- Sales reach a new record of 1.37 billion euros
- The number of employees exceeds 8,700
- Over 100 patents filed by 2022
Despite the global crises, the ifm Group's business continues to develop successfully. Sales and employment again reached record levels in the year under review.
" We manufacture an average of over 70,000 products a day and deliver them to our customers. "Christoph von Rosenberg, CFO of the ifm Group, commented on these impressive figures at the presentation of the 2022 balance sheet. In total, this represented around 26 million products last year. With sales of over 1.37 billion euros, a new sales record was again achieved, 18 % more than the previous year. The ifm Group also benefited from positive exchange rates. Earnings (EBIT) of 7.6 % (previous year 10.6 %) were better than expected, despite significant additional costs due to inflation and the supply chain. " We have made significant additional investments in materials sourcing and accepted a sharp increase in inventories to meet global supply chain challenges. " explains Christoph von Rosenberg: " Thanks to these measures and our global presence through distribution companies and sales agencies in 165 countries, we have been able to respond successfully to market requirements, flexibly and in direct dialogue with our customers. "R&D expenditure increased in line with sales, so that the rate remains at 10 %. By 2022, over 100 new patents had been filed, and the number of active patents stood at 1,170.
Naturally, personnel play a decisive role in ensuring continued growth. " The total workforce at the end of the year comprised around 8,750 employees worldwide, an increase of 8 % on the previous year. "declares Christoph von Rosenberg: " And because we want to continue to grow, we are currently focusing on recruitment activities. ". More than 5,270 people work for ifm in Germany. More than 3,600 of them are based at sites on Lake Constance, where two-thirds of all products are manufactured. A large proportion of R&D is also carried out in this region.
Christoph von Rosenberg also sees a positive outlook for the current financial year: " For the current 2023 financial year, we are confident that the supply of materials will continue to improve, enabling us to expect good sales growth. The first quarter of 2023 confirms our assumptions ".