Employees

Delivering results is my passion

Verdo’s future and position in the industry depend on our ability to look ahead and foster an environment for new ideas, innovation and room to fail. We need to be able to attract new, competent employees and give something back to the community we are part of, while at the same time retaining and developing our talented employees.

In the past 10 years, Smart City has been the subject of much hype and talk about sustainability and urban development. Indeed, numerous stylish presentations and small pilot projects have been developed based on good intentions, but they have often – justifiably – been criticised for not moving beyond the talking stage.

However, Smart City does have its merits – also in the real world. We just need to find a way to translate all the talk into solutions that actually increase the quality of life in urban environments.

For years, Verdo has been working to do just that. Not least in 2020, where we further developed our traffic and signalling systems business area, which aims to translate the theory behind Smart City into practice. Project Manager Damir Bajraktarevic is the driving force behind this work. In 2020, he received the Verdo Innovation Award for his efforts which is presented to colleagues who explore new innovative paths.

Drawing on a global network “We either grow, or we die – and Verdo wants to grow. Delivering results is my passion, and in 2020 we achieved some great results,” says Damir Bajraktarevic.

Damir Bajraktarevic uses his expert knowledge to develop complicated traffic and signalling systems that tie into the urban visions of Smart City. Before joining Verdo in 2018, Damir Bajraktarevic worked on complex mobility solutions in a large international company, and in his current role he draws on his extensive industry network and many business relations around the world. Among other things, Damir’s relationships have changed the way Verdo sources its products, which saved us a lot of money in 2020.

We either grow, or we die – and Verdo wants to grow. If we see something that works, we scan the market and take quick and efficient action.

Damir Bajraktarevic, Project Manager, Verdo Teknik

Concrete victories In 2020, Verdo won the signalling tender for the high-profile Plusbus project in the city of Aalborg. Plusbus is a bus rapid transit system that ensures shorter transit times and better links between public transport and urban development across Aalborg.

Damir Bajraktarevic was part of the tender team involved in the Aalborg tender and the tender for parking guidance and overheight warning systems for the entire city of Vejle as well as a number of signalling projects across Denmark, which Verdo also won. According to Damir Bajraktarevic, Verdo’s short decision-making processes play a big part in these successes:

“If we see something that works, we scan the market and take quick and efficient action,” says Damir Bajraktarevic.

In 2020, he was joined by five new colleagues, and more are expected in 2021 as Verdo continues to develop new traffic and signalling solutions that can make cities even smarter.

International frontrunner and award winner

In 2020, Damir Bajraktarevic, Project Manager, Verdo Teknik, won the Verdo Innovation Award, which is presented to an employee who drives the company towards new, value-adding solutions and is not afraid to employ lateral thinking. Damir joined Verdo in April 2018 and has since worked incredibly hard to develop our new traffic and signalling systems business area. Damir received the award for his ability to think outside the box and for being a frontrunner in finding business partners outside Europe. This has opened up new doors and opportunities for Verdo.

Subscription and charging stations for electric vehicle owners

Electric vehicles are a hot topic at the moment, and lower taxes on electric vehicles as a financial incentive to reduce CO2 emissions is a big and important step in the right direction. The transition to greener vehicles is also a social trend that Verdo supports through various initiatives. In 2020, we have been working on our new Charge concept, developing a concept for power and charging stations for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles. Charge is a complete and attractively priced charging station solution that comes with a flexible and transparent power subscription for electric vehicles which includes consumption. The aim is to facilitate the decision-making process and provide an incentive for those contemplating making the switch to an electric or hybrid vehicle.

What can a Smart City do?

• Save resources if we do it smart. We can reduce economic and material costs and our environmental impact, among other things by using data intelligently to manage energy consumption in public buildings, traffic lights and many other parts of urban infrastructure.

• Create more liveable cities. In addition to achieving all-round savings, we also perceive the solutions as smart. One example is traffic signals that change according to the level of traffic – this is perceived as efficient and makes sense for those who use them.

Teknik We operate municipal street lighting, install and renovate street and footpath lighting, service and install traffic systems and traditional electrical installations.

• In 2020, we maintained our position as a market leader within operation and maintenance of street lighting. • We also developed a charging station concept for private individuals named

Charge, which we have high expectations for in 2021.

• Some of our markets came to a halt in 2020. Many of our customers’ decision-making processes were postponed and prolonged due to COVID-19 which had a negative impact on our sales. We therefore spent the year improving our digital sales channel skills.

• Revenue was lower than expected, while profit/loss for the year before tax was in line with expectations considering the impact of COVID-19.

The results for 2020 are therefore considered to be unsatisfactory.

Ratios

The table comprises: Verdo Teknik A/S

All figures in DKK ‘000 2020 2019

Revenue 226,546 260,126

EBITDA 6,480 13,684

Net profit/loss for the year -3,166 3,461

Investments 5,927 107,745

Equity 192,956 196,122

Sustaining sales during a pandemic

In 2020, Verdo, like many others, felt the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Decisions were postponed, and processes took longer to complete. This is not unusual when times are uncertain and everyone has to learn to navigate an uncertain future. We have worked proactively to strengthen our sales efforts under the changing circumstances which have required all employees to explore new ways of working. During the year, Verdo’s sales team received training on how to make the best virtual presentation, understand the barriers and how to overcome them.

Desk bikes get things moving in the home office

In 2020, new and exciting things happened at our head office in Randers. We bought a number of desk bikes – a kind of exercise bike to replace the office chair. The bikes allow our employees to change their work position during the day and at the same time do some low-intensity (or high-intensity when they get competitive) cardio training. Verdo has also bought chair shells that our employees can take home and use on an ordinary office chair or dining chair in order to vary and improve their sitting posture when working from home. Chair shells are a preventive measure which was generally well received in 2020 when many of our employees worked from home due to COVID-19. Generally, Verdo has focused on being proactive, preparing for restrictions and ensuring good working conditions during the pandemic. “We were prepared even before Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced a nationwide lockdown on 11 March. We made sure that everyone was sent home with clear guidelines, tasks and computers that were ready for the home office,” says CHRO Margrete Larsen.