Orla Hansen

What Orla Hansen does

Orla Hansen A/S is a Danish family-owned metal fabrication company founded in 1986 and headquartered in Tarm, West Jutland, operating across two business lines. The first is barn inventory (Staldinventar) — custom steel structures and equipment for cattle farms, including cubicles, calf pens, gates, and complementary products such as cow brushes, mattresses, and rubber mats. The second is industrial contract metal fabrication, supplying certified components and sub-assemblies to industrial OEMs. The company runs an 11,000 sqm production facility plus a 4,200 sqm warehouse, processes approximately 1,500 tons of steel per year (including 200 tons of stainless steel), and employs 70 people. Technical capability rests on certified welding and fabrication processes (ISO 9001, ISO 3834, EN 1090) supported by modern equipment including tube lasers, plate lasers, and welding robots. Customers span Danish cattle farmers (e.g., Frømajgård, Søren Lundgård, Christian Rahbek) and large industrial buyers in wind energy (Vestas, Ørsted), green hydrogen (Nel Hydrogen), fluid technology (Hydac), construction (MT Højgaard), and dairy (Arla Foods, DeLaval). The company exports worldwide.

The business model is project-based manufacturing: barn inventory is sold directly to farmers (typically custom-designed for herd size and layout), while industrial work is sold B2B on a quote or tender basis against technical specifications and certification requirements. Revenue mechanics depend on steel throughput, capacity utilization, and the mix between higher-volume agricultural work and higher-margin certified industrial orders. The company is led by Kenneth Hansen, son of founder Orla Hansen, who took over as CEO in 2012. A notable consolidation occurred in 2009 when the firm absorbed competitor VJ Staldinventar, tightening its domestic position in the Danish barn-inventory niche. The firm operates without external funding rounds disclosed and is supported by long-tenured customer relationships and the regulatory moat created by its certification stack.

Name

Orla Hansen

Legal name

Orla Hansen A/S

Website

https://orlahansen.dk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Orla Hansen A/S is a Danish family-owned metal fabricator (founded 1986, 70 employees) producing custom cattle barn inventory and certified industrial steel components for clients including Vestas, Ørsted, Nel Hydrogen, and Arla Foods, exporting worldwide from Tarm, West Jutland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Equipment Manufacturing

SIC

Farm Machinery & Equipment (3523)

akta.pro primary industry

Animal Handling & Housing Equipment (Stalls, Headlocks, Chutes, Gates) (AFAAAIAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Livestock & Dairy Equipment (IMAHACAG), Calf & Youngstock Equipment (Calf Feeders, Hutches, Pasteurizers) (AFAAAIAL), Dairy Housing, Milking Systems & On-Farm Infrastructure Operations (AFAEACAG)

Keywords

• Barn equipment manufacturing
• Cattle stall inventory
• Industrial metal fabrication
• Robotic welding services
• Agricultural equipment supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Tarm

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Barn Inventory (Staldinventar) Products: Sale of barn equipment and inventory solutions including capture gates, front gates, calf fronts, barriers, bridge flaps, bed frames, feed frames, calf boxes, drinking systems, rubber flooring, mattresses, and cow brushes. Products are sold directly to farmers and agricultural operations.
2. Industrial Metal Fabrication: Custom metal fabrication and industrial solutions including tube processing, robotic welding, and plate work. Serves as subcontractor to larger industrial companies for specialized manufacturing.
3. Special Solutions and Custom Projects: Custom-built solutions for challenging industrial and agricultural applications. The company operates with its own development department that manufactures prototypes and manages the entire process from idea development to prototype.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Orla Hansen A/S manufactures, supplies, and installs a complete range of barn/stall inventory (staldinventar) for the dairy and cattle farming industry — including capture gates, front doors, calf fronts, barriers, bridge flaps, bed frames, feed frames, calf boxes, drinking systems, rubber flooring, mattresses, cow brushes, and partition walls. In parallel, the company offers custom industrial metal fabrication services (tube laser cutting, plate laser cutting, press brake bending, punching, pipe bending, and robotic welding) as a subcontractor to larger industrial companies.

