PHOTON International - The Photovoltaic Magazine

On Jan. 1, Steven C. Hill was named president of Kyocera Solar Inc., the Scottsdale, Arizona-based US subsidiary of Japanese company Kyocera Corp. dealing with PV products.

	© Kyocera Solar, Inc.
New head: Steven C. Hill, Kyocera Solar's new president was appointed to win back lost market shares in the US.

Hill joined Kyocera in 1988 and was most recently national sales manager for semiconductor processing equipment, one of the company's fastest-growing North American divisions. He succeeds Douglas Allday, 55, who had served as president since 2000 (see PI 8/2000, p. 26).

Rodney Lanthorne, president of Kyocera International Inc., the US solar unit's direct parent company, expects sales and marketing of Kyocera Solar to be significantly improved under Steve Hill's leadership. Commenting on his promotion, Hill states, »My immediate goal for Kyocera Solar is to enhance our market penetration and execution by collaborating more closely with our global parent company and by sharpening our market focus.«

As the first Japanese PV company active in the US, Kyocera has faced some competition over the last two years with Sharp and Sanyo's entry to the market. The headwinds got even stronger when the two newcomers opened module factories in Tennessee and Mexico in 2003. Asked whether Kyocera also has plans for assembling modules in the US or Mexico, Hill makes reference to a feasibility study that has been conducted, and says, »A public announcement will be forthcoming once a decision is made.«

Apparently a first move by Hill to win back market shares was the opening of a new sales office on the East Coast in January, in Middletown Springs, Vermont. Kyocera has US offices in California, Colorado, Texas, Arizona, Florida, and Wisconsin.