SMA Solar Technology AG again recognized as Germany's best employer

“I am even more excited about the award than in 2011. In light of the German government’s plan to make disproportionately steep cuts in solar subsidies, SMA and the whole solar industry are facing big challenges. With this in mind, we appreciate the trust, openness and respect of our employees,” explained Jürgen Dolle, Chief Human Resources Officer of SMA Solar Technology AG. “Our corporate culture is in many respects unique in Germany. It has developed and grown for 30 years since the founding of SMA. I am firmly convinced that this will particularly pay off in difficult times.”

The German Great Place to Work® Institute identifies Germany’s best employers on a yearly basis. In addition to an evaluation of the work carried out by human resources departments within the companies by means of a so-called culture audit, a comprehensive, anonymous employee survey judges cooperative work, leadership, the options for further professional development, salaries, and workplace satisfaction, among other facets. The success in the competition was based to two thirds on the results of the employee interviews.

“The award represents a corporate culture that is marked in particular by trust, pride and team spirit,” emphasized Frank Hauser, head of the Great Place to Work® Institute Germany, at the award ceremony held in Berlin on March 8. “Trustful relationships at the workplace and attractive working conditions are the central key for the motivation and commitment of qualified employees as well as for the economic success and sustainability of companies.”

For hundred companies applied for inclusion in the current best workplaces list of the German Great Place to Work Institute. The institute independently evaluated the corporate culture of all participants. Around 100,000 randomly chosen employees were interviewed anonymously for the evaluation, 1,800 of which were employed by SMA.


About SMA
The SMA Group generated sales of €1.9 billion in 2010 and is the global market leader for solar inverters, a key component of all PV plants. It is headquartered in Niestetal, near Kassel, Germany, and is represented in 19 countries on four continents. The Group employs more than 5,500 people worldwide, plus a number of temporary employees that varies on a seasonal basis. 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 photovoltaic plants connected to the grid as well as inverters for off-grid systems. SMA is therefore able to provide ideal technical inverter solutions for all plant sizes and types. Since 2008, the Group’s parent company, SMA Solar Technology AG, has been listed on the Prime Standard of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (S92) and also in the TecDAX index. In recent years, SMA has received numerous awards for excellence as an employer and most recently achieved first place in the nationwide Great Place to Work® competition.


SMA Solar Technology AG
Sonnenallee 1
34266 Niestetal
Germany

Head of Corporate Communications:
Anja Jasper
Phone +49 561 9522-2805
Presse@SMA.de

Press contact:
Susanne Henkel
Press Officer
Phone +49 561 9522-1124
Fax +49 561 9522- 531400
Presse@SMA.de


Investor Relations:
Stephanie Kniep
Director Investor Relations
Phone +49 561 9522-2222
Fax +49 561 9522-22 23
ir@SMA.de

Julia Damm
Investor Relations Officer
Phone +49 561 9522-1164



Disclaimer:
This press release serves only as information and does not constitute an offer or invitation to subscribe for, acquire, hold or sell any securities of SMA Solar Technology AG (the "Company") or any present or future subsidiary of the Company (together with the Company, the "SMA Group") nor should it form the basis of, or be relied upon in connection with, any contract to purchase or subscribe for any securities in the Company or any member of the SMA Group or commitment whatsoever. Securities may not be offered or sold in the United States of America absent registration or an exemption from registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended.
This press release can contain future-oriented statements. Future-oriented statements are statements which do not describe facts of the past. They also include statements about our assumptions and expectations. These statements are based on plans, estimations and forecasts which the executive board of SMA Solar Technology AG (SMA or company) has available at this time. Future-oriented statements are therefore only valid on the day on which they are made. Future-oriented statements by nature contain risks and elements of uncertainty. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors can lead to considerable differences between the actual results, the financial position, the development or the performance of the corporation and the estimates given here. These factors include those which SMA has discussed in published reports. These reports are available on the SMA website at www.SMA.de. The company accepts no obligation whatsoever to update these future-oriented statements or to adjust them to future events or developments.