Powerfilm Share Discussion Threads

[shroder] 15/7/2012 18:14

Do you know what date this was on?

"There was a lump of 348000 shares sold in London,"

Cheers,

[norbus] 15/7/2012 18:03

Shrewd observation of the contrasting messages; could he was not up to it and realised it or they did. Also this type of technology requires exposure and drive into new markets, limiting the burn rather than seeking profitability and risking stunting the development

There was a lump of 348000 shares sold in London, I assume was the COO's and the man may have sold more in the US I wonder if that was the factor behind the severe drop in share price or whether they lost a prospective application. President & COO in USA is not much beyond a head foreman, and progress chaser.

Company should have a pretty decent future as solar driven applications come into use. I had expected there to be a fit with Honda, but they chose to go the NG reforming route for the H2 rather than clean H2 from solar driven electrolysis

[jonals] 15/7/2012 13:54

I've been watching for a while and like the technology and management approach. But I couldn't help noticing the irony in the recent statement...

28/06/12
"The Company announces that Tim Neugent, President and COO, will be leaving the company to pursue other opportunities."

...from the prelims..

19/3/12
"For 2012 Tim Neugent, President and COO, has assumed clear responsibility for Company-wide operations and profitability."

Notice they have a few job vacancies on their website.

[norbus] 13/7/2012 08:22

There is little doubt that the flexible transparent or canvass backed PFLM will provide an effective, inexpensive and practical solution to buildings cladding, Sails, and wherever there is a surface that can capture sun rays.

That will see this business climb up to former heights. It is because the founders want to keep control for when that happens , they are happy to keep a sub normal profile. THey take off as I see above, and the market may need to pay in £'s per share.

[wetdream] 10/7/2012 14:06

perhaps PFLM can get in on this?!

[norbus] 03/7/2012 03:57

I bought 100000 over 4 months ago; 50000 have not settled yet!

[varies] 02/7/2012 21:28

In case this is any comfort to other shareholders, I can tell you that these shares are hard to buy. I expect that they would be even harder to sell.
Having a very modest holding, I plan to increase it somewhat in the full knowledge that I would have difficulty getting anything back unless there is some positive development.
Obviously not a share for traders !

[norbus] 02/7/2012 14:35

I thought attrition of competitors within the industry significantly positive. Assuming the president is not key to operations, know how or research, then thinning down to mean and lean is good, to regenerate spirits. Technologies in renewables have been marking time, and so I do not see that as an issue; this will flourish once the infrastructure for renewables is on firmer grounds and OEMs look for varied PV interfaces to gather solar. Flexibility,transparency and resiliance of canvas backed film will be a huge plus. Think what it will do for tankers.

[timely4] 29/6/2012 07:50

Well the actions like reducing staff were taken in March so the cost savings will come through in H2. I like this company because they tell it the way it is - good or bad. It would seem they have plenty of cash to see them through to profitability.

[shroder] 29/6/2012 06:59

Not much in that update to hang your at on. I really thought they would by now be announcing profitability, not pushing out to the next half year.

I can't think of anything else to say really.

[norbus] 29/5/2012 18:08

go take a shower

[wetdream] 21/5/2012 08:45

If ever a share should be taken private, this is it.

[norbus] 20/4/2012 09:03

News of Honda home refueller is imho imminent, given ITM's announcement of HBox solar, working on 80% efficiency , off PV attaining CE mark.. .. The PV can be flexi film, transparent or canvass backed useful in many conditions.. Sails backed, windows, venetian blinds, roofs, cladding on buildings, millions of square miles of the stuff.

Check ITM's RNS today and check Honda's alternative energy work..If can't find latter I believe I has an e-mail with the link





Looks uncannily like an Hbox solar uses grid power as well though

[norbus] 11/4/2012 00:43

Looks like Honda is about to launch home refuelling electrolyser system, to power the Clarity,and emergency for home, working off pv generated electricity I saw an earlier communication 2 or 3 years ago, that the PV was in flexi film format, for easy use on roofs. I read here that 1 of 3 competing technologies for film is not acceptable to Japan ... So we have a 50:50 chance to supply , or 100% to be second source supplier. Does anyone know if PFLM are on it?

