“We already made it to Industry 3.8“ 

What is the central driver for TRUMPF to develop digital business models? 

Kunz: Clearly it’s the customers. Thanks to digitization, we now have much more transparency about their needs. That’s why we want to offer them solutions that go beyond pure production, that help them do their business and, above all, prevent the machine from standing still. Because that’s always the most expensive thing. 

What new business models has TRUMPF developed in the past few years? 

Kunz: For example, the “Oseon” software, which customers can use to control their production and material flow. This software can be expanded in the areas of warehousing, logistics and interfaces – up to the complete networking of the company. Or “pay-per-part”, the use of the machine as a service, where customers only pay for the manufactured parts. TRUMPF takes over remote production planning and control as well as machine programming and maintenance. 

In addition to digitization, sustainability is currently at the top of the agenda for many companies. How does TRUMPF connect these two topics? 

Kunz: At this year’s Intech, we presented the newly founded company “Scrap2Value”, in which TRUMPF is also a stakeholder. Here, we let ourselves be guided by the idea of sustainability and developed a solution for more intelligent scrap recycling. Because if the scrap is sorted correctly, it can be processed in a much more climate-neutral manner, which in turn influences the company’s greenhouse gas balance. By the right sorting, we can address up to 40 percent of our CO₂ footprint. And by linking it to “Oseon”, the solution becomes even smarter and gains additional value for the customer. 

Although many companies are dealing intensively with digitization, the most recent Staufen study also shows that in many places, the transformation is progressing slowly. What does TRUMPF do better or differently? 

Kunz: Also for us, the transformation was very strenuous and is far from over. I would state that if Industry 4.0 is the goal, we’ve already reached 3.8. The clear positioning as a board department helped us with the change project. Mr. Kammüller, our stakeholder, took on the CDO role and drove the entire change forward. 

If you look into the future: Where will TRUMPF stand in 2030? And where will your industry be? 

Kunz: We are expecting the trend towards sustainability to lead to growth in sheet metal processing. Many components are still “milled from the solid”. Against the background of necessary energy savings and the European Green Deal and the associated CO₂ prices, this will no longer be worthwhile for every application. Therefore, many will rely on alternative construction methods with sheet metal. The trend towards networking will also continue, not only within the factory, but also across entire plants. As a result, significantly fewer machines will be required and capacity utilization will increase. Due to the shortage of skilled workers, the demand for automation solutions will increase. TRUMPF therefore relies on individual consulting solutions and tailor-made overall solutions for our customers.