DGAP-News

SMA Solar Technology AG: Managing Board of SMA Lowers the Forecast for the Current Fiscal Year - Seite 2

the Chinese subsidiary Zeversolar," said Urbon. Prompted by the regional
shift in demand, SMA is also planning to bring together sales regions and
streamline the organization in Service, Operations and Administration. By
the end of 2015, SMA is planning to lay off approximately 600 employees
worldwide. The temporary contracts that expire and the natural employee
turnover are part of the downsizing plan. Additionally, measures will be
defined for downsizing of 400 employees from Sales, Operations and
Administration areas.

"The additional measures are necessary because the profitability of our
product portfolio has been adversely affected by the shift in demand to
countries outside Europe. In order to generate sustainable earnings, SMA
will therefore need to do even more than previously planned to reduce
costs. We very much regret that further job cuts in Germany and abroad are
unavoidable due to the changes in the market," explained Pierre-Pascal
Urbon.

With the implementation of the planned measures, the CEO believes that SMA
is in a good position for the future: "As a specialist for system
technology and a global market leader, SMA offers complete system solutions
for all power classes. With the planned product offensive and the
structural adjustments, we are going to create the conditions required to
generate attractive margins even in a challenging market environment. In
addition, we also anticipate a slight increase in our market share for 2014
to more than 15% worldwide. In the future, additional sales impulses will
also be generated by our Service business and by the photovoltaic diesel
hybrid business. With net liquidity of EUR250 million and an equity ratio
of almost 60%, SMA will be able to implement this strategy under its own
steam."

About SMA
The SMA Group generated sales of more than EUR930 million in 2013 and is
the global market leader for solar inverters, a key component of all PV
plants. SMA offers innovative key technologies for future power supply
structures. It is headquartered in Niestetal, near Kassel, Germany, and is
represented in 21 countries. The Group employs more than 5,000 people
worldwide. SMA's broad product portfolio includes a compatible inverter for
every type of module on the market and for all plant sizes. The product
range includes both inverters for grid-connected photovoltaic plants as
well as off-grid and hybrid system technology. The product portfolio is
supplemented by comprehensive services and operational management of
utility-scale pv-plants. Since 2008, the Group's parent company, SMA Solar
Technology AG, has been listed on the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock