TRUMPF (Ditzingen, Germany) and Cutlite (Prato, Italy) have entered a strategic partnership in the form of Cutlite’s acquisition from its parent company El.En. S.p.A. for about €21 million total, with €13 paid at the start and the rest after a three-year period. The deal for Cutlite, which will stay an independent brand with its own factories, sales teams and service teams, will close in the second half of 2026, according to TRUMPF.
Cutlite, which employs 190 people, specializes in large-format and high-power (from 30 to 60 kW) laser cutters, in part to offer an alternative to plasma cutting machines.
The deal means that TRUMPF acquires an established brand with in-house manufacturing capabilities for custom-built machines. TRUMPF plans to enhance Cutlite’s capabilities and expand service into the full spectrum of sheet metal fabrication.
This deal is the fourth major addition for TRUMPF in three years’ time. The others are:
- 2023: TRUMPF expanded its ownership of Access Laser Company from an 85% stake to a 100% full ownership. Access Laser brought high-precision, low power, carbon dioxide lasers. These systems support extreme ultraviolet lithography systems used in semiconductor production.
- 2025: TRUMPF expanded its ownership of STOPA Anlagenbau GmbH by increasing its stake to 74.9%. TRUMPF previously had acquired an initial 25.1% minority stake in the company in early 2023. STOPA builds automated systems crucial for TRUMPF’s smart factory automation lines. By taking on a controlling majority, TRUMPF can directly merge machine tool paths with automated material storage.
- 2026: As reported in last month’s Fifth Wave Monthly and on fifthwavemfg.com, TRUMPF acquired Mate Precision Technologies, maker of punching and bending tools. While it’s true that TRUMPF now owns Mate’s TRUMPF-compliant tool products, it also means that TRUMPF now broadens its tool sales to include Mate’s non-TRUMPF machine customers as well.