Midsummer posts Q1 operating loss

CIGS turnkey equipment supplier Midsummer has posted an operating loss of SEK 4.94 million ($513,000) for the first three months of 2019, as its net sales reached SEK 18.68 million.

The Swedish company, based in the suburbs of Stockholm, explained the loss by claiming that it mainly concentrated on the development of a new product for its machinery customers throughout the January-March period, with more attractive payment terms thanks to a green bond it issued last month.

“Our customers have waited for the outcome of the green bond before making new investments,” said Sven Lindström, CEO of Midsummer AB. “With the green bond in place, the sales discussions have taken off and reached a new momentum, and we anticipate accelerated sales in the future thanks to these new opportunities.”

DNB Markets and Nordea served as financial advisors for the green bond framework that Midsummer recently released. The green bond involves a contribution of SEK 200 million to Midsummer’s cash, minus issue costs, it said in an emailed statement.

Last December, the company revealed that it had secured a $7 million order for its CIGS production equipment from U.S.-based manufacturer Sunflare, for a new production facility under construction in China. Sunflare expects to bring the factory online at some point this year.

Last August, Midsummer also announced that it had received a repeat order from an unidentified Asian customer for its thin-film cell production equipment.