After several years of declining order intake and shrinking revenue, global industrial laser and high-tech machine tool manufacturer Trumpf says it is showing signs that the downturn may be ending. Preliminary results for the company’s 2025/26 fiscal year point to a business that has stabilized, with rising order intake providing cautious optimism for renewed growth despite persistent geopolitical and economic uncertainty.

A look at the numbers

The Ditzingen, Germany–based company reported preliminary sales of €4.34 billion for the fiscal year ending 30 June—essentially flat compared with the previous year’s €4.33 billion. However, order intake increased 7% to €4.5 billion, reversing a three-year decline and outperforming the company’s own expectations. Last fall, Trumpf had forecast stagnant or only slightly higher orders alongside lower revenue.

“The increase in order intake makes us optimistic about the current fiscal year, in which we expect further growth,” said Trumpf CEO Nicola Leibinger-Kammüller. “While we must remain cautious, the developments of the past few months give us reason to believe that we’ve reached a slight economic turnaround in our business.”

Shifting sectors

The improved outlook marks a shift for one of the world’s largest suppliers of industrial lasers. Weak demand from key sectors, particularly in Europe and China, had weighed heavily on the company over the past two years, prompting restructuring measures, including divestment of the company’s additive manufacturing business in July 2025, and workforce reductions. Employee numbers have fallen to approximately 16,960 worldwide, down from 17,750 a year earlier.

Not all regions contributed equally to the recovery. The United States emerged as Trumpf’s largest single market for the first time in several years, with sales climbing 16% to roughly €760 million. Germany, the company’s home market and traditionally its strongest, saw sales decline 6% to €660 million, while revenue in China fell 7% to approximately €450 million.

Boost from across the portfolio

Leibinger-Kammüller attributed the company’s resilience to broad-based strength across its business portfolio. “Despite the challenging geopolitical conditions, Trumpf has managed to grow across all business segments,” she said. “This included the machine tool and laser businesses as well as electronics and EUV in collaboration with our partner ASML, which saw noticeable growth thanks to the significantly increased demand for semiconductors … In addition, we have made significant progress in key development projects such as laser-based drone defense.”

That semiconductor exposure continues to distinguish Trumpf from many industrial equipment manufacturers. The company supplies the high-power CO₂ laser systems used by ASML to generate extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light inside its lithography tools, a critical technology for manufacturing the world’s most advanced semiconductor chips. Increased investment in AI infrastructure and leading-edge chip production has strengthened demand for EUV equipment.

While final figures, including earnings, will not be released until Trumpf’s full financial results are revealed at its annual press conference on 15 October, the latest numbers suggest the company has moved from managing decline to preparing for cautious expansion.