Dear IndianaDG Readers:
This morning (9/18/2012) I talked to Tony Saucedo, Central States Regional Sales Manager, Fronius, and he told me that they move into their new building in Portage, Indiana on Monday, September 24, 2012. He expects that later this year the new facility will be available for tours. Please let me know if you are interested in participating in one of these upcoming tours. Email me at: Laura.Arnold@IndianaDG.net.
Welcome to Indiana, Fronius!
Laura Ann Arnold
The Austrian-based company will also introduce its Fronius Service Program to the U.S.
Thomas Enzendorfer, sales director Fronius USA, told pv magazine at this year's Solar Power International, which closed its doors yesterday, "The U.S. is our number one market internationally." As such, Fronius plans to begin the manufacture of its photovoltaic inverters in Portage soon. The new location, scheduled to be inaugurated on September 23, will boast a workforce of 100.
US$30 million has been invested in the new facilities, including a $9 million U.S. Department of Energy grant. "We are still in the planning phase how to shape our inverter production there, but we will start production [soon]," Enzendorfer said.
The family owned company will also launch its Fronius Service Programme (FSP). "Already 1,100 US installers are on our waiting list for FSP," said Enzendorfer. He is confident that Fronius will become "number one in the U.S. market by 2015," due to its installers service and "unique" modular inverter concept.
This year, the growth rate of Fronius inverter sales in the U.S. already reached 45 to 50%, according to Enzendorfer. "The main focus of our inverter business in the U.S. will be also in the future small installations with 1 to 12 kWh," he concluded.
Edited by Becky Beetz.