On 1 July 2024, the TRUMPF Group completed an extremely challenging fiscal year 2023/24. Our order intake fell from 5.1 billion euros in the previous year to 4.7 billion euros. Sales were 5.2 billion euros, which also represented a drop from the previous year (5.4 billion). As a result, the operating result fell from 615 million euros to 494 million euros. The return on sales fell from 10.9 per cent in the previous year to 9.5 per cent.

These figures, which we attribute largely to the weak global economy and increased geopolitical uncertainty, have prompted us to take strategic action in relation to material and personnel costs. This is not the first time in the company's 101-year history that TRUMPF has acted quickly and decisively to enhance its earnings – and it is continuing on the same path in the current fiscal year!

Despite these economic challenges, we continue to be a research-driven company, consistently investing in innovation. You will get a sense of this mindset in the pages of this annual report. It focuses on plasma applications in the semi-conductor sector, photovoltaics and other product segments, with substantial contributions from TRUMPF's electronics division in Freiburg and Warsaw.

The cover image – Space Girl with a helmet, tropical birds and TRUMPF logo on her overalls – was created by English graphic artist Rocket01. It features only components related to TRUMPF, including an ultrashort pulse laser and an 850-nanometer diode.

The artist presented this comic-style painting to our Spanish subsidiary in spring 2023 to mark the opening of our new building. I mean, it's hard to be more imaginative, forward-looking, and inclusive (with a touch of female perspective) than this!

We hope you enjoy your journey through the world of plasma!

Yours truly, Nicola Leibinger-Kammüller