Lowell,
Mass., and Fuerth, Germany - June 27, 2005 Konarka
Technologies, Inc., an innovator in developing and
commercializing power plastics that convert light
to energy, and LEONHARD KURZ GmbH & CO.KG, a
leader in the research, development and manufacture
of polymer electronic technology, today announced
they have established a non-exclusive partnership
in support of light-activated power plastic. The
companies are engaged in a multi-year, multi-phase
collaboration to accelerate the development of Konarka's
organic photovoltaic technology. KURZ has committed
significant capital, equipment and resources to the
joint activities.
"As one of the world's largest markets, energy presents
many interesting opportunities for us," said Walter
Kurz, president, KURZ. "Combining Konarka's technology
with our manufacturing expertise will help us take
advantage of the growing demand for renewable energy
solutions worldwide and particularly here in Germany,
the largest domestic solar energy market in the world."
Howard Berke, chairman and chief executive officer, Konarka, said, "KURZ is
a world leader in innovative printed materials, and this relationship enhances
Konarka's ability to take its organic photovoltaic program beyond the laboratory
and into development for manufacturing and production scale-up. With this partnership,
we are continuing to execute on our strategy to partner with leading global
companies who can print power plastic at very high volumes."
KURZ has expertise in printing and coating films and foils for a wide assortment
of products, including packaging, electronic devices, security applications,
automotive parts, household appliances, cosmetics, textiles, furniture and
greeting cards, and manufacturing capabilities in Europe, North America and
Asia. Konarka's power plastic, which is made by printing conducting polymers
and nano-engineered materials onto plastic, can integrate easily into devices,
systems and structures to provide them with their own renewable power generation
capabilities. During this program, Konarka and KURZ will focus their efforts
on research and development, manufacturing process engineering and production
scale-up for the printed photovoltaics.
"Integrating Konarka's power plastic into our products will enable us to extend
and enhance their functionality. Our customers will gain value, such as increased
levels of convenience and freedom of use, without affecting the products' overall
weight or size. In the longer term, the possibility of printing large format
solar modules is intriguing in that it could potentially alter the current economics
by driving costs down," said Werner Reinhart, vice president, KURZ. "We may even
be able to increase the benefits of power plastic by leveraging the optical competence
we gained with our OVD Kinegram AG acquisition."
Randolph Chan, executive vice president, joint program development, Konarka,
concluded, "KURZ has decades of experience with roll-to-roll printing and recently
has made successful inroads into printing polymer electronics with the PolyIC
venture with Siemens. The merger of our organic photovoltaic program and KURZ's
complementary manufacturing know-how will result in exciting new ways to transform
energy consuming applications into power generators. Working with KURZ further
validates of the value of our technology and our leadership position in this
emerging field."
About KURZ
KURZ is one of the international market leaders in the field of research, development,
manufacture and supply of stamping foils and related application technology.
The company has more than 2,600 employees, as well as nine production facilities
located throughout Europe, the US and the Pacific region. Together with its
worldwide branch offices and distributors, KURZ is able to provide full-service
solutions that match individual customer requirements. Beside the utilization
of KURZ foils on a wide assortment of products, KURZ possesses great competence
in the field of foil-based optical technology for the total range of optically
variable devices (OVD) for all kinds of security applications, and its state
of the art application technology, magnetic foils and optical technology provide
effective and attractive brand and document protection, as well as increased
security for every kind of business.
About Konarka Technologies, Inc.
Konarka builds products that convert light to energy - anywhere. Konarka is
the leading developer of polymer photovoltaic products that provide a source
of renewable power in a variety of form factors for commercial, industrial,
government and consumer applications. Konarka's photovoltaic nanotechnology
is focused on delivering lightweight, flexible, scalable and manufacturable
products. Konarka has a broad portfolio of patents, technology licenses and
an accomplished technical team. Nobel Laureate Professor Alan Heeger (UC Santa
Barbara) is a director, co-founder and chief scientist for Konarka. Konarka
Technologies is headquartered in Lowell, Mass., U.S.A., with European headquarters
in Nuremberg, Germany, and research and development facilities in Austria and
Switzerland. For more information, visit http://www.konarka.com or contact
Tracy Wemett, BroadPR, at 617-868-5031 or tracy@broadpr.com.
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