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Thomas Westergaard is daily head of the lab, and the experienced Alfix employee would like to tell the following about his everyday work life at Alfix:

- Could you briefly describe your own department and its functions?

“Our department is responsible for an ongoing test procedure of incoming raw materials as well as manufactured products – testing is made alongside the production on a daily basis. The final control of products will ensure that every Alfix product is flawless to all times and meets the standards specified.

- Which assignments are you responsible for as head of the department?

“In close collaboration with my five good colleagues, I plan, organize and control the products in the lab. We do production controls, R&D and follow-ups on complaints.

- When do you experience a particularly good day at work?

“When the production runs as scheduled and the controls confirm the right product properties, we are happy and high spirited – even if we are very busy. A positive vibe and mood spreads all over the factory and everything loosens up, and work becomes easier. And it is nice to receive praise from eg the Sales Dep. if a customer has expressed his satisfaction with a particular product, which I have participated in developing.

Positive responses always boost the motivation. Icing on the cake: If Alfix delivers a lovely cake to accompany the coffee as was the case just recently when we celebrated having reached 1500 LinkedIn followers. I now look forward to achieving 1500 followers on Facebook”.

A lot exciting swimming pools are being built for private clients at the moment due to factors including the ongoing restrictions on travel and the fact that many people in Denmark have some spare cash in their pockets from extra holiday pay, free equity in their homes, etc.

From the Alfix perspective, however, the large public-sector pool projects are the ones that take up the most space volume-wise and in relation to the important associated guidance.

“Alfix has more than 45 years of experience in building swimming pools in Scandinavia. We have developed materials specifically for swimming pools and our painstaking approach to products, systems and guidance alike stems from a clear ambition to show responsibility in relation to both construction financing and the development of durable, sustainable solutions,” explains Carsten Schultz, Technical Manager at Alfix and a specialist in swimming pools.

Carsten originally trained as a mason and a building designer, and according to him, swimming pool construction is often a matter of public sector funding. In this regard, it is essential that the contractors and craftsmen are fully familiar with the special requirements that apply to the choice of materials. Alfix not only supplies construction materials, but also provides advice and guidance in building pools that require only minimal maintenance, while generating plenty of great experiences for their users.

Asked about Alfix’s role before, during and after these often complex construction projects, he replies:

“At the end of the day, we see our role as building bridges between the different professional contracts so that everyone is speaking the same language before the work even starts. This is the best way to guard against costly misunderstandings.”

Alfix is also represented at Trongårdsskolen school in Lyngby, north of Copenhagen. Here the Danish Alfix products are being used in a 25-metre pool, in the bare foot area and in the changing facilities. Rambøll is the consultant, JDN Entreprise A/S is the chief contractor, and CC-Fliser is company performing the actual masonry work.

Alfix products used in the project: PlaneMix S40 (Pool and concrete repair mortar), PlaneMix 100 (Fast-setting screeding mortar), Epoxy Primer, Epoxy Membrane, ProFix flexible tile adhesive, FlexBinder, C2 Epoxy (Acid-resistant grout and tile adhesive) and IndustryFuge CeraFill 18. Click here to find out more about our pool systems

”“We’re absolutely delighted with the result. We chose the Alfix façade product on account of its superior durability and its capacity to combat the development of algae. It’s also a huge plus that the product features authentic Danish quality and comes from a company that has been based locally in Kolding for generations,” say Anne-Mette Moberg and Thomas Rasmussen. A big thank you to the home-owners for their positive feedback.

Beneath the breathable, water- and dirt-repellent façade paint lies a layer of Alfix DuraPuds 703 (through coloured thin coat finishing mortar). The home is therefore “well-dressed” and properly protected with a comprehensive Danish façade system from Alfix. DuraDec 8000 SR features façade durability of up to 20 years, and many professional painters affirm that it is extremely good to work with. And as a dash of green icing on the cake, the plastic bucket the paint is supplied in is naturally made of recyclable plastic. [Click here to find out more about DuraDec 8000 SR]()

More than a few skilled Danish master masons are now big fans of our popular thin coat bonding mortar. One of them, Master Mason Michael Thomsen from MT BYG, has the following to say: “The 710 is a great universal product for us – it’s really easy to work with. We use it for all kinds of rendering jobs, both indoors and out, and it’s a big plus that we can cover so many areas of use with a single product. The product features two properties I consider particularly important:

1. The structure of DuraPuds 710 is just about perfect. It’s neither too smooth nor too coarse, and that means a lot to our customers. There are several other well-known rendering products on the market where the finished structure is simply too coarse.
2. 2. It’s reasonably priced, too.”

The classic Danish bonding mortar garners praise from another master mason, too:

“One of the great strengths of DuraPuds 710 is its workability; the mortar is easy to blend up and the structure of the finished result is right on the money. And, of course, it doesn’t hurt that it’s attractively priced. I only use Alfix products for my façade projects – and have done for years,” says Master Mason Daniel Steengaard Buch from Steengaard Byg ApS.

We’ll add our own 710 x thanks here along with a whole-hearted THANK YOU to everyone who supports us as a family-owned Danish company. Your backing means the world to us! The rendering season is upon us again – click here to find out more about our façade render products!

A member of the Alfix production staff, Michael Valentin has been with the company since January 1998; he is an old hand at the Kolding factory, running tasks on one of three machines that make powder products. This is how he describes his work assignments:

“As a process operator on our Yellow machine, it’s my job to produce finished goods for our warehouse, which then takes care of the onward delivery. There’s a production plan, updated daily, that explains what we are to make that day. As Alfix can run products on the basis of customer requests, the plan is always flexible. We can switch products on the machine at extremely short notice, so my working day is often exciting and challenging. Another of my responsibilities as process operator is to take care of maintaining the machine, so I need to be good with my hands as well.”

_-What makes for a particularly good day at work?

“It starts when you arrive at work in the morning and everyone is happy to see you. And when the machine is running smoothly so we can meet the targets for the products our customers have ordered – all delivered on time, of course,” says Michael Valentin with a smile.

Martin J Olesen has been an Alfix employee since May 2018, and as from November 2019 he has worked as stores manager at the factory in Kolding. We have asked him about his working day, and we have particularly talked about elements that characterize a remarkably good day at work according to Martin.

-Initially, could you give a brief description of your department?
My department, being the picking stock, counts in all 6 employees. We are about to employ yet another stock worker as order volumes increase.

-Which tasks are you in charge of as stock manager?
My duty is to manage and assign tasks, activate orders and see to it that our stocks tally. I work in close co-operation with the orders office as to when orders are ready for collection or shipment – or in case our customers have special requirements. We always do our very best to meet the requests of our customers.

-Could you highlight other of your functions?
Together, we ensure that all picking locations are filled; we pick items or products, stock pallets, load trucks and move pallets between the various buildings on the plant premises.

How would you describe a particularly good day at work?
That would be a busy day with plenty of orders where we manage to meet every requirement of every customer - within working hours.

Martin is 32 years old, lives in Kolding with his girl friend and their two little girls. In his spare time he focuses on family, friends and sports.