HMK Bilcon is reaching a major milestone

With a history dating back to 1895, on 11 September 2020 HMK Bilcon will reach the major milestone of 125 years in the industry for building custom vehicles for the Scandinavian market.

In 1895, blacksmith Søren Jensen started a workshop in Hjørring, which specialised in horse-drawn carriages until around 1950, when horse-drawn carriages were finally replaced by motor vehicles. The company then began to manufacture chassis for trucks and later became ‘Hjørring Maskin- og karosserifabrik’. In 1963, the company changed its name to HMK Industri and continued in subsequent years to produce truck chassis, reefer boxes, tankers and other specialist vehicles.

In 1955 Scandia Randers began producing solutions for the transport of oil and gas, and was later named Bilcon. Ten years later, Bilcon began producing aluminium tanks, and in 2000 the two companies merged to become HMK Bilcon.

A new headquarters was built in 2010 in Gistrup, near Aalborg, so that the entire company could be based in one place. Today, HMK Bilcon’s headquarters are here with 10,000 m² under one roof.

In 2017, the company became insolvent, but the assets of the old company were taken over by two new owners backed by two investors. Approximately half of the former employees were offered work with the new company, which ensured that product expertise and technical knowledge were retained. New competencies have also been added, creating a mixture of experience and new knowledge which can bring the company safely into the future. Apprentices are recruited regularly so that there are always 10 to 15 apprentices in the company, and this has reduced the average employee age by 10 years.

Still providing high-quality solutions
Today, North Jutland company HMK Bilcon is a professional supplier of specialist vehicles in Scandinavia and delivers tankers and containers for both the private sector and the defence, mobile trailers for the healthcare industry, roadshow trailers for events and vehicles for cereals and feedstuffs to the agricultural sector.

In addition to producing a wide range of specialist vehicles, in 2019, HMK Bilcon established its own software department, which has developed SafeCon® III – a new generation of software control for tankers. SafeCon III has been designed with users in mind, so it is intuitive, efficient and easy to operate. The software department is very busy and has already developed numerous additional features, which is a huge step forward for the industry. An extra level of service is provided by the support team, which is available to customers 24 hours a day.

Over the years, HMK Bilcon has had a proud tradition of producing top-quality products. This is still the main focus, as products which have a very long life and are reliable are critical for customers whose everyday work is completely dependent on their equipment working properly. The tankers’ total cost of ownership is the lowest in the industry.

Towards a greener future
Over the last three years, the company has undergone fundamental change, which has included substantial investment in developing new products, digitisation and a green transition. Among the new developments are a new city trailer, the relaunch of mobile trailers and the development and launch of SafeCon III.

A number of digitisation projects have been implemented to create a much more efficient working day, and welding robots will be purchased in order to further streamline production. The green transition is in full swing at HMK Bilcon. Substantial investments have been made in green optimisation within the company, resulting in reduced utilities consumption and the reduction of heating costs by more than one-third. At the same time, a variety of green projects are in full swing in collaboration with several customers, such as the installation of solar panels on the Danish Defence fuel containers. HMK Bilcon is also lead partner for the development of a supercapacitor, which will improve the environment in Danish and foreign ports. Together with the Danish Technological Institute, HMK Bilcon is also participating in a methanol project.

The anniversary will be celebrated with the employees on saturday night, but celebrations with the customers are postponed until 2021 due to the rising Corona infection,

The company currently has 90 employees in Gistrup near Aalborg.