Singulus Technologies (Kahl / Germany; www.singulus.com) plans to focus in future entirely on its core Optical Discs business and its relatively new solar technology. It will divest all other activities – the semiconductor operations of HamaTech APE as well as its Nano Deposition Technologies and Optical Coating segments (coating of ophthalmic lenses). The company has already revalued these operations and taken a write-down of EUR 41.2m.

By 2010, the market leader for optical storage media production machinery expects sales of more than EUR 200m in this segment and at least EUR 120m in the solar segment. In 2007, Singulus reported total sales of EUR 229.5m. The company only started producing thin film solar cells a year ago when it took a 51% stake in Stangl Semiconductor Equipment (Eichenau / Germany; www.stangl.de) – see Plasteurope.com of 14.08.2007.