More than radio production

Audiola becomes a conglomerate 
At Audiola in Kolding, they want more than just to produce radios and gramophones. The company which is a subsidiary of Nordisk Solar Compagni, is on the hunt for new business territories.                               

CEO Jacob Jørgensen believes that way too many people have trouble navigating the unknown. The challenges of the interwar period and the crisis in the 30s have taught him that a successful company does not happen on its own. They take foresight, courage, willpower, being resourceful and having the ability to think outside the box and act upon it.  

Just like when World War I paralysed the import and the electricity meter sales, Jacob Jørgensen now fears that history is repeating itself. The war and the tough rationing and blockade of raw materials of the occupation quickly limit Audiola’s production of radios. This time, it is not a shortage of electricity meters but a scarcity of vacuum tubes that threatens to curb Solar’s development.  

He realises the severity of the situation and knows that there is a lot more at stake this time. Now, it’s not just the development of the business in Denmark that might be impaired. It might also cost Solar’s initial hold on the newly entered export markets.

If Audiola does not manage to seek out new opportunities and change their game, it will be impossible to maintain a profitable production and 200 jobs might vanish into thin air.

How production is maintained
Therefore, already during the first years of the war, Jacob Jørgensen lets Audiola initiate the switch so that they can both maintain the radio production while also experimenting on developing new products. In order to keep the engine running, Audiola must also try to become subcontractor for some of the Danish industrial companies, since they have lost their suppliers due to the war.

Audiola starts manufacturing different electrical articles and items made from bakelite, which is one of the earliest types of plastic. Because of its non-conductivity and heat resistance, the material was often used for radio and telephone casings. In 1942, the factory is the subcontractor of punched out chassis for Telefunken in Copenhagen. The switch catches on and they invest in their own galvanising department, buy the needed machinery and despite the downsized radio production, Audiola is soon busy with another production. The plan is a success!

However, as a consequence of the expanding production, they soon run out of space and the plant becomes too small. 

The Board decides to expand the factory with an extra wing and as they acquire a local machine shop, Jacob Jørgensen succeeds in procuring the extra needed capacity, despite the war.

In the post war period, Audiola’s growth explodes 
After the war, the factory changes a lot. The plant is modernised and expands as Audiola develops new products. However, the factory can no longer expand in the backyard. There’s no room. Instead, they add two extra floors to the building. In the bakelite section, we now find modern presses, which are some of the biggest in the country. They stand side by side and a three-shift system is implemented to keep up with the demand.

And things move along quickly. Everywhere there’s a shortage of the many electrical articles and bakelite products that Audiola produces. On top of record sales in their home market, in only a few years, Solar builds up a sensational million export.

Photo from the galvanising section of the factory

From the backyard to the factory yard
By the end of the 50s, Audiola is one of the biggest workplaces in Kolding. The production increases and it is clear that it is no longer possible for Audiola to expand further in the backyard at Haderslevvej.

Therefore, in 1958, Jacob Jørgensen buys a discontinued railroad area off Kolding municipality with the intention of erecting an industrial building which can accommodate Audiola’s tools department and Dansk Målerværksted. Furthermore, it should function as a modern incubator for entrepreneurship and establishing new companies.

Jacob Jørgensen initiates the building project costing millions. Approx. 1½ year later, “Fabriksgården” (the factory yard) is finished. The frontage of the building is 100 metres long and 14 metres tall. The building totals 8,200 square metres, which means that Audiola ends up expanding with more than 200 percent. 

In the old factory buildings at Haderslevvej, the remaining job functions are improved. Logistics and work processes are optimised and they do a minor renovation. They set up a soundproof workshop for the biggest presses, which produce the largest items. Among other things, Audiola produces bakelite toilet seats, which by the standards of the time, were pretty revolutionary and classy. 

Within a few years, Audiola becomes the biggest employer in the area with close to 600 employees at “Fabriksgården” (the factory yard). Furthermore, the company is now a famous and respected subcontractor of several significant industrial companies in Denmark, Germany and The Netherlands, including Danfoss, Velux, LK-NES, Lego, Robert Bosch, Siemens and Philips.