Good figures
ifm sets new sales record
After a slight decline in sales due to the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, the ifm Group closed the past year with a new sales record.
In the past financial year, the automation technology specialist was able to increase the previous year's turnover by 21% and set a new turnover record of around EUR 1.16 billion. "The fact that we have come through the crisis so strongly shows that our growth strategy with a diversified market and industry structure is successful in the long term," says Christoph von Rosenberg, CFO of the ifm Group, on the occasion of the publication of the business figures: "A stable supply chain despite globally disrupted supply chains has also played a significant role in our success. In 96.4% of cases, we were able to deliver on the customer's desired date in 2021." Earnings (EBIT) also increased significantly year-on-year by 10.6% (previous year: 7.6%) and reached a record level.
Personnel development also reflects the Group's growth. With an increase of a good 10%, the total workforce at the turn of the year was over 8,100 employees worldwide, of which just under 5,000 work in Germany. Over 2/3 of all products are manufactured at ifm's five locations on Lake Constance. The majority of the research and development department is also located there. Accordingly, the majority of employees, around 3,500, are based at these locations - and the demand for qualified personnel remains high. "As the company headquarters here in Essen is now bursting at the seams with over 750 employees, we are currently planning a new building just a few hundred meters away from the current location," comments Christoph von Rosenberg on the development.
The signs for the current financial year continue to point to growth. "Our order books are well filled and the first quarter of 2022 was very successful. Nevertheless, we expect the war in Ukraine to cause an economic slowdown and a further delay in the recovery of supply chains. The immediate suspension of our sales activities in Russia at the beginning of the war can be well compensated for by growth in other countries. We are therefore currently very confident that we will grow significantly again in 2022," says von Rosenberg.
You might also be interested in
The finalists for the IFOY Award 2026 have been announced
The IFOY Award 2026 is entering the decisive phase: 17 devices and solutions from eight nations and four start-ups have made it to the final. The finalists will face the IFOY audit at the Test Camp Intralogistics in Dortmund in April.
read more...TwinFleet shows what industrial trucks really do
What are industrial trucks doing on the factory floor all day? Leadec TwinFleet answers this question: the solution creates transparency and shows starting points for optimizing the fleet and warehouse.
read more...Powerful with a long range
With the Q2X series from Banner Engineering, Turck presents compact miniature opto sensors with maximum ranges and five different detection modes for a wide range of applications.
read more...New generation of dolly radio sensors
In many manufacturing companies, dollies or floor rollers provide mobility in the material flow. With the Nexy communication network, these dollies can be integrated into the automatic material or replenishment supply.
read more...Knowing where to go: various AGV navigation technologies
Automated Guided Vehicles, or AGVs for short, navigate using different technologies. The technical requirements and local conditions are decisive for choosing the optimum solution. Sensor technology also plays a role in reliable navigation. Matthias...
read more...Ultrasonic sensors for many applications
Leuze presents the 420B and 412B ultrasonic sensor series. The ultrasonic sensors are available with adjustable sound beam and as switching (HTU) or measuring (DMU) sensors for flexible applications.
read more...AI-supported sensor solutions
At Fachpack in Nuremberg, Sick will be presenting sensor solutions for process and quality control as well as machine safety.
read more...Five-megapixel autofocus camera in starter set
The U-Eye XS from IDS Imaging Development Systems weighs just 12 grams and, thanks to its size of just 26.4 x 23 x 21.7 millimeters, fits into a wide range of embedded applications in the logistics sector.
read more...Reliable object detection for warehouse automation
With the new W10 photoelectric proximity switch, Sick presents a sensor with which a wide range of detection tasks in automation technology can be solved more universally than ever before.
read more...