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Beneq chosen by China Sunergy for higher solar cell efficiency

07 May 2013

China Sunergy, a leading Chinese solar cell manufacturer, has selected Beneq ALD technology for surface passivation to improve the energy efficiency of its products. Beneq is a leading ALD manufacturing equipment supplier that has been developing crystalline silicon (c-Si) surface passivation with the batch atomic layer deposition (ALD) process since 2009. The first production-scale equipment will be delivered to China Sunergy in June 2013.

Beneq has signed a major collaboration agreement with China Sunergy to implement batch ALD in the production of its c-Si solar cells. “Beneq is extremely pleased and proud to work with China Sunergy, whose expertise in high-efficiency solar cells is truly unique. China Sunergy is a perfect partner for us to introduce our technology for mass production,” says Dr Tommi Vainio, Beneq Vice President and Head of Thin Film Equipment.

Even a small improvement in energy efficiency makes a big difference in energy production. The lifetime of solar panels is long; their price decreases the more electricity they produce.

China Sunergy is one of China’s largest solar panel manufacturers. The company now aims to drive the energy efficiency of solar cells made with crystalline silicon to over 20%. To date, the highest commercial silicon solar cell efficiency is about 19.5%, according to Dr Zhao.

Jianhua Zhao, China Sunergy’s CTO, set an unbroken world record to date for the conversion efficiency of crystalline solar cells. In 1999, he and his wife, Dr Aihua Wang, achieved a 25% efficiency rate at the University of New South Wales in Australia.

China Sunergy has been evaluating surface passivation technology already for several years. “The reason to select batch ALD is because it provides the best passivation quality, enabling us to produce solar cells with the highest efficiency. Beneq is the most experienced company in large-scale batch ALD production. This makes them a natural partner for us. Additionally, Beneq’s ALD technology provides us with a cost-competitive solution,” says Dr Zhao.

For more information, please contact:
Dr Tommi Vainio, Vice President
Thin Film Equipment, Beneq
Tel: +358 40 570 7502
e-mail: tommi.vainio(at)beneq.com

Beneq, based in Finland, is a leading supplier of production and research equipment for thin film coatings, as well as the world’s premier manufacturer and developer of thin film electroluminescent (TFEL) displays. Beneq thin film equipment is used for thin film coatings in solar photovoltaics, flexible electronics, strengthened glass and other emerging thin film applications. Industry-proven Beneq equipment and thin film experience is used for improving the efficiency of crystalline silicon and thin film solar cells, producing transparent conductive oxide (TCO) coated glass and making touch screen glass more durable. Beneq has introduced several revolutionary innovations within its coating technologies, including roll-to-roll atomic layer deposition (ALD) and high-yield atmospheric aerosol coating (nAERO®). In addition to process equipment, Beneq also offers complete coating services. www.beneq.com

Beneq and nAERO are registered trademarks of Beneq Oy.

Read the Press Release in PDF-format

Beneq announces OLED thin film encapsulation R&D system delivery to Fraunhofer COMEDD

10 April 2013

Beneq, a global supplier of thin film coating equipment, announces the availability of an R&D thin film encapsulation system for 200×200 mm OLED substrates. The first system will be delivered in the summer of 2013 as part of an atomic...

This research platform has been specifically designed together with the Fraunhofer Research Institution for Organics, Materials and Electronic Devices, known as COMEDD, which is an independent research institution of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. Fraunhofer COMEDD offers a wide range of research, development and pilot production possibilities, especially for OLED lighting, organic solar cells and OLED microdisplays.

“We are honored to collaborate with Fraunhofer COMEDD to realize this particular OLED thin film encapsulation system,” says Dr Mikko Söderlund, Director of Technical Sales at Beneq. “This new cluster integrated R&D system with face-down processing sets a new standard in thin film encapsulation quality and flexibility. We look forward to witnessing new, ALD-enabled OLED and organic photovoltaic (OPV) designs from COMEDD.”

