After more than a century of doing business under the name Sabroe, this venerable Aarhus refrigeration company was acquired by American buyers in 1999 and renamed YORK Refrigeration. The new ownership has enabled the company to maintain its market position and strengthen its activities – and thus its identity and the qualities upon which the company’s international renown is based. YORK Refrigeration is now reaping the benefits of being one of three divisions of YORK International. With its total of 21,000 employees, YORK International is the largest manufacturer of refrigeration plants and components in the world.

Global expansion has long been one of the distinguishing features of the company. The expansion process has now been strengthened for all divisions worldwide, and the main division’s expertise in the design, manufacture and sale of advanced refrigeration plants plays a significant role in this development. R&D is given high priority, which was recently underscored by the opening of an ultra-modern test centre housed in a 2,000-square-metre new facility. Nearly 900 of YORK Refrigeration’s total staff of about 5,800 employees work at the headquarters in Højbjerg.

The highly advanced technology for which YORK Refrigeration is known is accompanied by a sense of skilled craftsmanship. Apprentices employed by the company often win national prizes, and the company was recently awarded the Confederation of Danish Industries’ Education in Industry Prize for 2001. At the same time, links to the past are maintained in that members of the company’s veteran’s club are working to renovate the noteworthy examples of old refrigeration plant that are collected in Bjørnegrotten (The Bear’s Den). This is the company’s own museum and was opened in 2000.