Looking to the east Secop

LOOKING TO THE EAST

Secop is a leading manufacturer of hermetic compressors for household, light commercial and mobile cooling applications. Joseph Altham spoke to Tommy Hansen, Secop’s vice-president of sales, and Jesper Daugaard, Secop’s marketing director, to find out about a company with a strong footprint in both Europe and Asia.

Acompressor is a special type of pump which is used in a refrigeration system. Secop supplies compressors to major European manufacturers of domestic fridges and freezers. The company also makes compressors for light commercial applications such as water coolers, display cabinets and supermarket freezers. Together these two segments account for around 90 per cent of the company’s sales. The third area of Secop’s operations is mobile cooling. Here, the company offers compressors for a wide range of purposes, from battery cooling for Telecom to 1000 litre van boxes for food transportation. Secop previously belonged to the Danish company Danfoss Group, when it was known as Danfoss Household Compressors.

In 2010, the business got its new name after it was acquired by the Munich-based

holding Aurelius AG. “Now that we have become a stand-alone company, we are repositioning our brand,” said Mr Hansen. “Being focused only on compressors enables us to simplify our processes and procedures. We are able to optimise our company to the compressor market.” Even so, Secop still maintains a close relationship with Danfoss, enjoying access to the Danfoss sales network. Altogether the company employs around 2800 people. Its headquarters are located in Germany, but production now takes place elsewhere. In Europe, Secop consolidates its production in the main production plant situated in the Slovakian town of Zlate Moravcé. This plant also serves as a logistic hub for the whole European region. Another factory in China is opening up interesting opportunities for the business in this promising market.

New designs

Secop continues to invest in developing new products and has recently released a new variable speed compressor, the SLV, for light commercial applications. The SLV series is designed to meet the needs of manufacturers of supermarket freezers and stainless steel freezers. Due to the variable speed function, the SLV series can deliver energy savings of up to 40 per cent compared to fixed speed compressors.

“We gathered experience from the supermarkets,” said Mr Hansen. “Three years ago, we introduced the SLV for one customer. We have now begun to sell the SLV series more widely. As well as achieving a high level of energy reduction, the SLV offers the possibility of a remote monitoring system.”

Meanwhile, Secop continues to make advances in mobile cooling and has just brought out a new micro-compressor developed in close cooperation with one of the big German automotive manufacturers. The company’s ingenious BD 1.4F microcompressor, weighing only 2.3 kilograms, is intended for small in-car fridge between 10 and 15 litres in size. Space in a car’s interior is at a premium, and the BD microcompressor is 60 per cent smaller than the previous models. For motor manufacturers seeking to optimise performance, the microcompressor’s low weight is a significant advantage. Due to its low energy consumption, the compressor puts minimal demands on the car battery. “We have integrated full intelligence into the control of the compressor,” stated Mr Daugaard.

Household and medical applications

While every limousine needs its own minibar, Secop also produces compressors for situations where the need for refrigeration is critical. These include compressors for medical applications such as vaccine cooling. “We have a mobile range of compressors for the cooling boxes that are needed to transport organs,” said Mr Daugaard. “Here the requirements in relation to reliability are very high. We also sell compressors for the stationary cooling units that are required in hospitals. In areas where there is no stable power, for example, in Africa, the compressor can run directly on solar power.”

In the household segment, an important factor is the growing tendency across Europe for people to spend more of their leisure time in the kitchen. For this reason, keeping the noise made by a fridge to a minimum is now a higher priority. Secop claims that its DLX series of household compressors is 50 per cent quieter than the competition. “We aim to offer products that make as little noise as possible,” said Mr Hansen. “Our focus must not only be on energy efficiency, but on comfort as well.”

China

Secop’s factory in China was established in 2008 and employs around 800 people. The factory, located in Tianjin, not only helps Secop to control its labour costs but also gives the company access to a large and growing market. As Mr Hansen explained, in the light commercial segment the market for Secop’s compressors is already global. In mobile cooling, its main clients are original equipment manufacturers who are now moving more of their production to China.

The company’s market in the household segment is still mainly confined to Europe, but it plans to sell more household compressors, including the new DLX line, to China in the future. Secop expects that demand will come partly from its European customers, as they begin to set up factories in China, and partly from the local Chinese industry. n