Meyer Burger appoints ex-SolarWorld lead to support module supply ambitions

Module manufacturing firm Meyer Burger has appointed ex-SolarWorld executive Daniel Menzel as its new managing director.
Menzel, who spent nearly 10 years at Germany PV product manufacturer SolarWorld, will oversee Meyer Burger’s production, global supply chain, purchasing, and quality assurance in his new position, which will start immediately.
The Swiss-headquartered module maker opened two new manufacturing facilities in Germany this month as it plans to scale up its heterojunction (HJ) cell and module capacity to more than 5GW in the coming years. Menzel will work with fellow MD Moritz Borgmann to drive the expansion of Meyer Burger’s new production sites.
Gunter Erfurt, Meyer Burger’s chief executive, said that Menzel’s experience at SolarWorld will “contribute to the success” of the company’s current expansion plans.
The equipment provider-turned-module maker officially unveiled its new range of HJ modules for mass production last month. It then started commercial operations at its facility in Thalheim, Bitterfeld-Wolfen, on 19 May, and opened a second factory in Frieberg on 26 May. Both factories have a capacity of 400MW, but the company said in January it hopes to expand its total manufacturing capacity to 1.4GW by 2023, and to 5GW by 2026.
The appointment also echoes Meyer Burger’s connections with the now-defunct module manufacturer SolarWorld, after the company purchase sites in Germany previously owned by SolarWorld to kickstart its manufacturing ambitions.