http://www.crystalox.com/

With 25 years in solar technology development, PV Crystalox Solar is a leading manufacturer of multicrystalline silicon ingots and wafers, the key component in solar power systems.

Its customers, the world's leading solar cell producers, combine these wafers into solar modules to harness the clean, silent and renewable power from the sun.

PV Crystalox Solar is playing a central role in making solar cost competitive with conventional hydrocarbon power generation, and as such continues to seek to drive down the cost of production whilst increasing solar cell efficiency. The gap between the cost of solar power production and utility energy is decreasing year on year.

With a long history of production with high growth and profitability, PV Crystalox Solar is well placed to benefit greatly from the rapid growth in the solar energy market

London, United Kingdom: PV Crystalox Solar Plans Listing on London Stock Exchange

PV Crystalox Solar, a producer of solar-grade silicon products for solar electricity generation systems, today announced its intention to proceed with an initial public offering of its ordinary shares, which are intended to be admitted to the Official List of the UK Listing Authority and to trading on the London Stock Exchange.

JPMorgan Cazenove has been appointed as sponsor to the Company and global coordinator and sole Bookrunner in relation to the offer. Jefferies International Limited has been appointed as co-lead manager.

PV Crystalox Solar, initially established in the UK in 1982, is a highly specialised supplier to the worlds leading solar cell manufacturers, producing multicrystalline silicon ingots and wafers for use in solar electricity generation systems. The Group was one of the first to develop multicrystalline technology on an industrial scale, setting the industry standard for ingot production.

PV Crystalox Solar manufactures silicon ingots in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom, with the majority of its output shipped to Japan, where it is sold either as ingots or as wafers after processing by a sub-contractor. The balance of the Groups ingots are processed into wafers for European customers at the Groups facilities in Erfurt, Germany. The German operation is constantly developing the Groups wire saw technology for the production of thinner wafers.

PV Crystalox Solar has strong, long-established relationships with major solar cell manufacturers, including Sharp and Schott Solar. The Group does not compete with its customers and is therefore able to work closely with them to improve wafer quality and minimize costs.

By focusing purely on the production of solar-grade silicon products, the Group benefits from the higher margins available to companies in the upstream of the photovoltaic value chain, where there are fewer competing manufacturers and higher barriers to entry.

PV Crystalox Solar has an established record of delivering strong financial performance. The Group recorded revenues of 242m for the year ended 31 December 2006, an increase of 32% (31 December 2005: 183m) and a 56% increase in Group pre-tax profits to 49m (31 December 2005: 31.3m)

In 2006 the Group produced silicon wafers and ingots corresponding to a solar electricity generation capacity of 215 MWp. As at the end of 2006 the Group had available production capacity equivalent to 288 MWp and employed around 200 staff.

Iain Dorrity, Chief Executive Officer, PV Crystalox Solar said PV Crystalox Solar has a long and successful history as one of the worlds leading manufacturers of solar-grade silicon products. Over the last five years we have been consistently profitable, trebling our sales and continuing to grow our margins. We look forward to listing on the London Stock Exchange, which we believe will further enhance our ability to grow the business.

The Group is proposing to build its own polysilicon production facility in Germany to secure an additional source of feedstock. The Directors believe that in-house polysilicon production will provide greater flexibility in sourcing its silicon feedstock. PV Crystalox Solar expects the facility to commence operation in 2009 with an initial planned production volume of 900 metric tonnes in that year, rising to 1,800 metric tonnes in 2011
http://www.solarbuzz.com/news/NewsEUCO396.htm

Not sure, will have to investigate. It's a UK company been in existence for approx 25 years with manufacturing in Germany. Later this year should see the start of building a polysilicon plant to obtain raw materials at cost. Currently approx 25% of ingots are sawed (or should that be sawn?!) in Germany but obviously the margin to sell high margin wafers would be a lot more profitable. They have the technology and hopefully will start ramping up wafer cutting in Germany - only my surmising.

well didn't have any Sola to sell, but just took a long position here...

welcome BigTed!

Again today (at least for the moment) the divergence between PVCS and Sola continues. PV up 1.9%, Sola down 1.9%.

Just out of interest this is rebasing PVCS and SOLA as a comparison. Of course it may not always look like this but for me emphasises that at the moment the "trend is your friend"

Volume increasing and holding up nicely in current markets.

Had a look at the SOLA thread on ADVFN yesterday, seems all the interest has gone and the 'hot money' departed elsewhere, I would imagine a lot of them have jumped in here. Doesn't bode well for SOLA's SP in the short term, but good for PVCS.

pth

Thanks for that pth. Perhaps also going into Jetion but then they maintain the "china" factor. I'm expecting some good broker reports here before summer's out (or Indian summer starts!), plus whilst I fully accept I could be wrong, I believe that PV will be looking to cut a greater percentage of their own wafers, currently only about a 1/4 of their production.

Nice to keep an eye on the PV v Sola comparison above anyway in case sentiment changes or the divergence continues.

Another good pick up today with markets across the board recovering somewhat. Is anyone aware what the restrictions are as to when we are able to see broker recommendations post float?

Hitting new highs this morning and getting a mention the Shares mag yesterday.

Grey.. have you got the text from shares mag. Also JHL flying well over 5% now.

No I don't have it with me, however it was more a view of the solar sector.

I know JHL has been mentioned in the IC

see strong write-up in this morning's Telegraph

Questor Telegraph

PV Crystalox Solar

PV Crystalox Solar is one of the few UK stocks that give investors exposure to the solar panel industry. Most of the listed companies are based in either Germany or the US. It is an attractive environmental stock in that it has been around for over 17 years, and spent most of that time as a profitable business.

The company, in fact, pioneered the technology to produce the materials to make solar panels on an industrial scale. It now supplies the largest solar panel producer in the world, the Sharp Corporation. The industrys main aim is to reach a stage where, if you put solar panels on your roof and produce electricity, the cost should be the same as drawing it from utilities, which will cause a step change in the market.

That is no longer a pipe dream. It does not require any major breakthroughs in technology but rather some improvements in efficiencies. Sitting as it does near the top of the food chain, PV Crystalox is an interesting play on what is clearly a growing market.

The shares are trading on a price/earnings ratio in the mid-teens, which looks exceptionally cheap compared with rivals in Germany, which are nearer 30 times. BUY

so this should double form here.

Thanks cynic/azhar for the heads up.

some nice moves today. Even better across JHL. Good thing got into both last week.

Hi All - I've just dipped my toe and while the SP is down at present I think they represent excellent value.

Hope your right for once queeny :-)

Let's hope so too, as we all await for across the Pond (the large pond that is)