A connected future

Marcella Montelatici, Managing Director of Sales and Service, TRUMPF Machine Tools, discussed the company’s latest new innovations with ISMR. She also outlined her strategic and technical vision, global market trends and TRUMPF’s plans for further artificial intelligence (AI) integration into its products, processes and manufacturing operations.

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Founded in 1923 as a series of mechanical workshops, TRUMPF has developed into one of the world’s leading companies for machine tools, laser technology and electronics for industrial applications.

It drives digital connectivity in manufacturing through consultancy, platform products and software. With headquarters in Ditzingen (Germany) and over 70 subsidiaries, the group is represented in nearly every European country, in North and South America, and in Asia.

At Blechexpo/Schweisstec in Stuttgart (21-24 October 2025), TRUMPF unveiled a host of new products, software and services aimed at increasing productivity and flexibility as well as giving sheet metal manufacturers a competitive edge. This included new developments in digitalisation, smart factory, services, robotics and bending.

Marcella Montelatici, Managing Director of Sales and Service, TRUMPF Machine Tools, sat down with ISMR at the trade show to highlight its latest innovations. She also outlined her strategic and technical vision, global market trends and challenges as well as TRUMPF’s plans for further artificial intelligence (AI) integration into its products, internal processes and manufacturing operations.

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ISMR: Please highlight your most notable initiatives over the past three years, and the philosophy behind them.

MM: The market is currently experiencing a downturn, so the past three years for manufacturers have been very challenging. Despite this, TRUMPF has been investing ‘across the board’ in software that supports and interlinks the sheet metal machinery and systems that are on our booth here at Blechexpo/Schweisstec in Stuttgart. It is all about software, connectivity and offering customers complete solutions for end-to-end processing. This incorporates issues such as logistics, material flow, programming and digitalisation.

We also continue to focus on artificial intelligence (AI) applications. Last year, we presented our SortMaster Vision system (an AI-supported sorting system which needs no programming at all). We are working with Intrinsic on a completely automated sorting system with no programming needed. The system uses cameras that recognise a part, and the self-learning system can be continuously improved. We also train the system to recognise overlapping parts. I believe that our AI and digital competencies really differentiate us from other manufacturers in the market.

As well as these solutions provider initiatives, we continue to launch new products and improve and develop our existing products for customers.

ISMR: Please highlight any new products, technologies or services that you are releasing at Blechexpo/Schweisstec.

MM: We are promoting our new form of interlinked systems, with machines working efficiently together. The indirectly interlinked manufacturing system consists of the TruBend Center 7030 panel bender, the TruMatic 5000 punching and laser machine, and a new STOPA storage system. Customers can use it to manufacture their components for kit and batch production. It enables users to combine the flexibility of individual machines with the productivity of production lines. It also gives companies the opportunity to automate their production piece by piece and expand it into a smart factory. The solution is particularly suitable for small and medium-sized companies that want to expand their production capacity.

We are also showcasing our Flex Cell mobile bending cell, in combination with TecZone Bend, here at Blechexpo/Schweisstec. Using new software, the bending cell can be programmed in milliseconds offline, without any loss of productivity and without requiring in-depth programming knowledge.

Our third highlight here is the TruBend 3000 bending machine, an advanced all-rounder that allows users to process up to 85 per cent of their components. Compared to the previous series, this solution is 30 per cent more productive and saves around 40 per cent of energy, thanks to its integrated On-Demand Servo Drive.

In terms of services here at the trade show, I would highlight condition monitoring where we use AI to analyse the huge quantity of data from a machine. The proactive AI algorithms recognise patterns and flag where they may be issues with a machine before a breakdown occurs. This predictive maintenance service is hugely useful for our customers.

ISMR: What is your vision, as well as your strategic and technical focus, for TRUMPF? How do you aim to achieve these?

To read the rest of this interview in the December 2025/January 2026 issue of ISMR, see https://joom.ag/X3Ed/p28