Cutting-Edge Response
For a company that builds vehicles meant to respond fast, Rosenbauer's own production line was moving too slow. They needed to make a change, and that's when they looked to Mazak Optonics for support.
History of Rosenbauer America
For 160 years, Rosenbauer America has been pushing the boundaries of fire and rescue technology, setting new standards with every innovation. As a full-systems supplier, the company delivers reliable, best-in-class solutions spanning equipment, firefighting gear, fire engines, mission management, and fire protection — vehicles that first responders around the world depend on when every second counts.
Built From the Sheet Up
The South Dakota operation sits on roughly 145,000 square feet of production and logistics space in Lyons, South Dakota, where Harold and Helen Boer built the county's first fire engine out of their gas station decades ago. Every truck that leaves the shop today is still custom. Rosenbauer's draftsmen and engineers design each one to the height, length and equipment requirements a department asks for.
Every fire truck body built in South Dakota starts as a flat sheet of aluminum, typically 3/16" or 1/8" stock. A laser cuts the raw sheet, and Rosenbauer's North Fab department bends and forms it into a finished body. The laser handles far more than bodies — it cuts nearly every part that goes into a truck, from shelf trays to light brackets, in sizes ranging from large panels down to small, detailed components.
Time is Money and Money is Time
That mix of large parts and fine detail work put real pressure on Rosenbauer's cutting equipment, and its old CO2 laser wasn't keeping up. Cuts were slow, edges came off rough, and pieces had to be ground and sanded by hand before it could move to the next step. For a shop where, as the team put it, "time is money and money is time," the old setup fell short of the performance Rosenbauer expected of itself. That's when they looked to Mazak Optonics and found the OPTIPLEX 4220 NEO with automation.
An Easy Choice
Rosenbauer's relationship with Mazak actually started at its Minnesota facility, which bought a Mazak laser in 2020 and came away impressed. That track record made the decision easier when the South Dakota plant went looking for a new aluminum-cutting solution: in 2025, it invested in a Mazak OPTIPLEX 4220 NEO along with an automated loading and unloading system. "It was an easy choice for us to go with Mazak," said Josh Scheutte, Rosenbauer's Pre-Sales Manager.
The difference showed up immediately. Rosenbauer had been cutting eighth-inch aluminum at around 120 inches a minute on the old CO2 laser; with the OPTIPLEX 4220 NEO, that's climbed to well over 1,000 inches a minute. "We are so impressed by the cutting speed of this machine compared to our old CO2 — we're cutting ten times faster than what we could previously," Andreas Chavez, Metal Fabrication Supervisor, said. "That cuts down the cost on the fire truck itself, just because we can do more with less time."
Cutting Time, Not Corners
Cut quality improved right along with speed. Many parts that once needed hand-sanding now come off the laser ready to use, eliminating a step from the process entirely. The machine's automation loads new material and unloads finished parts in the same motion, without waiting on a full cycle, and its scheduler lets the team queue up as many jobs as they need while keeping different materials on hand and ready to go. The gains have been big enough that Rosenbauer no longer needs a night cutting shift — the team cuts during the day now and handles sorting overnight.
When questions do come up, Rosenbauer's team turns to Mazak's Orange Support platform for diagnostics, parts orders, and direct one-on-one help. "Our relationship with Mazak started off very strong with our Minnesota facility, and over the years it's only gotten stronger because of the impressive machines they offer," said Josh Scheutte, Rosenbauer's pre-sales manager. "It's so awesome for us to have that relationship with Mazak."