New ventures
In 2004, the FORD MOTOR COMPANY appointed the Group as global aid and relief distributor.
Also in 2004, NISSAN appointed the Group as a distributor for Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Then later, between 2007 and 2010, a joint venture took form between NISSAN MOTOR and the company. This resulted in the successful establishment of the entire value chain for Nissan in Vietnam, which was later divested in order to fully focus on operations in Africa.
In 2006, Mads Kjaer resigned from the Executive Management Board to become chairman of the Board. The Board appointed Per S. Lundgren as the new CEO.
The KJAER GROUP Way of Management (KWOM) was introduced in 2008, including the principle of the Triple Bottom Line, whereby social and environmental targets and results are pursued in the same manner as financial targets. This concept has been fundamentally important to the Group’s advancement.
In Mozambique, business continued to grow and new workshops were built in Beira, Nampula, Tete and Inhambane to provide better market coverage and service.
In 2011, new MOTORCARE branches were also opened in Bo and Makeni, Sierra Leone.
Corporate recognitions and awards
KJAER GROUP joined the UN Global Compact Network in November 2003. The same year, the company won the Danish competition of Great Places to Work (part of Fortune Magazine’s global survey) and was awarded DENMARK’S BEST WORKPLACE.
A year later, KJAER GROUP was awarded the MIA prize for DIVERSITY IN WORKING LIFE by The Danish Institute for Human Rights and DENMARK’S BEST WORKPLACE for the second year in a row.
In 2006, MOTORCARE in Uganda and Mozambique were also accredited with the standard INVESTOR IN PEOPLE. Simultaneously, an emphasis was placed on sustainability projects, among them the IMPROVEMENT OF ROAD SAFETY IN AFRICA, which was performed in cooperation with DANIDA.
In 2009, KJAER GROUP received the CORPORATE RECOGNITION AWARD after having been listed as one of the world’s top ten companies in international and humanitarian development in November 2008.