[shroder] 02/4/2012 12:42

Off grid and illuminated this sign will run 8 hours per day and has 40 watts of PowerFilm solar on top.

[shroder] 26/3/2012 11:21

It's always sad to see redundancies especially in a small firm such as Powerfilm, however it does underline their strategy to return to profitability soon.

PowerFilm, Inc.

Profitability Plan Implementation


26 March 2012, PowerFilm, Inc. (AIM: PFLM), ("PowerFilm" or the "Company"), the developer and manufacturer of thin flexible solar panels and developer of roll to roll flexible electronics, today announces that it has begun executing elements of its updated strategic operations plan announced on 19 March 2012 in its year end results announcement.

The Company's Management Committee has conducted a comprehensive review of 2012 plans and budgets to sharpen strategic priorities and to reduce costs. As a result, reductions are being made in payroll expense, costs in sales and marketing, consulting fees, R&D material usage, consolidation of IT, and supplies. As part of the process the service of 9 employees has been terminated.

In addition a focused effort is continuing to be made to expand and grow sales revenues.

The positive impact of these cost reductions is anticipated to be realized primarily in the second half of the year.

[shroder] 26/3/2012 10:46

...and another partner..

"PowerFilm has proven to us that you get what you pay for in the solar market," said Streamlight President and CEO Ray Sharrah. "They bring the product durability, reliability, top notch quality and delivery performance that we look for in a partner," he added. Their amorphous silicon solar technology is unequaled and provides us with amazing versatility. We are excited to bring this innovative frontier to our customer base and to do it with a quality organization like PowerFilm. We feel the future is energized."

"We are pleased to be partnered with such strong and well known name in the emergency and law enforcement market, " said PowerFilm President and COO, Tim Neugent. "Streamlight has been producing solid and outstanding products for law enforcement for years and have earned a well deserved reputation for quality and Innovation. We couldn't have found a better company and channel partner to drive the SolarStream to the market."

[shroder] 22/3/2012 16:18

Could help margins generally, although Powerfilm don't really have a direct competitor.

Update: U.S. Commerce Imposes Tariffs on Chinese Solar Firms

By Steve Leone, Associate Editor, RenewableEnergyWorld.com

20 March 2012

Those low-cost Chinese panels are about to become a bit more expensive.

San Jose, Calif. - In a highly anticipated announcement that came Tuesday, the Department of Commerce has imposed tariffs in a case that has underscored deep divisions within the American solar industry. American solar manufacturers got the validation they were seeking, but much of the solar industry walked away from Tuesday's announcement with a general sense of relief and a continued sense of caution for what could come next.

The rates it set are for the countervailing duty tariffs that essential measure the level of subsidies and benefits coming from the Chinese government to Chinese crystalline silicon panel manufacturers. By finding export subsidies, critical circumstances will be applied - that means tariffs will be made retroactive, possibly as far back as December 2011.

The level of the tariffs are what drew the most relief. The tariffs will be applied on three levels: 4.73 percent applied to Trina, 2.9 percent to Suntech, and 3.59 percent to all others. That's surprisingly low - many in the industry had been predicting 20-30 percent or even higher.

But now the industry awaits the second of two tariffs -- the antidumping duty. According to John Smirnow, a trade law expert with the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the level set in the countervailing duty is not an indicator of how the anti-dumping portion of the case may turn out.

During a panel discussion on the trade case at PV America West in San Jose, Calif., on Tuesday morning, Tony Clifford of Standard Solar indicated that many in the industry are "still waiting for the other shoe to drop." If anti-dumping is found and stiff tariffs are set, it could deepen the growing rift between the American and Chinese solar industries. That could ultimately lead to a relation and a trade war in earnest.

Smirnow also spoke of the growing realization that the industry as a whole must find ways to work together through mutual understanding and negotiations rather than through litigation. One way that could happen is through the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperative, an influential body that will take up a solar initiative to provide the framework for increased international dialogue.

