South American Investors Acquire Berlin Solar Company Inventux

A South American investor group has acquired the assets and operations of the insolvent company Inventux Technologies AG. The Berlin solar company is to continue its operations with around 100 employees. Until the end of the year, 70 of the former Inventux employees will be employed by a transfer company. After the dramatic price collapse in the solar market, the company was caught in May in the wave of bankruptcies in the solar industry. Production had to be discontinued, and the production workers received reduced hours compensation. The new investors plan to maintain the product base of the technology leader for silicon-based thin-film modules and see particular opportunities for this technology in the extremely sunny elevations of South America by improving the security of the energy supply for local industries.

The South American investors are relying on the standing of "Made in Germany," and intend to continue production in Berlin on a permanent basis. 

"In the following five months, nearly 70 employees shall be extensively trained in the transfer company and supported in their application process. They shall receive at least 80 percent of their previous net wages, which is significantly more than unemployment benefits", stated the insolvency administrator, Prof. Rolf Rattunde, of the Berlin law firm Leonhardt.

Since the middle of May this year, Prof. Rattunde, the insolvency administrator, and the Inventux management were engaged in an international effort to seek investors for the company. 

The South Americans, who previously were distribution partners of Inventux, turned out to be the best long-term alternative. The future Inventux Solar Technologies GmbH shall take on over 85 Inventux employees and 12 trainees. The previous members of the managing board of the AG - Christian Plesser, Oliver Rothe, and Roland Sillmann - shall become the managing directors of the new GmbH.

"The path to the bankruptcy court has been very hard on us, but bankruptcy has proven to be an opportunity," said Christian Plesser, managing director of the future Inventux Solar Technologies GmbH. "Together with Prof. Rattunde, the insolvency administrator, we were able to newly position the company. With the new investors, the very interesting market of South America will be opened for us."

"Our silicon-micromorphous solar technology is particularly suitable for extremely sunny regions, since at high temperatures the silicon-based thin-film modules of Inventux offer significantly higher energy yields than conventional crystalline solar modules. In the elevations of South America, where industries with increasingly growing energy demands have been settling, the solar insulation is more than twice as high as in the sunny areas of southern Europe. Here, with our modules, solar-generated electricity can be produced at a competitive price without state subsidies, and an important contribution can be made to securing the energy supply. Of course, Inventux shall also continue to serve the core market of Europe, along with other world markets. In bankruptcy, we were also able to maintain important business relationships with our customers. "On the product side, the marketing of the micromorphous, high-performance thin-film modules and the multiple award-winning "FixFlat" flat roof system shall thereby be our focus," finished Plesser.