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Rofin Sinar Technologies Inc (RSTI) |
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Rofin Sinar Technologies Inc's Comment on Competitors and Industry Peers
The Company believes that as manufacturing industries continue to modernize, seek
to reduce production costs and require more precise and flexible production, the
features of laser-based systems will become more desirable than systems incorporating
conventional material processing techniques and processes. The increased acceptance
of these laser applications by industrial users will be enhanced by laser product
line expansion to include lower and higher power CO2 lasers, variations in wavelength,
advancements in fiber-optic beam delivery systems, improvements in reliability
and the introduction of lower and higher power diode lasers, diode pumped, solid-state
lasers, short and ultrashort pulse lasers and fiber lasers, capable of performing
heavy industrial material processing and marking and micro applications.
Laser Macro Products
The market for laser macro products and systems is fragmented and addressed by
a large number of competitors. Many of them are small or privately owned or compete
with ROFIN on a limited geographic, industry- or application-specific basis. The
Company also competes in certain target markets with competitors that are part
of large industrial groups and have access to substantially greater financial
and other resources than ROFIN. The overall competitive position of the Company
will depend upon a number of factors, including product performance and reliability,
price, customer support, manufacturing quality, the compatibility of its products
with existing laser systems, and the continued development of products utilizing
diode laser, diode pumped, solid-state laser and fiber laser technologies. Competition
among laser manufacturers is also based on attracting and retaining qualified
engineering and technical personnel.
ROFIN believes it is among the top three suppliers of laser sources in the
worldwide market for macro applications. Companies such as Trumpf and Fanuc
(for high-power CO2 lasers), Synrad and Coherent (for low-power CO2 lasers),
Trumpf and IPG Photonics (for solid-state or fiber lasers), and Laserline and
Jenoptik (for diode lasers and laser diodes) all compete in a subset of markets
in which ROFIN operates. However, in the Company's opinion, none of these companies
compete in all of the industries, applications and geographic markets currently
served by ROFIN.
Laser Marking and Micro Products
The Company's laser marking products compete with conventional ink-based and
acid-etching technologies, as well as with laser mask-marking. The Company's
micro products compete with conventional welding, etching and spark erosion
technologies. The Company believes that its principal competitors in the laser
marking and micro markets include Trumpf, GSI Group, Unitek Miyachi, Han's Laser
and IPG Photonics. ROFIN also competes with manufacturers of conventional non-laser
products in applications such as welding, drilling, cutting and marking.
Significant competitive factors in the market for laser marking and micro products
include system performance and flexibility, cost, the size of each manufacturer's
installed base, capability for customer support and breadth of product line.
Because many of the required components to develop and produce a laser product
for marking applications are commercially available, barriers to entry into
this market are low and the Company expects new competitive products to enter
this market. The Company believes that its product range for marking and micro
applications will compete favorably in this market primarily due to performance
and price characteristics of such products.
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