Ceramics professional manufacturer Kyocera has shut down their solar panel factory in Tianjin, north China due to competitive market situation, said Japan’s major press Nikkei yesterday.
Kyocera’s solar panel business was in a loss state in 2021. The company appointed residential products to the factory in Shiga-ken, and industrial products to Tianjin, which has gradually entrusted the business to Chinese manufacturers. The Tianjin factory has stopped production since last September, and will be sold after closure. So far Kyocera only has one solar panel production base in Shiga-ken.
According to the company, Kyocera decided to withdraw from solar panel business due to serious competition with peers, especially with Chinese enterprises. They decided to specialize in the production of residential products that are relatively easy to ensure profitability, and committed to the high value-added combination of battery and energy management system to achieve a comeback.
According to the statistics released by the Japan Photovoltaic Energy Association on February 28, the total shipment of solar panels in Japan in the fourth quarter of 2022 increased by 14% to 1,511 MW compared with the same period, increased for the first time in five quarters.
About Kyocera
Kyocera used to produce various applied ceramic products in the mid-1970s, including solar modules. In 1984, the company set up a solar energy center in Chiba then established Kyocera Solar Joint-stock company in Japan in 1996. In 2003, Kyocera and Tianjin Yiqing Group Holding Co., Ltd jointly funded the establishment of Kyocera (Tianjin) Solar Energy Co., Ltd.
