S.C Group: From humble beginnings to global recognition

The company’s first overseas contract came from India in 2010. The global PV market was growing rapidly, with European countries rushing to complete projects prior to the reduction of existing subsidies. New global PV installations exceeded 16GW in 2010, doubling the figure of the previous year, with the industry about to enter its first peak period of intensive installation.

At that time, S.C also entered a new era, with its leading products, including texturing equipment, diffusion furnaces and PECVD, achieving annual sales revenue of CNY2.3 billion, (US$0.32billion), a ten-fold increase on 2009 figures.

The first overseas order came from India, in the form of cell and module manufacturer Premier Energies, following a series of on-site inspection visits to China, with Japan’s Silicon Plus becoming S.C’s second client, purchasing wafer de-gluing, plasma etching and wafer cleaning equipment.

S.C began to seriously focus on overseas markets at the end of 2012, participating at exhibitions around the world to collect first-hand information to be used as reference for its business decisions, including selecting agents and distributors.

“Excellent agents are not only well versed in local market dynamics, they also possess a vast sales network and  customer resources. All these could quickly pave the way for us to enter a new market. They were able to  provide pre-sales consultation and after-sales service to meet local needs, so that our products could win the trust of customers in foreign countries,” recalled Ben Huang, the company’s head of overseas business.

Hard work paid off. After extensive research and exploration, S.C gradually found a cooperation model suitable for its overseas development and agent selection, coming up with preliminary cooperation methods and agency service models with companies, including Bergen in India.

“Subsequent cooperation also proved that these excellent agents had played an indispensable role in developing and maintaining our overseas customers. In particular, they helped us directly reach end customers, and understand production and business needs in detail,” Huang continued.

The 100GW plan

In 2014, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi proposed the subcontinent’s ’100GW PV Plan,’ aiming to achieve a total PV installation of 100GW by 2022. Local PV manufacturers in India began to enter a period of rapid development, with the main players Jupiter, TATA, Adani and Websol initiating capacity and production line expansion planning.

In the latter months of 2015, Adani initiated a tender for 1.2GW of PV cells, of which 800MW would be based on a full turnkey model. However, its requirements on post-commissioning throughput and cell efficiency meant that no local company in India could commit to upgrading the specifications according to Adani’s demands.

S.C, on the other hand, had already assembled a professional and highly skilled technical team capable of handling the entire process from equipment manufacture to installation, commissioning and optimisation, ultimately securing Adani’s order in March 2016.

The PV industry’s turnkey model requires equipment suppliers to possess comprehensive capabilities, including  experience and professional skills from initial project design and planning, through mid-term equipment manufacturing, installation and commissioning to subsequent service guarantee.

Companies need to have robust research and development (R&D) capabilities to offer advanced and reliable end-to-end solutions, and also need an experienced project management team to quickly respond to customer needs and deliver tailored services worldwide.

S.C’s turnkey project business is based on the two core goals of delivering key processing equipment to the  customer’s site and training its technical staff on the operation of the demonstration production line. In the case of Adani, S.C dispatched a large-scale installation team to the project site, consisting of dry and wet process equipment teams, an automation equipment team, a process team and five on-site translators, with 70 S.C staff on site at one point.

Since this initial milestone, the company’s overseas project business has expanded rapidly, with cell manufacturers including Sunpower in the Philippines; REC in Singapore; Hyundai, LG and Hanwha in South Korea; and Turkey’s Smart Energy all becoming clients.

Maintaining significant and stable growth

As we stand in mid-2024, the PV industry has entered another new round of adjustment, emerging stronger in the face of challenges.

The transition to green energy has become a consensus for most countries, with global PV market demands forecast to maintain significant and stable growth. However, in the new cycle, as competition between manufacturers intensifies, the key focus will be on product strength, technology, costs, channels, financing and market expansion.

In his 2024 New Year Address, S.C Group chairman Zuo Guojun emphasised that the company must manage its operations more efficiently, target R&D investment more accurately and precisely identify industry and client ‘pain points’. The same focus applies to international markets in order to enhance the company’s international set up and competitiveness.

Against a backdrop of global energy transformation, the story of S.C’s venture into the global PV market is not just a chronicle of a company’s overseas journey, but also a reflection of China’s own transition from industry follower to leader.

Today, standing at what is, in many ways, a new starting point, the company’s PV journey demonstrates broad vision, far-reaching influence and, through multi-dimensional development in international markets, the raising of standards and attracting talent. S.C’s ambition is to continue on its upward trajectory, playing an increasingly significant role in the global transition to green energy.