From village smithy to
innovative machine builder
1935 VARO is founded by Ingvar Olesen. Mr. Olesen was a skilled and innovative smith and an enterprising business man. Hence, what starts out as a small village smithy quickly grows into an innovative machine company employing 30-40 people. The main focus of the business also changes – from simple repair work to complex products and customized equipment.
1972 Mr. Olesen’s son, Bjarne Olesen, takes over the business. Bjarne Olesen is an engineer and has worked with automization equipment abroad. That gives him a strong starting point for further developing the business. At this point in time VARO still focuses on customized equipment.
1997 VARO is bought by Niels Jensen (CEO) and Flemming Kristensen (R&D Director). This entails an increased focus on technological development and sales.
2003 During this time a number of VARO Group managers become part-owners of VARO. This is a way to ensure that ownership is deeply rooted in the daily management.
2015 VARO celebrates its 80th anniversary by moving into a new and larger facility. All 100 employees are now working here, which has strengthened the collaboration between the different areas of expertise. The larger grounds and facility also ensure that VARO can continue its positive growth for many years to come.
2018 VARO expands with the acquisition of the 7500 m2 building on Sortevej. Extensive renovation work creates large, modern assembly halls and testing facilities.
2018 VARO becomes the first industrial company to join the “Vild med Vilje” (Eng: Wild with Nature) association and dedicates 2000 m2 of green space to develop with the aim of enhancing biodiversity. Later, the area has been expanded several times.
2022 As part of the green transition, approximately 1000 m2 of solar panels are installed on the roof of our main building, providing us with around 190,000 kWh of green energy – equivalent to the future consumption of this building.
