GT Solar International, Inc. (SOLR)

[Opti Mist]

UPDATE 1-GT Solar gets largest ever order of $460.4 mln

Fri Jun 3, 2011 8:27am EDT

* Gets order for sapphire crystallization furnaces

* Order from China-based co to be included in Q1 backlog

* Shares rise 9 pct pre-market (Follows alerts)

June 3 (Reuters) - GT Solar International Inc , a solar and LED equipment maker, said it received its largest ever order worth $460.4 million from a Chinese customer for its furnaces used in sapphire production.

The order will be included in the company's backlog for the fiscal first quarter ending July 2, GT Solar said in a statement.

The unnamed customer is a manufacturing company that is a new entrant to the LED industry, GT said.

Sapphire wafers are used in making LEDs.

Merrimack, New Hampshire-based GT Solar last month raised its outlook for earnings, revenue and margin for fiscal 2012 on a string of recent orders. [ID:nL3E7GO27G]

Shares of the company were up 9 percent at $13.11 before the bell on Friday. (Reporting by Krishna N Das in Bangalore; Editing by Gopakumar Warrier)