Meet Hans Jørn Klitgaard

‘It may border on stupid, but my work phone is never switched off. If a farmer calls in the evening, I answer the phone’

In a time characterised by frequent job changes, Hans Jørn Klitgaard's time at SKIOLD is an inspiring example of loyalty and dedication, because in August he will be celebrating 42 years of employment.

When asked what has kept him at the same workplace for so many years, his answer is prompt and cordial:

‘That's easy to answer. Great colleagues who are fantastic people. At the same time, SKIOLD has fantastic products, and work has always been a big part of my life. It means a lot to me, and I've never learnt to look at the clock and go home when it's 4pm.’

Hans Jørn Klitgaard's career began in 1979, when he graduated as an auto mechanic. After a short period at a machine centre, he got a job at Egebjerg Maskinforretning, where he worked with the assembly of pig feed systems.

In 1983, he got a job at Echberg near Silkeborg, where for the next 11 years he also worked on assembling feed systems for pigs.

In 1994, a new door opened when he became a service technician on ventilation systems and began travelling the world for Echberg, visiting places as diverse as Russia, China, Ukraine, South Africa, USA, Ireland and Spain to install and commission air conditioning and ventilation systems.

When SKIOLD took over Echberg in 2000, he continued as a service technician until 2008. He then switched tracks and became part of the sales department for the climate division with a focus on the Danish market.

Today, he is a climate consultant, but his commitment to the work and the company is still deeply rooted.

They are living animals and they will die if they don't get help

It's clear that collegiality means a lot to Hans Jørn Klitgaard, and he also describes his colleagues as ‘fantastic people’.

He also emphasises the quality of SKIOLD's products and stresses that work is an integral and meaningful part of his life.

‘Maybe it borders on stupid, but my work phone is never switched off. If a farmer calls in the evening, I answer the phone. If the farmer has a problem, he needs help. Because these are living animals and they can die if they don't get help.’

The support at home has been very important to him in this regard.

‘I've always had 100 per cent support at home. It has something to do with the fact that if I thrive at work, I also thrive at home,’ says Hans Jørn Klitgaard and illustrates this with a personal example:

‘When I had a service van, my wife said that when I parked the car and closed the door, she knew how my day had been. The way I closed the car door when I walked out the door apparently told her how my day had been.’

We are the ones being asked

When looking at SKIOLD's strengths, he points to the company's broad competences and market position.

‘We can do it all, from handling the grain harvested in the field to putting food on the table of the Jensen family. Milling, feeding in the barn, ventilating the pigs and furnishings. We can deliver a complete project with great products. And it's a pleasure to be part of a company that is so strong that we are the ones who are asked when a barn needs to be mechanised.’

One particular project that stands out in his memory is the development of air filtration for stables.

‘Airborne diseases are terrible to bring into the barn. It can affect all the animals in a barn and quickly spread to other barns. And it can affect a breeding herd that can take years to rebuild.’

In a collaboration between the development department, himself and a customer building a new barn, filters were installed that proved so effective that they were subsequently implemented in all barns.

50 kilometres by bike is a break

Although Hans Jørn Klitgaard is approaching 66 years old and enjoys life in Himmerland near Aars with his family, he is still active and engaged.

His keen interest in sports, especially cycling, has taken him to Paris twice by bike as part of the ‘Tour de Taxa’, an initiative that raises money for the Christmas charities.

Hans Jørn Klitgaard gets on his bike to find a place to escape.

‘It's often 50 kilometres, and that's with my phone on silent. It's my break and my way of relaxing and getting new energy.’