We continue the practical implementation of the Industrial Ramstein initiative – a meeting with one of the global leaders in machine tool manufacturing, TRUMPF Werkzeugmaschinen SE + Co. KG.
There is hardly a single Ukrainian manufacturer of engineering equipment that is not familiar with the German company TRUMPF – the world leader in laser technology and industrial electronics. Visiting the production facilities of this company was a unique opportunity that FRU member enterprises gladly took advantage of within the Partnering in Business with Germany program.
In 2023, TRUMPF celebrated its 100th anniversary. The 2023/24 financial year brought sales revenue of €5,172.5 million. The total number of employees exceeded 19,000, with investments reaching nearly €300 million.
During the factory tour, we saw high-tech laser welding and cutting machines, bending machines, and other state-of-the-art equipment. A key feature of these machines is their safety – if a foreign object or body part enters the working area, all operations stop instantly, minimizing workplace injuries.
TRUMPF has a representative office in Ukraine and is highly interested in strengthening its position in the Ukrainian market despite the war. Before the war, the Ukrainian market was the largest in Eastern Europe for the company in terms of sales volume. The company plans to increase sales to Ukraine even during the war, and the Industrial Ramstein initiative – which we presented to the company representatives responsible for relations with Ukraine – is expected to contribute to this goal.
Special attention was paid to the most important component of the initiative – financial instruments that will facilitate increased purchases of German equipment for the restoration of Ukrainian industry. We emphasized the crucial role of international donors and the German export credit agency in these processes.
In turn, TRUMPF representatives informed us that the company has its own bank – Trumpf Finance – which can provide flexible and favorable financing for the purchase of machine tools, a solution particularly relevant for Ukraine during and after the war.
We discussed possible financing schemes for FRU member enterprises and agreed that the companies will prepare all necessary information and documents to initiate cooperation. We will assist businesses in developing this mutually beneficial partnership to modernize Ukrainian industry.
We express our gratitude for the support of the Industrial Ramstein initiative to our reliable long-term partners – the ILO – within the framework of the Belgian Government Project “ILO Support to Ukraine: Preventing Labour Exploitation and Trafficking in Persons, Supporting Entrepreneurship Development and Institutional Support to Social Partners”.
The Industrial Ramstein initiative unites the efforts of governments, industry associations, and manufacturers to modernize the Ukrainian economy.