Supported through an NSF international program, a LASER-TEC delegation had a chance to spend a full day in October 2019 at the Trumpf facilities located in Germany. LASER-TEC is an NSF-funded national center whose goal is to develop a sustainable pipeline of qualified laser and fiber optics technicians to meet the industry demand across the U.S.A. Representing LASER-TEC, we visited the headquarters of Trumpf Ditzingen near Stuttgart where we were hosted by the local Trumpf team under Dr. Sebastian Zaske, the product manager for Trumpf TruDisk lasers. The day started with a short corporate presentation where we learned the history of this family-run, privately-owned, business with over 15,000 employees spread all over the world including United States with an annual revenue of about 500 million Euro. After the presentation, we toured an impressive showroom where many Trumpf products are displayed in a full operational mode. It was an unforgettable experience to watch the Trumpf high-power disk laser cut through the sheets of metal and get small gifts in a form of miniature laser-cut models of bicycles of a quarter-inch size. This was an effective way of showing the full capabilities of Trumpf disk lasers. Walking through a hallway with the panels that present historical timeline of laser development and Trumpf contribution to the field until present times added another learning perspective to the itinerary.

Two-hour scenic drive through the hills of the Black Forest moved us from the Trumpf headquarters in Ditzingen to a charming town of Schramberg where most of Trumpf disk laser product development takes place. The whole region has an extraordinary history of innovation-driven skilled craft development that started early with the glass manufacturing and continued with the production of wooden (cookoo) clocks, music boxes, orchestrions, and carousels. And when the local clock industry just couldn’t compete anymore with the cheap clock production from Asia, they turned to lasers! Trumpf was the leader of this big change; their traditional metal machining tool manufacturing business was complemented with the new tool – the laser. Most of their laser product portfolio was developed through an internal research and development and an extraordinary innovativeness of their employees. In other words, growing business through acquisition of other already established businesses in the field of laser production was reduced to minimum at Trumpf. During our short visit of Trumpf production facility in Schramberg, we witnessed a remarkable production plant where organization, cleanliness and attention to detail meet with the German engineering. Watching behind glassed windows how technicians in white clothes inspect, test, and assemble disk lasers was like being in a futuristic plant that exists only in science fiction movies.

As the last part of our tour of Trumpf Germany, our delegation had an opportunity to visit Trumpf training center in Schramberg. This was an important stop for us, as the main goal of our trip was to learn more about the German experience in the education of the skilled workforce in the field of photonics. Trumpf training center is a proof of Trumpf’s belief that their products must be accompanied by trained operators. In this facility, the field service technicians from across the world gain necessary theoretical foundations in photonics and laser theory as well as crucial hands-on experience on Trumpf laser products. The training goes beyond the skills needed to operate a Trumpf laser and cover all the aspects of maintenance and repair. It is a top-notch facility with experienced trainers who turn complex subjects into simple and easy-to-understand analogies with a strong sense of humor and positive attitude.

The visit to Trumpf headquarters, production facilities and training center in Southwest Germany was by all means a unique experience. It is a living display of how an innovative drive of engineers combined with a skilled workforce developed through education and sound training can result in a thriving and dynamic local economy capable changing and adapting to the new challenges of 21st century while delivering products that make positive difference across the globe.
LASER-TEC is a National Science Foundation Advanced Technological Education Center of Excellence in Lasers and Fiber Optics and is headquartered at Indian River State College, in Fort Pierce, Florida. It is an association of community and state colleges, universities, K-12 schools and technical centers, trade associations, and laser and fiber optic (LFO) companies. The Center’s mission is to develop a sustainable pipeline of qualified laser and fiber optic technicians to meet industry needs. For more information about LASER-TEC please visit www.laser-tec.org.