First Solar Vietnam, subsidiary of US module manufacturer First Solar, Inc., has held a career day in Vietnam to support the recruitment of associates across the company’s operations. According to the portal »Vietnam Investment Review«, the company will be developing local talent in roles that include manufacturing operators, quality engineers, supplier quality engineers, EHS engineers, shift managers, IT staff, and all manner of administrative and support roles, bringing First Solar’s total number of associates to over 950 in the nation.

The company targets to kick-off its manufacturing facility in Ho Chi Minh City in the fourth quarter of 2018. First Solar will invest an additional $360 million into the construction of a second 1.2 GW high-tech factory at South East Industrial Zone in Ho Chi Minh City, bringing the total investment to $830 million.

As reported, in December First Solar announced it is expanding its production facility in Vietnam to produce its Series 6 thin film photovoltaic module, essentially doubling production capacity of the initial site, which is still under construction. The company unveiled the first functional Series 6 module off the company’s Perrysburg, Ohio, new production line last month. Series 6 is expected to enter the commercial market with a power rating of 420 to 445 W and conversion efficiency of over 17 percent.

Annualized production capacity in Vietnam, when fully operational, will be 2.4 GW. This, in combination with Perrysburg and facilities in Kulim, Malaysia, will give First Solar a total Series 6 manufacturing capacity of approximately 5.4 GW by 2020, and represents approximately $1.4 billion in capital investment.