AMSC (Nasdaq:AMSC), a global solutions provider serving the wind
and power grid industry, today announced that the U.S. Navy created
a sole source solicitation notice for AMSC's high temperature
superconductor (HTS) equipment. The contract is expected after
April 28, 2015. Additionally, AMSC has established a relationship
with the Navy to develop HTS power cable hardware for ship board
power applications.
For the past several years, AMSC and the Navy have collaborated
on AMSC's advanced HTS degaussing system. The core components of
the degaussing system are transferable to other applications being
targeted for ship implementation. AMSC is continuing its work to
expand HTS technology into the fleet through a variety of
applications for power, propulsion, and protection equipment. AMSC
refers to its HTS-based products for the Navy as "Ship Protection
Systems."
AMSC's Ship Protection Systems, such as degaussing systems,
reduce the magnetic signature of a ship, which can interfere with
undersea mines' ability to detect and damage the ship. AMSC has
worked with the U.S. Navy to develop and qualify a lighter weight,
more power efficient HTS version of this degaussing system. HTS is
an enabling technology for advanced degaussing systems on platforms
with weight and power limitations. These systems require
significantly less power to operate and can reduce the overall
degaussing system weight by 50-70%.
AMSC has been working jointly with the Navy Metal Working Center
of Excellence to optimize manufacturing costs associated with HTS
degaussing cables. During the course of this Manufacturing
Technology (ManTech) program, the cable making process has been
streamlined and is expected to meet the delivery and cost targets
associated with full ship production. The manufacturing
infrastructure developed under the ManTech program has been
transitioned to AMSC's Devens facility.
"AMSC has worked extensively with the U.S. Navy to develop
prototypes of the HTS advanced degaussing systems on surface
platforms. AMSC's HTS systems have now traveled close to 75,000
miles and compiled over 20,000 hours of run time on U.S. Navy
vessels," said Daniel P. McGahn, President and CEO, AMSC. "Combined
with the manufacturing advances gained through the ManTech program,
we believe AMSC is capable of delivering HTS systems to the U.S.
Navy."
The success of an HTS degaussing program has potential for other
applications such as ship board power transmission using similar
equipment. AMSC has recently received a contract from the U.S. Navy
Office of Naval Research to develop power cable hardware in direct
support of that effort.
About AMSC (Nasdaq:AMSC)
AMSC generates the ideas, technologies and solutions that meet
the world's demand for smarter, cleaner … better energy. Through
its Windtec™ Solutions, AMSC provides wind turbine electronic
controls and systems, designs and engineering services that reduce
the cost of wind energy. Through its Gridtec™ Solutions, AMSC
provides the engineering planning services and advanced grid
systems that optimize network reliability, efficiency and
performance. The company's solutions are now powering gigawatts of
renewable energy globally and enhancing the performance and
reliability of power networks in more than a dozen countries.
Founded in 1987, AMSC is headquartered near Boston, Massachusetts
with operations in Asia, Australia, Europe and North America. For
more information, please visit www.amsc.com.
AMSC, Windtec, Gridtec, and Smarter, and Cleaner … Better
Energy, are trademarks or registered trademarks of American
Superconductor Corporation. All other brand names, product names,
trademarks or service marks belong to their respective holders.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within
the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934,
as amended (the "Exchange Act"). Any statements in this release
about expectations regarding the entry by AMSC and U.S. Navy into a
contract for AMSC to provide High Temperature Superconductor (HTS)
Degaussing equipment to the U.S. Navy, the cable making process
meeting the delivery and cost targets associated with full ship
production, the potential of a successful HTS degaussing program
for other applications, and other statements containing the words
"believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "will" and similar
expressions, constitute forward-looking statements within the
meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Such forward-looking statements represent management's current
expectations and are inherently uncertain. There are a number of
important factors that could materially impact the value of our
common stock or cause actual results to differ materially from
those indicated by such forward-looking statements. Such factors
include: We have a history of operating losses, which may continue
in the future. Our operating results may fluctuate significantly
from quarter to quarter and may fall below expectations in any
particular fiscal quarter; we have a history of negative operating
cash flows, and we may require additional financing in the future,
which may not be available to us; Our Term Loans include certain
covenants and other events of default. Should we not comply with
these covenants or incur an event of default, we may be required to
repay our obligation in cash, which could have an adverse effect on
our liquidity; We may be required to issue performance bonds or
provide letters of credit, which restricts our ability to access
any cash used as collateral for the bonds or letters of credit;
Changes in exchange rates could adversely affect our results from
operations; If we fail to maintain proper and effective internal
controls over financial reporting, our ability to produce accurate
and timely financial statements could be impaired and may lead
investors and other users to lose confidence in our financial data;
Our success in addressing the wind energy market is dependent on
the manufacturers that license our designs; Our success is
dependent upon attracting and retaining qualified personnel and our
inability to do so could significantly damage our business and
prospects; We may not realize all of the sales expected from our
backlog of orders and contracts; Our financial condition may have
an adverse effect on our customer and supplier relationships;
