Berthold Leibinger Receives Werner von Siemens Ring

German entrepreneur Berthold Leibinger is the recipient of the Werner von Siemens Ring by the Werner von Siemens Ring Foundation, in Berlin. The Siemens Ring is Germany's most important technology award and is given every three years to "pioneers in technology."

Leibinger is chairman of the supervisory board of Trumpf, a German company that develops and produces laser-driven manufacturing technology. The award honors his contributions to the innovative development and successful entrepreneurial implementation of the laser technology for industrial application, such as for processing flexible sheet metals.

By introducing laser technology in materials processing at the end of the 1970s, Leibinger brought about an enormous leap forward in innovation in, for example, machine tool construction, high-performance electronics, and medical technology. Today, Trumpf earns two-thirds of its total sales from lasers and laser machines.