Munich. The model, which was already a success in 2008, is being continued in 2010: AUTOMATICA, International Trade Fair for Automation and Mechatronics, and Intersolar, International Trade Fair for Solar Technology, will take place parallel. The link makes sense, because the global demand for solar cells is increasing, and the solar industry is betting increasingly on the automation industry to stay competitive and produce more efficiently.

Numerous exhibitors are exhibiting automation solutions for the solar industry at AUTOMATICA 2010, the International Trade Fair for Automation and Mechatronics. The trade fair will be held from 8 to 11 June 2010 at the New Munich Trade Fair Centre and will present the world's largest offer of robotics, the key technologies assembly and handling technology, industrial image processing and associated technologies.
The international trade fair Intersolar concentrates on the areas of photovoltaics (PV) and solar energy. This trade fair, which is held annually, will also be held from 9 to 11 June in 2010 on the grounds of the New Munich Trade Fair Centre in the directly adjacent halls and consequently overlap on all three trade fair days with AUTOMATICA.

The combination of the two leading trade fairs in their segments is pioneering, especially for production professionals. Behind the use of environmentally-friendly solar technology, there are the most modern production and assembly systems, which have become increasingly automated over the past years to cut costs and consequently make the industry competitive with conventional energy sources.
Markus Elsässer, Managing Director of Solar Promotion GmbH, which is the organizer of Intersolar in collaboration with FWTM (Freiburg Wirtschaft Touristik und Messe GmbH & Co. KG), is looking forward to the expected synergies of the two successful trade fairs: "A few thousand visitors took advantage of the link between AUTOMATICA and Intersolar in both directions in 2008. This will not be any different in 2010, because automated production is going to be an essential element of solar technology in the long term. After all, the industry expects long-term growth, which has been slowed somewhat by the global economic crisis this year. New subsidy programs and initiatives in the USA, Japan, Eastern Europe and even in China provide justified optimism for this."

Automation solutions in the growth market of photovoltaics
Expansion of solar energy is an essential factor in securing the energy supply for the future and already contributes to climate-friendly energy supply today. Rising energy prices and attractive subsidy programs in a growing number of countries have increased the demand for photovoltaic systems immensely over the past years. Consequently, the PV industry will be an enormous field of growth for many areas of the automation industry. 
Norbert Bargmann, Managing Director of Messe München, is convinced of synergy potential of the parallel events: "Our task as organizer is to contribute as much as we possibly can to promote market and business developments, which are promising for the future. We are continually involved with examining the automation potential of individual industry branches. And we want to bring industries and automation skills together optimally. Consequently, we are confident that the linking of the trade fairs AUTOMATICA and Intersolar in 2010 provides exhibitors and visitors with outstanding synergy effects for photovoltaics."

Both branches profit mutually from the market and technology developments. On one hand, prices decrease for photovoltaics systems. Massive expansion of production capacities, international competition and new technologies in production contribute substantially to this and increase demand as a result. On the other hand, complete automation of PV production will become imperative for additional cost reductions: Precisely that provides considerable market potential for the automation industry. For highly efficient, long-life and inexpensive PV products, the complete production process must be automated from manufacturing of basic materials such silicon and glass all the way to finished modules. For example, this concerns the production-relating handling of parts, position-precise operation with robots, transport free of vibrations, clean room production to prevent dust accumulation as well as material flow. Only automation can ensure handling of simultaneous challenges such as shortening cycle times and reducing fracture rates of increasingly thinner solar cells in production. Another essential factor in the production of solar systems is complete quality control using industrial machine vision. It handles numerous inspection tasks with high cycle rates in production, e.g., layer thickness measurements or checking edges. It detects positioning and reports data via cameras to PCs or production robots, which then take out faulty parts.

Automation also increases the efficiency of PV modules
Solar cells and modules can also be produced not only more efficiently and with lower tolerances using improved manufacturing techniques, but also with a higher degree of efficiency Overall, the cost-reducing influences of innovations in the area of automated production are pointing the way to the future in the PV industry. PV will only become competitive against other energy sources in this way and contribute to securing energy even without subsidies.
Growth in the PV industry slowed compared to 2008 due to the difficult situation in the financial markets. It was not possible to realize projects due to reservations about granting loans. At the same time, demand decreased substantially, especially in the boom market of Spain. Demand also decreased in Germany, another main market. In spite of this, the industry is again on a growth course in the mid-term.