What makes the Beneq OLED thin film encapsulation system unique from a technical point of view is that it is based on a cross-flow reactor, which has been optimized for the shortest possible cycle time, even at low processing temperatures, such as <100 °C. This feature facilitates rapid prototyping of new OLED designs. Most importantly, the cross-flow reactor design enables process scale-up for large areas and high throughput, which is compatible with industrial requirements. The R&D system for 200×200 mm substrates is available as a stand-alone system and it can also be integrated with an MBraun glove box.

Beneq has been invited as a sponsor and speaker at Fraunhofer COMEDD’s first Industry Partners Day, which takes place in Dresden, Germany, on April 10, 2013.

The ALD encapsulation R&D system will be delivered in the summer of 2013.

For more information, please contact:
Dr Tommi Vainio, Vice President
Thin Film Equipment, Beneq
Tel: +358 40 570 7502
e-mail: tommi.vainio(at)beneq.com

Beneq and nAERO are registered trademarks of Beneq Oy.

Read the Press Release in PDF-format

Beneq to open subsidiary in Russia to enhance thin film capabilities

12 March 2013

On March 12, Beneq will open a subsidiary and operations in Saint Petersburg to commercialize its atomic layer deposition technology (ALD) in the Russian market. As part of the overall strategy, the company will sign an agreement to launch a joint laboratory for research and development of industrial applications in ALD with Saint Petersburg State Electrotechnical University (SpbGETU).

The main goal of expanding Beneq’s operations into Russia is to open up new opportunities to promote and implement cutting-edge thin film technologies. Through the launch of the new laboratory, Beneq will gain additional resources to help create globally competitive products and industrial solutions. This is a significant step in rolling out Beneq’s business development plan.

“Not only will these products and solutions be sold throughout the world, we see that thin film technologies will play a key role in the modernization of the Russian economy,” says Sampo Ahonen, CEO of Beneq.

The General Consulate of Finland in Saint Petersburg will host the Grand Opening event of the Beneq Russian subsidiary by organizing a round table discussion with leading scientists and executives from relevant and active industries. The discussion topics will focus on the commercial opportunities of ALD and thin film technology in Russia.

“Launching and developing this laboratory will increase the awareness and competitiveness of Russian science abroad. Additionally, it will help speed up the transition for ALD and thin film from an academic science into new business ideas,” Sampo continues.

The launch of the laboratory is planned for the autumn of this year. Beneq will supply it with necessary tools and resources.

For more information, please contact:
Mr Sampo Ahonen, CEO, Beneq Oy
Tel: +358 40 520 1090
e-mail: sampo.ahonen(at)beneq.com

Beneq Oy, based in Finland, is a leading supplier of production and research equipment for thin film coatings, as well as the world’s premier manufacturer and developer of thin film electroluminescent (TFEL) displays. Beneq thin film equip-ment is used for thin film coatings in solar photovoltaics, flexible electronics, strengthened glass and other emerging thin film applications. Industry-proven Beneq equipment and thin film experience is used for improving the efficiency of crys-talline silicon and thin film solar cells, producing transparent conductive oxide (TCO) coated glass and making touch screen glass more durable. Beneq has introduced several revolutionary innovations within its coating technologies, in-cluding roll-to-roll atomic layer deposition (ALD) and high-yield atmospheric aerosol coating (nAERO®). In addition to process equipment, Beneq also offers complete coating services. www.beneq.com

Beneq and nAERO are registered trademarks of Beneq Oy.

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Read the Press Release in Finnish (pdf)

Read the Press Release in Russian (pdf)

Beneq delivers world’s first scaled-up roll-to-roll ALD system to ASTRaL

01 February 2013

Beneq announces a breakthrough in its roll-to-roll (R2R) atomic layer deposition (ALD) technology with the delivery of its first industrial-scale system to the Advanced Surface Technology Research Laboratory (ASTRaL), a research unit based in Mikkeli, Finland, that belongs to the Lappeenranta University of Technology. The R2R system allows the development of rapidly growing new applications that were not able to take advantage of ALD coating until now.

