With more than 35 years of experience in the international poultry industry, a background as an electronics mechanic and a keen eye for animal welfare and productivity, Tommy Høgedal Krogh has now joined the LANDMECO team as a poultry specialist.
Tommy is 61 years old and lives in Roslev near Skive. He grew up on a cattle farm, but it was at school that his future direction became clear. When he started playing with electronics, a teacher encouraged him to pursue that path – and he listened to that advice. In 1985, he graduated as an electronics mechanic.
Early experiences with ventilation and the poultry industry
From 1987 to 1990, Tommy serviced ventilation systems in Europe and Canada. In 1990, he joined a Canadian company where he was responsible for both sales and service of equipment for the poultry sector – a company that today is a distributor of LANDMECO products.
”However, my wife at the time was not so enthusiastic about life in Canada, so we returned to Denmark,” he says.
Back in Denmark, he got a job as a service technician, which later developed into a role where he was responsible for exports to England, Ireland and Canada. In addition, he also began to handle enquiries from other countries and markets.
”If a fax from Korea landed on my desk, I took care of it,” as he puts it.
In this way, he gradually became more involved with the Asian market.
Business development and global outlook
In the late 1990s, he took on a role focused on business development. Here, he acted as a link between the sales department and the development department and helped shape the direction of new products. This work continued until the mid-2000s.
”At that time, I thought Europe was moving in a somewhat uninspiring direction. In particular, it was difficult for farmers to obtain building permits,” Tommy explains.
So, he began to travel more and more in Asia – a market with completely different opportunities. From 2007 to 2010, he settled in Asia and worked in a small organization, where he had a broad role as a jack-of-all-trades with sales, service and seminars.
In 2009, he was contacted by a company that asked him to hold a seminar for their technicians – and it turned out to be more than just a presentation.
”It was almost like a job interview. And after the seminar, I was hired,” laughs Tommy.
The job involved technical service for parent stock, grandparent stock and broilers – mainly in China, Indonesia and India.
Back to Denmark
In 2013, the Danish company Skov contacted him with an offer that, in his own words, he couldn’t refuse. It was an exciting job that included business development with a focus on ventilation and strategy. He worked from an office in Asia for several years until his family decided to return to Denmark in 2019.
”Our twins had turned three, and we decided that they should grow up in Denmark,” says Tommy.
LANDMECO really caught Tommy’s attention in 2023 in connection with an exhibition in the Philippines.
”I have known about LANDMECO for over 25 years, and it has always been a company I have had great respect for,” says Tommy, adding:
“LANDMECO has had an impressive growth journey – including in the egg-layer sector and the American market. It is a company with great potential, and I would like to be part of developing it further.”
A broad role
Tommy Høgedal Krogh will have a broad role at LANDMECO. In addition to providing advice, he will contribute his extensive experience in areas such as:
• Strengthening and developing the product range
• Inspiring future focus areas
• Advising on strategic markets and dealer networks
• Contributing knowledge about breeding, ventilation and animal welfare
”In my opinion, LANDMECO has always had really talented and competent employees, but I naturally hope that with my experience and fresh perspective, I can inspire where we should be strong in two, three or four years – in terms of products, markets and dealers,” says Tommy.
Text: Journalist Mikael Sand, JVR Consult. Tel.: 30561992. Email: ms@jvrconsult.dk.
