Article from WIRTSCHAFTheute June/July 2013
The story of Frese A/S began in 1944, when Børge Frese set up a metal foundry in the cellar of his home in the Danish town of Slagelse. He initially focused on the production of small machine parts, pots and pans made of aluminium and bronze candlesticks and door knockers. It shortly became necessary to enlarge the foundry several times in order to produce the first valves, including stopcocks and taps. Success was not long in coming, and the young company increasingly specialized in valves made of copper and steel alloys for use in shipyards and offshore installations. Since the 60s, Frese A/S has been investing in the very latest production methods and equipment to create more and more sophisticated valves.
The global breakthrough for Frese A/S came in 1988 with the introduction of its first automatic valve and in the same year it opened its first foreign branch in Germany. The product portfolio was subsequently enlarged to include a large number of other dynamic control valves. “At the same time”, as Jens Johansen reports, “we considerably increased our export activities by adopting the global expansion strategy that we are still pursuing. For example, at present we maintain subsidiaries not only in Germany but also in the UK, Turkey and China.”There are also some 30 agencies throughout Europe, Asia, Australia and the USA.
Since 1989 Frese has comprised two independent companies, namely the extremely modern foundry Frese Metal- og Stålstøberi A/S, and Frese A/S, whose core competence is the design and production of automatic control valves. The close cooperation between the two creates optimal conditions for offering world class products. Scandinavia’s global player has an annual turnover of 26 million euros and currently employs 150 staff. Jens Johansen details the organisation of Frese A/S: “Most of our employees work in our factory in Slagelse, but there are also many in China and at our Aachen branch Frese Armaturen GmbH, which is responsible for marketing our products in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Benelux.” The Group is still family-owned and is currently managed by the grandchildren of the founder Børge Frese – Kim, Claus and Tina Frese.
The company is a global market leader in a niche segment and holds numerous patents for dynamic control valves for heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems – not only in Denmark and Europe but worldwide. “Our control valves are used in buildings, ships, in manufacturing and so on, basically anywhere water is used for cooling or heating,” explains Jens Johansen. “Our current product portfolio contains only valves that were developed since 2000 and therefore comply with the latest technical standards.”They include a wide range of dynamic flow controllers, combined dynamic valves for balance and control, and dynamic differential pressure regulators. Dynamic control valves from Frese make the usual adjustments unnecessary, because the flow rate is set directly so that only the pumps still need to be adjusted. This makes it possible to minimise the energy consumption. Jens Johansen explains: “About 75% of our sales are generated with dynamic control valves, and the remainder from accessories such as replacement parts, ballcocks, strainers and safety valves.”
Some of the company’s products have set benchmarks, such as the Frese OPTIMA Compact, the latest generation of dynamic control valves for hydraulic balancing. Just as in the human body, hydraulic balancing is extremely important for optimal functioning of circulating systems, such as in building technology. The Frese OPTIMA Compact can provide smooth control of flow rates, ensuring ideal hydraulic balancing at all times. This innovative valve system combines an externally adjustable dynamic flow controller with a differential pressure regulator and a modulating control valve valve with full authority, which guarantees maximum energy efficiency. The same applies to the big brother of the Frese OPTIMA Compact, the Frese OPTIMA flow regulator for nominal diameters up to DN 150 and an hourly water throughput of up to 200 m3. “Our OPTIMA product family, which we recently presented at the ISH in Frankfurt, comprises pressure-independent balancing and control valves in twelve different sizes from DN 10 right up to DN 150”, adds Jens Johansen.
Frese A/S is the technology leader for its industry with a worldwide market share of 20%. “Our annual production capacity is between 300,000 and 400,000 items,” reckons Jens Johansen, “to date we have sold about 2.5 million dynamic valves, with an export share that is now over 90%.”Frese valves are used all over the world. For example, they guarantee hydraulic balance and precise temperature control in the 310 m Shard skyscraper at London Bridge, which is the highest building in the EU and the second tallest free-standing structure in the UK. Since 2000, dynamic volume controllers from Frese A/S have also been an integral part of luxury cruise liners built by the Meyer shipyard in Papenburg. The Forum Marmara, which is one of Turkey’s and Europe’s largest shopping centres, also uses valves from Slagelse to control hydraulic balancing in its heating and cooling systems. “We are by no means resting on our laurels or our international reputation,” emphasizes Jens Johansen. “Indeed, we are notable for our ongoing innovative spirit, which includes developing two or three new products a year.” Frese A/S is continuing to focus on growth. “Over the next few years we hope to consolidate and further expand our position with energy-saving valve solutions, particularly in Russia, Saudi Arabia, Australia and Germany.”
