Washington --The photovoltaics unit of German precious metals refiner Heraeus has opened a new manufacturing facility in Taiwan to manufacture silver metallic pastes for the solar cell industry, the company said Monday.

The facility, which features expanded laboratory and production capabilities to complement the company's existing sales and technical services operations, is part of an expansion initiative in Singapore, Shanghai, Hanau and Taipei.

"Taiwan is an important market for the future of the photovoltaic industry," Andy London, global manager of Heraeus' photovoltaics unit said in a statement. "We value the demand from this region and see it as vital to the future growth of our global PV business."