Beneq has successfully scaled up its proprietary continuous ALD process to a 500 mm wide web using the R2R manufacturing method. Testing of the pilot WCS 500 system was completed in December 2012, and the system is currently being delivered to ASTRaL. The system is the promising outcome of a longer term partnership between ASTRaL and Beneq.

Dr Tommi Vainio, CTO of Beneq, says, “Evidence of the successful process scale-up to 500 mm and beyond has a profound impact on how this technology is perceived. We’ve leapfrogged from a 120 mm proof-of-concept system up to industrial scale in just over one year. This is a true test of the inherent robustness of the ALD process and Beneq’s engineering skills.”

According to Professor David Cameron, Director of ASTRaL: “We’re thrilled to have the world’s first industrial-scale R2R ALD system and look forward to exploring the exciting R&D opportunities that come with it.”

Beneq currently offers two systems for R2R ALD: The WSC 500 has been designed for R&D to pilot scale; the TFS 200R is intended for initial proof-of-concept development with 120 mm wide films.

The R2R ALD system combines the advantages of high ALD film quality with excellent roll-to-roll productivity. It is ideally suited for demanding thin-film coatings, such as moisture/gas barriers on flexible polymer substrates. Applications include flexible PV and OLED. Beneq’s R2R ALD has been tested successfully on a wide range of substrate materials and in different thicknesses.

For more information, please contact:

Mr Sampo Ahonen, CEO, Beneq Oy

Tel: +358 40 520 1090

e-mail:sampo.ahonen(at)beneq.com

Beneq Oy, based in Finland, is a leading supplier of industrial production and research equipment for thin film coatings used in solar photovoltaics, flexible electronics, strengthened glass and other emerging applications. Industry-proven Beneq equipment and thin film experience is used for improving the efficiency of crystalline silicon and thin film solar cells, producing transparent conductive oxide (TCO) coated glass and making touch screen glass more durable. Beneq has introduced several revolutionary innovations within its coating technologies, including true roll-to-roll atomic layer deposition (ALD) and high-yield atmospheric aerosol coating (nAERO®). www.beneq.com

Beneq and nAERO are registered trademarks of Beneq Oy.

Read the press release in pdf-format. (English)

Beneq acquires EL business from Planar

03 December 2012

On November 30th 2012, Beneq announced the acquisition of the Finnish-based electroluminescence (EL) business from US Planar Systems, Inc., a global leader in digital display technology. The name of the new business unit, Lumineq, stands for Beneq’s strong commitment to thin film electroluminescence (TFEL) technology and the industrial production of other ALD (atomic layer deposition) enabled products. These products will be offered in addition to Beneq’s existing product portfolio.

“The acquisition of this business from Planar is a natural next step in Beneq’s strategy of taking ALD into industrial production, and allows us to expand our own corporate portfolio in world-leading ALD technology and related products,” says Sampo Ahonen, CEO of Beneq Oy. The acquisition also means Beneq has obtained the world’s largest ALD-dedicated production facility, and its coating capacity.

Beneq, which primarily concentrates on thin film equipment manufacturing, will now be able to develop new offerings based on production-scale coating services and other customization services. Beneq is committed to the long-term development of the Lumineq family of products, and aims to expand into new areas of applications as deemed commercially viable.

“This is an opportunity to build Lumineq into its own niche product brand under the Beneq corporate umbrella, which will bring stronger continuity and growth to the business,” Ahonen says.

Likewise, Beneq guarantees existing Lumineq customers the continuity, strength and financial backing necessary to ensure uninterrupted product deliveries and services.

