| A history of over 100 years |
| Vikan's history dates back to 1898 embracing 3 generations. Today Vikan is one of the leading manufacturers of hygienic cleaning tools. |
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| 1898 - 1955 Skive Børstefabrik in Thinggade | ||
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 A.P. Pedersen, the founder of Vikan A/S. |
A.P. Pedersen - the founder of the company was born on July 2nd, 1869. He was the oldest son of a family of 6 children. He was apprenticed to brush-maker Søren Christensen. The duration of the apprenticeship was 4 years. The two first years his pay was board and lodging, the last 2 years he also earned 100 DKK a year. After his apprenticeship he did his military service. He spent his spare time making brushes. On May 1st 1898 A.P. Pedersen became an independant brush-maker. . |
| The factory is on fire ! | ||
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 The yard of the factory in 1920. |
In 1918 the factory was destroyed by fire. This was a hard blow to A.P. Pedersen and he suffered a considerable loss. At that time business was doing well and he had got a lot of new customers. But, this resulted in a tight budget. As A.P. Pedersen expressed it: "We are of course happy to get customers, and we want a lot of customers. But if you are not a man of property you soon see that you need money to start a business. You need a stock of finished goods, but in order to obtain this you have to buy raw material, pay wages etc. This means that the more customers you have the more money you need. A.P. Pedersen had to borrow money in Handelsbanken in Viborg, and he walked all the way to Viborg and back again (60 km). |
| The front of the factory in the 1930's | ||
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In 1929 a new property towards Thinggade was built. The construction was put in the hands of the architect H. Toft Hansen, who formerly had been A.P. Pedersen's first errand boy. |
| Generational change | ||
 A.P. Pedersen's 35 years jubilee celebration on May 1st 1933. Photo from A.P. Pedersen's garden. |
In 1929 A.P. Pedersen turned 60 and he started to consider the future of the factory. Business went well and his two sons, Carl Wilhelm and Gunnar, were very interested in the company. In 1933 the transfer to the sons took place and in 1949 the company was transformed into a private limited company. |
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| The 30's and 40's | ||
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Already before the war the manufacturing process was very automated. The picture shows machinery for drilling of the brush backs and for placement of filaments. The two processes were combined and the brush driller was redundant. Several of the machines used in the factory were invented by a local carpenter called Jensen. At this time Vikan started considering the idea of exports and the two sons decided to use the contacts they had established during their stay abroad before the war. |
| Change of address in 1955 - Viborgvej 7 | ||
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The architect Toft Hansen constructed the new factory of 6,000 sqm. The method of construction was completely new at that time. A steel framework was erected and the walls were made from precast concrete units. It was the first time such a large building was erected without the assistance of bricklayers. |
| Movement to Frisenborgvej in 1970 | ||
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At Christmas 1970 Vikan moved from Viborgvej to a completely new factory of 7,000 sqm. The new buildings were made for rational production and were drawn by the architect Steen Zinck. |
| Extensions 1973-1974 | ||
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 Brush block drilling fotographed in 1975, just before this form of production was discontinued. |
Already in 1973 it was necessary to extend the factory and a hall of 2,000 sqm was erected. This extension made it possible to rationalise the production of the new hygiene line. In 1973 20% of the production was exported. |
| Expansion in England and in Skive | ||
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 After the latest extension of the warehouse Vikan now disposes of 10,000 sqm. |
In 1992 Vikan acquired its largest competitor in England. After a transition period the British company was transformed into a sales company and it moved to Swindon. All production was moved to Skive. Later in the 90's sales companies in Finland and France were acquired. |
| Fully automated CNC-controlled production | ||
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 A view of the modern production facilities. |
The machines at Vikan's plant are super-modern and fully automated CNC-controlled, and Vikan even has a few industrial robots. The company has experienced an immense development since the establishment in 1898. It is our intention in future to focus on an innovative product development and on a strengthening of the human qualifications and resources. |