Conergy Group has transformed itself over the last year into a leading supplier of solar systems and components in Europe. With approximately 30 megawatts of photovoltaic capacity, the company had a market share in Germany of significantly more than 20 percent. Consolidated sales increased by 67 % to EUR 122.2 million in comparison to the previous year's figures.
"In addition to the substantial rise in turnover, we are also proud of the company's positive overall result, with profits totaling millions of euro. Since the beginning of the year, we have hired more than 50 additional employees," declares Hans-Martin Rüter, Chief Executive Officer of Conergy.
At the end of November, solar-thermal production commenced at Landshut, marking Conergy's successful entry into a complementary business segment. The threefold increase in floorspace dedicated to the production of mounting systems and module frames near Berlin has improved the general workflow while forming the basis for further growth.
With the market launch of SunCheck and SunReader last year, Conergy is now able to offer both installers and consumers user-friendly solutions for monitoring the performance of solar systems. With these new product lines, Conergy is tapping into new customer groups for its commercial partners. The continual expansion of its product range with the express intent of improving customer satisfaction remains Conergy's most important objective in 2004. "We shall bolster our high level of product expertise with new in-house developments and external acquisitions," states Mr. Rüter.
Moreover, the first photovoltaic facilities in Portugal and France have been connected to the power grid; as in Germany, these facilities benefit from special tariffs for feeding electricity into the grid. With full order books and several major projects pending, Conergy's management is confident of its ability to expand its market share both domestically and internationally. According to estimates by UVS e.V. (Solar Industry Enterprise Association), the market for photovoltaics in Germany will grow by at least 50 % this year, a figure similar to 2003. |