Daikin acquires Danish distributor

DENMARK: Daikin has acquired its Danish HVAC distributor BKF-Klima A/S from Swedish refrigeration and air conditioning wholesaler Beijer Ref.

The acquisition sees the establishment of Daikin Denmark, based in new offices in Brøndby which will include a training facility and a dedicated Daikin Experience Center showroom.

Daikin Europe senior project manager Robert Kagabo has been appointed as MD of the new company. Kagabo has extensive experience at Daikin having joined the company in 2006 and served in a number of sales and management positions in Belgium, France and Africa. 

“Coupled with our commitment to nurturing the personal development of our new teammates in Denmark, we are also ambitious for growth as an organisation in the Danish market,” Kagabo said. 

Established in 1995 and based in Ballerup, BKF-Klima has acted as Daikin’s sole agent in Denmark since 1985. The company oversees the further distribution of Daikin products to a large Danish network of approved dealers. The BKF team will move the 10km or so to the new Brøndby offices in the coming weeks. 

Daikin’s acquisition of BKF-Klima marks a significant step in the company’s expansion strategy in Scandinavia, which began with Daikin Sweden in 2008, followed by Daikin Norway in 2018 and a Daikin office in Finland in the same year.

“The acquisition of BKF-Klima with its outstanding reputation plays a pivotal role in strengthening our foothold in the region,” said Daikin Europe president Toshitaka Tsubouchi. “Given Scandinavia’s focus on sustainability, our investment serves a triple purpose for us: strategic growth, superior customer service and contributing to the adoption of low-carbon HVAC technologies in the Danish market,” 

Simon Karlin, EVP EMEA at Beijer Ref commented: “We are confident that BKF-Klima’s organisation and its employees will continue to thrive under Daikin. We are pleased to have found this solution, as Beijer Ref will continue its focus on growing the presence in Denmark with its strategic HVAC partners.”

The first Denmark-based Daikin training centre and Daikin Experience Center for consumers will open their doors later this year. The Daikin Experience Center is a dedicated showroom which offers current and aspiring homeowners a chance to experience Daikin’s low-carbon solutions for heating and cooling in person. The new centre in Copenhagen will add up to a total of 12 Daikin Experience Centers in Europe.

“With our new larger organisation and the two new centres, we can activate the expertise Daikin has to a greater extent and ensure even better trained installers. This benefits both installer companies and consumers,” concludes Robert Kagabo.

Describing Daikin’s investment as “a positive development”, Vanessa Vega Saenz, director Invest in Denmark at the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said: “We need heating solutions that can contribute to making our society and individual households independent of fossil fuels and reduce CO2 emissions. The company’s focus on training installers as well as providing inspiration targeted at consumers, can contribute to more people choosing greener energy solutions.”