For more information, please contact:
Mr Sampo Ahonen, CEO, Beneq Oy
Tel: +358 40 520 1090
e-mail: sampo.ahonen(at)beneq.com

Lumineq, a business unit of Beneq Oy, is the world’s premier manufacturer and developer of thin film electroluminescent (TFEL) displays. Lumineq displays are in use in a wide array of applications in mining, marine and off-shore, public safety, medical device, military/avionics and generic industries. The display itself is robust and reliable, and it is habitually used in extreme environments, often being the only type of display that can cope with the conditions. Lumineq also manufactures and develops transparent electroluminescent thin film displays (TASEL) for applications that combine aesthetics with superior reliability and unique viewing experience. www.lumineq.com

Beneq Oy, based in Finland, is a leading supplier of production and research equipment for thin film coatings, as well as the world’s premier manufacturer and developer of thin film electroluminescent (TFEL) displays. Beneq thin film equipment is used for thin film coatings in solar photovoltaics, flexible electronics, strengthened glass and other emerging thin film applications. Industry-proven Beneq equipment and thin film experience is used for improving the efficiency of crystalline silicon and thin film solar cells, producing transparent conductive oxide (TCO) coated glass and making touch screen glass more durable. Beneq has introduced several revolutionary innovations within its coating technologies, including roll-to-roll atomic layer deposition (ALD) and high-yield atmospheric aerosol coating (nAERO®). In addition to process equipment, Beneq also offers complete coating services. www.beneq.com

Read the press release in pdf-format. (English)

Lue lehdistötiedote suomeksi. (Finnish)

Beneq establishes full-fledged operations in Russia

01 November 2012

Beneq, world-leading provider of thin film coating equipment for research and industry, has today announced its plans to establish operations in Russia and the CIS. Following the investment of 25 million euros in Beneq by RUSNANO in April 2012, and...

Beneq, world-leading provider of thin film coating equipment for research and industry, has today announced its plans to establish operations in Russia and the CIS.

Following the investment of 25 million euros in Beneq by RUSNANO in April 2012, and as a part of its planned expansion into existing and emerging markets, Beneq is opening a subsidiary company in Russia. The company’s operations in Russia, both in the fields of research and industrial sales, are projected to exhibit a rapid increase during the coming years, and these customers will be best served by a local organization.

In addition to opening offices, Beneq is launching an application development and service laboratory, AppLab, which will foster novel and emerging applications from inventions to industrial integration. The main target of AppLab is to promote and implement cutting-edge thin film technologies and create globally competitive products and industrial solutions for Russia and global markets.

In the words of Beneq CEO, Mr Sampo Ahonen: “Establishing a local office in Russia is a definite and very concrete move in providing our customers with the best possible services. It is also a step in Beneq’s long-term plan of gaining a leading position in industrial production and laboratory equipment for nano-scale thin films and functional coatings in Russia.

The AppLab service, which is unique in its kind, is a natural element in our strategy to not only focus on selling equipment, but to also work in partnership with universities, research institutes and industrial enterprises. Our involvement in thin film research is already extensive, which has helped us become pioneers in many challenging coating disciplines, e.g., Roll-to Roll and plasma-enhanced ALD, as well as industrial coating scale-up.

And concerning thin film research in Russia, we certainly do acknowledge the decisive and early contributions to ALD made by Russian scientists like V.B. Aleskovskiy and S.I. Koltsov, and foresee fruitful collaboration with the legacy of their work, today present in many research facilities throughout Russia.”

For more information, please contact:
Mr Sampo Ahonen, CEO, Beneq Oy
Tel: +358 40 520 1090
e-mail: sampo.ahonen(at)beneq.com

Read the press release in English (pdf).

Read the press release in Russian (pdf).

Beneq to deliver ALD system to leading OLED customer

21 September 2012

Beneq, global supplier of thin film coating equipment, will deliver a large-area batch atomic layer deposition (ALD) coating system to a leading Asian customer developing OLED products. The system will be used for the development of flexible OLED products, for which high-quality ALD films are essential for product performance. Beneq batch ALD systems offer a unique combination of excellent thin-film quality, high-throughput and large-area processing capabilities, enabling scale-up of demanding thin-film processes.

Says Beneq CEO Sampo Ahonen: “This delivery is yet another example of the potential our technology has for the organic and flexible electronics industry, and of our commitment to serve this industry and grow with it. This delivery fits perfectly into the core of our corporate strategy, which is to work with industry leaders in demonstrating scalability and integration of our technology. We believe that our batch mode ALD technology, as well as the development of roll-to-roll ALD, are spearheading the technological breakthrough which will enable cost-efficient manufacturing of OLED products with competitive lifetimes.”

