Johns Manville (JM), a leading manufacturer of building products, has entered the solar market through a deal with Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ: ENER) (ECD).
Johns Manville is a Denver-based Berkshire Hathaway company (NYSE: BRK.A, BRK.B) that employs approximately 7,000 and manufactures building products for markets ranging from aerospace to commercial construction. The company operates 40 manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe and
China.
ECD will supply JM with thin-film amorphous silicon-based photovoltaic (PV) laminates. JM has created a new business entity, called the JM E3 Company (E3Co) to market building-integrated solar products.
“This agreement is our first step in offering a range of new solar-energy producing roofing products to our customer base,” Fred Stephan, vice president and general manager of the Roofing Systems business for Johns Manville, said.
In May, ECD announced plans to co-develop a portfolio of rooftop solar installations with Belgium-based Enfinity, NV.