Product overview

Orla Hansen A/S is a Danish manufacturer established in 1986 offering two main product lines: Stall Inventory (Staldinventar) and Industrial Solutions. The stall inventory portfolio includes capture gates, front doors, calf fronts, barriers, bridge flaps, bed frames, feed frames, calf boxes, drinking systems, rubber flooring, mattresses/mats, cow brushes, partition walls, and accessories for cattle farming. The industrial division provides precision manufacturing services using advanced equipment including tube lasers, press brakes, punching machines, pipe benders, plate lasers, and welding robots. The company operates 11,000 sqm of production facilities and 4,200 sqm of warehouse space in Tarm, Denmark, with 70 employees and annual steel consumption of 1,500 tons. The company is ISO 9001, ISO 3834, and EN 1090 certified.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Staldinventar (Stall Inventory / Barn Equipment) Complete range of barn equipment for cattle farming including capture gates (fanggitre), front doors (frontlåger), calf fronts (kalvefronte), barriers (afspærring), bridge flaps (broklap), bed frames (sengebøjler), feed frames (foderbøjler), calf boxes (kalvebokse), drinking systems (drikkesystemer), rubber flooring (gummigulv), mattresses and mats (madrasser og måtter), partition walls (plankevæg), and accessories (tilbehør). Sold to farmers and agricultural operations in Denmark and Europe as both standard inventory and customized solutions, with consultation from initial barn planning through to installation.
• Kobørster (Cow Brushes) Rotating and fixed cow brushes for cattle grooming and welfare, including Vink fixed brush, Karoline top-hung brush, Otto plate brush, and Happy Cow Duo double brush. Sold as part of the staldinventar line to Danish and Nordic dairy farms.
• Industrial Metal Fabrication Services Custom metal fabrication and subcontracting services for larger industrial companies in Denmark, Europe, and worldwide. Capabilities include tube laser cutting (round tubes Ø12–Ø140 mm, square tubes 12x12 to 120x120 mm, rectangular tubes 12x15 to 90x140 mm, tolerances ±0.1 mm), plate laser cutting (up to 1.5 x 3 m, 20 mm black steel / 12 mm stainless / 8 mm aluminum), press brake bending (up to 2200 kN, 4220 mm length), pipe bending (Pedrazzoli BM90, up to Ø90 x 4 mm), turret punching (Trumpf 500 R), and robotic welding (two ABB IRB 1520ID cells). Includes in-house prototype development and external warehouse capability for customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Processes 1,500 tons of steel annually (200 tons stainless steel) with modern machinery
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Ringkøbing Skjern KommuneminorOthersLocal municipality - public sector customer for industrial solutions.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Lely: Dutch global leader in robotic milking and dairy farm automation. While Orla Hansen supplies barn infrastructure used alongside Lely robots, Lely is a broad incumbent operating across the full robotic dairy value chain — comparable end customer but with much larger product scope.
• BouMatic: Global dairy equipment manufacturer offering milking systems, cooling, and barn hygiene solutions. Comparable as a broader incumbent serving dairy farmers with overlapping product categories in cow handling and housing.
• GEA Farm Technologies: Large industrial dairy equipment manufacturer offering milking parlors, barn systems, and automated solutions. Comparable as a broad incumbent in dairy housing and milking equipment — overlapping end-customers but at much greater scale.
• DeLaval International: Global leader in dairy farming solutions — milking equipment, barn systems, automation, and farm management. While Orla Hansen is already a partner/customer, DeLaval operates as a much broader incumbent with overlapping barn and housing categories.

Direct peers

• Artex Barn Solutions: Manufacturer of dairy and livestock barn equipment including ventilation, stalls, and cow comfort products. Closely comparable to Orla Hansen's barn inventory portfolio for dairy operations.
• J&D Manufacturing: US-based manufacturer of barn equipment, stalls, ventilation, and cattle handling products. Comparable to Orla Hansen in core product categories (stalls, gates, dairy housing equipment) with similar focus on metal-fabricated farm infrastructure.
• Dairymaster: Irish dairy equipment manufacturer offering milking systems, barn equipment, and automated dairy solutions. Comparable as a competing European dairy-barn equipment supplier with overlap in cow handling and housing infrastructure.
• Patura: German manufacturer of livestock equipment including stalls, gates, feeding systems, and barn inventory — a close European peer to Orla Hansen's Staldinventar product line, serving dairy and cattle farmers with comparable metal-fabricated products.
• Holm & Laue: German specialist in calf feeding and youngstock equipment, including calf milk taxis and automated feeders. Comparable as a European peer operating in the dairy and calf-rearing equipment niche overlapping Orla Hansen's calf/youngstock products.
• Pearson International (Armour Group): UK-based manufacturer of livestock handling equipment, gates, and penning systems. Directly comparable to Orla Hansen's core barn inventory offering for dairy and beef operations.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/OrlaHansenAS
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/orla-hansen-a-s

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Orla Hansen