Lucky numbers are naturally very popular with couples who are married - it’s the same for the companies JOPP and IFSYS. Since 9 September 2010, the 200-man strong company from Grossbardorf has been part of the JOPP Group. This means that the two Rhön-Grabfeld companies are now celebrating their Tin wedding anniversary and can look back on ten years of very successful cooperation.
"After the economic crisis, there was once again great growth potential in the market," remembers Adelbert Demar, "but we would not have been able to exploit it at that time due to our size", says the IFSYS Managing Director, who together with Rigobert Zehner founded the company in 2006. Investments in infrastructure were necessary, "We definitely wanted a partner from the region," explains Demar. This is how the contact with the automotive supplier JOPP based in Bad Neustadt came about. After initial talks, it took just three months before the marriage was complete. Since then, JOPP Holding GmbH has been the majority shareholder in IFSYS, the manufacturer of world class automation solutions.
For JOPP Managing Director Martin Büchs, the cooperation was a win-win from the very first day: "Mechanical and plant engineering has always been an important competence at JOPP in order to be able to offer series parts for our automotive customers competitively. The possibility of also being able to represent individual parts with feeders from IFSYS within the group of companies has improved our position even further". In parallel this gave IFSYS access to a worldwide customer and company network resulting in a decisive step by becoming a globally active and recognised company. "Our growth from 60 to over 200 employees today would not have been possible otherwise", says Demar. The same applies to the great steps forward of the medium-sized company in terms of sales and infrastructure.
"We are particularly pleased that our Chinese subsidiary in Suzhou was also able to contribute to the further development of IFSYS," adds Martin Büchs. IFSYS feeding systems are now being assembled at JOPP's Asian location, and the subsidiary also serves as an important hub to customers in the Far East. The same applies to the JOPP bases in Mexico and India, meanwhile more recently complimented by IFSYS setting up an additional global location in the United States.
"Companies often merge with other companies and typically try to save on staff and resources in order to become more productive. At IFSYS the exact opposite has happened. Together, we have opened up new markets and therefore expanded the company year on year," says Martin Büchs, looking back with great satisfaction on the 10 year cooperation. "We have only benefited in every respect," Adelbert Demar also commented. Both influential business leaders hope that the close cooperation will also provide mutual support in overcoming the Corona crisis, from which both companies have suffered. "We are well on the way back to our old strength here," says Demar who is very optimistic about the future - after all, the "crystal wedding Anniversary" in five years' time will be a celebration of further success.