Silkeborg company shields the sun
We have been featured in Silkeborg's local newspaper - mja.dk. The newspaper focuses on the fact that the recent many days of heat wave in Denmark does not go unnoticed by us at Holmbladsvej.
Jakob Munk Schmidt, Journalist - Martin Ballund, Photographer
Read the article here - https://www.midtjyllandsavis.dk/artikel/4c690f28-4919-4e9f-9a46-89b0b7677c30/
SILKEBORG When will the next heat wave hit Denmark? No one knows, but there's a company in Silkeborg that knows all about shielding buildings and people from the sun.
Bill Jensen is the CEO and owner of Alux A/S on Holmbladsvej - the company with more than 50 employees that has existed in Silkeborg for almost 30 years.
And an unusual period of weather like the heatwave of the last several days doesn't go unnoticed by the local business.
- We'd love for it to be a heatwave, but we'd prefer it to be in May so that people are reminded that a hot summer could be on the way. When it comes to residential customers, our main season is from March and about six months onwards. So it's coming to an end this year, but on the other hand, people have just been reminded that it can get really hot in Denmark. And it could happen again next year, Bill Jensen notes with a smile on his face.
Private individuals, shops and large companies
Alux offers a wide range of solar shading solutions - from private homes, shops and cafés to large-scale projects with huge facades for commercial buildings.
In the residential category, Bill Jensen highlights a custom solution that combines interior solar shading with Mechanical security.
- As one of the only ones in the country, we have developed an internal shielding system that we call a security roller blind. This means that you can leave windows and doors open to let fresh air in while still keeping the house safe from burglary," explains Bill Jensen about the solution, which is marketed under the name Saferoller.
Locally in Silkeborg, Alux has, among other things, supplied motorized awnings to the Toft menswear store on Torvet and the black Parasols next door to the Drewsens café.
At the other end of the scale, we find large-scale contracting solutions, such as the shielding solutions at Skejby Hospital in Skejby and the new headquarters of the agribusiness company DLG in Fredericia.
Shade on the glass
In the project department, structural engineers are on the payroll.
- We are part of the construction, and on large tenders, we are typically involved as a subcontractor on the facade contract, says CEO Bill Jensen.
He explains that solar shading is an important environmental element in today's large new builds.
- External solar shading has become part of the whole climate issue, says Bill Jensen.
Technically, it's about creating shading on window glass.
- When there is shade on the glass, there is no heat on the glass, whereas the glass acts as a radiator when the sun is shining. So if you create 100% shade on the glass, you have no heating, whereas your air conditioner will be running at full speed if you don't have shading. The advantage of the right shading is that you won't use much energy to keep the indoor climate in place," explains Bill Jensen.
One of Alux's strengths is that it has its own production department and warehouse with aluminum profiles, electric motors, fabrics, etc.
This means, among other things, that the company is able to invent, develop and manufacture its own unique solutions.
From Alusol to Alux
Bill Jensen has been in the industry for decades.
Before Alux, he was co-owner of Alusol in Virklund, which from 1980-1990 focused on total solutions for shop fronts.
- We were born in retail, and at Alusol, for example, we made all the canopies of the time in Søndergade in Silkeborg - 575 meters. In the 1970s and 1980s, stores needed canopies, illuminated signs and large glass facades. Later, the trend was to make smaller windows and return the buildings to their original appearance. Jyske Bank's properties on Vestergade are a good example. Today, awnings are put up instead of canopies, and the awnings don't change the building in the same way as the canopies did, says Bill Jensen, adds the Alux director.
Statoil and Netto
For a number of years, Mechanical security has been a significant part of the business.
- We developed various products with security grilles, and it spread from retail to cafés and restaurants and gas stations. In 1987, we made 325 gas stations together with Statoil in Denmark. Back then, they were tobacco lockers because thieves would go in after closing time and steal the cigarettes. Today, our cabinets are standardized in many stores, including Netto, where we have made safety cabinets in 500 stores," says Bill Jensen.
Department in Zealand
In addition to the head office on Holmbladsvej, Alux also has a presence on Zealand.
- In Solrød, we have a department with fitters and salespeople. Our construction department and production are in Silkeborg, and direct sales are handled by salespeople on Zealand, Funen and in Jutland, who canvass cafés and restaurants," says Bill Jensen.
At the head office on Holmbladsvej, customers can test how an Alux awning runs, says Sales Manager Ole Iversen
Alux has delivered and installed 377 blinds for the new headquarters of Denmark's largest agribusiness company DLG. The building in Fredericia is 7500 sqm and built by AP Pension. Illustration: Alux
With an external solution, in addition to shielding the light, you also get a better opportunity to regulate the temperature in the rooms, which provides an optimal indoor climate and greatly reduces the cost of operating the building's air conditioning system. At Aarhus University Hospital in Skejby, Alux has delivered 3500 blinds across four departments.