Suntech Shines With Solar Services 尚德：进军太阳能服务业
Suntech (NYSE: STP), in many ways a pioneer in China’s booming solar industry, is taking another baby step into the new area of solar services — a move that looks quite good in my view. According to a China Daily report, the company, China’s first to list in New York — is getting into the more lucrative area of systems design and integration. This move seems like a no-brainer to me, and one that’s bound to pay off handsomely in the future after Suntech gets a handle on its large debt. After all, what better way to boost your sales than to provide services to support and promote them. This is exactly the kind of approach that many of the PC makers, including Dell (Nasdaq: DELL) and HP (NYSE: HPQ) have taken in recent years. In addition to boosting demand for their hardware, these companies have all discovered that providing services is much more profitable and less capital intensive than traditional manufacturing.
Bottom line: Suntech’s move into solar design services is a bright one that should help to fatten its profit margins and boost its product sales.
中国太阳能光伏产业的先行者尚德<STP.N>开始涉足太阳能服务领域。《中国日报》一篇报 道称，作为第一家在美国上市的中国太阳能企业，尚德又领先进军利润率更高的系统设计和整合业务。这在我看来是非常自然的一步，并且将在未来产生丰厚收益。这种策略正是戴尔<DELL.O>和惠普<HPQ.N>等老牌PC厂商近 年来所采取的。它们已经尝到了甜头：提供咨询和服务不但有助於刺激自己制造的硬件的销量，而且与传统制造业相比，资本密集程度较低，而利润率更高。
一句话：尚德进军太阳能发电系统设计服务领域，实为明智之举，有助於增加利润率，扩大产品销量。
Related postings 有关文章:
◙ Japan Nuclear Woes Brighten Outlook for Solar Firms 日本核危机提振太阳能公司前景
◙ Putting the Squeeze on Solar
◙ Oil Could Heat Up Solar Firms, Spark Consolidation
