New ifm efector Building Slated to Open in Atwater

TREDYFFRIN >> Ifm efector USA, one of the largest global manufacturers of industrial sensors and control products, is putting the final touches on its new North American headquarters building in the Atwater Corporate Center.

The company said Wednesday its move from the Whiteland Business Park along Route 30 in West Whiteland to the new building about five miles away is on track. A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Atwater building is scheduled for Aug. 11.

Bernardon Haber Holloway of Kennett Square is the architect on the new 45,000-square-foot building.

Ifm efector said the move was necessary because of its growth in North America to $120 million in annual sales, and because it expects the growth to continue.

The company said it plans to add 75 employees in engineering, finance, information technology, and marketing over the next seven years.

Ifm efector now has 230 employees in North America, more than 100 of whom will work from the new headquarters when it opens later this month.

Employees at the headquarters work in teams of field sales engineers, customer service representatives, and application engineers who assist customers with technical questions, application solutions and order processing.

Ifm efector’s new building “will reflect its technologically innovative corporate identity,” the company said in a statement Wednesday. “The building has been designed with the latest innovations in design and materials, including areas to be utilized for instant creative meetings. The building’s walls are constructed of glass to allow natural light into an open layout to encourage teamwork and collaboration.”

Roger Varma, CEO of ifm efector USA, said the new building reflects the German-based company’s corporate philosophy.

“We wanted to give our employees an environment where they can thrive by having open work spaces that encourage collaboration along with access to state-of-the-art tools to better service our customers,” he said.

Laura Shemonsky, a spokeswoman for the company, said the Malvern area location was chosen because of its proximity to the new Pennsylvania Turnpike slip ramp and because of its access to students graduating from universities like Drexel and the University of Pennsylvania who are skilled in engineering and technology systems.

Ifm USA is one of 70 privately held subsidiaries of the German company ifm electronic gmbh, which was established in 1969.

With more than 20,000 customers, ifm has branch offices throughout the United States, including Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Cleveland and Nashville.

It produces more than 9 million sensor and control products annually. Products include proximity switches, photoelectric sensors, vision sensors, machine condition monitors, pressure sensors, flow sensors, temperature sensors, level sensors, valve position sensors, mobile control solutions, and safety at work products.

Ifm has another subsidiary in Chester County: ifm electronic gmbh, an R&D and manufacturing operation that opened in Malvern in 2012.

It also has a warehouse in Downingtown.

Written by Brian McCullough; Published by The Daily Local News; Photo credit: Pete Bannan, Daily Local News