What M10 Solar Equipment Gmbh does

M10 Solar Equipment GmbH is a German industrial equipment manufacturer founded in November 2021 as a joint venture between M10 Industries AG and ZAHORANSKY AG, headquartered in Freiburg im Breisgau. The company designs and builds machinery for the production of shingle matrix photovoltaic modules, a cell interconnection architecture in which cell strips overlap in a masonry-like pattern to eliminate cell gaps, cover busbars, and reduce shading and series-resistance losses. Its core product line consists of the SURFACE ECA (electrically conductive adhesive) cell connecting machine (world's first and fastest, up to 12,000 cell strips per hour, modules up to 1300mm × 2300mm), the SURF-X solderless auto bussing machine, the SURF-UP matrix handling system, and a Peel Force Tester for joint quality assurance; all production is 100% lead-free.

The company's revenue model combines one-time equipment sales with a layered professional-services stack: consulting for line integration, project management including TCO and material selection, Module Prototyping (MPT) for pre-series validation, and M10 Service+ recurring maintenance contracts with AI-supported worker assistance and a global partner-network field service. Shingle Matrix Technology was co-developed with Fraunhofer ISE (SHIRKAN, 2019), and the company holds leadership roles in industry bodies including VDMA Photovoltaics, Solarpower Europe, and ESIA.

Go-to-market is enterprise B2B field sales targeting photovoltaic module manufacturers globally, with no disclosed end-customer logos, public revenue, or external funding rounds. Geographic reach is evidenced through consecutive participation in Intersolar (Munich), RE+ (Las Vegas), and REI (India). The company has won the Intersolar Award 2022, German Innovation Award 2022, and Umwelt Technikpreis 2021, and is led by CEO Philipp Zahn and Managing Director Marco Saladin within a broader ecosystem of over 900 colleagues across the parent companies.

Name

M10 Solar Equipment Gmbh

Legal name

M10 Solar Equipment GmbH

Website

https://m10solar.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

M10 Solar Equipment GmbH designs and manufactures industrial machinery for shingle matrix photovoltaic module production, including the SURFACE ECA stringer, SURF-X busser, and SURF-UP matrix handling system, selling to global PV module manufacturers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Solar Module Manufacturing Equipment

NAICS

Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing (3333)

SIC

Special Industry Machinery, Nec (3559), Misc Industrial & Commercial Machinery & Equipment (3590)

akta.pro primary industry

Solar PV Module Manufacturing (Cells, Modules, Thin-Film) (EUAMABAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Solar Quality, Testing, Certification & Standards (Lab Testing, Inspections, Compliance) (EUAMABAN)

Keywords

• Solar module manufacturing equipment
• Photovoltaic production machinery
• Shingle matrix technology
• ECA cell connecting systems
• Solar stringer equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Freiburg Im Breisgau

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Equipment Sales: Sale of manufacturing equipment including SURFACE, SURF-X, SURF-UP, and Peel Force Tester machines for solar module production
2. Consulting Services: Expert consulting for integration into existing production lines and new photovoltaic module manufacturing
3. Project Management Services: Comprehensive project management from production assistance through line and equipment solutions, including TCO calculation, material selection, and production optimization
4. Module Prototyping (MPT): Individual product manufacturing for testing and assessment, validating efficiency, performance data and quality for future serial production
5. M10 Service+: Ongoing service and maintenance contracts including AI-supported worker assistance, preventive maintenance, and global service technician network

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

M10 Solar Equipment GmbH develops, manufactures, and sells industrial machinery for producing Shingle Matrix photovoltaic modules. Its flagship SURFACE machine is the world's first ECA cell connecting line capable of up to 12,000 cell strips/hour, complemented by SURF-X for solderless cross-connection, SURF-UP for matrix handling, and the Peel Force Tester for quality control. The firm also delivers consulting, project management, prototyping, and ongoing service (M10 Service+) to solar module manufacturers.

