Global warming HAJDU

GLOBAL WARMING

HAJDU Hajdúsági Ipari Zrt is a major manufacturer of hot water tanks and water heaters, with a long and distinguished history of meeting customers’ demands. Most recently the company has focused on producing more energy efficient product lines that are compatible with renewable energy sources whilst increasing its global footprint. Edina Beale reports.

Quality and reliability have always been key components of HAJDU products – one of Hungary’s most recognised brands. The company listens carefully to its customers and monitors market trends and changes. The most significant change in the past ten years has been the demand for cleaner, more energy efficient devices and the use of renewable energy – challenges that the company has met head-on.

István Novotni, managing director of HAJDU Hajdúsági Ipari Zrt, explains how the company has maintained its position, despite difficult times. “In the past few years we have been able to maintain our market leading position in Hungary for our traditional products. The recession in Europe has actually helped to strengthen strong brands and we have experienced a continuous increase in the field of renewable energy products, thanks to the service we provide for our customers. From technical assessment to design, planning and implementation we provide a full service including repair and maintenance.”

Designing the future

The current and future direction of Hajdu’s product development is strongly affected by recent EU legislation to meet environmental requirements when designing and manufacturing hot water tanks and water heaters. The European Union’s Ecodesign Directive established a framework to set mandatory ecological requirements for energy-using products sold in the member states. This is to encourage manufacturers to become more environmentally friendly and the energy stickers on products like fridges and washing machines are to better inform customers about energy usage.

In the category of heater tanks with small volumetric capacity, Hajdu intends to improve its insulation. In the case of the middle-sized products, the company has introduced a SMART self-learning control. Finally, for large volumetric capacity tanks, it plans to manufacture heat pump boilers in order to step up to a higher level.

As a response to market demand, Hajdu has extended its product portfolio with a range of heat producing equipment that utilises renewable energy for heating. Mr Novotni explains: “We involved a Swiss developer to design and manufacture a 10kW heating air-water heat pump. The production and exporting of this product has already begun. With help from a Hungarian boiler design engineer we developed our Hajdu HVK fuel boiler family. These models range between 20, 30 and 40kW and are suitable for burning wood and coal; if a special burner is installed they are able to use wood pellets and oil. Our objective is to extend the range of this product up to 100kW.”

www.euro-unior.hu Phone: +36 68/413-722 Fax: +36 68/412-575 Email: unior@euro-unior.hu

EURO-UNIOR. Specialised at boiler production - since 1957. • Boiler production. • Supplier of metal structures and pressure tanks.

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Puffer tanks are important components of many heating systems and Hajdu has been continuously working on extending its product range in this category. The PT Series developed in 2012 has received the Hungarian Quality Product prize. As a result of this continuous focus on development, this year Hajdu will start manufacturing its 1500l and 2000l metric volume models.

International presence

At present, approximately half of Hajdu’s turnover is a result of its export activities. Besides OEM production, the percentage of Hajdu branded products has been steadily increasing in terms of export sales. Hajdu is present in the French, German, English, Belgian and Russian markets, but export sales are also significant in North Africa and Thailand. Thanks to the development of the eastern European markets, export sales have also been increasing here.

It is extremely important for the company to maintain its existing foreign markets and to move into new markets. In order to strengthen its export activities, Hajdu intends to adjust its product line to meet the requirements of the EU national markets. For this reason, the company has employed professionals locally in France and Germany to carry out its business activities. In addition to the traditional western European markets, Romanian, Polish and Slovenian partners have been identified. A subsidiary was established in Russia, and this has resulted in increased sales in the region in the past two years. To fully satisfy its customers’ needs, Hajdu has developed its own national repair service network in France and Germany.

Sustaining business

Over the past few years Hajdu has invested in the total refurbishment of its product lines and continued to improve its infrastructure. The construction of its new Innovation Centre located at its main site, the Hajdu Industrial Park, was completed this year. This multifunctional, innovative exhibition and service centre provides an opportunity for Hajdu to learn and test modern energy systems and to organise events in relation to this subject.

Hajdu expects some major changes in its core markets in the near future. As a result, it intends to reassess its product portfolio and make any necessary adjustments to meet new demands and renew its customer base. Its ultimate goal is to manage an environmentally friendly operation from its main production site in Téglás, whatever the market conditions. Hajdu is building on its excellent reputation for quality and reliability by introducing sustainability and efficiency into its products and this should inevitably lead to even greater success in the years to come. n