Beneq is a leading authority in batch-mode ALD systems, with access to more than thirty years of hands-on experience in industrial manufacturing of ALD-enabled products, as well as more than one hundred deliveries to academia and research. In addition to batch-mode ALD, Beneq has initiated development of the first commercial roll-to-roll ALD system for wide flexible substrates, the WCS 500, in June 2011. The WCS 500 is especially designed for R&D and pilot manufacturing of flexible moisture barrier films. Beneq is also a member of R2R-CIGS, a high-profile photovoltaics project financed by the European Commission Programme (FP7), and which aims to scale-up laboratory processes to meet production requirements of flexible solar modules.

For more information, please contact:
Mr Sampo Ahonen, CEO, Beneq Oy
Tel: +358 40 520 1090
e-mail: sampo.ahonen(at)beneq.com

Beneq Oy, based in Finland, is a supplier of equipment and coating technology for global markets. Beneq turns innova-tions into success by developing applications and equipment for cleantech and renewable energy fields, especially in glass, solar and emerging thin film markets. Coating applications include optics, barriers and passivation layers, as well as energy generation and conservation. Beneq also offers complete coating services. The coating applications of Beneq are based on two enabling nanotechnology platforms: Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) and aerosol coating (nHALO® and nAERO®). www.beneq.com

Beneq, nHALO and nAERO are registered trademarks of Beneq Oy.

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Beneq joins EU project to develop roll-to-roll solar panels

30 August 2012

Beneq, Finnish supplier of thin film coating equipment, has joined R2R-CIGS, a high-profile photovoltaics project financed by the European Commission through its Seventh Framework Programme (FP7). The primary goal of the ambitious project is to scale-up innovative laboratory processes to meet production requirements of flexible solar modules. In short, these processes need to be adapted to roll-to-roll production while ensuring reliability, high throughput and low cost.

Says Beneq CEO, Mr Sampo Ahonen: “Beneq sees great potential in continuous production technologies, both in relation to the economy of production and the quality of the end-product. This is why we are putting down a lot of time and effort in bringing our thin film coating technologies, both aerosol coating and atomic layer deposition (ALD), to the service of the industries we address”.

Beneq is a leading authority in ALD roll-to-roll technology, having launched the first commercial research platform for spatial ALD, the TFS 200R, in 2009 and the first true roll-to-roll system for wide flexible substrates, the WCS 500, in June 2011. The WCS 500 is especially designed for production scale-up and pilot manufacturing.

R2R-CIGS, which began in April 2012 and will continue into 2015, intends to establish pilot lines for production of flexible solar panels. In all, the project is going to be of paramount importance in enabling wider application and lower costs of solar photovoltaics. The project consortium includes, in addition to Beneq, EMPA, Flisom, ZSW, Isovoltaic, SoLayTec, Mondragon Assembly, Manz CIGS Technology and CPI, and is co-ordinated by TNO. Financing has been secured from the EC’s joint ENERGY- NMP 2011 programme.

For more information, please contact:
Mr Sampo Ahonen, CEO, Beneq Oy
Tel: +358 40 520 1090
e-mail: sampo.ahonen(at)beneq.com

Beneq Oy, based in Finland, is a supplier of equipment and coating technology for global markets. Beneq turns innovations into success by developing applications and equipment for cleantech and renewable energy fields, especially in glass, solar and emerging thin film markets. Coating applications include optics, barriers and passivation layers, as well as energy generation and conservation. Beneq also offers complete coating services. The coating applications of Beneq are based on two enabling nanotechnology platforms: Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) and aerosol coating (nHALO^® and nAERO^®). www.beneq.com

Beneq, nHALO and nAERO are registered trademarks of Beneq Oy.

