German PV machinery makers see 17% rise in sales this year

German photovoltaics (PV) manufacturing equipment suppliers expect sales in 2017 to be up by 17.2% year-on-year, mainly on the back of strong demand from clients in Asia, and especially in China and Taiwan.

The German Engineering Federation (VDMA) said Tuesday the forecast for 2018 is not that optimistic, with German suppliers expecting sales to grow by the more modest 7.1% next year.

Clients are investing mainly in production capacity for more efficient solar PV cells and thin-film technology. Orders for PERC (passivated emitter rear contact) cell machinery and black silicon will continue to be in demand, but as substantial investments in such upgrades have already been made over the last two years, Jutta Trube, head of Photovoltaic-Equipment at VDMA, expects lower investments in the coming months.

Meanwhile, opportunities for new orders are expected from emerging markets like India and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).

Solar machinery makers in Germany are investing in their competitiveness with improvements in efficiency and spending on research and development (R&D). About 87% of the companies surveyed by VDMA do not intent to expand their workforce, while 13% expect to get more staff.

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