SEMI Outlines Vision for the Global PV Industry

The SEMI PV Group today announced the publication of a White Paper that details a strong future vision for the PV industry, presenting strategies the industry can implement now to help ensure a sustainable and profitable growth. The White Paper, "The Perfect Industry -- The Race to Excellence in PV Manufacturing," describes the ideal industry characteristics for the high-growth PV industry and describes both current and potential SEMI policies, program and initiatives designed to achieve them.

The SEMI PV Group was established in January 2008 to enhance support to members serving the crystalline and thin film photovoltaic (PV) supply chains. With the input and guidance of the SEMI Board of Directors and Global and Regional PV Advisory Committees in North America, Asia and Europe, the PV Group prepared the White Paper to help members and other industry participants form a collective future vision for the industry and facilitate action plans around industry standards, market information, global advocacy, trade events, sustainable manufacturing practices, and other industry issues. By defining and communicating ideal or perfect industry end-states, equipment and materials suppliers along with cell and module manufacturers can more effectively prioritize industry-wide initiatives.

"The PV industry has decades of growth and progress ahead and actions taken today can have long-term, positive benefits on the supply chain and the regions and customers we serve," said Dan Martin, senior vice president of SEMI and executive director of the PV Group. "Only by defining the type of industry we want, developing a set of shared priorities, and establishing processes necessary for industry-wide collaboration, can we hope to create the ideal future that will benefit PV group members, our customers, our countries, and the world."

The White Paper outlines four attributes of the perfect industry: long term growth; sustained profitability; environmental excellence, and global scope. Each of these attributes is examined to explain and understand their role in the industry's formation, and to help understand and describe the necessary industry actions required to achieve the greatest impact. Current and potential SEMI policies, programs and initiatives that address each of these attributes are also discussed in the White Paper.

"The Perfect Industry -- The Race to Excellence in PV Manufacturing," may be downloaded in PDF format from the following URL: www.pvgroup.org/perfect .

The SEMI PV Group is a special interest group dedicated to serving the photovoltaic/solar manufacturing supply chain. SEMI is the global industry association serving the manufacturing supply chains for the microelectronic, display and photovoltaic industries. Our member companies are the engine of the future, enabling smarter, faster and more economical products that improve our lives. Since 1970, SEMI has been committed to helping members grow more profitably, create new markets and meet common industry challenges. SEMI maintains offices in Austin, Beijing, Brussels, Hsinchu, Moscow, San Jose, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.pvgroup.org or www.semi.org .

Association Contact: Scott Smith SEMI Public Relations Tel: 1.408.943.7957 Email: Email Contact