TRUMPF event marks 50 years in U.S. metal fabrication

German Ambassador Emily Margarethe Haber, second from left, and Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, third from left, join TRUMPF leaders on a tour during the company’s event recognizing 50 years in America.

On Sept. 30 the governor of Connecticut, Germany’s ambassador, and fabricators from more than 30 states traveled to Farmington to participate in an event recognizing TRUMPF’s 50 years in the U.S.

“This is the golden era for advanced manufacturing,” said Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont to an audience of fabricators. Lamont, along with Ambassador Emily Margarethe Haber, had just toured TRUMPF’s manufacturing facility. “It’s our job to remind our kids and their parents that this is great work, important work, work you should be proud of, and work that has ushered us into the 21st century.”

TRUMPF Inc. remains the German manufacturer’s second-largest foreign subsidiary and, especially in recent years, has been important to the company’s overall growth. While TRUMPF’s overall global sales in fiscal 2018-2019 of US$4.3 billion “was not as strong as we planned due to a slowdown in global growth, they were very good, thanks in large part to our customers here in North America … After Germany, the U.S. was once again our second-largest single market, with $607 million in sales. That puts it ahead of China. When we include Mexico and Canada, sales totaled US$775 million.”

So said TRUMPF Group President, CEO, and Chairwoman Dr. Nicola Leibinger-Kammüller, who spoke at the event. She is the daughter of Berthold Leibinger, the company’s longtime managing partner who served as chairman until 2012 and died in October of last year.

“This is a sentimental journey,” Leibinger-Kammüller said. “As many of you know, I was born in Ohio.”

Her speech recounted her days growing up in the states, where her father worked at Cincinnati Machine Inc., now Milacron, before returning to Stuttgart to work at TRUMPF, where he had apprenticed years before. She recalled viewing home movies her father took in the states, including a memorable moment on July 4, an early morning arrival by ship (the QE2) in 1976 to New York, the Statue of Liberty in the background, during what happened to be the nation’s bicentennial.

“I remember the feeling that something special was going on, as I looked at the Statue of Liberty, and the country was gearing up for the presidential election that autumn, Carter against Ford. There was a taste of freedom and a new world that I’ve never felt before …. Mobility and sharing of ideas across international borders are two essential conditions for our business. I truly believe in the idea of global, honest, free trade.”

In a subsequent speech, German Ambassador Haber echoed that sentiment. “Let’s continue free and fair trade,” she said. “Let's underline how much we've benefited from those close nations in this global trade system, one that is based on rules.”

Beyond these mentions of trade, the event primarily focused on how the industry has changed in the past half-century.

“Many of you know what a metal fab shop looked like in the 1960s,” said Peter Hoecklin, president and CEO of TRUMPF Inc. in Connecticut. Hoecklin’s speech described the evolution of safety and ergonomics, of segmented press brake tools and laser-based safeguarding systems. He spoke of productivity, including increased punch and laser cutting speeds, as well as flexibility and the increased importance of short changeover times.

“Manufacturing in America today employs about 10 percent of the workforce, accounts for 12 percent of U.S. GDP, but drives 35 percent of productivity growth and accounts for 60 percent of exports,” Hoecklin said.

One slide showed an advanced laser system not common in metal fabrication, but one he said will be instrumental in driving future technologies, especially regarding communications and Industry 4.0.

“This laser is an integral part of the production process of the world's most advanced semiconductor chips,” he said. “These chips are so fast and energy efficient, they will allow us to take full advantage of 5G, make computers and cellphones smaller, and batteries last longer.” Such communications technology, he added, will help make the smart factory—one built on artificial intelligence and machine learning—a reality.

“Artificial intelligence is coming to a job shop near you.”