Thomas Koelleskov is the man responsible for bringing Exhausto Ventilation to Britain. But what does the boss of the UK arm think of progress so far? Paul Braithwaite reports
EXHAUSTO, the Danish ventilation company, is 51 years old this year.

In the UK, it is best known for its chimney draught technology. But it is Thomas Koelleskov's job, as managing director of the ventilation division, to change this.

Exhausto was founded by the father of current owner Peter Hermansen. He solved the
problem of insufficient draught from a chimney by using a motorised fan. And Exhausto was born.

Ten years on, Peter Hermansen took over the company and, in a variation on his father's theme, introduced ventilation systems that used fan technology.

'This division of the company began by selling extract ventilation systems for apartments in Denmark,' says Koelleskov.

This meant a fan on the roof, cooker hoods in each of the apartments, and a small extract grill in the bathrooms - a complete system.

The first heat recovery unit was added to the systems in the early 1980s, as fuel prices began to rise.

It was a simple, crossflow plated heat exchanger.

'Exhausto has been marketing the heat recovery ventilation system for more than 30 years,' Koelleskov says.

And things have changed in that time, he adds - now Exhausto is about comfort ventilation.
There are now three types of heat exchanger used in the
ventilation systems - plated, thermal wheel and counter flow - and many more applications,
such as schools, care homes, offices, and nurseries.
In fact 'anywhere people are in rooms'.

And these will, says Koelleskov, produce up to 85% heat recovery, which is as high as that achieved by other ventilation company, he insists. 'It is about as far as the industry can go until the next technological leap.'

As the applications grew, so did the company's experience, which is where Exhausto is today.
Koelleskov joined Exhausto, in Denmark, in 2003, as a product manager. One of his first tasks was to help the UK arm introduce a ventilation division.

Strong potential

The initial period showed that there was definitely a strong
potential for the Exhausto ventilation range, as customers requested small, compact, energy- efficient solutions.

Then the company decided to split chimney draught technology and ventilation into two divisions.
Koelleskov was, by this time, export manager in Denmark, and it was his job to push the UK sales of the ventilation division.

It was at this point that he decided to take a closer look at the British market.
'The UK was just too far away for us to run from Denmark. Further, our research showed there was potential there for the ventilation side.'

Koelleskov moved to the UK as managing director from January 1 this year.
He stresses that while Exhausto is best known in the UK for its chimney draught technology, across the world the company sales breakdown is 75% ventilation products, 25% chimney technology. Eight months on, Koelleskov admits it has not been easy - but then he had not expect it to be.

Exhausto is up against some tried-and-tested rivals in a traditional market.

The range is targeted at the commercial sector - apartment blocks, schools, care homes,
nurseries, and bigger.

The route to market is through the specifier, with follow-up calls to the contractors.
Exhausto supplies the product only, but Koelleskov is considering training contractors to commission larger systems in the future.
'But, basically, it is a product that is simple to install.'

Exhausto is willing to commission a system, as it has the resources to do so - a travelling team from Denmark. The team is also available for troubleshooting.

Eventually, as the business builds, Koelleskov will be able to employ a commissioning/troubleshooting team. And, as well as troubleshooting, he sees a two-man team
training contractors to become approved installers and service engineers.

'It is important Exhausto, as a supplier, offers a 24-hour service, instead of up to four days.'
He adds that if Exhausto can train up local contractors, in different parts of the country, they will be available at a few hours notice. This will work for Exhausto - and its partner.
'It means extra business for them and better customer service for us, which should translate into more sales for us and more work for them.'

Hygiene approved

Koelleskov sees this happening at the beginning of 2009. The two-man, or three-man, team will then be given training in Denmark, and they, in turn, will then train the installer partners.
Why should installers change from their present ventilation
suppliers?

'I believe Exhausto has a superb range. The 85% heat recovery
figure is as good as that of any supplier in the market, and better than many. And many of our
systems have added value, especially the one which fits into the ceiling void. All the systems
are hygiene approved by the Institution of Berlin for use in wet rooms, kitchens and WCs. And there is a guarantee that mould bacteria will not grow in the units.' And, he insists, Exhausto is, to his knowledge, the only company in the UK that is able to offer this guarantee.

Further, he says, Exhausto has a small, dedicated team that is wedded to customer service.

'Customers are our bread and butter, so we have to make sure we offer them the best service.'
And Koelleskov reckons that this starts with delivery times which, he insists - at three-to-four weeks - is about half the time taken by some of his competitors.

The computer system in the Crawley office is linked straight back to the head office and factory in Denmark. So immediately an order is accepted, it goes straight into the production system.

There is a standard 12-day production cycle, and three or four days for delivery. The product comes out of the factory and is delivered straight to site.

By 2012, Koelleskov believes Exhausto Ventilation will be turning over £2.5M a year in the UK.
'The economic downturn worries everyone, but the UK will not stop tomorrow. This figure is achievable.'

He adds that ventilation companies that specialise in one-family housing have been hit hard.
This means those companies will be looking for other outlets for their goods, which is where Exhausto has positioned itself.

'But there is still a need for affordable apartments with one, two, or three bedrooms in all the major cities and towns of the UK - and Northern Europe.

'Even though property prices are dropping, the market will pick up again,' he believes.
Koelleskov says: 'Exhausto is in the UK for the long haul, and, in spite of the economic downturn, Britain has the greatest potential for growth in ventilation.'

'The UK is almost at the point at which the Scandinavian market was 10 or 15 years ago. Houses, over a short period of time, became significantly more airtight. This makes ventilation, with heat recovery, all the more necessary.

'The timing for Exhausto to enter the market is right.'