Further growth predicted in the PV industry
Mechanical and plant engineering in Germany is especially profiting from the continual expansion of production capacities in other countries. After China, Germany is the second biggest producer of solar cells with a global market share of 19 percent in 2008. As the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) recently announced, photovoltaics suppliers increased sales by 10 percent in the second quarter of 2009 compared to the previous year's quarter. German mechanical and plant engineering is the worldwide leader in photovoltaics; its export rate is 83 percent. Due to increased international competition, PV manufacturers are subject to a lot of pressure to innovate. The main factors, which PV manufacturers have to pay attention to for market leadership, are optimum quality and lowest price.
Dr. Eric Maiser, head of the forum Means of Production in Photovoltaics in VDMA explained: "Only those PV manufacturers remain competitive who can manage this balancing act in their production. No manufacturer can currently afford to work using old machinery. German mechanical engineers are driving innovation of production technology and consequently enabling manufacturers worldwide to supply increasingly better products. Demand and our export rate will remain high."

The Federal Association for Solar Energy (BSW-Solar) predicts market growth of photovoltaics in Germany and in important export markets for 2009. Carsten Körnig, Managing Director of BSW-Solar, expects a "solar boom" at the latest starting in 2010. The technological advance of German manufacturers and a strong mechanical and plant engineering sector will contribute to positioning the solar industry in Germany successfully with respect to increased international competition. "In spite of the economic slowdown, we expect increasing demand in Germany in 2009. New sales markets are currently being created worldwide. Consequently, our industry will again be back on its growth path at the latest in 2010, including on the global market. We expect a real solar boom especially in the USA and China. The expansion of solar energy is continuing, and Germany's solar industry will profit from it," according to Mr. Körnig.

Photovoltaics as example for the new initiative "Green Automation"
The German Robotics and Automation Industry is working intensively to design products and production to make them more sustainable with respect to the environment. Together with VDMA Robotics + Automation and the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation (IPA), AUTOMATICA has created the new joint initiative "Green Automation", which will be presented for the first time at AUTOMATIC 2010.
Anja H. Schneider, Project Manager of AUTOMATICA, explained: "We have agreed upon a definition with IPA and VDMA R+A. 'Green Automation' means sustainable increases of resource efficiency with and through automation technology. On one hand, this refers to automation technology as the most efficient consumer of resources possible. On the other hand, it means that competitive production of renewable energy is only possible using automation technology."
Photovoltaic means of production are one of numerous examples for "green" products. At AUTOMATICA 2010, 'Green Automation' will show all aspects of the contribution of automation technologies to sustainable management of businesses.


AUTOMATICA, International Trade Fair for Automation and Robotics
AUTOMATICA is the international trade fair that brings together all areas of robotics and automation under one roof. It has been held every two years at the New Munich Trade Fair Centre since 2004. The aim of the fair is to present the entire value-added chain in robotics and automation. The industry-driven concept for AUTOMATICA has been developed by Messe München GmbH and the conceptual sponsor of the fair, the robotics and automation division of Germany´s engineering federation (VDMA). Exhibitor and visitor statistics for the AUTOMATICA trade fair are audited by an accountant on behalf of the Gesellschaft zur Freiwilligen Kontrolle von Messe- und Ausstellungszahlen (FKM, Society for Voluntary Control of Fair and Exhibition Statistics). AUTOMATICA is a 'UFI approved' international event, a certification awarded by the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry.

About Messe München International (MMI)
Messe München International (MMI) is one of the world´s leading trade-fair companies. It organises around 40 trade fairs for capital and consumer goods, and key high-tech industries. Each year over 30,000 exhibitors from more than 100 countries, and over two million visitors from more than 200 countries take part in the events in Munich. In addition, MMI organises trade fairs in Asia, Russia, the Middle East and South America. With six subsidiaries abroad - in Europe and in Asia - and with 66 foreign representatives serving 89 countries, MMI has a truly global network. Environmental protection and sustainability are key priorities in all MMI´s operations, at home and abroad.

About Intersolar
The international trade fair Intersolar in Munich is the largest trade fair worldwide for solar technology and has been held by the Solar Promotion GmbH, Pforzheim in cooperation with the Freiburg Wirtschaft Touristik und Messe GmbH & Co. KG since 2000. Intersolar concentrates on the areas of photovoltaics and solar energy and has become established as a leading international trade fair among manufacturers, component suppliers, wholesalers and service providers since its founding. The Intersolar North America in San Francisco was created in 2008 for further networking of the international market for solar technology. The first Intersolar India will take place in Hyderabad in 2009. Both trade fairs are being organized by the Solar Promotion International GmbH, Pforzheim and the Freiburg Management und Marketing International GmbH (FMMI).

Press contact:
AUTOMATICA
Claudia Huber - Communication Manager
Tel. (+49 89) 949 - 20862
Fax (+49 89) 949 - 20869
Email: claudia.huber@messe-muenchen.de
 
VDMA
Dr. Meiser - Head of the Mean of Production in Photovoltaics Forum
Tel. (+49 69) 6603 - 1433
Fax (+49 69) 6603 - 2433
Email:eric.maiser@vdma.org
www.vdma.org