ifm electronic, one of Europe’s largest and most innovative suppliers of sensors and sensing systems, has achieved 40 years of sustained growth and success in the United Kingdom. The company’s UK operation was set up in March 1981 with just two employees and its first-year turnover was around £100,000. Today it has a staff of 64 and an annual turnover in excess of £30 million, with ambitious plans for further growth in coming years.
“The key to our success in the UK over the last four decades is deceptively simple,” said Imtiaz Kabir, Managing Director of ifm electronic UK. “From day one, we have always nurtured close relationships with our customers to ensure that we understand their challenges and provide them not only with the right products to address those challenges, but also with expert technical advice and support. This approach, which is reflected in our current ‘close to you’ campaign, has worked exceptionally well for us and, we believe, equally well for our customers.”
Important milestones for ifm electronics’ UK operation include a move to business premises in 1982, turnover passing £1 million for the first time in 1986, and the purchase of its present warehouse and offices, located in Hampton, in 1989. To guarantee the fast and reliable delivery of its products, at every stage of its growth ifm electronic has had and continues to have substantial UK warehouse facilities where it carries large stocks of its most popular products.
“While our commitment to close customer relationships undoubtedly underpins our success, we couldn’t have achieved it without the sustained efforts of our dedicated staff, along with the support and enthusiasm of our customers,” said Imtiaz Kabir. “We’re looking forward to building on this success by finding even better ways of supporting and serving our customers and, of course, by continuing to grow. Our target is to reach a turnover of £50 million turnover by 2027 and, with some very exciting developments in the pipeline, we’re quietly confident that we’ll make it!”