In the trade complaint filed in October, SolarWorld's American subsidiary and six other solar panel manufacturers claimed that Chinese companies are receiving an unfair level of subsidies from the Chinese government and that they are then dumping their products at below the cost of production into the American market. This, they contend, is stifling solar panel manufacturing in the United States. The case made by the Coalition for American Solar Manufacturing (CASM) has been folded into the growing political narrative that America must reclaim its ability to lead in the global arena of manufacturing and innovation.

On the other side, the Coalition for Affordable Solar Energy (CASE) says that the overriding goal is to make solar energy as competitive as possible. Low-cost Chinese panels have figured prominently in this race to make solar energy competitive with fossil fuels. Panel prices have dropped by 50 percent in just the past year, and that growth has spurred an installation boom that many in the industry feel is unsustainable if prices spike.

Both CASM and CASE issued statements shortly after the announcement.

"Today's announcement affirms what U.S. manufacturers have long known: Chinese manufacturers have received unfair and WTO-illegal subsidies," said Steve Ostrenga, chief executive officer of Helios Solar Works in Milwaukee, Wis., a founding manufacturer of CASM. "We appreciate the Commerce Department's hard work in bringing these subsidies to light, and we look forward to addressing all of China's unfair trade practices in the solar industry."

Jigar Shah, co-founder of CASE, said, "Today's preliminary determination by the Department of Commerce imposing low tariffs on imported solar cells and modules is a relatively positive outcome for the U.S. solar industry and its 100,000 employees. However, tariffs large or small will hurt American jobs and prolong our world's reliance on fossil fuels. Fortunately, this decision will not significantly raise solar prices in the United States as SolarWorld has sought. This decision clearly demonstrates that the Commerce Department did not find the Chinese government engaged in massive subsidization, as SolarWorld and CASM claim."

The American solar industry is also working to revive a popular Treasury grant that is also credited with fueling the recent solar boom. And now the industry is also fending off a growing political push to repeal all federal energy incentives.

We'll continue to update this story as more details become available, plus we'll follow up with analyst reactions and perspectives on what to expect next. We'll also poll industry participants at this week's PV America for their thoughts on the decision.

Solar Energy

[shroder] 19/3/2012 11:29

Solid set of results and growing nicely.

We should see some decent news flow pretty soon on the BIPV project.

"For building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) products, commercial collaborations and third-party testing continue as planned. As was previously announced, the Company expects third-party certification of its building integrated products in the first half of 2012.

The Company continues its collaboration with Serge Ferrari for launching a truly integrated product and system for the architectural fabric market. Ferrari is a global technical textile company well established with the architectural community throughout the world."

Chairman's statement;

The time is now for us to deliver on our talk about putting this all together to return to profitability.

[norbus] 19/3/2012 11:12

varies

I guesss this is a company for the future; I think your toe will be well comfortable.. only problem is that I can't buy enough to justify my interest

[blahblahblahblah] 19/3/2012 10:44

results are out

[varies] 19/3/2012 10:39

pflm seems to have a lot on its plate for such a small company but I shall dip a toe in the water all the same.
Thank you all for the very useful info.

[blahblahblahblah] 09/3/2012 10:07

I had a look around - Rolltronics seems to have shut down some time ago - see this website (checked the WHOIS and it is registered to Michael Sauvante - ex CEO of Rolltronics)

Not sure where the blogger would have got his info from... perhaps this old article from 2002?

[shroder] 09/3/2012 08:11

Well it looks like Holst are either working with Powerfilm as a partner or are competing -



Partners gain immediate access to:

Optical lithography technologies to pattern thin-film transistor arrays on flexible substrates.

Technologies and know how for laser processing and embossing technology.

Novel patterning technologies for flexible display backplanes

Specialized equipment and techniques for measuring foil properties, characteristics and the deformations induced by lithographic processes

World-class industrial research facilities, equipment and support including clean room facilities, laser patterning, optical and imprint lithography equipment, thin-film process- and device development, material- and process analysis, test & measurement instrumentation, laboratories and measurement services.