AUTOMATIONMES
applied to PV, but sees great benefit for the industry taking advantage of the work done in areas such as technical standards ensuring the PV industry will not need to go through as long a process in setting standards that benefits the industry and consumers as a whole.
In full agreement with the standards lessons is Savantech’s Brad Connor who feels it is the most important lesson to be learnt from other industries. ‘Semiconductor manufacturing yields for all levels of product complexity have improved markedly over the last two decades largely through the combined efforts of participants in establishing standards that constantly increase the level of the playing field upon which they all build their company-specific IP,” says Connor. “Standards ensure that the basics of good manufacturing practice are common to all, and the individual company can concentrate on improving their own technology innovations.”
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An interesting point to note is that while the PV industry is discussed as an emerging concern, it has been around for some time so why have MES systems not been implemented. The PV and solar industries have seen massive growth changing the challenges in ways many are only now defining.
Fabio Toniolo is CPV modules Turnkey Assembly Sales Manager at Italian company P Systems. He agrees the PV Industry is following other mature Industries, and the main reason that a MES system is not used from all the modules producer is due to the cost to set up and run such a system. Couple this with the output of modules and panels are quickly becoming commodities making companies shy from such investment. Toniolo also makes a pertinent point when he says that many PV manufacturers will believe whatever their raw material supplier tells them in regards to parameters or possibilities.
An estimated 20% annual growth rate in PV manufacturing has brought manufacturers closer to the edge of need in terms of information technology to be able to keep up with data flow. The PV industry is often described as having a gold rush mentality and the MES section of the value chain is no different from any other with a glut of suppliers and manufacturers rushing in to take advantage of the explosive growth. An important part therefore of choosing an MES client is their ability and desire to continue support information technology changes the will occur on a regular basis through changing manufacturing processes or material requirements.
www.solar-pv-management.com Issue IV 2010
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