90 years of history are over. Walker Danmark, which once produced mufflers and exhaust pipes in Middelfart, is closing down completely in Denmark. All employees have been laid off.
The Danish company Walker Danmark, which produced exhaust systems and silencers in Middelfart, is now closing down completely in Denmark.
This is what Fyens Stiftstidende writes.
During the autumn, the company laid off its last seven employees, and thus a 90-year chapter in Danish industrial history has come to an end.
Walker Denmark was founded in Haderslev in 1935 under the name Dansk Lyddæmperfabrik. The company later moved to Odense and changed its name to Lydex, before establishing itself in Middelfart in the mid-1960s.
In 1977, the whole thing was bought up by the American Walker Group, which is part of the Tenneco Group, the world's largest manufacturer of exhaust systems.
At its peak, Walker Denmark employed around 500 people in Middelfart. However, in 2002, after a period of economic challenges, Tenneco chose to close production in Middelfart and move it to Poland. 280 employees were laid off at that time.
However, a smaller department consisting of 15 employees remained in Middelfart to handle warehouse functions and service Danish customers. This department has now also been closed, and the seven remaining employees have been laid off.
In the future, Danish customers will be serviced from England and Belgium, while the goods will be shipped from France. The Danish website still exists, however. But according to Motor magazine, there is no way through if you call the provided telephone number.
One of the former employees, Hanne Miltoft, who has been customer service manager for many years, tells Fyens.dk that Walker has informed its Danish customers about the new structure. The company does not want any further public comment on the closure.
According to information from the business register, neither Walker Danmark ApS nor the holding company behind it has closed down yet. However, both companies have been given the C/O address by a lawyer in Copenhagen.
