The PEER Group Inc. announced today that it has been selected by HelioVolt, a producer of highly efficient thin film solar products, to implement PEER Group's high-speed data management framework (DMF™). PEER Group's proven solution focuses on low-risk, scalable, high-speed data management; this is perfect for fast growing companies where time-to-market and cost are two driving considerations. DMF connects disparate data sources seamlessly and exchanges data with a wide variety of consumers and control applications like MES, APC, and data warehouses.
This win is significant for PEER Group because it demonstrates the company's position in the solar cell manufacturing space, a natural extension to the work PEER Group does in its other high-technology manufacturing markets.
“In addition to photovoltaics, our customers include manufacturers of compound semiconductors, silicon wafers, MEMS, and advanced semiconductor packaging,” says Mike Kropp, COO of PEER Group. “We have a long history in both the tool and factory automation demands of these industries. Our customers agree that this makes us the equipment automation experts, the people to come to when there is a new challenge. Automation standards in many industries are less mature than in a 200mm or 300mm semiconductor fab.
As a result, we developed DMF as a flexible data management framework designed to communicate with a heterogeneous mix of custom-built equipment as well as a variety of commercial and proprietary IT systems.”
“We are confident that PEER Group can handle our unique automation requirements, reducing the time required to bring HelioVolt's manufacturing automation to scale. PEER Group's experience in both general tool integration and custom design allows HelioVolt to focus on ramping up our solar manufacturing facility while relying on PEER Group's expertise to provide the lowest possible risk path to production,” says David Greer, Director of IT for HelioVolt.
PEER Group provides leading-edge factory automation software solutions and consulting services to advanced manufacturers and OEMs in the semiconductor, electronics, life sciences and automotive industries. Many of the world's best manufacturing companies turn to PEER Group to solve their most challenging equipment automation, data management and custom application development problems. PEER Group partners with leading software and automation companies to assure the most efficient delivery of highly functional, reliable and scalable solutions.
HelioVolt Corporation was founded in 2001 in order to develop and market new technology for applying thin film photovoltaic coatings to a variety of substrates including conventional construction materials. The company's proprietary FASST™ process, based on rapid semiconductor printing, was invented by HelioVolt founder Dr. Billy J. Stanbery, an eminent expert within the international PV community in the materials science of CIGS and related compound semiconductors. FASST is a low-cost, flexible manufacturing process for CIGS synthesis and is protected by both nine issued US patents and by numerous global patents pending. For additional information, visit www.heliovolt.com.
Greg Kaminski, Marketing Managergreg.kaminski@peergroup.com1 519-749-9554
© 2008 The PEER Group Inc DMF is a trademark of The PEER Group Inc. FASST is a trademark of HelioVolt Corporation.