Trumpf Edges Back to Stability as Orders Rise and US Sales Lead Recovery
Trumpf posts slight revenue growth and higher orders in 2025/26; US sales jump while Germany falls, job cuts continue and new defence projects reshape the group
Trumpf reported a modest return to stability in its 2025/26 preliminary results, with the machine tool builder recording slightly higher revenues and a marked increase in incoming orders. The keyword Trumpf appears early as the company posted revenues of €4.34 billion, up 0.2 percent year-on-year, while order intake rose to €4.5 billion, an increase of 4.7 percent. Management framed the figures as the first signs of a reversal after several years of declining business, and full financial statements including profit figures are scheduled for publication in October.
Preliminary results show marginal revenue growth
The preliminary figures show revenue essentially flat after a period of sharper declines, with the small uptick driven by more robust demand in overseas markets. Order momentum strengthened across several regions, providing the executive team with cautious optimism for the current fiscal year. Trumpf’s leadership has signalled that this improvement underpins a revised outlook from the more pessimistic stance it took last autumn.
United States becomes the strongest single market
The United States was the standout market in the past year, where Trumpf’s sales climbed by roughly 16 percent to about €760 million. That performance allowed the U.S. to overtake Germany as the company’s largest single-country market for the first time in recent years. By contrast, domestic sales in Germany fell by around six percent to approximately €660 million, underscoring uneven recovery dynamics across regions.
China declines but remains leading Asian market
Despite another year of falling sales in China, with revenues down roughly seven percent to near €450 million, the market remained Trumpf’s biggest in Asia. The company described the shift in regional strength as evidence of uneven but broad-based market activity globally. These mixed regional results highlight how geopolitical and industrial cycles continue to shape demand for metalworking machinery and industrial lasers.
Profit squeeze, cost measures and headcount reductions
Trumpf’s recent history includes a sharp hit to operating profit in the prior reporting period, when earnings before interest and taxes slumped to the low tens of millions of euros from the prior high hundreds of millions. In response, the firm implemented a cost-reduction programme and announced in spring 2025 plans to cut about 1,000 roles worldwide, including roughly 430 positions at its Ditzingen headquarters. Headcount has fallen from about 18,303 to 16,960 employees over the past twelve months, with roughly 8,200 staff still based in Germany and some 5,350 at the Ditzingen site.
Technology portfolio and chipmaking ties
Trumpf manufactures a broad range of machine tools for metalworking and electronics production and is a noted supplier of lasers used in advanced semiconductor manufacturing. The company has collaborated with optics specialist Zeiss and chip-equipment maker ASML on extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography laser components, which are central to producing the high-performance chips used in data centers and advanced computing. That technological footprint keeps Trumpf strategically linked to one of the most capital-intensive segments of global industry.
Entry into defence sector and product diversification
In a notable strategic move, Trumpf recently announced plans to enter the defence domain by partnering with Munich-based Rohde & Schwarz to develop laser-based systems for countering drones. The firms aim to deliver operational capability within a three-year timeframe, reflecting a broader push to diversify revenue streams and apply core laser expertise to security markets. Management indicated that such projects form part of the company’s longer-term plan to broaden its addressable markets while leveraging existing R&D strengths.
Looking ahead, company leadership said the stronger order intake provides a basis for modest growth expectations in the current year, while urging caution given lingering uncertainty in some end markets. Full audited results and detailed profit metrics will be released in October, offering investors and customers a clearer view of Trumpf’s financial trajectory and the success of its restructuring and diversification efforts.
