Vikan

What Vikan does

Vikan A/S is a Danish manufacturer of hygienic cleaning tools, brushes, handles, squeegees, and material handling equipment primarily serving food and beverage production environments worldwide. Founded in 1898 in Skive, Denmark by A. P. Pedersen and 100% owned by the Vissing Foundation (a Danish charitable family foundation established in 1979), the company operates from Denmark with sales offices in Copenhagen, Zionsville (Indiana), and an integrated North American subsidiary formed through the 2018 acquisition of Remco. Its technical platform centers on a patented Ultra Safe Technology (UST) line, comprehensive color-coded product ranges supporting HACCP-driven cross-contamination control, single-molded Ultra Hygienic Handles, and powered solutions such as HyDrive mechanically assisted tools and the HyGo mobile sanitation station. Approximately 315 employees in 10 countries support operations and a global distributor network spanning more than 90 countries.

Vikan's revenue model is anchored in B2B hardware sales of cleaning tools and equipment to enterprise food and beverage producers, complemented by professional and advisory services such as site surveys, training programs, documentation support, and color-coded zoning plan design. Distribution is predominantly indirect via authorized distributors globally, with direct enterprise sales in North America through Vikan North America and consultation-based engagement for larger accounts. The company serves multiple verticals, including food and beverage manufacturing (primary), food retail and catering, pharmaceutical and healthcare, and commercial facilities via the value-oriented ColorCore line. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; customers engage Vikan or authorized distributors for quotes. Adjacent offerings include ISO 9001:2015-accredited quality processes, FDA and EU food-contact compliance documentation, and an extensive content library (Knowledge Center, blog, webinars) that functions as a top-of-funnel education channel and as a service-delivery asset.

Name

Vikan

Legal name

Vikan A/S

Website

https://vikan.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1898

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Vikan is a Denmark-based manufacturer of color-coded hygienic cleaning tools and material handling equipment, serving food and beverage producers globally. The company sells patented UST brushes, ergonomic handles, and power-assisted cleaning systems through a 90+ country distributor network and direct sales in North America.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Hygienic Cleaning Equipment

NAICS

Broom, Brush, and Mop Manufacturing (339994)

akta.pro primary industry

Brooms, Brushes & Dustpans (CRAJAIAA)

Keywords

• Hygienic cleaning tools
• Food safety equipment
• Color-coded sanitation
• Food processing hygiene
• Industrial cleaning supplies

Headquarters

HQ city

Skive

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Cleaning Tool Sales: Vikan generates revenue primarily through the sale of hygienic cleaning tools, handles, brushes, brooms, squeegees, and related equipment to food and beverage producers. Products are sold through distributors globally and direct sales in North America.
2. Professional Services: Vikan provides fee-based services including site surveys, training programs, documentation support, and best-practice guidance to help customers optimize cleaning protocols and maintain hygiene compliance.
3. Advisory Services: The company offers expert advisory services for color-coded zoning plans and customized tool maintenance programs for facilities.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Vikan designs, manufactures, and sells hygienic cleaning tools (brushes, brooms, squeegees, handles, mobile cleaning stations, wall brackets, and reusable protective garments) for the food and beverage industry, built around a color-coded zoning system to prevent cross-contamination. The company also offers professional advisory services including site surveys, training, and compliance documentation. Products are sold globally through authorized distributors and direct enterprise sales in North America.

Product overview

Vikan offers a portfolio of hygienic cleaning tools for the food and beverage industry and other hygiene-sensitive environments. The core product lines include the Hygiene Range (color-coded cleaning tools), the UST Range (Ultra Safe Technology with patent-protected designs), the Vikan North America Range, the value-oriented ColorCore Range, and the Top Dog Range of reusable protective garments. Featured products include HyDrive Mechanically Assisted Tools (power-assisted cleaning), the HyGo Mobile Cleaning Station, the Hygienic Hi-Flex Wall Bracket System, and Ultra Hygienic Handles. The company also offers a comprehensive handles product line encompassing aluminum, fiberglass, stainless steel, polypropylene, and other materials. Vikan's products support color-coding programs for HACCP compliance and are complemented by advisory services including site surveys, training, and documentation support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Vikan North America Range: Professional cleaning tools and services for the food & beverage and other industries in North America.
• UST (Ultra Safe Technology) Range
• ColorCore Range
• Top Dog Range
• HyGo
• HyDrive

