After Germany with sales of over EUR 700 million, the USA and China are the largest individual markets with around EUR 450 million each. The development of sales with European customers is also pleasing. The expansion of the EUV business has had a significant effect on this. Trumpf supplies Dutch customer ASML with special lasers that use ultraviolet radiation to expose the surfaces of chips for the computer industry.

Growth in 3D printing and lasers

"We exceeded our targets in many markets, and all of our products contributed to this. We have seen pleasing growth in the future-oriented fields of additive manufacturing, i.e. industrial 3D printing, and in the laser business for microchip manufacturers," says Trumpf CEO Nicola Leibinger-Kammüller. "Nevertheless, we are monitoring the development of the global economy very closely. Because there are increasing signs that this long phase of upswing could soon be over. We want to be prepared for this."

The number of employees across the Group grew by more than 10 percent to around 13,500. In Germany, more than 6,700 people were employed as of June 30, 2018, of which almost 3,900 worked at the headquarters in Ditzingen.

Investments in company buildings

In the past financial year, Trumpf continued to invest in digital networking and began to optimize processes in sheet metal processing towards autonomous production. A large proportion of investments were once again made in the structural expansion of sites in Germany and abroad. At the headquarters in Ditzingen, a production building with clean rooms and office space was built to expand high-tech production, particularly for the manufacture of lasers used in EUV lithography for microchips.

The company has also invested in production buildings at its sites in Teningen and Schramberg. The Group's largest production site was built in China. Overall, the majority of investments were made at the locations in Germany. Significant investments were also made at the locations in the USA and Asia.