News from BRAMIDAN

Bramidan honoured with Initiative Prize from Danisk Industri

25 october 2018

A special effort to create growth and workplaces in the local area was part of the reason why Bramidan in Denmark was chosen to receive DI's Initiative Prize 2018.

At Bramidan we have been working for several years to build what we ourselves refer to as the "Future factory", here in Bramming, and Monday afternoon this week this was rewarded with DI Southwest Jutland's Initiative Prize.

A competitive company - "Future factory"

According to Dansk Industri, we get the award because we have made a special effort to create growth and jobs in the local area. This has happened through extensive investments over several years in automation, robots and digitization. The goal has been to maintain a competitive manufacturing company in Denmark with low costs on products sold worldwide.

Bramidan's growth has been remarkable and has attracted attention, now beyond the city limits. The targeted effort to create growth in the company and in the community means that Bramidan is worthy of DI's Initiative Prize.

— Jens Damgaard, Chairman of DI Sydvestjylland + CEO Vestfrost A/S

The number of employees doubled

An evidence of the company's growth is the fact that we have doubled the number of employees in Denmark since 2000 to around 90 employees and increased the turnover fivefold. At that time we were focused on the domestic and the neighboring markets. Today, we export 95 percent of our production and are present on almost all continents - including a subsidiary in Chicago in the USA of six men and a number of sales companies in Europe.

The prize was awarded Monday afternoon at the Bramidan Headquarters in Denmark by Chairman Jens Damgaard, DI Southwest Jutland and Mayor Jesper Frost Rasmussen, Esbjerg Municipality.

Big congratulations to Bramidan with the prize - it is fully deserved.

— Jesper Frost Rasmussen, Mayor Jesper Frost Rasmussen, Esbjerg Municipality.

Digital customer service

Henrik Dueholm Madsen says that the recently agreed investments in the future factory for 2019-20 will be the largest in the company's history.

"In addition, we continue digitalization, thus challenging our own business model. This means that we will have even more focus on digital customer service," he says.

One of Bramidan's biggest challenges today is to get qualified workforce. "Unemployment among blacksmiths and robot operators in our area is almost zero, and we have therefore had to hire blacksmiths from Poland," says Henrik Dueholm Madsen.

We have been working on a long-term strategy to build the "Future factory" here in Bramming. Therefore, we are very proud of the Initiative Prize.

— Henrik Dueholm Madsen, CEO Bramidan A/S

You find the labor of the future in the primary schools

Bramidan has - in collaboration with a number of other local businesses - made a special effort to create an interest for the work in a modern industrial company among the labor of the future. And you find the future workforce in the oldest classes in local primary schools. Students visit the company and can also try a single working day.

Bramidan is currently owned by the Blue Equity Investment Fund together with CEO Henrik Dueholm Madsen and senior Bramidan executives in Denmark and abroad.

Facts about the Initiative Prize

The Initiative Prize is awarded as a tribute to the active, energetic and creative small and medium-sized enterprises among members of Dansk Industry. These are characterized as companies that are good and inspiring role models for other business executives. The winner of the Initiative Prize 2018 in South-West Jutland competes later in a nationwide competition. This year 18 regional Initiative Prize winners will participate.