Meyer Burger

Meyer Burger Technology AG is an industrial manufacturer of solar cells and solar modules, headquartered in Gwatt, a district of Thun, Switzerland. The company's registered shares are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange.

Meyer Burger Technology AG
TypePublic
SIX: MBTN
IndustryPhotovoltaics
Founded1953 (1999 as holding)
Headquarters
Thun, canton of Bern
,
Switzerland
Key people
Revenue147.2 million Swiss francs (CHF) (FY 2022)[2]
Number of employees
1200 (January 2023)[3]
Websitewww.meyerburger.com/en/

Company structure

Headquarters

The company headquarters are located in Thun, (Switzerland).

Manufacturing solar cells and modules

At the German production sites in Bitterfeld-Wolfen (formerly Sovello) in Saxony-Anhalt and Freiberg in Saxony (formerly SolarWorld), production of heterojunction solar cells and photovoltaic modules began in mid-2021. The following year, the company announced the expansion of production.[4] In October 2022, the company announced a further capital increase of CHF 250 million. This was approved at an extraordinary general meeting on 28 October 2022.[5] The production equipment is developed and built in Meyer Burger’s own equipment building unit in Hohenstein-Ernstthal (Saxony).[6]

Due to improved investment conditions, Meyer Burger has increased its expansion plans to open a 2 gigawatt solar panel production site in Goodyear, Arizona.[7][8]

Research and development

Meyer Burger has R&D units in Switzerland and Germany. More than 15 per cent of all employees work in these units (2022).[9] Working in consortium with Centre Suisse d’Électronique et de Microtechnique, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems, and the University of Stuttgart, Meyer Burger is researching perovskite tandem solar cells and developing next-generation solar modules.[10]

In 2019, Meyer Burger became the largest shareholder in "Oxford Photovoltaics Ltd", an Oxford University spin-off in the field of heterojunction and perovskite technology.[11][12] Oxford PV attempted to unilaterally terminate the cooperation agreement in July 2021.[13]

Sales offices

Meyer Burger operates sales offices in Europe, the United States, Asia and Australia.[14]

Share

The registered shares have been traded on the SIX Swiss Exchange in Zürich since November 2006 (SIX ticker symbol: MBTN). They are included in the Swiss Performance Index and other stock market indices.

The largest shareholders include (as of June 2023):[15]

History

Hans Meyer founded a mechanical workshop in Hünibach-Eichbühl in early 1951. When Wilhelm Burger became co-owner in 1953, the company, which developed and produced machines for the watch industry, was renamed Meyer & Burger. In 1956 they built a new factory in nearby Steffisburg. From 1960 onwards, they mainly manufactured cut-off machines and a universal machine tool UW1. They were located in Hilterfingen until 1998.[17]

The company was founded in 1953[18] as a manufacturer of watch stone processing machines and subsequently specialised in sawing machines. In 1999, the company set up a holding structure[19] with the foundation of "Meyer & Burger Holding AG" in Zug[19] and launched the first bandsaw for the solar industry on the market in the same year.

In the course of the growing solar industry, the company began to open up the European, Asian and American markets.[20]

In 2006, the Group was renamed from "Meyer & Burger Holding AG" to "Meyer Burger Technology AG" and its headquarters moved to Baar.[20] The company went public in November 2006.[21]

In 2010, Meyer Burger merged with the previously independent company 3S Industries.[22] 3S Industries had its registered office in Lyss and was founded in 2001.[23] 3S had been listed on the Bern Stock Exchange since 2005.[24] The former competence centres of 3S Industries became business units of Meyer Burger.

