The company said that shipments expanded last year particularly in maturing markets outside of Germany, such as in Italy, France and Benelux. Over the year, it adds, nearly three out of five of its modules sold in Europe were distributed through the companys European value-added reseller (VAR) network.
Looking back at 2010, Vedat Gürgeli, vice president sales and marketing for Suntech Europe, commented: "Were excited to be the first module manufacturer to reach one gigawatt of annual sales in Europe; but were even more excited about our lasting partnerships with value-added resellers. Eight of the top ten German VARs are Suntech partners, and these long-term relationships have grown stronger as our partners have expanded into other European markets."
Just last month, IMS Research reported that Suntech increased its module shipments by 25 percent in the third quarter of 2010 over the previous quarter. Overall, the company heads the worldwide leader board in terms of volume of PV panels shipped.
Looking forward, Suntech has said it will continue to diversify its global sales footprint and downstream partnerships, particularly in North America, Australia, Thailand and Israel.
Jerry Stokes, Suntechs president for Europe, concluded: "Through our local offices, with strong customer support and technical service teams, we have made great strides into key developing markets, which have risen significantly as a share of overall shipments. Our growing local teams totaling more than 70 employees are supporting solar industry growth in emerging European markets such as Greece, the UK, and Bulgaria."
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