“The first place is a great success for SMA. It documents the strong identification of our employees with the company and that our corporate culture of team spirit, transparency and co-operation not only supports the company’s success, but is also highly recognized by our employees,” explains Jürgen Dolle, Chief Human Resources Officer of SMA. “The award goes to all SMA employees. After the distinction, we will not stand still, but continue to work on the topics where we still see room for improvement.”
The German Great Place to Work Institute identifies Germany’s best employers on a yearly basis. The award stands for credibility and fairness of management, employees’ identification with the company and team spirit. In addition to an evaluation of the work carried out by human resources departments within the companies, 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 ceremony was held in Berlin on February 23, 2011. There, Dr. Ralf Brauksiepe, Parliamentary State Secretary in the Federal Ministry for Labor and Social Affairs, recognized the winners of the competition and emphasized: “Only good companies will win excellent trained personnel in the future.”
290 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, 1,000 of which were employed by SMA.
About the Great Place to Work® Institute
The Great Place to Work® Institute, founded in 1991, is an international research-and-consulting institute headquartered in the U.S. and with independent partner offices in more than 40 countries globally. Aside from its individual research and consulting activities, the institute identifies outstanding employers regularly within the framework of annual benchmark surveys and presents them to the public. Since 2003, the German Great Place to Work® Institute has organized the renowned "Germany's best employer" competition annually.
About SMA
The SMA Group generated sales of EUR 934 million in 2009 and is the worldwide market leader for photovoltaic inverters, a key component of all solar power plants. It is headquartered in Niestetal, near Kassel, Germany, and is represented on four continents by 15 foreign subsidiaries. The Group employs a staff of over 5,000 (incl. temporary workers). SMA’s product portfolio includes the most comprehensive range of inverters on the market, offering a compatible inverter for every type of photovoltaic module and for all plant sizes. The product range covers both inverters for photovoltaic plants connected to the grid as well as inverters for off-grid systems. 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 its excellence as an employer.
SMA Solar Technology AG
Sonnenallee 1
34266 Niestetal
Germany
Press contact:
Volker Wasgindt
Head of Press Relations and Public Affairs
Phone +49 561 9522-1121
Fax +49 561 9522-1103
Volker.Wasgindt@SMA.de
Investor Relations:
Stephanie Kniep
Director Investor Relations
Phone +49 561 9522-22 22
Fax +49 561 9522-22 23
ir@SMA.de
Julia Damm
Investor Relations Officer
Phone +49 561 9522-11 64
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.