PRESS RELEASE: Solaicx Wins Progressive Manufacturing 100 Award
Solar Ingot Manufacturer Honored Second Time for Innovative Manufacturing Process

Santa Clara, Calif. and Portland, Ore. – March 25, 2009 – Solaicx, a leading manufacturer of monocrystalline silicon ingots and wafers optimized for solar applications, was recently awarded the Progressive Manufacturing 100 Award (PM100). This is the second year in a row that Managing Automation has honored Solaicx for its progressive core business, the management of its operations and the optimization of its advanced manufacturing technologies.

This second PM100 award reaffirms Solaicx as one of the few ingot manufacturers in the world with a production process so unique it’s making solar electricity more cost competitive,” said Bob Ford, president and CEO of Solaicx. “Our commercial photovoltaic production facility in Portland proves our ability to increase throughput and ingot quality simultaneously, while remaining scalable and flexible enough to meet the shifting demands of the solar market.

Solaicx was honored in the Innovation Mastery category, defined by Managing Automation as being critical to the success of any manufacturer. The magazine recognized the company’s highly innovative manufacturing process as proven and progressive; based on the process’ technology and its impact to the company’s business and the business of its customers. The highly automated rapidly reconfigurable Solaicx ingot growers are designed to accommodate a range of customer specifications, operate continuously for increased throughput and consistently achieve more than five times the output of conventional manufacturing processes.

"In the face of one of the worst economic downturns in history, these winning companies dramatically underscore how the manufacturing industry will not only get through this period but emerge in an even stronger position once a recovery takes hold,” said David R. Brousell, Editor-in-Chief of Managing Automation Media. “The projects that enabled these companies to become PM100 winners reflect great creativity and inventiveness, a determined willingness to take risk, and an enduring resilience to continually improve every aspect of their business. These companies are leading the way to a better future for all industry. About Solaicx

Solaicx manufactures low-cost, high-quality silicon ingots and wafers using proprietary equipment optimized for the solar industry. Solaicx is “making solar electricity cost effective”® by reducing the manufacturing cost of crystalline photovoltaics, which comprise over 80% of all solar cells on the market today. The Solaicx process provides significant competitive advantages in terms of cost, quality, and silicon utilization. Solaicx is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif. with a large-scale production facility in Portland, Ore. For more information, visit www.solaicx.com.

About Managing Automation Media
Managing Automation Media, a division of Thomas Publishing Company, LLC, provides a complete set of decision-support informational tools for executives and technology decision-makers at progressive manufacturers — companies that are using information and automation technologies to transform their businesses and create a sustainable competitive advantage. In North America with Managing Automation, and now also in EMEA with Manufacturing Executive, they deliver access to the most influential decision-makers in manufacturing.  Additional information can be found at managingautomationmedia.com.

For more information:

Lisa Ann Pinkerton
lisa@antennagroup.com
415-977-1916