In the course of the merger with 3S Industries, Pasan became part of Meyer Burger in 2010.[25] The company focuses on the development and production of test and measurement systems for solar cells and modules.[26] These include solar simulators, which are used by international certification bodies such as TÜV as well as numerous cell and module manufacturers. The company is based in Neuchâtel in Switzerland.[27]

In 2012, the Group headquarters were relocated to Thun following the move into the new building.[28]

Between 2010 and 2012, the Group was significantly enlarged through various corporate takeovers in order to be able to cover the entire value chain (wafer–cell–module) in photovoltaic production with its own production machines. The most important products were diamond wire saws for cutting ultra-thin silicon wafers, coating systems to build functioning solar cells from wafers, and systems for the manufacture of complete solar modules.[29]

"Roth & Rau AG" was renamed "Meyer Burger (Germany) AG" in 2015.[30] The company developed and produced systems and machines for surface processing in the photovoltaic industry and was instrumental in the industrialisation of the so-called PERC (Passivated Emitter and Rear Contact) technology.[31] In addition, the company develops and builds mass production systems for the manufacture of highly efficient solar cells with heterojunction technology.[32]

In the meantime, the corporate structure has been adapted and the focus has been placed on the areas of solar cell production and connection, i.e. on heterojunction cell coating and SmartWire Connection Technology for cell connection. In this context, the entire "Sawing and Cutting Technology" division was sold to "Precision Surfacing Solutions" in May 2019. While the company is still headquartered in Thun, Meyer Burger operates its equipment production and R&D site in Hohenstein-Ernstthal, where Meyer Burger acquired a majority stake in Roth & Rau in 2011.[33]

After a public dispute between the board of directors and the main shareholders, including "Sentis Capital" and "Elysium Capital", shareholder representatives were elected to the top management body and a changed corporate strategy was announced in mid-2020 after eight years of losses.[34][35] A capital increase of 165 million Swiss francs was carried out to enable a realignment;[36] "Sentis Capital" committed in advance to contribute 50 million Swiss francs.[37]

Former divisions

In the course of a realignment of the company, Meyer Burger has sold some business units and subsidiaries, in particular as of 2018.

The company "3S Industries" with, among others, the business units "3S Modultec" and "3S Photovoltaics" merged with Meyer Burger in 2010 and continued as the business unit "3S Photovoltaics". The brands "3S Modultec" and "Solar Building Technologies" were subsequently created. The business unit was later integrated into Meyer Burger's "Energy Systems" business unit and in 2018 was spun off and sold as a separate company, "3S Solar Plus Ltd."[38][39]

The "Sawing and Cutting Technology" business unit was sold to "Precision Surfacing Solutions" (PSS) for CHF 50 million at the end of April 2019.[40]

Meyer Burger Group also included "AIS Automation Dresden GmbH" until 2019. It was then sold to S&T.[41]

In the course of the acquisition of "Roth & Rau AG" in 2011, "Roth & Rau Netherlands B.V." also became part of the Meyer Burger Group. The business unit was sold in December 2019.[42] Part of "Roth & Rau AG" was also "Muegge GmbH" which was sold in August 2020.[43]

