A Pandemic Year Through the Eyes of the HAJDU Group
Although the pandemic altered their plans on multiple fronts, the HAJDU Group closed the past year with a positive balance, recording HUF 15.6 billion in revenue for 2020. HAJDU Hajdúsági Ipari Zrt., which manufactures building engineering products, maintained a stable market throughout the year, while HAJDU Autotechnika Zrt. had to respond flexibly to sudden fluctuations in automotive volumes.
HAJDU Boilers Prove Crisis-Resilient
The pandemic had little impact on HAJDU Zrt.’s sales, with demand for HAJDU products increasing in both domestic and export markets by more than 7% overall. For the company, 2020 brought HUF 10.7 billion in revenue.
“Domestic and export sales have been steadily growing in recent years. Alongside full domestic distribution coverage, the sales of mechanical equipment related to renewable energy have particularly increased. In export markets, the German region and Eastern European markets strengthened further, especially in Russia,” detailed Péter Sztányi, Commercial Director of HAJDU Zrt.
Government measures supporting families—such as CSOK, the Baby Expecting Support, and Home Renovation Subsidies—are expected to significantly boost domestic construction activity, which could strengthen the domestic market for building engineering products in the coming period. Ideally, these subsidies will support energy-efficiency investments in residential buildings, where HAJDU products can be utilized. In addition to high-quality, locally manufactured products, a key advantage is the company’s fully covered domestic distribution and service partner network.
New and renewed HAJDU products are continuously appearing in the portfolio—HP-Tower heat pump water heaters, SMILEY layered heating boilers, CUBE square-shaped electric water heaters—followed this year by the HPAW air-to-water heat pump product family. “Our primary goal in product development is to further improve energy efficiency, driven not only by regulations but also by consumers’ growing expectations for energy and cost savings. Design and aesthetics are also important, which is why new forms have been introduced,” added the company’s commercial director.
Stepping Up Production
Due to the pandemic, HAJDU Autotechnika Zrt.’s production volume fell drastically during the spring months. The company quickly adapted its operations to current market demands. After the subdued period, production grew dynamically from September onwards, with the last quarter contributing approximately 50% of the company’s annual revenue. Overall, HUF 4.9 billion in revenue was realized, nearly reaching 2019 levels. The approximately 8% decrease compared to the previous year is significantly lower than the 30% decline experienced by the industry in 2020.
“Our order book continues to grow, and we are expanding our workforce to meet demand. Our staff remains stable above 200 employees, with ongoing hiring in our production team. Finding skilled, high-quality labor is increasingly challenging, which presents a significant production challenge,” emphasized Anna Dedéné Novotni, CEO of HAJDU Autotechnika Zrt.
The automotive company entered the new year with ambitious plans, targeting an extremely intensive 60% revenue growth in 2021. “These figures are based on both previously won projects and those starting this year. The pandemic has triggered a reorganization in the automotive industry, with Eastern Europe gaining importance and a shift from a global to a more local approach, emphasizing the geographic proximity of suppliers to partners. This year, our goal is to diversify and consciously expand our customer base,” summarized the company’s CEO.
Environmentally Conscious Production
One of the HAJDU Group’s main priorities is supporting environmental goals. Over recent years, HAJDU Infrastruktúra Zrt. has implemented a comprehensive energy program, modernizing its entire infrastructure network.
Thanks to these conscious measures, the group halved its energy consumption per unit of revenue by the end of 2020, improving it by 54% compared to 2009. Over ten years, the investments have resulted in a CO₂ reduction equivalent to more than one and a half years of the ecological footprint of the group’s 750 employees.
From an environmental perspective, the dense, wooded surroundings of the manufacturing sites are a major advantage. The unique forested areas owned by the group can capture significant amounts of carbon dioxide.
