Vice Chancellor of Germany visits TRUMPF’s Smart Factory

German Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Dr. Robert Habeck visited the smart factory of German high-tech company TRUMPF near Chicago, Illinois. The company is one of the technology and market leaders in highly versatile machine tools for sheet metal processing and in the field of industrial lasers (sales fiscal year 2022/23: 5.4 billion euros, employees: 18,400 worldwide). Discussions with the top management of the TRUMPF U.S. subsidiary centered on economic cooperation between Germany and the United States, strengthening the transatlantic partnership, the resilience of the supply chains, and the digitalization of the industry. The minister was accompanied by German Ambassador to the United States Andreas Michaelis.

“Close economic ties across the Atlantic are the right recipe for developing innovative solutions for our industries. Both sides benefit when we address transformational challenges such as the digitalization of the industry together. The Smart Factory in Illinois demonstrates what successful transatlantic cooperation looks like in concrete terms. TRUMPF’s automated manufacturing process shows how we can reduce the use of energy and material effectively though Industry 4.0 solutions,” says Robert Habeck, German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.

The TRUMPF Smart Factory in Hoffman Estates, Illinois is one of eight TRUMPF locations in the United States, the company's biggest market in terms of sales. “A strong partnership between the United States and Germany is a key to prosperity for both countries. Political and economic cooperation between the two nations opens market and growth opportunities and encourages investments on both sides of the Atlantic. Such cooperation plays a decisive role for our industry and innovative high-tech companies like TRUMPF,” says TRUMPF Inc. President and CEO Lutz Labisch. 

The delegation toured the Smart Factory and witnessed demonstrations of its digitized, connected, and automated production. TRUMPF experts illustrated how they work with manufacturers on innovative approaches which save energy and material. The TRUMPF Smart Factory also shows how automation helps manufacturers overcome labor shortages, increase their profitability, and strengthen their competitiveness.

“We are honored to showcase TRUMPF’s international leadership in automated and connected manufacturing technology operating at our Smart Factory in Illinois. Here in North America, we are proud to have contributed more than $1.05 billion USD in sales revenue to the TRUMPF Group’s tremendous worldwide growth, and we maintain a positive outlook for business,” Labisch says. “The U.S. economy remains strong, and we see continued demand for TRUMPF technology, particularly our smart factory products and services, in North America.”

Founded in 1969, TRUMPF Inc. is a subsidiary of the TRUMPF Group and today employs about 1,600 people to serve the manufacturing needs of customers in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The Chicago-area TRUMPF Smart Factory was the first of its kind when it was opened in 2017. Currently, TRUMPF has   three Smart Factories globally and an additional U.S.-based TRUMPF Smart Factory is under construction at the North American subsidiary’s headquarters in Connecticut and scheduled for completion in 2025. TRUMPF’s North American operations include a machine tool technology center in California; laser technology centers in Michigan and California; as well as TRUMPF Photonics in New Jersey; Stellar Industries in Massachusetts; Access Laser in Seattle, Washington; facilities in Apodaca and Querétaro, Mexico; and a facility in Mississauga, Canada.