NKT A/S Stock

NKT A/S engages in the manufacture and supply of cable products, professional cleaning equipment, and optical products in primarily in Europe and North America.

Segments

The company's business segments comprise NKT Cables; Nilfisk-Advance; and Photonics Group.

NKT Cables

The NKT Cables Segment develops, manufactures, and markets power cables and cable systems for electricity transmission (high voltage cables and accessories), electricity distribution (medium voltage cables and accessories), and electrical installations (low voltage cables). Fibre-based monitoring cables and OPGW (optical ground wires) are also part of the product programme targeted at the electrical sector. Products supplied by NKT Cables also include catenary wires for railways (especially high speed trains), wires for the automotive industry, and various special-purpose cables and wires for industry purposes.

Customers: NKT Cables' customers for the medium and high voltage cable products are companies and/or their main contractors. Its low voltage cables are sold through electrical wholesalers to electrical installers for use in the building industry - or sold direct to industrial companies. It also sells catenary wires to railways and public authorities; and wires to the automotive industry. It sells 1 kV (kilovolt) cables to both utilities and the building industry. In the high and medium voltage segment, NKT Cables is a supplier to European power companies, including EON, EDF, RWE, Scottish Power, Dong Energy, and Vattenfall. Low voltage sales are principally realized through major wholesalers operating internationally, such as Rexel, Sonepar, and Solar. It also has various national customers, such as Faber in Germany; and Meinhart in Austria. The company sells its railway products to major railway contractors, including key players like Siemens, Adtranz and Balfour Beatty, and various national rail operators. Automotive industry customers are main subcontractors to major car manufacturers.

Markets: The primary markets for NKT Cables’ medium and high voltage cables are Scandinavia, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France, Russia, Spain, Eastern Europe, China, and the Middle East. NKT Cables’ primary markets for low voltage cables are Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, Germany, Austria, and the United Kingdom.

Competition: The company's competitors include Nexans of France; Prysmian from Italy; Draka from the Netherlands; General Cable from the U.S.A; and TeleFonika from Poland.

Nilfisk-Advance

The Nilfisk-Advance Segment manufactures and supplies professional cleaning equipment. The company markets a product range which includes floor-care equipment that can sweep, wash, dry, polish and clean, along with vacuum cleaners, and a programme of high pressure cleaners. Nilfisk-Advance also offers individual service contracts and spare parts sales. It owns a line of associated brands, including Advance, Clarke, Kent, Euroclean, American Lincoln, Clarke American Sanders, U.S. Products, Viper, ALTO, and CFM.

Markets: Nilfisk-Advance markets and sells its products through a combination of sales subsidiaries and distributors. The company is represented by sales subsidiaries in 41 countries, mainly in Europe, North America, and Asia.

Customers: Nilfisk-Advance’s professional cleaning equipment primarily addresses commercial customers, such as contract cleaners, and industries in which special standards of cleaning are demanded. Other customers for professional cleaning equipment are institutions, organizations, authorities, shops, hotels, and companies employing their own cleaning personnel. Sales to domestic consumers take place through household appliance dealers, retail shopping chains, and building marts where products are sold in single units.

Competition: The company's competitors include Nilfisk-Advance (Denmark); Kärcher (Germany); Tennant (USA); Hako (Germany); and IPC (Italy).

Photonics Group

The Photonics Group Segment offers products ranging from basic components to system solutions. The company’s activities can be categorized into five product segments: distributed temperature measuring systems (DTS) marketed by LIOS Technology GmbH; ultra-precise lasers (UPL) marketed by NKT Photonics A/S; white light sources (SuperK) marketed by NKT Photonics A/S; Photonic crystal fibres (PCF) and components marketed by NKT Photonics A/S; and fibre splicing and glass processing manufacturing equipment marketed by Vytran LLC.

Distributed temperature measuring systems: Distributed temperature measuring systems are used in fire detection applications in hazardous constructions, including tunnel systems, and monitoring of high voltage cables.

Ultra-precise Lasers (UPL): UPL are fibre lasers, which are used as sensors in industrial instruments for various applications, including measurement of wind speed (wind farms, turbines and aircraft); surveillance of borders, oil pipelines, ports, and coastal areas; and exploration and monitoring of oil reserves.

