FACE TO FACE
With TRUMPF’ s‘ Bend Guard’ function, cameras and matrix sensors monitor the press brake’ s working area. If the software detects other objects in addition to the component, the machine switches off immediately.
ISMR: Please highlight any notable successes and achievements for TRUMPF machine tools over the past two years.
SM: For the machine tools’ industry generally, there has been a decline in order intake and a global economic downturn for two to three years in a row. However, in the last year we have seen a recovery in the economic situation for machine tools( especially in sheet metal) so we are happy to acknowledge that the crisis seems to be over, or is at least stalling, mainly due to strong demand for sheet metal components around data centres and defence applications.
In terms of successes, I would like to mention our progress in technology. Over the last two years, we have been able to apply artificial intelligence( AI) throughout our company as well as in our products and services. Our aim is to become the leading provider of AI-based solutions for the manufacturing sector.
As you will see at EuroBLECH in Hanover this October, our products that apply AI are now easier to use, more robust and more autonomous( e. g. less programming effort is needed to run automation / robotics). At EuroBLECH, you will see robots on our stand that are completely programmed and run by AI. Finally, we are seeing the real impact of AI on our customers. We are also starting to see more and more use cases for our internal processes based on AI.
Another success is a continuous increase in our Smart Factory market share. We regularly receive very positive feedback from our customers about the level of automation and lights-out production in our Smart Factory solutions.
We also see substantial growth in customer satisfaction on our service performance. Post-
TRUMPF contact welding for data centres.
We have substantially improved our service performance in two areas:“ reactive” service and“ proactive” service.
COVID, we suffered from a lack of spare parts and slower service response times. Over the last two years, however, we have substantially improved our service performance in two areas:“ reactive” service and“ proactive” service based on connectivity. These two areas alone have enabled unprecedented levels of service and machine uptime for our customers.
“ Reactive” service concerns the rapid provision of spare parts or the booking of a field service engineer to fix an issue. We have improved this by investing in more spare parts, better processes and more highly trained service technicians. The result can be measured from our customer satisfaction surveys and process KPIs. Success in this area contributes to the competitiveness of our machine tools.
“ Proactive” service based on connectivity relates to around 10,000 online / connected TRUMPF machines which continuously send us data. We use AI to analyse this data so that we can proactively contact our customers( if we see bottlenecks or any operational issues) and suggest potential solutions to rectify the situation proactively.
ISMR: What are your views on the current global business climate for sheet metal professionals? What are your predictions for the business climate in 2027?
SM: After a three-year decline, our last fiscal year( which ended in June) showed a recovery in order intake and sales. This year, we predict further growth. The last three months( the first quarter of our fiscal year) showed additional growth so we are seeing a real recovery now.
This growth is mainly driven by data centres, which consist of chips and sheet metal. Sheet metal is needed for cooling systems, server racks, building infrastructure and power transmission. The entire data centre supplychain needs sheet metal. We therefore see substantial growth for sheet metal in data centres( especially in the U. S. and Europe).
My forecast for 2027 is that this trend should continue but the question remains:‘ Is data centre growth just a bubble?’ Certainly, I would say that the current growth path cannot continue at the same high levels forever. I would assume that, either in 2027 or 2028, we will see a rebalancing of this growth. However, for the next few months, the high growth path pattern for this sector will continue.
The HVAC( heating, ventilation and airconditioning) sector is growing through high
A press brake bending demonstration at TRUMPF’ s INTECH event in Germany earlier this year.
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