“You have a massive entrepreneurial desire and a will to succeed here.“
Interview with Søren Hjort Krarup, Managing Director of Alfa Laval Aalborg
Aalborg shipyard and the history live on in Alfa Laval
In the Port of Aalborg's old shipyard area, you’ll find one of the largest maritime companies in Denmark. Alfa Laval Aalborg develops and manufactures a wide range of equipment for ship and land industry worldwide.
Although the building is new, the company has a long history in Aalborg. Alfa Laval is the old Aalborg Industries, which originates all the way back to 1919, when the first boilers were produced at Aalborg Shipyard.
The long history of Aalborg still follows the company, and according to Managing Director, Søren Hjort Krarup, it is something you want to cherish.
- On ships around the world, it is a deep-rooted view that the Aalborg boiler is a stamp of quality. There is a certain self-understanding here, that we are a good and trustworthy old Aalborg company.
- We try to take care of that, and we have a clear strategy of being visible and committed in Aalborg. We want to make the current employees proud to be here and create visibility in relation to new potential employees.
Great entrepreneurship and the willingness to succeed
Søren Hjorth Krarup is not from North Denmark himself, but still speaks highly of Aalborg and the region, as he believes that there is a special atmosphere in the business community in Aalborg.
- I sometimes tease the native employees, that Aalborg is an island or a small city on the outskirts of Denmark. But it just means that you have a large hinterland area and a huge drive.
- You have a massive entrepreneurial desire and a will to succeed here. In larger cities, the solution is often found in a neighboring city. The size of the city and the area you have in North Denmark creates a different dynamic.
Søren regards Aalborg as a place with countless opportunities. A place where businesspeople with local or global ambitions comes together to create a productive business climate.
Good and open dialogue
- In Aalborg, you are positive about having a dynamic business community, a spirit of knowledge sharing and an embracement of the industrial image of the city. I experience a good dialogue and an openness in the city.
There are organizations within the municipality that look after the interests of the business community and put them on the agenda of officials and politicians.
When we collaborate with the public administrations, there is no doubt, that we deal with a municipality, which prioritizes the business community.
“In Aalborg, you are positive about having a dynamic business community, a spirit of knowledge sharing and an embracement of the industrial image of the city.“
The three I’s provide the growth opportunities
Søren believes that there are three "I's" that the municipality and the business community must agree on in order to have an efficient and productive business community.
The infrastructure must be good and better than other business cities. Aalborg must also be international and must show that we are attractive to the whole world, and last but not least, Aalborg must be innovative, especially when it comes to education and entrepreneurship.
- If you can unite the three parts, you can be competitive in relation to the other growth centers in Northern Europe, and you have an opportunity to stand with a real winning city. In Aalborg, many of these things are already working and there is a strong focus on balancing the framework conditions to unleash the growth potential of the city.
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