Climate change, material shortages and, above all, high energy costs: Without sustainable solutions, sheet metal manufacturers will be in a tight spot in the future - that was the tenor of Stephan Mayer, Chief Executive Officer Machine Tools at this year's press conference at EuroBLECH. "We are already offering our customers numerous solutions for more sustainability on the road to the future," said Mayer. TRUMPF products enable sheet metal fabricators to save energy. One example is the new Eco Cooler. This new type of cooler tempers laser cutting machines with pure water instead of chemical refrigerant. Compared to conventional coolers, the new Eco Cooler saves 80 percent energy and operates completely free of pollutants.
Mayer also addressed the major challenges facing the industry in front of journalists: "After Covid, there has been an incredibly large influx of orders. At the same time, all companies are currently struggling with supply chain problems. The machines that have been ordered are not getting ready fast enough." The so-called decoupling, the economic decoupling of the West from China, is also a concern, he said. TRUMPF is well positioned, however, including in terms of digitalization. Marcella Montelatici, Managing Director of Sales and Services in the Machine Tool Business Division, said at the press conference, "Digitalization is a gamechanger." For many services, TRUMPF technicians no longer have to be on site with the users of the machines. Machine maintenance works proactively. "We help our customers before a problem occurs with the machines," says Montelatici. Analyzing the machine data not only helps prevent faults, he adds. It also enables performance service. "We look at whether the equipment is also working productively and give users advice on how they can increase the performance of their machine tools. By digitizing their production, companies can save time and significantly increase their productivity," says Mayer.
At the press conference, the Machine Tools CEO also talked about the new TruBend 1000. "Some users, like smaller locksmiths, need simple machines. Not every sheet metal fabricator has the budget for one of our high-end machines. But we also want to offer our smaller customers reliable and safe equipment. The TruBend 1000 is not a compromise machine. It is designed to be as robust as customers have come to expect from us, but at a much lower price. In addition, the user gets access to the proven TRUMPF services," says Mayer.