R2R-CIGS project homepage: http://r2r-cigs.com/

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RUSNANO Invests in Global Leader Beneq

12 April 2012

RUSNANO has invested 25 million euros in Beneq, the Finnish pioneer and world-leader in industrial production and laboratory equipment for nano-scale thin films and functional coatings. The investment is a combination of capital injection and...

Beneq is a global supplier of industrial production and research equipment for thin film coatings used in solar photovoltaics, flexible electronics, strengthened glass and many more emerging applications. Industry-proven Beneq equipment and thin film experience is used for increasing the efficiency of crystalline silicon and thin film solar cells, producing transparent conductive oxide (TCO) coated glass and making touch screen glass more durable. Beneq has introduced revolutionary innovations within its coating technologies, including true roll-to-roll atomic layer deposition (ALD) and high-yield atmospheric aerosol coating (nAERO^®).

As part of its planned expansion into existing and emerging markets, and thereto-related applications, Beneq commonly establishes close collaborative activities with research centers, universities and similar centers of excellence in regions where demand for its solutions is high and growing. In the short term, Beneq plans to initiate more activity centers, including one in Russia, where Beneq will further develop specific applications and equipment for the needs of customers in Russia and the CIS.

Sampo Ahonen, CEO of Beneq, sees the enabling effect of the investment: “This investment in Beneq is not only a covenant that ensures continued expansion of the company’s business activities and its ability to serve its customers worldwide, it also opens new vistas of opportunity, including strengthening our presence in rapidly growing markets such as Russia”.

Sergey Polikarpov, Managing Director at RUSNANO comments: “Beneq is a welcome member in our nanotechnology portfolio. We acknowledge the technical excellence of the company, and the literally untapped economical potential that lies before its thin film coating offering. We have also identified potential synergies between Beneq and companies already in the RUSNANO team. With a firm belief in the technical capabilities of Beneq and the global surge for thin film production capacity, we want to be a part of the growth that lies ahead”.

RUSNANO was founded in March 2011 as an open joint stock company through reorganization of state corporation Russian Corporation of Nanotechnologies. RUSNANO's mission is to develop the Russian nanotechnology industry through co-investment in nanotechnology projects with substantial economic potential or social benefit. The Government of the Russian Federation owns 100 percent of the shares in RUSNANO. Anatoly Chubais is CEO and chairman of the Executive Board of RUSNANO.

Work to establish nanotechnology infrastructure and training for nanotechnology specialists, formerly conducted by the Russian Corporation of Nanotechnologies, has been entrusted to the Fund for Infrastructure and Educational Programs, a non-commercial fund also established through reorganization of the Russian Corporation of Nanotechnologies. For more information, please visit the company’s website at www.rusnano.com.

Contact information:
10A Prospekt 60-letia Oktyabrya, Moscow, Russia 117036
Telephone: +7 (495) 988-5677, fax: +7 (495) 988-5399, e-mail: press [at] rusnano [dot] com

Beneq has sales offices in Germany, China, and the United States. Its 36 representative sales offices worldwide bring the company’s products to businesses across the globe. Over the past three years, Beneq has exhibited an annual growth of more than 60 percent. In 2011, Beneq posted sales exceeding 18 million euros. www.beneq.com

Contact information:
Sampo Ahonen, CEO, Beneq Oy
Telephone: +358 40 520 1090, e-mail: sampo [dot] ahonen [at] beneq [dot] com

Beneq, nHALO and nAERO are registered trademarks of Beneq Oy.

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Read the Press Release in Finnish (PDF)

Beneq nAERO® TCO Coating Proves its Performance

02 April 2012

Beneq has presented convincing results on the performance of thin film photovoltaic solar cells manufactured with TCO-glass (transparent conductive oxide) produced by Beneq nAERO^® technology. The results fundamentally prove that nAERO-coated TCO glass is a definite candidate for cell manufacturers in need of high-quality fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) TCO glass at an affordable price. The results were measured by a research team at Helmholz-Zentrum in Berlin, Germany and published at the 10th GPD China conference in Shanghai on Saturday March 31^st.

