A process is only truly productive if it runs reliably in daily operation without the need for constant manual adjustment. Laser power is no longer a scarce or prohibitively expensive resource in many applications. A similar idea underlies the „Simultaneous Machining and Coating“ (SMaC) approach that combins mechanical machining with EHLA in a single process step. However, higher power alone does not automatically translate into higher productivity. Laser processes only become truly productive when they operate within stable and well-understood process windows.