Products and services

• Hygiene Range Core color-coded cleaning tools for the food and beverage industry, designed to reduce cross-contamination and ensure food safety and compliance across production lines, work surfaces, and floors.
• UST Range (Ultra Safe Technology) Award-winning line of brushes, brooms, and squeegees featuring revolutionary hygienic designs with many products under international patents, setting new standards in secure, safe, and food-safe cleaning for food and beverage production.
• ColorCore Range General-purpose, value-oriented line of color-coded cleaning tools providing a balance of cost, durability, and effectiveness for restaurants, hotels, commercial buildings, and light industrial facilities.
• Top Dog Range Reusable garments (sleeves, aprons, gowns) made from polyurethane film designed to support zoned color-coding programs and complement Vikan cleaning tools in food and beverage processing facilities. A 120-day North American fish processing plant field test showed one Top Dog apron can replace 700 disposable poly aprons or 7 vinyl aprons.
• HyDrive Mechanically Assisted Tools Power-assisted cleaning tools designed to work with cordless drills or pneumatic tools, turning manual scrubbing into mechanical cleaning to cut cleaning time and effort in food production environments.
• HyGo Mobile Cleaning Station Durable, color-coded mobile cart for safe tool storage and transport supporting hygiene in food production environments.
• Hygienic Hi-Flex Wall Bracket System Wall-mounted storage system offering flexible and safe storage for cleaning tools and utensils while meeting hygiene and tool-maintenance standards in food production environments.
• Ultra Hygienic Handles Lightweight, ergonomic handles with single-piece molded construction and no crevices that could harbor bacteria, designed to reduce cross-contamination risk and improve grip even with greasy hands. Made from fiberglass-reinforced polypropylene, available in five lengths and multiple colors.
• Vikan Handles (Full Range) Comprehensive range of handles including aluminum, fiberglass, polypropylene, stainless steel, wooden, telescopic, flexible, waterfed, microfiber, transport, and hygiene handles for connecting to Vikan cleaning tools.
• Vikan North America Range Professional cleaning tools and services designed specifically for customers in the food and beverage and other industries in the North American market, distributed by Vikan North America (formerly Remco, acquired in 2018).
• Vikan Professional Advisory & Training Services Fee-based professional services including site surveys, training programs, documentation support, and best-practice advisory for color-coded zoning plans and customized tool maintenance programs in food production environments.

Quantifiable outcome

• One Top Dog apron can replace 700 disposable poly aprons or 7 vinyl aprons based on 120-day field test in North American fish processing plant
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Remco (Vikan North America)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Remco became a Vikan company in 2018 after the two companies had been partners for 35 years. Remco served as Vikan's North American distributor and was integrated as Vikan North America, bringing extensive market knowledge and customer relationships in North America.
• Technical Industry OrganizationssupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerVikan works closely with leading industry organizations, research partners, and professional networks to strengthen food safety, hygiene, and best practices across the global food and beverage sector. Collaborations ensure solutions reflect the latest scientific knowledge, regulatory developments, and technical innovation.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Ecolab: Ecolab is the largest incumbent in F&B sanitation globally, providing cleaning chemistry, water management, and increasingly hygiene equipment. It addresses the same end customers as Vikan but at a much larger scale and broader portfolio, often displacing independent tool suppliers in master service agreements.
• Diversey Holdings: Diversey is a major incumbent in F&B and hospitality cleaning and sanitation, offering chemical solutions, dosing equipment, and tools. While its portfolio skews toward chemistry rather than physical tools, it competes directly with Vikan in integrated hygiene programs for F&B processors.
• Carlisle Foodservice Products: Carlisle Foodservice Products supplies equipment and smallwares to foodservice operators, including sanitation tools and cleaning accessories. It targets overlapping end customers in commercial kitchens and food production, though its portfolio is much broader than Vikan's hygiene-tools focus.
• Rubbermaid Commercial Products (Newell Brands): Rubbermaid Commercial Products manufactures cleaning carts, buckets, mops, and hygiene tools used across foodservice, healthcare, and commercial facilities. While broader in scope than Vikan and less specialized in F&B, it competes in the same hygiene-tools category with global distribution.
• Nilfisk: Nilfisk manufactures professional cleaning equipment — including floor scrubbers, vacuums, and pressure washers — used in industrial and commercial environments. While focused on powered equipment rather than hand tools, it competes for the same F&B facility sanitation budgets.
• SC Johnson Professional: SC Johnson Professional provides cleaning and hygiene solutions — including chemicals, hand care, and tools — for industrial, institutional, and healthcare facilities. It overlaps with Vikan in the broader professional hygiene space, with comparable global distribution and end-customer relationships.

Direct peers

• Freudenberg Home & Cleaning Solutions (Vileda Professional): Vileda Professional is the closest direct peer to Vikan, manufacturing color-coded cleaning tools, mops, and hygiene equipment for the food service, healthcare, and industrial markets. Overlapping product portfolios (brushes, handles, mops) and a similar B2B distributor-led GTM make it the most comparable competitor.
• Dr. Weigert: Dr. Weigert is a German manufacturer of cleaning and disinfection chemistry for food processing, healthcare, and industrial applications. While primarily chemistry-focused, it competes with Vikan in integrated hygiene programs for F&B customers across the DACH region and beyond.
• Christeyns: Christeyns is a Belgian manufacturer of professional cleaning and hygiene products, including chemistry, dosing systems, and tools for food processing, laundry, and industrial customers. It is a Europe-headquartered peer with overlapping F&B vertical focus and similar technical-advisory positioning.
• Hillbrush: Hillbrush is a UK-based manufacturer of color-coded hygiene brushes, brooms, and squeegees for the food processing, healthcare, and hygiene-critical industries. It is one of the closest direct competitors to Vikan in physical hygiene tools, particularly in European and Asia-Pacific markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCNDy7Gon9Sk2OdgjWVt1QTA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vikan-as

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Vikan