SunPower Bets It Can Have Its Cake and Eat It, Too
From its early days, SunPower (NASDAQ: SPWR) defined itself as an innovator: It designed and manufactured some of the most advanced, highest-quality solar cells and modules available. As pricing pressures have driven the industry toward commoditization for years, SunPower is once again betting it can innovate its way to the top, by having the best, differentiated products made affordably ... by someone else.
As the solar industry strived for years to make low-cost solar modules better, SunPower went the opposite way: It invested in making the best solar modules more affordable. But quality usually carries a premium. So as SunPower tried to bring its products to market, it began a process of vertical integration.
Image source: SunPower.
Source Fool.com
