Product availability ensured despite the corona crisis

Declining demand and interrupted supply chains – there is currently a great deal of uncertainty in large parts of industry due to the corona crisis. However, there is also good news: The ifm group of companies can confirm that its products remain available without any restrictions.

"We are virtually unaffected by interrupted supply chains, e.g. in China or Italy," says Martin Buck, Chairman and co-CEO of the ifm group. The reason is simple: ifm's production sites feature a high level of vertical integration. For example, ifm operates its own plastic injection moulding facility in Tettnang, which, among other things, produces the housings for the inductive sensors. The company also populates its own PCBs. As a consequence, the dependence of the production departments on external suppliers is very low. Of course, ensuring on-time delivery of purchased parts is currently a bit more complicated than usual. However, production at the different locations of the group in the Lake Constance region, where more than 70% of all products are manufactured, continues uninterrupted. The same applies to all other locations worldwide. Customers receive the products they ordered via the modern central warehouse in Essen with the usual short delivery time. 99 % of all deliveries worldwide can be made on the date requested by the customer.

Solidarity and "ifm – close to you" in all its facets

"From 2008 and 2009, we have learned a lot about dealing with very severe sales decreases. This is helping us now," explains Michael Marhofer, Chairman and co-CEO of the ifm group: "Any measures will be taken with a sense of proportion. We will consider both the economic existence of the company and its employees and the health of our staff." Martin Buck, Chairman and co-CEO of the ifm group, adds: "The most important thing is that we stick together! Ten years ago, we have already proven that we can create a lot of positive energy if we all pull in the same direction – in line with our slogan 'ifm – close to you.'"