HiFlux Filtration ‘upgrades’ at home and abroad

The Hedensted-based filter producer opens a branch office in the Netherlands and bolsters its organisation at home in Denmark with the appointment of two new employees. A new digital platform has also been launched with success.

Sales Director Martin Holgaard (left) together with the two new colleagues in the HiFlux Filtration organisation: Marketing Manager Martin Borup Højgaard (centre) and Area Sales Manager Lars Tang Jørgensen (right).
The Corona pandemic has resulted in a series of new measures being put in place at HiFlux Filtration, with the company investing in new employees as well as digital solutions to ensure greater proximity to European partners. An increased focus on sales opportunities in the Benelux countries, meanwhile, has led to the opening of the company’s first subsidiary outside of Denmark
– an office in the Netherlands, where the country manager will be responsible for activities in the region. The company has also simultaneously appointed a new export salesperson and a new marketing manager, who will both be based at the head office in Hedensted. Martin Holgaard, Sales Director at HiFlux Filtration A/S, sees the measures as a significant upgrade of the orga­nisation in these times of Coronavirus – a period in which the company has generally fared well.

Virtual customer meetings but full presence

“The products are the main reason this is the case. Our fully automatic filter solutions have a very intuitive design, meaning we don’t need to send people out into the world to help with installation and commissioning. That has been a major advantage during the Corona pandemic. We didn’t achieve the growth we had expected, however, and are noticing increasing pressure from the OEM customers; that said, we have also had a good deal of orders in the pipeline at all times, which has enabled us to focus on tightening our set-up,” Martin Holgaard tells us, before adding that the launch of a new digital marketing platform has given them greater proximity to many of their European partners. These efforts have been well-received and already yielded a return.
“All our partners can access the same platform, and it is easy to hold successful online meetings. We have also set up a virtual showroom in Hedensted, enabling us to demonstrate our filters and provide technical input. This is great reassurance for the customer that the manufacturer is fully involved in their meeting. We have found that this accelerates the decision-making process,” says Martin Holgaard.

The largest filters are in high demand among customers. Martin Holgaard talks about a real boom in sales in the energy and waste water sector.

Energy sector growth

The appointment of Martin Borup Højgaard as Marketing Manager and Lars Tang Jørgensen as Area Sales Manager means that the filter producer is ideally placed to launch successfully on new markets. Their focus has turned towards Spain, France and England, all countries with potential. The new office in the Netherlands will ensure an increased presence on the already-established Benelux markets. Although it is the food industry and the paint/varnish industry that are traditionally the biggest buyers of customised filter solutions, the energy sector is on its way to rivalling them in this respect. The largest fully automatic Auto-line VLR filters in particular are popular in this segment. With a flow of over 700 cubic metres of water an hour, they are a great option when it comes to preventing heat exchangers from clogging up during heat recovery from water.
“We are experiencing a real boom in sales of the largest solutions. The large amount of attention being paid to recovery and optimisation of waste water is clear to see. Both here in Denmark and in the rest of Europe, there is a huge amount of potential waiting to be tapped in the energy and waste water sector. We already have a large amount of data and flow analyses for our filters, which are supporting the process,” Martin Holgaard finishes.