Qcells, the U.S. solar manufacturing arm of Korea’s Hanwha Solutions, announced it is furloughing approximately 1,000 manufacturing employees and reducing work hours at its two Georgia facilities in Dalton and Cartersville. Additionally, the company is cutting about 300 workers employed through staffing agencies.
The move comes months after Qcells reported that certain shipments of solar cells and polysilicon—intermediate goods sourced from allied countries like Malaysia and South Korea—were being detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) as part of heightened scrutiny under the UFLPA.
Qcells is currently ramping up a $2.5 billion expansion in Georgia, intended to establish a fully integrated domestic solar supply chain encompassing ingot, wafer, cell, and module production. This investment is one of the most significant projects catalyzed by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).
A company spokesperson confirmed that while most delayed shipments are now clearing customs, the significant lag forced a decision to reduce production capacity and enact the workforce actions to improve operational efficiency. The affected employees will retain full benefits, and the company expects to resume full production and recall the furloughed staff “in the coming weeks and months.”
The incident highlights the complex execution challenges facing U.S. solar manufacturing. Companies are striving to meet domestic content requirements and build resilient supply chains, but the need to import specific components during the ramp-up phase has created critical pinch points at the border due to trade enforcement policies. The temporary production cutback underscores the fragility of domestic capacity as the industry transitions away from reliance on foreign upstream materials.
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