A new laser building built on the campus of Farmington-based Trumpf Inc. is a reminder of the strength of Connecticut’s high-tech manufacturing sector. Today, the company celebrates the grand opening of the Laser Innovation & Technical Excellence (LITE) Building, a new research and manufacturing facility that will be used to develop new lasers, expand the company’s production of laser resonators, and maintain their leadership in state of the art laser technology.

This high-tech facility will add 86,000 square feet to the existing Trumpf Inc. campus. The building will feature a new 55,200 square foot production hall and a 6,000 square foot, class 10,000 cleanroom designed for the manufacturing and testing of CO2 and solid-state laser resonators. A laser research lab and laser development department will be dedicated to the creation of innovative laser products. The building will also house the company’s laser marking application and sales group and give the information technologies department a larger area for a state-of-the-art server room. Approximately 120 employees will staff the new facility.

“This new building means much more than just more space,” said Rolf Biekert, president and CEO of Trumpf Inc. “It is a concrete example of our long-term commitment to the community, the region, the market, and of course to our employees. The new building means new products, new markets, new jobs, and new opportunities for all of us.”

TRUMPF Inc. is a subsidiary of the TRUMPF Group, a privately-held company headquartered in Germany and recognized as the world leader in industrial laser production. Here in Connecticut, TRUMPF manufactures precision laser cutting and punching machinery, and CO2 and solid-state laser resonators. The company employs more than 750 people in North America, the majority of which work at the Farmington, Conn. facility. In its last fiscal year, the company’s sales revenues grew to $366 million in North America and the company reinvested $16.5 million in local R&D.

Building a new laser facility reflects the growth that Trumpf has experienced in recent years. “This new building will help us maintain our leadership position in the laser industry, further expand our laser production, and stay at the forefront of laser research and development,” adds Biekert.

The $29 million LITE Building project began in the fall of 2006 and construction was completed in early April 2008. It is expected that move in will be complete and production underway by summer 2008.