The shop local philosophy has been creating good vibes at farmers markets and small businesses around the country for decades. The theory is rooted in the idea that keeping money within a community creates a ripple effect of economic, social and environmental benefits. Why buy a jar of honey from a big-box grocery store when it can be sourced nearby?
The same can be said about practically any product. Whatever the purchase, there’s a sense of pride that comes from supporting the businesses that produce their goods locally. The problem, however, is that for some goods, shopping local isn’t always practical or possible. Some of the most sought-after capital equipment, for example, has historically been made overseas.
But what if that same capital equipment could be made in the USA by American workers with the most internationally renowned technologies? This was the question posed by Lutz Labisch, president and CEO of TRUMPF Inc. during the grand opening of the company’s new Smart Factory in Farmington, Conn. With a fully automated production system behind him, the answer was clear to see. TRUMPF’s new Smart Factory – a model for what’s possible when connectivity, automation and data-driven production combine – now produces company equipment that was once only made overseas.
Enabling this type of local production has long been the goal for TRUMPF, and with the Smart Factory opening, that goal is now a reality. With a new 2-D laser cutting machine coming off its production line each day, TRUMPF customers can now experience the same sense of pride that conscientious consumers have been touting for so long.
Smart experience
TRUMPF’s new Smart Factory represents a $40 million investment made to the company’s headquarters campus and, in turn, its local community. Within the 55,800 sq. ft. of new operating space, grand opening attendees experienced not just what manufacturing will look like tomorrow, but what it can look like today.
Before Labisch took the stage, when attendees were first arriving, they got their first look at the new Smart Factory building. The expansive wall of windows that makes up its façade was dimmed just enough to keep the sun out but still clear enough to see the equipment inside. Depending on the time of day or the intensity of the sun, auto-tinting technologies block the bright light and help regulate the temperature inside. Upon entering, visitors saw a variety of machines, manned by industrial robots, in full production swing.
While not visible to visitors, TRUMPF’s Oseon software is at the heart of its Smart Factory, seamlessly managing thousands of different part numbers needed to produce the company’s 2-D laser cutting machines. Daniel Pfisterer, head of product management for TruPunch and TruMatic machines provided tours to grand opening attendees, explaining the machines involved in producing TRUMPF’s 2-D lasers and the connectivity the Oseon software provides to bring the smart factory to life.
During the tour, Pfisterer explained that if the software is the heart of production, then the 180-ft.-long Stopa central storage system is its spine. With the Stopa connected to two TRUMPF laser cutting machines, a punch/laser combination machine, automated panel bender and bending cell, and automated powder coating system, visitors watched parts flow from the storage racks into machines and back out again to move on to the next phases of production. Along the way, Pfisterer explained how the smart factory concept can handle the production of sheet metal parts for anything from cars and agricultural equipment to data center cabinets, fitness equipment and beyond.
Attainable goals
When TRUMPF embarked on the construction of its Smart Factory, the goal was three-fold: to produce machines locally, assist customers with internal production needs as they transition into their own smart factory setup and offer customers real-life opportunities to see connected manufacturing in action. The latter demonstrates the relief that the smart factory concept can bring to fabricators and manufacturers that are struggling to fill open positions.
The inability to produce everything Americans need in America became a huge talking point during the pandemic when global supply chains were put to the test. If businesses could produce everything locally, they could ensure production continuity, reduce risk and maintain their competitiveness, especially important during times of economic uncertainty.
It’s an attractive prospect, but one that is stymied by a major roadblock: Unless advanced manufacturing strategies are employed, the United States just doesn’t have the labor to meet consumer demand.
No matter how attractive it is, many fabricators and manufacturers question whether the price tag for a smart factory is too high for them. In response, TRUMPF purposely designed the smart factory concept to be modular and scalable and approachable no matter the business size. In fact, TRUMPF machines can already be found in more than 300 smart factories of various sizes and designs across North America.
Customers can incrementally introduce a smart factory in stages, starting with something as simple as one machine connected to just one portion of the Oseon software package. As their businesses grow, additional machines, automation and more Oseon functionality can be added.
Commitment to community
When tours of the Smart Factory concluded, visitors assembled for a series of short speeches by Ned Lamont, governor of Connecticut; Jean P. Froehly, minister and head of economic and financial affairs of Germany; Nicola Leibinger-Kammüller, CEO and owner of the TRUMPF Group; and, as mentioned, Labisch. Both Leibinger-Kammüller and Labisch spoke passionately about the company’s commitment to the industry, its customers and the next generation of manufacturers. Government representatives carried that message, announcing several new local production and workforce development initiatives.
Included in those wide-ranging initiatives is a new apprenticeship consortium, founded by TRUMPF and made up of a group of similarly forward-thinking Connecticut manufacturers. Supported by AdvanceCT, a nonprofit focused on workforce development, and the German-American Chamber of Commerce, the goal is to extend TRUMPF’s well-established apprenticeship and training programs to a broader group to lift up the area’s workforce with advanced manufacturing skills.
“Whenever we talk to [other, locally based] advanced manufacturing companies, everybody is looking for the same skills, and everybody is struggling to find the workforce [they need],” Labisch said. “Smaller manufacturers may not be able to afford an apprenticeship program or the infrastructure for one, but we are excited to open our training facility to other manufacturing companies here in Connecticut. We’re excited to really build this cluster because we need to grow our manufacturing ecosystem. Once we spread the word and make [our program even] bigger, it will attract more, younger people.”
As Labisch alluded to, TRUMPF has long dedicated resources to training and education, and each year, the company welcomes more than 4,000 customers and technicians to its headquarters for advanced training. Continuing that commitment, TRUMPF is redesigning and expanding its training center with new equipment, automation systems and real-world setups to ensure that the next generation of technicians and operators have the skills necessary for the next phase of manufacturing.
Adding to the day’s announcements, TRUMPF plans to begin production of a new line of press brakes in the summer of 2026. Not only will the addition round out stateside production of the company’s full line of sheet metal fabrication equipment, but it will also ramp up the number of employees needed from the local area.
At the day’s end, visitors reflected on Labisch’s original question in a new light. When sophisticated capital equipment is made in the USA by American workers with the most internationally renowned technologies, the beneficiaries are many. Customers benefit from lower costs and shorter lead times. Local communities benefit from sustainable employment opportunities and increased economic stability. And the greater nation benefits, as well, with an overall stronger and more resilient manufacturing industry.