White light sources (SuperK): A white light source is a fibre laser that emits a spectrum of light. The SuperK white light source is a new type of light source that typically finds application where various lasers or other light sources are utilized in the same product being microscopes, cell sorting systems, and optical measuring instruments used for quality control.

Photonic crystal fibres and components based on these fibres: Photonic crystal fibers embrace various product segments with varying areas of applications ranging from nonlinear fibers (white light sources), active fibres with amplifier properties for high-power fibre lasers, hollow-core fibres for gyroscopes, and other sensor applications. NKT Photonics markets both crystal fibers and sub-systems with multiple integrated functionalities. The products are marketed under the name ‘Crystal Fibre’. Photonic crystal fibres with amplifying properties, including also sub-systems containing such fibers, are supplied in small quantities to selected laser customers and used in their development projects aimed at high-power fibre lasers.

Fibre splicing and glass processing manufacturing equipment: The company is focused on two key product areas. One is optical fibre splicing equipment and the necessary pre- and post-processing technologies, that is, equipment for fibre cutting, removal of fibre coating and restitution of fibre coating. The second is a glass processing equipment used to combine and shape optical fibres. The company's equipment is used by customers working with telecom standard fibres or specialty fibres in volume production and laboratory environments and in situations where exceptionally splicing is a requirement. Splicing applications mainly relate to optical communications, fibre-based sensors and other use of speciality fibres. Glass processing applications mainly relate to fibre lasers and medical components.

Sales and Customers: The primary customer base for LIOS Technology’s distributed temperature measuring systems are major partners in the individual areas of application, such as Siemens (fire detection market), cable producers (monitoring of high voltage cables), and oil companies (monitoring and optimizing of oil wells). The ultra-precise lasers made by NKT Photonics, primarily address established players in the field of oil exploration and new players in the areas of wind measurement and safety systems. In addition, these lasers are sold to major players within the western defence & security industries. The photonic crystal fibre products made by NKT Photonics address a group of customers. This group comprises manufacturers of white light sources, lasers and sensors and also research and development units. Its products also address customers using photonic crystal fibre products from NKT Photonics and customers using other types of specialty fibres. The customer group is ranging from optical communications industry and sub-system manufacturers, fiber laser manufactures, aerospace, defense, life science companies and system manufactures, and research and development centers.

Competition: The company's competitors include Sensa, a company in the Schlumberger Group; Sensornet; SensorTran Inc.; and the Japanese company, Sumitomo. It also competes with NP Photonics; Fianium Ltd.; IPG Photonics Inc.; Trumpf GmbH; Rofin-Sinar Technologies Inc.; Sumitomo; Furukawa; and Fujikura.

Joint Ventures

The company owns a 51% interest in NKT Flexibles, which designs, manufactures, and supplies flexible subsea pipe systems designed to recover oil and gas from offshore fields and are an important part of the offshore industry. The product programme consists of flexible pipes ranging from 2-16 inches ID (approx. 50-406 mm) designed to operate under demanding conditions in various parts of the world. NKT Flexibles supplies direct to the global offshore industry.

Customers: The customer portfolio includes oil companies of all sizes, including StatoilHydro, Petrobras, Exxon, Mobil, Shell, BP, Maersk, and Total, along with specialist offshore contractors, such as APL, SBM, and Bluewater.

Competition: The company's competitors include Technip (France) and Wellstream (the U.K.).

Acquisitions

In January 2008, Nilfisk-Advance acquired ownership of its South African distributor, WAP South Africa [Pty] Ltd.

In February 2008, the company acquired a further 73% interest in the associate Vytran LLC, the U.S.A, which is wholly owned by Crystal Fibre; and Nilfisk-Advance acquired HydraMaster, the U.S.A.

In May 2008, Nilfisk-Advance acquired the total equity of the Swedish distributor, Aquatech, which is a cleaner for maintenance of outdoor areas, such as airports, car parks, and amusement parks.

In June 2008, Nilfisk-Advance acquired full ownership of Frithiof, Denmark, a distributor and vendor of centralized vacuum cleaning systems.

History

The company was formerly known as NKT Holding A/S and changed its name to NKT A/S in May 2017.