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8 a-e-mag.com • A&E JANUARY 2018 THE LATEST INFORMATION ABOUT PEOPLE AND PLACES News Send your news items, along with accompanying photos, in a concise press release to Cassie Green at cgreen@nbm.com. Photos should be in a tiff or jpeg format with a minimum resolution of 300ppi, and a minimum size of 5 inches wide. For more news items, check out a-e-mag.com. Trotec Laser Celebrates 20 Years of Growth In a span of 20 years, Trotec Laser has grown from a start-up business in Austria to a global manufacturer of laser tech- nology, substrates, and technical support, with a presence in more than 90 countries and more than 500 employees. According to Trotec USA President Warren Knipple, that number is growing every day as the company celebrated a notable milestone in 2017 and looks to a bright future of many more years of growth. First established in 1997 from a research branch of Trodat, Trotec set its sights over- seas in 2002, Knipple explains. Headquar- tered in Plymouth, Michigan, Trotec USA has added a number of support facilities located throughout the country, including California, Arizona, Texas, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Illinois, New Jersey, and New Hampshire. "As far as our growth here, we're really proud that we've grown 10 times our original size since we were established in Mississippi in 2002," he says, adding that as the number of U.S. facilities grows, the company has evolved in the myriad of ways it supports customers. "We're always trying to evolve to meet our customers' changing needs," Knipple tells A&E magazine. "One of the things that we're trying to do right now is to speak to the people who are starting businesses and those small business owners who might not always have the support that they need for the different areas of their business." Trotec plans to meet this growing need from its customer base by offering them a bigger picture of laser success. One piece of that puzzle, he notes, was the introduction of engravable materials beginning in 2015 after acquiring Inno- vative Laminations Company (ILC). Fol- lowing the acquisition of Florida-based Engraving Systems Support (ESS) early last year, Trotec also announced the launch of a new line of laser and rotary consumables, boasting a wide-selection of more than 400 products for a variety of applications. "One of the main reasons (we launched the line of substrates) is we wanted to be able to provide something that's unique in the industry—a single source for all of their engraving needs. We've come from being a laser manufacturer to being a company that offers everything customers need to engrave. So, we can offer them the engraving expertise, we can offer them the equipment and technology, and we can offer them the materials," Knipple says. Last year was a momentous one for Trotec. In addition to the acquisition of ESS in February of 2017, the com- pany expanded to a new 25,000-square- foot facility—double the size of the previous space to include a larger office accom- modating Trotec's growing staff, a larger warehouse, and an applications lab. It also hosts an expanded Regional Service and Support Center for product demonstra- tions, materials testing, and training events, such as open house events. "We are thrilled about the move and the progress it sym- bolizes," Knipple explains. "It signifies our growth as a company and represents new opportunities to provide our customers with top-notch products, technical support, and follow-on sales support." The big move came on the heels of the opening of its new facility in Cali- fornia and the unveiling of a redesigned website, featuring an expansion of resources and training materials. This focus on education is just one of the many ways Trotec has expanded in its 20-year history in an effort to better serve customers, he notes. The company hosts a number of open house events in its sales and support facilities throughout the year. "We've learned that it's not just those people who are interested in getting a laser that we can support. We can also do a better job of supporting our existing customers who would like to grow and who want to learn how to do more things with their lasers," Knipple adds. "So, we've been offering more educational open house events." It is through these open house events that Trotec celebrated its 20-year anni- versary by doing what it does best— helping customers grow their business. Knipple concludes that during the past two decades, Trotec has shown an unwav- ering commitment to helping its customers become more profitable. "We're really excited about the relationship-building aspect of it and being able to provide cus- tomers with more of a 360-degree big pic- ture. We feel like we're offering a lot more and closing that loop with a more com- prehensive solution," he stresses. "We're really excited about that and think we'll be able to better serve our existing customers in addition to helping those prospective customers who want to start a business but don't quite know how to begin or where to get the support they need."