In the second quarter 2017, sales by manufacturers of components, machinery and systems for photovoltaics in Germany increased by 51 percent compared with the first quarter. The order books of the solar equipment manufacturers continue to be well filled, according to the German VDMA Photovoltaic Production Equipment Industry Association.

Overall, the high level of investment activity by solar cell manufacturers in expanding existing and new production capacities is continuing, and production is running at full capacity. However, low prices had a negative impact on sales. New orders were received for PERC and Black Silicon systems in crystalline silicon as well as in the thin-film segment.

According to the VDMA, the solar industry has »invested heavily in new production capacities of both crystalline cells and thin-film technology«, particularly in Asia. The share of total sales generated in East Asia accounted for 72 percent of total sales in the second quarter of 2017. The largest share was made with China (53 percent), followed by Taiwan (4 percent) as well as Japan, Korea and India one percent each. The rest of Asia which includes Malaysia and Vietnam recorded 12 percent. The Americas remained second behind Asia with a sales volume of 12 percent while Europe accounted 11 percent of sales. Germany achieved only 5 percent of sales.

The segment with the highest sales was production equipment for cells (59 percent), followed by production solutions for thin-film photovoltaics (24 percent). Equipment for polysilicon, ingot and wafer production accounted for ten percent of sales, while equipment for the production of crystalline modules accounted for seven percent.

The photovoltaic machinery manufacturers' order backlog reached 6.4 production months in the second quarter, slightly higher than the value of the total mechanical engineering sector (5.9 months in April 2017).
The VDMA represents more than 3,100 companies in the medium-sized mechanical and plant engineering sector. About 100 members deal with photovoltaics.