Failure to successfully execute the consolidation of our Grid
manufacturing operations or achieve expected savings could
adversely impact our financial performance; Our business and
operations would be adversely impacted in the event of a failure or
security breach of our information technology infrastructure; We
may not be able to launch operations at our newly leased
manufacturing facility in Romania, and, if we are able to do so, we
may have manufacturing quality issues, which would negatively
affect our revenues and financial position; We rely upon
third-party suppliers for the components and subassemblies of many
of our Wind and Grid products, making us vulnerable to supply
shortages and price fluctuations, which could harm our business;
Many of our revenue opportunities are dependent upon subcontractors
and other business collaborators; If we fail to implement our
business strategy successfully, our financial performance could be
harmed; Problems with product quality or product performance may
cause us to incur warranty expenses and may damage our market
reputation and prevent us from achieving increased sales and market
share; New regulations related to conflict-free minerals may force
us to incur significant additional expenses; Our contracts with the
U.S. government are subject to audit, modification or termination
by the U.S. government and include certain other provisions in
favor of the government. The continued funding of such contracts
remains subject to annual congressional appropriation which, if not
approved, could reduce our revenue and lower or eliminate our
profit; Many of our customers outside of the United States are,
either directly or indirectly, related to governmental entities,
and we could be adversely affected by violations of the United
States Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar worldwide
anti-bribery laws outside the United States; We have limited
experience in marketing and selling our superconductor products and
system-level solutions, and our failure to effectively market and
sell our products and solutions could lower our revenue and cash
flow; We may acquire additional complementary businesses or
technologies, which may require us to incur substantial costs for
which we may never realize the anticipated benefits; Our success
depends upon the commercial use of high temperature superconductor
(HTS) products, which is currently limited, and a widespread
commercial market for our products may not develop; Growth of the
wind energy market depends largely on the availability and size of
government subsidies and economic incentives; We have operations in
and depend on sales in emerging markets, including China and India,
and global conditions could negatively affect our operating results
or limit our ability to expand our operations outside of these
countries. Changes in China's or India's political, social,
regulatory and economic environment may affect our financial
performance; Our products face intense competition, which could
limit our ability to acquire or retain customers; Our international
operations are subject to risks that we do not face in the United
States, which could have an adverse effect on our operating
results; Adverse changes in domestic and global economic conditions
could adversely affect our operating results; We may be unable to
adequately prevent disclosure of trade secrets and other
proprietary information; Our patents may not provide meaningful
protection for our technology, which could result in us losing some
or all of our market position; There are a number of technological
challenges that must be successfully addressed before our
superconductor products can gain widespread commercial acceptance,
and our inability to address such technological challenges could
adversely affect our ability to acquire customers for our products;
We have not manufactured our Amperium wire in commercial
quantities, and a failure to manufacture our Amperium wire in
commercial quantities at acceptable cost and quality levels would
substantially limit our future revenue and profit potential; Third
parties have or may acquire patents that cover the materials,
processes and technologies we use or may use in the future to
manufacture our Amperium products, and our success depends on our
ability to license such patents or other proprietary rights; Our
technology and products could infringe intellectual property rights
of others, which may require costly litigation and, if we are not
successful, could cause us to pay substantial damages and disrupt
our business; We have filed a demand for arbitration and other
lawsuits against our former largest customer, Sinovel, regarding
amounts we contend are overdue. We cannot be certain as to the
outcome of these proceedings; We have been named as a party in
various legal proceedings, and we may be named in additional
litigation, all of which will require significant management time
and attention, result in significant legal expenses and may result
in an unfavorable outcome, which could have a material adverse
effect on our business, operating results and financial condition;
Our common stock has experienced, and may continue to experience,
significant market price and volume fluctuations, which may prevent
our stockholders from selling our common stock at a profit and
could lead to costly litigation against us that could divert our
management's attention.
These and the important factors discussed under the caption
"Risk Factors" in Part 1. Item 1A of our Form 10-K for the fiscal
year ended March 31, 2014, and our other reports filed with the
SEC, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially
from those indicated by forward-looking statements made herein and
presented elsewhere by management from time to time. Any such
forward-looking statements represent management's estimates as of
the date of this press release. While we may elect to update such
forward-looking statements at some point in the future, we disclaim
any obligation to do so, even if subsequent events cause our views
to change. These forward-looking statements should not be relied
upon as representing our views as of any date subsequent to the
date of this press release.
CONTACT: AMSC
Kerry Farrell
Phone: 978-842-3247
Email: kerry.farrell @ amsc.com
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