Meyer Burger outsources SWCT production to Mondragon

Meyer Burger announced on Friday the signing of a cooperation agreement with Spain’s Mondragon Assembly Group. Due to its experience in integration and contract manufacturing, Mondragon is the perfect outsourcing partner for Smartwire Connection Technology (SWCT), the Swiss equipment manufacturer said.

The Spanish company is a specialist in the development of automation and assembly solutions and, at the same time, a manufacturer of production lines for solar PV modules. “By outsourcing the manufacturing of our SWCT equipment, we can leverage Mondragon's flexible, cost-competitive production structure to accelerate the industrialization of our innovative Smartwire interconnect technology,” said Daniel Lippuner, Meyer Burger's operational director.

According to the terms of the contracts, Mondragon will start production of the SWCT systems by the end of 2018 at the latest, and Meyer Burger will cease its own production in Thun. Meyer Burger now wants to promote the development of SWCT technology together with Mondragon. Marketing and sales activities, as well as the patents, however will continue to be managed by the Swiss company.

Thanks to this cooperation agreement, Meyer Burger benefits from Mondragon's international production network and its existing supply chain, the company said. For Mondragon, the collaboration offers the opportunity to build production facilities for the currently most cost-effective cell interconnect technology in the monocrystalline and multicrystalline solar cell market.

Questions about further details of the cooperation remain unanswered.

In the last fiscal year, Meyer Burger incurred losses of around €68 million. With the planned closure of the plant in Thun, the company wants to cut costs and 100 jobs.