Eyelit lands CIGS producer Ascent Solar as latest PV manufacturing software customer

Eyelit has landed another customer for its solar PV manufacturing software--flexible CIGS thin-film module maker Ascent Solar. The PV company is using the suite to support the production ramp of its 30MW Fab 2 in Thornton, CO, which is slated to go live the end of March.

Eyelit said that its software will be used to track, monitor, and provide product visibility throughout Ascent’s manufacturing process, from incoming rolls to completed PV solar modules. With the implementation of the software, the thin-film company can consolidate several homegrown Microsoft Access databases and Excel-based tracking sheets, and reduce paper travelers on the production floor.

An asset-management solution enables improvement in managing equipment maintenance and automation of critical processes integral to thin-film PV production, and also provides tool monitoring, management of maintenance tasks, as well as built-in warnings, alerts, and logbooks for improved communications in maintenance operations and greater efficiency in equipment utilization, according to the supplier.

“I’m impressed with Eyelit’s capability and flexibility as compared to other MES solutions I’ve used in PV," said Zane Rakes, Ascent's VP of manufacturing. "Eyelit’s experience and familiarity in thin-film PV manufacturing has been a big plus. Our implementation is progressing according to our plans and is on track to meet our go-live date at the end of the month. Eyelit’s manufacturing software is outstanding in price and quality.”

Dan Estrada, Eyelit's VP of sales and business development, commented that Ascent's "selection and implementation of Eyelit’s manufacturing software further demonstrates the flexibility of [the] software. Ascent’s roll-to-roll, thin-film CIGS process adds another type of PV manufacturing process to Eyelit’s growing and diverse list of PV-manufacturing customers."

"With the addition of Ascent Solar, we can now include building-integrated photovoltaics as a segment of our customer base. It’s a testament to the flexibility and adaptability of the Eyelit solution,” he added.

In its earnings announcement released earlier this week, Eyelit said it had recently landed a roll-to-roll CIGS thin-film manufacturer as a new customer, although it did not name Ascent at the time. The company noted that it had signed up five new solar clients from across the PV spectrum (including Ascent) in 2009.