Bystronic Sees a Bright Future Amid Growth and Change in the Metal Fabrication Sector
By Rachel Duran
Bystronic Inc. (Hoffman Estates, Ill.) is riding a wave of optimism at a pivotal moment for the sheet metal fabrication industry.
“I think it really is a good time to be here,” said Kris Tennyson, Bystronic’s vice president of the East region and commercials. He is based at Bystronic’s North American headquarters in Hoffman Estates. “We have great people, we have great customers, and I really look forward to what the future brings for Bystronic.”
Despite industry challenges such as skilled labor shortages, Bystronic’s leadership believes the sector is fundamentally strong and expects steady growth through 2030.
From Bystronic’s vantage point, this evolving landscape situates the company in a positive and well–positioned place to help customers grow and adapt.
“We pride ourselves on being a premium supplier of lasers, press brakes, automation and software — one source, total integration all under one roof,” Tennyson said. From Hoffman Estates, Bystronic manufactures the majority of its product line of laser cutting systems. (Some laser cutting systems originate from Switzerland.)
Bystronic is a worldwide supplier of laser cutting systems, press brakes, automation, and software to process sheet metal and tubes. The manufacturer focuses on automating the material and data flow of the sheet metal cutting and bending process chain.
Founded in 1964 in Bützberg, Switzerland, Bystronic Maschinen AG has development and production facilities located in Germany, Spain, Italy, China and the United States. Bystronic serves customers in more than 30 countries through its own subsidiaries and a network of dealers and agents.
Bystronic has developed or acquired various companies over the years to ensure it offers customers comprehensive, automated smart factory solutions to assist in overcoming labor shortages. Its machines enable operators to manage multiple machines simultaneously, further streamlining the production process.
These machine solutions are developed with input from sheet metal fabricators. Tennyson noted that when meeting with customers, Bystronic’s team members focus on understanding both the customer’s current and future needs.
For example, are they in search of short-term automation solutions for a single line, or seeking scalable systems that can support future expansion? To that end, Tennyson pointed out the Bystronic software engineering team ensures machines and products talk to each other — seamlessly connecting — so customers can easily scale up operations as needed.
Powerhouse Machinery
Bystronic is well positioned to meet customers’ needs with new and updated products so they can respond to their customers’ needs. For example, responding to the boom in the data center space and what this growth means to fabricators. “We see customers who didn’t play in this space at all that have found themselves with a piece of it because it’s such a huge, booming industry,” Tennyson said.
One machine to support and optimize bending workflows is the ByBend Star 80, a compact, portable, and versatile machine with advanced features and customizable options. The machine delivers consistent and high-quality results in a variety of applications.
The ByBend Star 120 delivers high speed and precise bending with up to 120 tons of press force. The machine efficiently automates bending processes so operators can focus on more important tasks on the shop floor.
The ByCell Bend Star M, a compact and automated bending solution, features a modular design, which assists fabricators as they scale operations to respond to increases in production. It is an ideal machine for small to mid-sized projects.
To further support the growing demand from customers, the addition to and upgrade of automated systems within the Bystronic product line are well suited to handle flat laser cutting as well as maintaining high speed and efficiency.
The ByLoader Flex automation solution for sheet metal handling is designed for Bystronic laser cutting systems. It automates loading and unloading, installs easily to minimize downtime, and offers the versatility of managing two laser cutters simultaneously. An easy to access shuttle table supports overhead crane loading when needed.
“The biggest problem we hear is ‘we can’t find enough suppliers; we aren’t able to get enough machines to produce the work our data center customers would like,’” Tennyson said, so building machines that maximize efficiency and uptime for their customers is essential.
For instance, Bystronic will launch a new large tube laser that will include automation functionality and capabilities. One of Bystronic’s current machines, the ByTube Star 130 Fiber Laser, integrates loading, cutting, and unloading with speed and quality.
Another laser cutting machine, the ByCut Fiber Laser System, provides fast, accurate cuts across various materials in two machine sizes: the 3015 and the 4020. The ByCut 3015 fiber laser offers a customizable configuration and can be equipped with up to five performance-driven packages.
What’s more, Bystronic has been busy revising its automation capabilities and systems during the past year, with substantial improvements regarding ease of use.
Improvements also include building in more rigidity to the frames and towers, as well as upgrades to machine parts, in order to extend the life of these machines.
Tennyson said that the improvements have eliminated two weeks from the average installation time for the machines.
Smart Software, Real-time Insights
Bystronic has also enhanced its BySoft Suite software to effortlessly link and coordinate machines so they work together more powerfully, resulting in efficiencies from quote to product delivery.
Tennyson said when developing upgrades to the software suite, Bystronic programmers partnered with a university team to conduct a study in order to create an even more intuitive and user friendly interface.
Bystronic wanted to develop smarter software that could make decisions in a way that closely mirrors human thinking.
BySoft Suite simplifies the entire production process and delivers enhanced productivity and seamless automation systems.
The software is comprised of six product families (Insight, Business, Shop Floor, CAD, CAM, Cell Control) that digitally monitor, manage and make decisions at each stage of the production process.
An advantage of the software is that it enables fabricators, no matter their size or level of digitalization, to go digital through a combination of affordable cloud and on–premise software.