Beneq CTO, Dr Tommi Vainio, comments: “Publishing these findings helps in establishing nAERO TCO as a new, viable and reliable option for industrial production of TCO-coated solar glass. The fact that the coating can be tailored to suit different cell types makes it flexible. The fact that it has remarkably high coating growth rate and level of yield makes it unique. These factors together make it evident to our present and future customers that nAERO TCO is a new and winning option in the field of FTO TCO for thin film photovoltaics.

Beneq offers nAERO coating technology for continuous off-line and in-line TCO-coating for thin film solar cells (amorphous silicon [a-Si], microcrystalline silicon [µc-Si] and cadmium–telluride [Cd-Te]). Together with Glaston, Beneq offers the world’s first and only coating line, the Beneq-Glaston TFC2000™, for continuous production of TCO-coated glass for photovoltaics.

For more information about Beneq nAERO TCO, please click here.

For more information about the Beneq-Glaston TFC2000, please click here.

For more information, please contact:
Dr Tommi Vainio, CTO, Beneq Oy
Tel: +358 40 570 7502
e-mail: tommi.vainio(at)beneq.com

Beneq, nHALO and nAERO are registered trademarks of Beneq Oy.

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Beneq wins Internationalization Award of the President of Finland

09 February 2012

The President of the Republic of Finland Tarja Halonen has today presented Beneq, together with Normet and the Finnish gaming cluster, with the 2011 Internationalization Awards. The aim of the internationalization award is to promote company activities in an international environment and their ability to develop and implement new operating models. It is also intended to encourage the winning companies’ internationalization and that of other Finnish companies.

“One of the purposes of the Internationalization Award of the President of the Republic is to highlight concepts and business models as examples to other internationalizing Finnish companies and to encourage internationalization. Export is very important to Finnish well-being – after all, we are the most export-driven country in Europe. All of the recipients represent a high level of specialized Finnish competence and have shown strong internationalization," says Finpro President and CEO Kari Häyrinen.

Beneq is paving the way in thin film equipment and application development

Beneq designs and delivers thin film coating equipment based on two nano-enabled coating technologies: atomic layer deposition (ALD) and aerosol coating. Back in 2005, when the company was established, the leading idea was to commercialize advanced coating technologies for new application areas. Today, coating equipment made by Beneq are in use when manufacturing solar photovoltaic cells, when coating large-area ribbon and sheet glass, for applying diffusion and barrier layers to flexible electronics and organic LEDs (OLED) and when functionalizing substrate surfaces as a whole. In addition, the research and development equipment made by Beneq and in use all over the world, are helping scientists create new applications for new needs and enabling swift and easy transition from research to commercialization.

Beneq CEO, Mr Sampo Ahonen, comments: “It pays off to be bold. We have pushed relentlessly forward. We have believed in ourselves, in our technology and in our personal know-how, and we have proven ourselves right. As much as this reward is a humbling experience and a feather in our hat, it is a prize that has been made possible by the most valuable asset we have, our personnel. My sincere thanks on a day like this go to the President of the Republic, to Finpro, and to everyone at Beneq, including friends and partners. Truly, nothing is impossible to the willing mind.”

For more information, please contact:
Mr Sampo Ahonen, CEO, Beneq Oy
Tel: +358 40 520 1090,
e-mail: sampo.ahonen(at)beneq.com

Beneq, nHALO and nAERO are registered trademarks of Beneq Oy.

Finpro is a global organization with more than 370 professionals in 66 offices in almost 50 countries. The expertise and services we provide boost our clients’ success in the different phases of internationalization, enabling them to be in the right markets at the right time. Each year, Finpro performs the search and preliminary assessment of internationalization prize nominees, on the basis of which Finpro’s Board of Directors, in co-operation with the Association for Finnish Work, prepares a proposal concerning the award recipients to the President. The President selects the Internationalization Award winners on the basis of these proposals. The award is now being granted for the 44th time. The prizes are donated by the Finnish Fair Foundation. www.finpro.fi

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