For Immediate Release
September 29, 2008
SANYO Solar of Oregon, LLC to Open New
Solar Cell Manufacturing Plant in Salem
Ray Burstedt, President SEDCOR
SEDCOR received some great news last week, our client, SANYO Solar of Oregon, LLC, announced their intentions to develop a manufacturing facility here in Salem, on property owned by the City on Gaffin Road. The property, 20 acres (of the 79.24 acre Gaffin Road site) will be the site of a solar cell manufacturing operation that will employee 200 plus people, with very attractive compensation packages.
We owe our thanks to the City of Salem, the State of Oregon, the Marion County Commissioners and the Economic Development Advisory Board, the Enterprise for Employment and Education, the Mid-Willamette Valley Council of Governments, and our friends at Chemeketa Community College. I would be remiss if I did not give special thanks to Linda Norris, the Salem City Manager, and Rick Scott, Director of the City of Salem Urban Development Department. They were instrumental in navigating the process for the development of the Gaffin Road site.
We are confident that this opportunity will present other opportunities as these industries tend to cluster together. We are in the process of follow-up on several other potential users of sites within the Gaffin Road Renewable Energy and Research Park. This project signifies a great day for Salem and a great day for Oregon as we continue to expand renewable energy industries within our borders.
SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. (SANYO), will construct a new plant for the manufacture of solar ingots and wafers on Gaffin Road, in Salem’s Renewable Energy and Technology Park. The plant is planned to begin operations in October 2009, and be in full operation by April 2010 with a production capacity of approximately 70 MW, bringing SANYO’s total for ingot and wafer production capacity in America to approximately 100 MW.
SANYO is augmenting its facilities with the necessary equipment and constructing new facilities for future growth in response to market demand, moving forward to reach the goals set for an annual production capacity of at least 600 MW by FY 2010. To increase ingot and wafer production, a fundamental part of the solar cell, the plant in Salem, will be constructed and organized into a new company, SANYO Solar of Oregon, LLC.
SANYO first started researching and developing amorphous solar cells in 1975, and was the world’s first to commercialize amorphous-type solar cell production in 1980. In 1997, SANYO started the mass production and sales of its world-leading conversion efficiency HIT solar cells, currently manufacturing the ingots and wafers in the U.S., the cells in Japan, with module assembly plants located in Mexico, Hungary and Japan.
SANYO was incorporated in 1950. The name SANYO in Japanese means “three oceans – the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian”, and symbolizes the Company’s global perspective. SANYO aims at becoming a leading provider of Environment- and Energy-related products, providing product solutions for the Environment, Energy and Lifestyle. SANYO’s businesses cover a broad range of products and services such as photovoltaic (solar) systems, rechargeable batteries, HVAC/R equipment, digital imaging devices, home appliances, electronic components and others. Based on its brand vision "Think GAIA," SANYO is committed to providing cutting-edge solutions for a sustainable world by weaving together its numerous proprietary technologies. Visit www.sanyo.com.
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For Additional Information Contact:
Susan Appleby, Communications Manager - SEDCOR
503-485-9803 or
[email]