In addition, the software works with a shop’s existing business systems and machines, so they can rely on just one data source.
Tennyson noted Bystronic’s software suite features proactive digital tools that analyze machine health, among other functions, sending out notifications so operators can quickly troubleshoot issues with the machine.
Bystronic’s software is so user–friendly that even new hires with no prior experience on industrial machinery can quickly get up to speed using its intuitive training process and interface. The more connected the machinery, the smarter it is, resulting in less downtime regarding maintenance and troubleshooting.
Tennyson pointed out that Bystronic will continue to move forward with innovations and R&D regarding its automation and robotics systems because it “follows the wave of where customers are headed,” he said. R&D is driven by customers’ needs — some more than others — but they are all, in one way or another, moving beyond simply running a machine that cuts. Customers continue to seek solutions that can load and unload parts, bend and stacking parts, and handle more complex workflows. Bystronic’s goal is to keep manufacturing products that ensure uninterrupted processes.
Bystronic is also expanding its product line and services into new growth market opportunities, such as medical technology, semiconductors, and general manufacturing. In January, Bystronic announced it had completed the acquisition of Coherent Corp.’s Tools for Materials Processing business unit, which supports services to new markets.
With this acquisition, Bystronic’s portfolio will expand to include new laser applications such as micro material processing, marking, engraving and drilling. The manufacturer also bought the rights to the well-known Rofin brand, which will continue as part of the newly created Bystronic Rofin business unit.
Bystronic Rofin’s versatile laser technologies will support the processing of a variety of applications and materials.
Closer to the Customer
Tennyson said in the last year, Bystronic changed up its corporate structure a bit, ensuring team members are located closer to customers in order to serve them more efficiently. “We split our regions into East and West, instead of sales and service, as an example,” Tennyson said. “We added a layer of account managers into our organization and their only job is to support the customer. So, every customer has their own account manager — every single one.”
This change ensures Bystronic will be nimble and responsive to customer needs as the sheet metal fabrication industry expands. Tennyson said that expansion brings with it changes and opportunities, where customers will require even better automation systems and machinery.
Tennyson noted that customers can easily tap into Bystronic’s ecosystem, its people and its solutions. Bystronic will remain agile and responsive as the metalworking industry evolves. For instance, data centers may be the big growth area now, but another fast-growing industry expansion will no doubt follow. Industries will shift one way and other industries will shift another way.
In a recent example of Bystronic’s ecosystem in action, for one customer with a number of machines from different suppliers located on the shop floor, the resulting silos created a labor-intensive process.
The machines weren’t “playing nice together,” Tennyson pointed out. The challenge was in moving parts and components from one brand of laser to one brand of press brake, and so forth.
To make matters more frustrating, the manufacturer had only one employee capable of operating all the machines, while everyone else on the shop floor found it difficult to match that level of efficiency.
“We looked at the solution, and it would be easy to say: ‘just put in all Bystronic equipment,’” Tennyson said. “But that doesn’t always make sense.”
Once the Bystronic team determined which piece of equipment and software could alleviate the manufacturer’s challenge, they built an ecosystem that was more efficient and saved the fabricator time and money. “You work with what you have because it’s not always practical to replace everything at once,” Tennyson added.
Visions for the Future
Tennyson said Bystronic’s leadership is guided by a strategic plan to expand its manufacturing capacity and capabilities so that in the future laser cutting products can be manufactured at the Hoffman Estates facility. He noted these positive changes are big enough to support customers throughout the world, while still small enough to deliver strong regional customer support.
Bystronic is also meeting the increasing customer requirement to partner with suppliers that prioritize sustainability as a core corporate goal. As outlined in Bystronic’s Sustainability Strategy report, by 2030, Tennyson said Bystronic aims to cut carbon emissions by 42%; plans to become the industry leader in occupational safety; and reduce its waste streams by 20%.
In July 2025, Bystronic celebrated the installation of a rooftop solar array at the Hoffman Estates operation. The 2,708 solar modules are expected to generate more than 55.5 million kilowatt-hours of clean energy during the next 30 years. The environmental impact is equivalent to avoiding 39,334 metric tons of CO₂ emissions; removing 8,475 cars from the road for one year; and planting nearly 654,000 tree seedlings.
Bystronic also continues to partner with suppliers and organizations that share similar sustainability goals and aspirations. To illustrate, Bystronic recently took another step toward sustainable sheet metal processing through a partnership with SSAB, a provider of premium steels and a leader in sustainability in the steel industry. Bystronic will use new materials such as alloying concepts, recycled steel and fossil-free steel. Under the partnership, Bystronic will test these newly developed steels and specially designed sheet metal to provide feedback on process quality.
Tennyson wants to leave readers with the economic forecast according to the Bystronic team. The sheet metal fabrication industry will remain in a solid position, overcoming economic distractions. “We expect to see some growth from our customers, even as we make them a little bit more efficient,” Tennyson said. The manufacturer is well positioned to assist shops as they grow and prepare for the future.
As an example, with certain industries — such as agriculture — the industry is busy planning for a rebound in 2027. Customers serving the sector are already buying equipment in anticipation of that turnaround. On the other hand, sectors such as data centers and transportation continue to be strong. Tennyson noted that overall, this balancing act leaves Bystronic in a positive position to support its customers.
