Solar modules scarcity: "Supply our customers reliably"

11/22/2017 | Print view

Kioto Solar is producing close to its customers in order to be quickly available for service. - © Kioto Solar — © Kioto Solar

Kioto Solar is producing close to its customers in order to be quickly available for service.

Large solar module manufacturers from the Far East leave their customers in the rain. On the other hand, Kioto Solar wants to grow in the Austrian, German, Italian and Swiss markets - with its customers and also with inroof systems. CEO Peter Prasser and sales manager Alfred Mölzer explain the strategy.

How has the solar module market developed this year?

Alfred Mölzer: Since June and July, the demand in our core markets Austria, Germany, Switzerland and Italy has been very good, and it continues to rise. Our strategy is to grow with our existing customers and above all to use the existing markets. By the end of the year our solar module production is well utilized.

How many megawatts will you have produced by the end of 2017?

Alfred Mölzer: Between 110 and 120 megawatts.

In Austria, Kyoto is market leader, almost unknown in other markets as Germany. Why?

Peter Prasser: Our sales in the German market were nearly zero in 2016, but we did not make a major delivery to Germany until the end of the year. So far, we have concentrated on Austria as well as serving some foreign markets with Austrian partners.

Alfred Mölzer: This year we have been positioning ourselves very well in Germany, so we are now looking at Germany as a core market. We distribute our solar modules through the specialist wholesaler Sonepar, who enjoys an excellent reputation among German installers. In Austria, we are also very successful when we cooperate with project developers.

What is your customer structure?

Peter Prasser: We try to have exclusive dealers, not so many individual customers. We do not have to have many customers, but we have a handful in every region. In Germany we sell via Sonepar. This is also the case from an international point of view - we generally sell via the wholesale trade or major solar specialists

How much do you sell for rooftops, how much for ground mounted installations?

Peter Prasser: The rooftop sector dominates, it covers between 60 and 65 percent of our sales. Still, we mainly sell glass-film solar modules. But glass-glass and other special applications such as facades or in-roof systems are growing.

Which plant sizes do you serve with your modules?

Peter Prasser: Our core business are small and medium-sized plants, as well as system solutions with special modules. For large projects we are too small as a manufacturer. In Austria such projects don`t exist no longer anyhow. In foreign countries, we grow with our customers, who find interesting niches. We build solar modules tailor-made according to the wishes of the customers, in size and appearance. We also build serial modules for inroof systems, on behalf of other suppliers.

Alfred Mölzer: We produce close to our customers, so we are quickly available in case of problems. We develop together with our customers. Currently there are some bottlenecks in the solar module market. Nevertheless, we stand by our customers, refrain from doing the one or the other spot business. To supply our customers reliably is our core goal.

(HS/HCN)