 265 employees of the Sunways Group will be affected by the restructuring efforts designed to return the company to a breakeven position.

LDK Solar  , which is the majority owner of Sunways, is also facing serious financial problems.

update

After its initial restructuring announcement, Sunways provided further information regarding the cost saving actions as well as its business realignment, which has been coordinated with major shareholder, LDK Solar.

Solar cell  production

Sunways said that the reduced solar cell production would be fully-focused on customised and specialist cells used for the niche BIPV and automotive markets. Solar cell production for standard modules would be stopped altogether.

PV inverter production

With lower utilisation at its cell plant in Arnstadt, Germany the facility would also become the service centre for PV inverters and the service provider for solar modules.

As previously outlined in plans developed after the involvement of LDK Solar, the company would focus inverter development in energy storage and management systems. Plans for LDK Solar to market inverters as part of system solutions with modules would be intensified.