Manz AG (formerly Manz Automation) is a German multinational

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

company active in the fields of

automation Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, mainly by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machine ...

, laser processesing,

metrology Metrology is the scientific study of measurement. It establishes a common understanding of Unit of measurement, units, crucial in linking human activities. Modern metrology has its roots in the French Revolution's political motivation to stan ...

wet chemistry Wet chemistry is a form of analytical chemistry that uses classical methods such as observation to analyze materials. The term ''wet chemistry'' is used as most analytical work is done in the liquid phase. Wet chemistry is also known as ''bench c ...

and

roll-to-roll processing In the field of electronic devices, roll-to-roll processing, also known as web processing, reel-to-reel processing or R2R, is the process of creating electronic devices on a roll of flexible plastic, metal foil, or flexible glass. In other fields ...

. Manz AG bundles its activities into two reporting segments: Mobility & Battery Solutions and Industry Solutions. The focus in the Mobility & Battery Solutions segment is on production of lithium-ion batteries. The Industry Solutions reporting segment is responsible for assembly and production of electronic components and devices, power and consumer electronics, and components for the electric powertrain. Headquartered in

Reutlingen Reutlingen (; ) is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is the capital of the eponymous Reutlingen (district), district of Reutlingen. As of June 2018, it had an estimated population of 116,456. Reutlingen has a Reutlingen University, univ ...

Baden-Württemberg Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...

, the company has additional production centres in

Tübingen Tübingen (; ) is a traditional college town, university city in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, and developed on both sides of the Neckar and Ammer (Neckar), Ammer rivers. about one in ...

as well as international manufacturing sites in Hungary, Italy,

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

and

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

. There are additional sales and service branches in the United States,

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

and India. Manz had developed a significant presence in the

solar Solar may refer to: Astronomy * Of or relating to the Sun ** Solar telescope, a special purpose telescope used to observe the Sun ** A device that utilizes solar energy (e.g. "solar panels") ** Solar calendar, a calendar whose dates indicate t ...

photovoltaic Photovoltaics (PV) is the conversion of light into electricity using semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect, a phenomenon studied in physics, photochemistry, and electrochemistry. The photovoltaic effect is commercially ...

industry. Its activities in this sector focused on the development and supply of integrated systems for the production of CIGS thin-film solar modules. In 2010 the company established a partnership with Würth Solar (part of the

Würth The Würth Group (, ) is a worldwide wholesaler of fasteners, screws and screw accessories. Würth expanded its range and today offers a full range of business equipment for craft businesses in a kind of supermarket of its own. Würth offers dow ...

industrial group) for the exclusive licensing of its

CIGS solar cell A copper indium gallium selenide solar cell (CIGS cell, sometimes CI(G)S or CIS cell) is a thin-film solar cell used to convert sunlight into electric power. It is manufactured by depositing a thin layer of copper indium gallium selenide solid so ...

production technology. After the acquisition of the CIGS modules innovation line of Würth Solar in January 2012, technology licenses were also transferred to the company on an unrestricted basis. In September 2012, Manz presented a CIGS solar module, which was produced on a mass production line and has a 14.6 percent efficiency on total module area and 15.9 percent on aperture area (one in the industry unequaled efficiency). In April 2015, Manz surpassed these numbers again and presented an impressive new efficiency world record for CIGS thin-film solar modules on mass production line with a module efficiency of 16 percent. The major business areas of Manz are the supply of systems for the production of

flat panel display A flat-panel display (FPD) is an electronic display used to display visual content such as text or images. It is present in consumer, medical, transportation, and industrial equipment. Flat-panel displays are thin, lightweight, provide better ...

s and touch panels, a market it first entered in 1994,

Printed Circuit Boards A printed circuit board (PCB), also called printed wiring board (PWB), is a laminated sandwich structure of conductive and insulating layers, each with a pattern of traces, planes and other features (similar to wires on a flat surface) ...

