ifm welcomes strategic partner to accelerate global growth

ifm announced a strategic partnership and minority investment from KKR, a global investment firm. The founding families, along with co-CEOs Martin Buck and Michael Marhofer, will remain majority owners and continue leading the company.

A global leader in industrial automation and Industry 4.0 technologies, ifm serves over 150,000 customers with a portfolio spanning sensors, connectivity solutions, software, and cloud platforms. With more than 9,000 employees worldwide, ifm is driving the digital transformation of industry, helping customers boost uptime, efficiency, and safety.

“As a family-owned company, our goal is to ensure ifm’s future success and sustainable growth for the next generation. This partnership marks an important milestone for ifm as we have found the right strategic partner who also shares our core values, supports our growth ambitions as well as the vision that has guided the company for over five decades”, says Michael Marhofer, co-CEO of ifm.

“The investment will allow us to not only strengthen our global position as leaders in innovation and technology even further but also continue setting new standards in industrial automation and digitalisation. This partnership will enable us to unlock our full potential. As the company’s founding families, we have always been and will remain deeply committed to ifm’s long-term success”, says Martin Buck, co-CEO of ifm.

The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2025, subject to customary conditions and regulatory approvals.

www.ifm.com