A Fairy Tale of a Family Business: Danfoss's Soul and Career

Author: Wang Fan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-06-01
Features: In "The Glory and the Dream" by William Manchester, a quote from Calvin Coolidge, the 30th President of the United States, is cited. This president, who won re-election after boosting the U.S. economy post-World War I, said, "To build a factory is to build a temple, and to work in a factory is to worship there." When I came to Denmark, I visited the headquarters of Danfoss in N?rrebro, Gistrup, and Sk?rb?lg?rd, as well as the production centers of its red, blue, and green series products. After meeting the family members of this family-owned business and the various individuals closely tied to its fate, and conversing with them, if I were to express my immediate feelings in words beyond simplicity, I would only need to slightly modify Coolidge's words: "To build a business is to build a family, and to work there is to experience the warmth of humanity." A temple, if it cannot bestow spiritual baptism and guidance upon people, will not draw followers' longing. A family, if it loses its human-centric warmth, can only face disintegration.