On June 20th, we at Washpower will celebrate our 10th anniversary. This is the story of Jacob the inventor from Thy, skeptical farmers, and a journey from a modest blacksmith’s workshop to 10,000 square meters in the old Jamo factory in Glyngøre. Washpower is marking the occasion with a party for our employees and a 10% discount for customers on the robot that started it all: the ProCleaner X100. But it all began like this:
”Can’t you make a washing robot for pig barns that actually works?”
Those were roughly the words spoken in 2008 when a local pig producer in Thy challenged Jakob to see if he was up for the task. At the time, Jakob ran a rural blacksmith shop called “Jakobs Smedje” and had a local reputation for being quite the inventor.
Jakob was fired up by the idea. He was determined to develop a washing robot for pig barns that was easy to use, reliable, and efficient. It turned out to be no simple feat. Jakob wanted to take an entirely new approach, refusing to look at how existing products on the market functioned. As he put it: “If you walk in the footsteps of others, you’ll never get ahead.”
It turned out to be no simple feat. Jakob wanted to take an entirely new approach, refusing to look at how existing products on the market functioned. As he put it: “If you walk in the footsteps of others, you’ll never get ahead.”
It took more than three years of development, testing, trials, more development, and even more testing before Jakob felt he had a product that truly worked.
In 2011, the first washing robot was sold under the name “Jakobs Smedje – Washpower Proff.” This robot actually remained in operation until about six months ago, when it was finally ready for replacement—with a new X100, of course. The original now stands in Washpower’s museum.
The Museum – From left: First prototype, second prototype, and the first robot sold.
From a Difficult Start to the 2016 Breakthrough
In the beginning, sales were slow. Previous failed washing solutions on the market had made pig producers wary. Jakob was constantly met with:
”I’m not letting one of those inside my doors. Everyone else who has tried that kind of tech ends up putting it in the machine shed to gather dust. I’m not spending money on that.”
Fortunately, some producers saw the potential in Jakob’s new solution, and sales slowly began to pick up. The major breakthrough came in 2016 when pig producer Palle Eriksen from Hobro purchased his second Washpower Proff. The fact that he bought a second unit was proof that he was satisfied with the first—and ultimate proof that Jakob had invented a product that actually worked.
From 6 Square Meters in Hannover to 35 Countries
That same year, Jakob entered into a strategic partnership with Glenn Pedersen, who was running a consultancy firm at the time. On June 20th, 2016, they agreed to found Washpower A/S, with Glenn becoming a co-owner.
With the product’s value proven in Denmark, it was time to look toward export markets. Their first trade fair was EuroTier in Hannover in November 2016. The two owners were nervous as they set up a tiny 6-square-meter stand in the Danish pavilion. Would anyone even be interested?
The interest was overwhelming. ”The stand was completely overrun,” the founders recall.
A few French visitors particularly saw the potential. Today, France has become its own subsidiary with over 300 robots sold. Currently, Washpower exports to over 35 countries, maintains offices in Denmark, France, and the USA, and has more than 2,000 robots in operation worldwide.
Glenn and Jakob together with the first dealer in France.
From Thy to Glyngøre
By 2019, Washpower was outgrowing the old smithy in Gammel Bedsted, Thy. They applied to expand, but because the company had evolved into an industrial enterprise, Thisted Municipality denied the request, as they did not want industry in a rural zone. The hunt for new premises began, leading to the purchase of the old JAMO speaker factory in Glyngøre on January 1, 2020. Today, the company occupies approximately 10,000 square meters of office and production facilities.
In 2023, Jakob and Glenn sold 40% of the company to Vækst-Invest to “add more steam to the boiler” (accelerate growth), and Peter Tipsmark was hired as CEO to lead the continued journey. The product portfolio has since expanded to include washing solutions for poultry houses, potato crates, and industrial tanks.
10 Years Equals a Party and 10%
The anniversary will be celebrated with a major party for our 45 dedicated employees from both Denmark and abroad.
In honor of where it all began—with our X100 robot for pig barns—we have 10 units in stock with an extra 10% discount leading up to the anniversary on June 20th.