SolarWorld Americas announced that with the prospect of meaningful import relief close at hand, the company will begin ramping up production. 

The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) voted 4-0 in favor of a trade-case determination that a surge of imports has seriously injured the domestic solar cell and panel industry.  The vote means that the case, in which SolarWorld Americas and Suniva Inc. are co-petitioners, moves to a remedy phase.
In light of the ruling, SolarWorld said that it will boost production.

“Our struggle has always been about keeping alive the pioneering U.S. solar-technology industry as well as its workforce, from Ph.D. scientists to line workers,” said Juergen Stein, CEO and president of SolarWorld Americas.  “With relief from surging imports in sight, we believe we can rev up our manufacturing engine and increase our economic impact.”

Nearly 30 U.S. solar-panel producers ceased manufacturing operations from 2012 to 2016, the period of investigation in the case, said SolarWorld.  During this period, global imports increased nearly five-fold. This surge was led by China.

“Friday’s determination made clear that the U.S. industry’s problems have not been self-inflicted, but rather are the result of surging imports,” Stein said.  “As such, we at SolarWorld are prepared to scale up our world-class manufacturing operations to produce leading solar products made by more American workers.”