See also

References
  1. "About Meyer Burger Technology". Meyer Burger.
  2. "Geschäftsbericht Meyer Burger 2022" (PDF). 23 March 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  3. "Energiekrise beflügelt Solarbranche: Meyer Burger investiert". Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). 3 January 2023. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  4. "Jobmotor Solarindustrie? Unternehmen bauen Produktion aus". Die Welt. 18 January 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  5. "Meyer Burger veröffentlicht Details zur geplanten Kapitalerhöhung". 28 October 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  6. Robert Gruhne: Sonne über Solar Valley, Mitteldeutsche Zeitung, 18 March 2023.
  7. Pickerel, Kelly (18 August 2022). "Meyer Burger solar panel facility in Arizona is back on track". solarpowerworldonline.com.
  8. DPA (23 March 2023). "Meyer Burger will in Europa weitere Solarproduktion aufbauen". Die Zeit. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  9. Meyer Burger. "Report to fiscal year 2022" (PDF). Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  10. "Meyer Burger arbeitet an Industrialisierung von Perowskit-Modulen mit hoher Effizienz". erneuerbareenergien.de. 5 January 2023. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
  11. "Oxford PV to collaborate with Meyer Burger | Oxford Photovoltaics". Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  12. Sandra Enkhardt (29 March 2019). "Meyer Burger steigt mit 18,4 Prozent bei Oxford PV ein". pv-magazine.de. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  13. "Sandra Enkhardt: Oxford PV kündigt einseitig exklusive Kooperation – Meyer Burger prüft rechtliche Schritte dagegen". 26 July 2021. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  14. Details on the company website about the locations.
  15. "Meyer Burger Technology". onvista.de. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  16. Daniel Imwinkelried (4 October 2021). "Der reiche Russe, der Meyer Burger rettete und für die Sowjetunion Nostalgie empfindet". Neue Zürcher Zeitung. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  17. Robert Ganz, Markus Niklaus: Hilterfingen und Hünibach eine Gegenwart - zwei Vergangenheiten; 2002; p 39.
  18. Daniel Meier: Der Sonnen-König von Thun. Blick, 29 September 20119.
  19. Florence Vuichard: Neue Besitzverhältnisse – gleiche Politik, Der Bund, 16 December 1999.
  20. Meyer Burger Technology AG: Geschäftsbericht 2007.
  21. Guter Start für Meyer Burger. Sägen für die Chip- und Solarindustrie. Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 24 November 2006.
  22. Weg frei für Solar-Zusammenschluss, Der Bund, 15 January 2010.
  23. 3S erweitert Aufsichtsrat, Thuner Tagblatt, 4 June 2008.
  24. Jon Mettler: 3S macht sich fit für nach der Krise, Thuner Tagblatt, 27 March 2009.
  25. Niklaus Bernhard: Berner Schwergewicht entsteht, Berner Zeitung, 10 December 2009.
  26. Julian Witschi: Meyer Burger streicht 50 Stellen in Asien, Berner Zeitung, 27 July 2021.
  27. "Website Meyer Burger - Pasan Neuenburg". meyerburger.com. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
  28. Solarfirma verlegt Sitz, Thuner Tagblatt,27 April 2012.
  29. Meyer Burger Technology AG: Geschäftsbericht 2011, p. 44.
  30. Meyer Burger (Germany) AG: Handelsregister-Bekanntmachungen, 1 September 2015, published in the Bundesanzeiger.
  31. Josephine Bollinger-Kanne: Schutzzölle bringen Industrie nicht voran, VDI nachrichten, 28 June 2013.
  32. Meyer Burger (Germany) GmbH: Jahresabschluss zum Geschäftsjahr vom 01.01.2020 bis zum 31.12.2020. Published in the Bundesanzeiger, 11 February 2022.
  33. "Solar-Maschinenbauer: Meyer Burger kauft Roth & Rau". Handelsblatt (in German). 11 April 2011.
  34. "Meyer-Burger-Manager gehen von Bord". derbund.ch. Der Bund. 20 April 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  35. "Franz Richter soll neuer Präsident von Solarpionier Meyer Burger werden". St. Galler Tagblatt. 20 April 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  36. Julie Zaugg (2 November 2020). "Meyer Burger – Phönix aus der Asche" (in German). Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  37. "Meyer Burger to back solar production plan with CHF-165m capital hike". Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  38. Über 3S, website of "3S Swiss Solar Solutions AG", retrieved on 3 February 2023.
  39. Julian Witschi: Ein Solarpionier fängt neu an, Thuner Tagblatt, 18. Mai 2018.
  40. Sandra Enkhardt (7 February 2019). "Meyer Burger verkauft sein Wafergeschäft für 50 Millionen Schweizer Franken an PSS". pv-magazine.de. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  41. Petra Hannen (25 October 2019). "Meyer Burger verkauft AIS Automation Dresden". pv-magazine.de. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  42. Finanz und Wirtschaft (20 December 2019). "Meyer Burger verkauft niederländisches Geschäft". Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  43. Petra Hannen (10 August 2020). "Meyer Burger setzt Fokussierung auf Photovoltaik-Geschäft fort". pv-magazine.de. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
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