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First Solar Tech Stack

Thin-film solar manufacturer scaling US production capacity

Energy Technology Tempe, Arizona 5,001–10,000 employees Founded 1999 Public Company

First Solar manufactures thin-film photovoltaic panels at scale across multiple US and international facilities. The tech stack is heavily weighted toward manufacturing systems (Maximo, PLC, Rockwell Automation, FactoryTalk) and enterprise backend (.NET, SQL Server, Azure), with ongoing adoption of Oracle Transportation Management — a signal the company is optimizing supply-chain logistics as production volumes grow. Active hiring skews 2:1 toward manufacturing and engineering roles, reflecting a capital-intensive scaling phase focused on yield improvement, equipment qualification, and process development.

Tech Stack 157 technologies

Core Stack.NET C# ASP.NET JavaScript SQL Server Azure DevOps Angular Python Oracle CMMS Maximo PLC Word Excel Outlook XAML Git YAML Service Fabric SQL Server Integration Services Allen-Bradley Logix RSLinx Windows SQL JMP Microsoft Office PowerPoint Kronos Rockwell Automation Logix FactoryTalk View ME+124 more
AdoptingOracle Transportation Management

What First Solar Is Building

Challenges

  • Improving throughput and yield
  • Troubleshooting manufacturing issues
  • Reducing equipment downtime
  • Reducing manufacturing cost
  • Improving yield and product performance
  • Preventing repeat quality issues
  • Reducing inventory variances
  • Maintaining equipment uptime
  • Ensuring safety compliance
  • Enhancing thin film solar cell performance

Active Projects

  • New equipment qualification
  • Process experiments
  • Pilot-line equipment new process definition
  • New process development
  • New electrical preventative maintenance tasks
  • New equipment installation and implementation
  • New production process implementation
  • Yield improvement initiatives
  • Warehouse continuous improvement projects
  • Yield excursion analysis

Hiring Activity

Steady350 roles · 120 in 30d

Department

Manufacturing
118
Engineering
113
Ops
54
HR
12
Support
11
Finance
9
Logistics
8
Data
5

Seniority

Mid
128
Junior
126
Senior
39
Manager
27
Intern
12
Lead
12
Principal
3
VP
1

Notable leadership hires: Team Lead Coater, Workforce Development Lead, Production Team Lead

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About First Solar

First Solar is a publicly traded, US-headquartered manufacturer of thin-film solar photovoltaic modules. The company operates R&D facilities in California and Ohio and runs manufacturing plants across the United States, India, Vietnam, and Malaysia. Their technology competes on performance and cost against crystalline silicon alternatives. The product is sold into utility-scale power generation and renewable energy infrastructure projects. With roughly 5,000–10,000 employees, First Solar operates a capital-intensive business spanning materials science, process engineering, factory automation, and logistics.

HeadquartersTempe, Arizona
Company Size5,001–10,000 employees
Founded1999
Hiring MarketsUnited States, India, Vietnam, Malaysia

Frequently Asked Questions

What manufacturing systems does First Solar use?

Maximo for computerized maintenance management, Rockwell Automation Logix for equipment control, FactoryTalk View ME for factory visualization, and Allen-Bradley PLC logic. Backend systems run .NET, C#, and SQL Server on Azure DevOps.

Is First Solar hiring engineers and manufacturing roles?

Yes. Of 354 active roles, 118 are in manufacturing and 113 in engineering, posted at junior (126) and mid (128) levels, indicating volume hiring in production and process disciplines.

Where does First Solar manufacture solar panels?

The company operates facilities in the United States, India, Vietnam, and Malaysia. R&D labs are located in California and Ohio.

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