, electronic devices, such as smartphones, tablet computers and laptops as well as the supply of systems for the production of

lithium-ion batteries A lithium-ion or Li-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery that uses the reversible intercalation of Li+ ions into electronically conducting solids to store energy. Li-ion batteries are characterized by higher specific energy, energy ...

on an industrial scale for e.g.

e-mobility An electric vehicle (EV) is a motor vehicle whose propulsion is powered fully or mostly by electricity. EVs encompass a wide range of transportation modes, including road vehicle, road and rail vehicles, electric boats and Submersible, submer ...

History

The company was founded by Dieter Manz as the

GmbH (; ) is a type of Juridical person, legal entity in German-speaking countries. It is equivalent to a (Sàrl) in the Romandy, French-speaking region of Switzerland and to a (Sagl) in the Ticino, Italian-speaking region of Switzerland. It is a ...

''Manz Automatisierungstechnik'' in 1987. It initially focused on

industrial automation Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, mainly by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machine ...

and

robotics Robotics is the interdisciplinary study and practice of the design, construction, operation, and use of robots. Within mechanical engineering, robotics is the design and construction of the physical structures of robots, while in computer s ...

, and today continues to supply automated systems as part of a broader range of products. In October 2001 Manz Automatisierungstechnik merged with ACS GmbH, another firm founded by Dieter Manz, forming Manz Automation AG.
As Manz has grown from an automation specialist into a supplier of integrated production lines, the company changed its name from Manz Automation AG to Manz AG in June 2011. The company listed on the

Frankfurt Stock Exchange The Frankfurt Stock Exchange (, former German name: , ''FWB'') is the world's 3rd oldest and 12th largest stock exchange by market capitalization. It has operations from 8:00 am to 10:00 pm ( German time). Organisation Located in Frankfurt, ...

in 2006, moving to its

Prime Standard The Prime Standard is a market segment of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange that includes companies which comply with transparency standards higher than those of the General Standard, which is regulated by law. The Prime Standard includes quarterly rep ...

market segment in 2008. The company was a constituent of the

TecDAX The TecDAX stock index tracks the performance of the 30 largest German companies from the technology sector. In terms of order book turnover and market capitalization the companies rank below those included in the DAX. The TecDax was introduced ...

index between September 2008 and March 2009, and again between September 2009 and March 2011. Manz AG shared back in the TecDAX as of March 24, 2014. In May 2016 Shanghai Electric company took over 19.67% of Manz shares. In May 2022

Daimler Truck Daimler Truck AG (holding company legal name Daimler Truck Holding AG) is the world's largest commercial vehicle manufacturer, with over 35 main locations worldwide and approximately 100,000 employees. Daimler Truck AG is headquartered in Leinfel ...

AG acquired a stake in Manz as part of a strategic partnership.

Acquisitions and location expansion

On 1 January 2008, with the acquisition of the company ''Christian Majer'' in Tübingen, Germany (machines for packaging and film processing), the basis for entry into the lithium-ion battery market in 2009 was set. Also in 2008, ''Manz Slovakia'' was founded and ''Intech Machines'' (Taiwanese market leader for wet chemical processes in manufacturing displays) was absorbed. Manz also established a vacuum coating technology development centre (''Manz Coating GmbH'' in Karlstein, Germany) in 2010. In 2012 the establishment of ''Manz CIGS Technology GmbH'' in Schwäbisch Hall, Germany and the opening of a new manufacturing facility in Suzhou (China) took place. With the acquisition of the mechanical engineering division of Kemet Electronics Italy (formerly Arcotronics) in 2014, Manz enlarged its technology portfolio in the battery division and founded ''Manz Italy''. In 2015 Manz acquired KLEO, a specialist for laser direct imaging (LDI), from the ZEISS Group.Acquisition of KLEO, ZEISS Group
Manz Website 2015

References

External links

*{{official website, http://www.manz.com/?welcome Companies based in Baden-Württemberg Engineering companies of Germany Display technology companies Photovoltaics manufacturers Thin-film cell manufacturers German brands Companies listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange

History

Acquisitions and location expansion

See also

References

External links