Press release

Sputnik Engineering, a Swiss manufacturer of solar system inverters, has a new managing director for its French subsidiary

Biel, 9 December 2009. Didier Jeannelle is the new managing director of Sputnik's French subsidiary Sputnik Engineering S.A.R.L. Today, at the Energaia Trade Fair in Montpellier, he will take over from Daniel Freudiger, who has headed the French subsidiary since its founding last year. Freudiger will now move to Sputnik's Swiss headquarters to become head of sales and marketing with a focus on the continued development of new markets. Jeannelle himself will now turn his attention to consolidating Sputnik's presence in France. In the period to February of next year he plans to move the office into larger office space around Lyon and increase staff to a total of seven.

"The French solar market is booming," Jeannelle explains. "I will continue to promote our close-to-customer policies along with sales of SolarMax products and related services in France. Another objective he has in mind is the expansion of the company's industrial power plant business.

The 42-year-old Frenchman has 15 years of experience with high-tech products. Before joining Sputnik, Jeannelle held positions as a key account manager, managing director and sales director with a manufacturer in the semi-conductor industry. "Sputnik Engineering is an international, mid-sized business whose high-tech products contribute to the protection of our environment, something which is also important to me personally. For me, continuing the French subsidiary's expansion represents an exciting challenge."

Come over to our stand at the Energaia from the 9th to the 12th of December! During the Energaia Trade Fair in Montpellier Daniel Freudiger will hand over the directorship of the French subsidiary to Didier Jeannelle. In addition, Sputnik Engineering's new products will be on display. You will find us in Hall 12 at stand number E 303.

About Sputnik Engineering AG

Sputnik Engineering AG was founded in 1991 by Christoph von Bergen and Philipp Müller. Since then it has focused its activities exclusively on the development, sales and maintenance of inverters for grid-connected photovoltaic systems. With the SolarMax series, the company – headquartered in Biel, – offers a highly diverse product range of string inverters for single family houses and central inverters for solar power plants. Thanks to its many years of experience and constant optimisation of its products, Sputnik has developed devices distinguished by their state-of-the-art technology, high quality, reliability, maximum yields and very good value for the money. Sputnik Engineering currently has around 240 employees at its Swiss headquarters as well in its subsidiaries in Neuhausen (), () and Milan (), and Paris (France).

Editor Sputnik Engineering AG Höheweg 85 CH – 2502 Biel Switzerland Tel.: +41 (0) 32 346 5600 Fax. +41 (0) 32 346 5609 [email protected] www.solarmax.com

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