Product overview

M10 Solar Equipment GmbH is a solar module manufacturing equipment company offering an integrated portfolio of production machinery for Shingle Matrix solar modules. The core product is the SURFACE ECA cell connecting machine, complemented by SURF-X for cross-connection and SURF-UP for matrix processing, plus the Peel Force Tester for quality assurance. The company's proprietary Shingle Matrix Technology enables lead-free, high-efficiency solar modules with superior shading resilience. Services include Consulting, Project Management, Module Prototyping, and M10 Service+ for comprehensive support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SURFACE: World's first and most powerful ECA cell connecting machine for shingle matrix solar modules. Award-winning technology capable of manufacturing up to 12,000 cell strips per hour.
• SURF-X
• SURF-UP
• Peel Force Tester
• Shingle Matrix Technology
• M10 Service+

Products and services

• SURFACE World's first and unique ECA cell connecting machine for Shingle Matrix solar modules. The most powerful ECA cell connecting machine available, capable of manufacturing up to 12,000 cell strips per hour. Handles module widths up to 1300mm and lengths up to 2300mm, supports all cell sizes up to M12+ and cell technologies (HJT, TopCon, PERC, Perovskite, Tandem) with 100% lead-free production. For industrial PV module manufacturers.
• SURF-X ECA auto bussing machine that uses electrically conductive adhesive (ECA) to connect the module matrix through to the junction box in a cross- and interconnected fashion. Enables 100% solderless cross-connection for solar modules and allows junction boxes to be positioned on the underside of modules. For industrial PV module manufacturers.
• SURF-UP

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 12,000 cell strips per hour throughput
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• VDMA PhotovoltaicsminorOthers · 1 December 2024Marco Saladin, Managing Director, serves on the nine-member board. Focus on strengthening German-European solar machinery industry to compete with China.
• Fraunhofer ISEcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Long-standing development partner for Shingle Matrix Technology. Jointly developed SHIRKAN (world's first ECA Shingle Matrix Technology machine in 2019) and continue collaboration on technology advancement.
• Solarpower EuropeminorOthersIndustry membership organization for solar energy sector in Europe.
• ESIAminorOthersEuropean Solar Industry Alliance membership for industry representation.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Singulus Technologies AG: German manufacturer of production equipment for solar, semiconductor, and optical disc industries, including wet-processing and metallization lines used by PV module makers; directly comparable as a European PV equipment specialist.
• 3D-Micromac AG: German laser-based equipment maker supplying cell processing and module manufacturing tools (including ECA and shingling-relevant laser steps) to PV manufacturers; an adjacent direct peer in equipment for module-level production.
• Meyer Burger Technology AG: Swiss-German PV manufacturing equipment and module producer. Notably the former owner of SOMONT GmbH (M10's predecessor) and a direct competitor in cell interconnection and stringer equipment serving European PV manufacturers.
• Centrotherm International AG: German supplier of process equipment and turnkey production lines for PV cell and module manufacturing (diffusion, PECVD, firing). Comparable as a European incumbent serving module manufacturers with capital equipment.
• Manz AG: German automation specialist whose CIGSfab and other integrated production lines for PV, battery, and electronics manufacturing compete at the line-integration level M10 addresses with its SURFACE/SURF-X/SURF-UP stack.

Others

• ZAHORANSKY AG: Family-owned German automation machinery maker (founded 1902) and one of M10 Solar Equipment's two JV parents, contributing 120 years of industrial automation capability that underpins M10's equipment platform.
• M10 Industries AG: Swiss PV technology holding and the other JV parent of M10 Solar Equipment, contributing 30+ years of cell-stringing IP and the lineage from W&S / SOMONT / KUBUS stringer heritage.

Emerging players

• Holosolis: European (French) startup building a 5 GW TOPCon ingot-to-module factory explicitly backed by EU reshoring policy; relevant as an emerging non-Chinese module manufacturer who is a potential buyer for M10's stringer and bussing equipment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/m10-solar-equipment-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about M10 Solar Equipment Gmbh