Industrial laser company Trumpf records its strongest year yet
Industrial laser systems maker Trumpf (Ditzingen, Germany) has significantly increased sales, orders received, and profits in the 2017/18 fiscal year that ended June 30, 2018. Sales rose by 14.6% to €3.57 billion compared to €3.11 billion in fiscal year 2016/17, making it the highest figure in company history since its foundation in 1923.
Driven by an ongoing strong global economy, the company was able to significantly exceed its projections in some areas. Its Machine Tools business division, which is the largest, increased its sales by 11.3%. The Laser Technology division achieved sales growth of 21.5% lithography for the exposure of microchips performed particularly well, increasing by 57.3% over the previous year to €250 million. The company's planning for the current 2018/19 fiscal year envisions further noticeable growth in extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) lithography.
Germany was the largest single market for the company, with sales up by 15.6% to €719 million, followed by China (up by 13.0% on the previous year to €457 million) and the United States (up by 5.4% on the previous year to €444 million) in second and third place, respectively. Year-on-year sales in Italy grew by 31.8% to €173 million, making the country the fourth-strongest single market for the first time. In addition to these markets, the company intends to intensify its business activities in countries such as Mexico and Canada as well as in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Vietnam in an effort to achieve average annual growth of 10%.
In the past fiscal year, the company invested in emerging technologies such as EUV lithography and metal 3D printing (additive manufacturing), as well as driving forward the AXOOM digital business platform. Expenditure on research and development rose by 5.9% to €337 million. The company's R&D ratio in relation to sales amounted to 9.5%. The number of employees worldwide working on new products for the company increased by 13.2% to 2087.
Investments in other European countries accounted for 13% of the company's total capital expenditure, while 15% concerned the Americas. The smart factory demonstration center in Chicago is an outstanding example, representing an investment of €26 million. Another major investment project was the creation of the company's largest-ever production site, operated by the Chinese joint venture JFY. The total cost of this investment was €14 million.
In the current fiscal year, despite the general slowdown of the global economy, the company expects to generate business with a similar level of profitability.
For more information, please visit www.trumpf.com.