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In an effort to provide timely and credible global market information, SEMI's PV Group and partner Yole Developpement are recruiting photovoltaic manufacturing equipment companies to participate in a new quarterly solar manufacturing equipment book-to-bill report.

The Photovoltaic Equipment Data Collection Program will focus on an initial list of suggested categories, with each category consisting of data collected from at least three companies and the final category list determined by participant interest, according to SEMI. The data collection will be done in a confidential manner by an independent accounting firm, with neither SEMI nor Yole having access to the individual company information.

The initial list of suggested categories includes the following equipment: diffusion furnaces, firing furnaces, laser scribers, MOCVD, module laminators, PECVD for thin-film PV, screen printers, silicon-nitride coaters, sputterers for TFPV, testers and sorters, wet benches, automation gear, and subsystems and components.

Listings for ingot, wafer, and polysilicon production systems will also be added during the year; other categories may be included on the basis of participant recommendations.

"SEMI has been a longstanding and credible voice in providing market statistics for the semiconductor manufacturing industry to its membership, as well as the journalist community," said Stan Myers, president/CEO of SEMI. "Because such a large percentage of our members also serve the PV industry, this new data collection program is a logical fit within our existing offerings, ensuring a complete global snapshot of the PV equipment segment."

"I believe this collaboration fills in an obvious gap by providing up-to-date and accurate information on the PV equipment industry," added Jean-Christophe Eloy, founder of Yole.

The inaugural report, due to be published in May, will contain bookings and billing data from the first quarter of 2009.  Subsequent reports will be issued quarterly in August, November, and February.

Yole will offer a subscription to the report and accompanying market analysis for $1500 per year to non-SEMI members and $900 to SEMI/PV Group members. Subscriptions will also be available to nonparticipants.

For more information on the program, go to www.pvgroup.org.