Cleantech prize awarded to Kamstrup for smart metering

Kamstrup has been awarded the title of EY Entrepreneur of The Year in the Cleantech category. It was the ability to match global trends in smart metering, data-driven ressource management and high innovation in the development of competencies that drove the jury to single out Kamstrup.

To a large extent, the key to meet global environmental and climate change challenges lies in finding new solutions and technologies for commonplace processes and products. The Cleantech prize ‘EY Entrepreneur Of The Year’ is thus given to a business that leads this development and marketing of products and services, thereby helping to reduce the consumption of resources and/or minimise pollution.

This year, Kamstrup ran to victory with its response to the global demand for intelligent solutions to the metering of power and water.

“It requires not only time but also massive investments in technology for a cleantech company to be successful. But it’s a market in strong global growth, so it is an investment in the future. It must be said that this has been how today’s winner has experienced it. With targeted focus on the future’s solutions, they have adapted products to the demand that will come to dominate the years to come. It is that kind of shift, which many traditional Danish companies would do well to be inspired by,” said Anders Eldrup, chairman of the jury and chairman of Copenhagen Cleantech Cluster and Offshoreenergy.dk.

Well-run growth company
The finalists were judged according to six overall criteria: entrepreneurial spirit, earnings, strategic business development, personal integrity, innovation and future potential. – And in a tough final round, the judges ultimately chose Kamstrup.

“We are proud that we, as a 70-year-old company, can win Entrepreneur Of The Year’s Cleantech prize, and attach a large portion of the reason for this on the fact that we have been able to maintain a level of dedication and resolve in our 900 employees more typically seen among younger companies,” said Kamstrup’s Global Marketing Director, Jesper

“Kamstrup invests heavily in innovation and technology. In hindsight, we have been good at predicting which needs the market will ask for in the future. Four years ago for example, we developed the smart water meter, which foresaw waterworks’ demands and which they use today,” said Kamstrup’s CFO, Henrik Rom.

Besides having every fourth employee working within development, Kamstrup has also opted to invest in a hi-tech and automated production in Denmark.

“While many other Danish companies have moved their electronics production to China, our strategy has been to maintain a close collaboration between production and development. This provides a faster introduction of new products and ensures a uniformly high quality. That we can be both competitive and able to sell Danish-produced electronics in China is of course a crucial factor,” points out Henrik Rom.

“We measure our success on the difference we make to our customers and to the society we service. At the same time, we challenge each other constantly to do that we are doing well even better. It’s a good foundation to create long-term change and dynamics,” adds Jesper Daugaard.

EY Entrepreneur of The Year first took place in 1986 in USA and was introduced in Denmark in 1997.