"This very positive result for 2025 is particularly remarkable because we have managed to realize the high growth worldwide, almost as planned, despite the geopolitical challenges," says Christoph von Rosenberg, CFO of the ifm Group.

While the German market suffered in particular from a weak order situation in mechanical engineering, business in other regions developed more dynamically. Ifm recorded strong growth in Asia/Pacific and America in particular. Product innovations in the process industry made a significant contribution to the positive development there.

Slight increase in earnings, stable employment

Despite negative exchange rate effects, earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) increased by 1% to 69 million euros. The number of employees increased to around 9,120, including more than 5,260 in Germany. Around 1,500 employees work in research and development, which underlines the importance of innovation activities within the Group.

Strategic realignment and new investor structure

With effect from January 1, 2025, the company will operate under the name ifm group se. Since October 2025, the investor KKR has also been on board with a minority stake. The aim of this partnership is to secure the long-term development of the family business and future growth.

At the same time, ifm is pressing ahead with the expansion of its international production structure. Construction of a new plant in Suzhou, China, began in April. The plant is being built in accordance with the DGNB Gold standard and is scheduled to go into operation in the first quarter of 2027. In doing so, the company aims to expand its presence in China beyond its previous sales focus and also establish production and research and development activities locally.

Industrial business between digitalization and globalization

ifm has been positioning itself for years as a provider of sensors, controllers, software and systems for industrial automation. The company talks about mapping the entire value chain "from sensor to ERP" - a claim that has become standard in Industry 4.0, but remains complex to implement.

The year 2025 shows a company that is growing, but not in a linear market. It is growing with a regional shift, structurally accompanied by new investors and geographically expanded by new production sites. In other words: ifm remains in its core business of industry, but the conditions of this business are changing faster than the business itself.