Certification part of the newly developed lean production system

Hamburg, 19 January 2012

Centrosolar AG has successfully concluded the certification of its quality management system. The Hamburg-based company hired the VDE (the German Association for Electrical, Electronic and Information Technologies), a well-respected testing and certification institute, to perform the evaluation. The VDE confirmed that the photovoltaic provider's quality management system meets the criteria of the internationally recognised standard DIN ISO 9001:2008.

Centrosolar even exceeded the requirements established for the standard. The quality management system is only one part of a complex production system (CPS – Centrosolar Production System) developed by Centrosolar to guarantee continuous improvements. The purpose of CPS is to focus all activities on meeting customer needs and continually improving product quality. "These concepts, described as a lean production system, are used around the world by leading companies in many industries. The rollout of the Centrosolar Production System will help ensure the long-term efficiency and competitiveness of our company," says Bernhard Pawlik, Managing Director of Centrosolar AG.

Centrosolar had the ISO certification performed in the course of a group certification for the entire company. The Centrosolar Sonnenstromfabrik in Wismar had already been certified in 2008, with re-certification scheduled for 2011. While the focus was previously on assessing production and production-related activities, development and sales were also included in the latest evaluation. After completing its evaluation, the VDE confirmed that all three company locations in Hamburg, Paderborn and Kempten, as well as the Sonnenstromfabrik in Wismar, meet the ISO 9001 standard.

The VDE seal of approval is recognised internationally. The general acceptance of this seal abroad helps generate sales of solar modules in neighbouring European countries. Because it is difficult to appraise a module's quality at first glance, many customers abroad place special value on certificates and quality assessments. In addition to its quality management certification, Centrosolar Sonnenstromfabrik was already certified in 2010 for environmental management under the ISO 14001:2009 standard.

About Centrosolar

With locations in Hamburg, Paderborn and Kempten in the Allgäu, Centrosolar AG is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Munich-based Centrosolar Group AG, an international company with over 1,000 employees and annual sales of €404 million (2010). All of the subsidiaries offer products and solutions for converting solar energy into electricity. The product range includes photovoltaic (PV) systems, PV mounting systems, solar glass and project planning for multi-MW PV systems. The Centrosolar Group operates a module production facility in Wismar (capacity: 350 MWp) as well as a solar glass plant in Fürth, Germany and Huzhou, China (total capacity: 8 million m² glass). Further subsidiaries are located in Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the United States and Canada.