Old brand with a new outlook HAJDU

OLD BRAND WITH A NEW OUTLOOK

HAJDU today is a renowned name all across Europe. The award winning brand belongs to Hungary’s most well known manufacturer of household goods and is now used by the company’s diversified divisions, which are undergoing dynamic development. Edina Beale reports.

For many decades HAJDU has maintained a Hungarian market leading position in its traditional line of household products. However, since 2006 HAJDU Hajdúsági Ipari Zrt has begun to shift towards the renewable energy sector and has experienced continuous growth in this field. In 2014 HAJDU won the MagyarBrands and the Business Superbrands awards. Its water tank with heat pump, which is suitable for heating passive houses and producing hot water, won the innovation award. The same water tank family range also received the Hungarian Grand Prize award.

In response to new environmental laws focusing on the ecological requirements of household goods, HAJDU has redeveloped and produced many new products in recent years. This includes improving the insulation for their heater tanks and launching the basic SMART water tank family range and new water tanks with heat pump. In order to meet the changing market needs HAJDU has turned its focus to new designs and is currently developing heat restoring air handling equipment and an angular hot water tank.

Automotive supply

In addition, recent investments have extended the capabilities of HAJDU Autotechnika Ipari Zrt, the diversified manufacturing operation of the HAJDU group. The firm offers full services to its partners, including prominent car manufacturers and leading automotive suppliers, in order to meet the stringent quality requirements of the automotive industry. Based on the 2D and 3D models provided by partners, the company designs the necessary tools whilst optimising them with stimulation software. The tools are then manufactured on site.

An investment of nearly one million euros has enabled HAJDU Autotechnika to implement new technologies, including 3D laser cutting and vacuum welding, CNC grinding, heat treatment workshop and modern cutting equipment. Thanks to a new HSC CNC milling machine, the company is now able to manufacture electrodes on its own. In addition to technological investments, the infrastructure of the factory has also been developed.

The company’s most important awards include the Bisnode AAA grade and Diamond diploma and the ‘supplier of the year’ by HIPA and KÜKÜM. The firm also won the IIASA-Shiba Award for excellent quality and the Recognized to Excellence award by EFQM.

Large investments

To secure its future HAJDU Hajdúsági Ipari Zrt currently aims to develop its products and services and build capacities. As part of this, the company is investing €1,300,000 alone on increasing its products’ energy efficiency. Focus will be on the technologies and capacities which are required to manufacture new innovative technical solutions and product ranges.

In the past ten years HAJDU Autotechnika Ipari Zrt has continuously developed its technological capabilities. The company’s sheet processing capacity is fully utilised, operating seven days a week in three shifts so the firm is in a need of capacity extension and broader

choice of technologies. “The investment plan, which is worth €13 million, will seriously increase our competences and improve our technologies which enable us to satisfy our customers’ requirements on the highest level,” says vice-president, Mrs Dede Novotni.

She continues: “The backbone of the investment is three press machines with varying pressing forces. We will need to get rid of the oil on the pressed parts, so a washing facility which is suitable to carry out this activity will also be purchased. We are no longer able to fit these new machines in the current production hall so we need to build a new production hall with cranes. The whole product flow, from the storage of basic material to the delivery of the finished product, will be carried out in this production hall. The third part of the investment is the development of the tool making factory. We need to extend our capacities to make tools for the new pressing machines, but these tools come in extremely large sizes and therefore require special table size tool making machines.”

Superior infrastructure

The group’s third division, HAJDU Infrastruktúra Szolgáltató Zrt, operates the HAJDU Industrial Park, where in addition to the company’s own manufacturing sites several other businesses are located. The infrastructure of the industrial park has been continuously developed. In recent times its condensed air system was renewed and it was connected to the SCADA system, that allows for the use of a new electronic meter system for condensed air users.

The site’s drinking water system has been fully reconstructed and a new gravel filter equipment was implemented, whilst the full control of the chemical meter system and the drinking water system was integrated with the SCADA supervisory control system. In addition to this the reconstruction of the ’Big Boiler District’, which started in 2014, was completed this year. The district heating system of this area was replaced with modern insulated tubes.

Good results

The infrastructural development of the Industrial Park is being continued in the future. The aim is to keep the total energy consumption for unit of revenue below 7GJ/million, which would mean that the firm halves the total energy consumption per unit of revenue measured in 2010.

HAJDU’s revenue in 2014 increased by 16 per cent compared to the previous year. Both domestic sales and exports have increased. HAJDU achieved excellent 35 per cent growth results in the renewable energy sector, while sales in Russia increased by more than 50 per cent. These successes could not only be owing to the famous HAJDU brand. The company’s innovative product developments, its focus on the changing market needs and its large investments plans demonstrates that HAJDU is ready to meet challenges head on. n