Dynamic Flow: Allan Jessen Keeps the Water on

Written By Joey Nunez

Photographed by Joe Wabe

KJ1 Company Building and Pumps courtesy of Keum Jung Ind. Co., Ltd

Dynamic is the word that best describes KJ1, according to Mr. Allan Jessen. The company’s director provides waste-water pumps around the globe. “The employees have taken up so many challenges and new tasks. They have changed their mentality,” Jessen explained.

This once-Korean company has now entered into an international partnership with Grundfos, a Danish organization. Changes are always difficult, but the “relentless ambitiousness” Jessen personally prefers is what his employees now exhibit. According to Jessen, “KJ1 guarantees top quality and services … and [the employees] have been exceptionally good with receiving and adopting new work habits and new communication ways. They are extremely dynamic and flexible.”

Originally from Denmark, Jessen first visited Korea to conduct a 2008 inspection tour. First impressions cannot always be trusted because Jessen did not feel at home initially.

“I had some grace period for some consideration, and in that period, I totally changed my perception because I could see a lot of dynamics in Korea that we don’t have in a very well-organized and structured company in Denmark,” Jessen continued. ”Everything was a little bit floating, but decisions were made fast, and it is dynamic and flexible.”

New opportunities remain Jessen’s main motivation. “I could see that there probably would not be a better challenge, a work-related challenge, than trying to get this company into a world-class division.”

Soon after accepting the position, Gwangju’s Pyeondong Industrial Complex was advertising available space and providing contracts for foreign investment companies. The decision was made to move the Incheon branch south. “We now have a 50-year lease contract, and I came down in 2009, [after] February of that year during construction of this factory.” Opening May 2009, KJ1 has been creating and installing pumps ever since.

Jessen knows his work in Pyeondong with pumps is important for all Gwangju residents.

“The pump is the invisible instrument that we all have. No matter what we have in terms of life quality, there are pumps involved. We specialize in waste-water pumps. Can you imagine if you could not flush your toilet today? Can you imagine that there is no water when you shower or that your washing machine is not able to get water? … Even in your cars, there are pumps.  Pumps are the invention that has brought technology to what it is, because technology could not develop, if there were no pumps.”

However, not everyone in this world is as fortunate as we are in Korea. In fact, Jessen stated that the number and size of floods is increasing, even tripling in the past 30 years. Thus, KJ1 functions and markets its waste-water pumps to multiple global locations, where there is either too much or too little H20.

KJ1 waste-water pumps were installed at the 2014 Sochi Russia Olympics, and in annual flooding spots in Indonesia and Thailand. Natural water lines have also been divided by urban growth, so pump installation should strategically be in the best locations to provide water for the most people in close proximity.

Jessen has stated that solar-driven pumps in third-world Asian and African nations are installed at a lower cost, so humanitarian aid is prioritized over sales. “The consumer will pay a small fee to bring more clean water … instead of transporting water maybe 20 or 30 kilometers from their rivers that might be polluted.”

Jessen also stated that KJ1 works with local governments to record and maintain statistics, create and modify flood scenarios, and allocate funds for future purchases of electrical and mechanical equipment.

As he developed pumps, Jessen has also maintained and strengthened relations with his colleagues and created a good work environment. Jessen’s communicative personality prompts him to eagerly provide detailed explanations about the reasons for previous decisions.

Jessen has learned that these “full descriptions” that were embraced and encouraged in Denmark, were initially met with less enthusiasm in Korea. “I think in the beginning, they did not want to hear about it, but now they actually really appreciate it. … If you have an aggressive growth strategy, you will need people who can step up and take a larger part of the responsibility to belong in a specific job area.”

Jessen is pleased with the current status and improvements his employees have successfully achieved. Jessen likewise welcomes his own transformation while working within this Korean company. “Now, I am more patient, and I definitely have become more tolerant, and that is simply due to me accepting cultural differences.”

Transforming is only half of KJ1’s success. Jessen’s pride and joy is the 2012 range of flood control pumps that were developed in the span of two years. Providing a new asset for pump markets, Jessen asserts this work to be “one of the most efficient development projects in Grundfos history.” “This product range is globally the most complete, in terms of consistency and design, and in terms of full range. The efficiency is world-class, very high and better [compared] with other products that have been in the market for a long time.”

With such successes in the past, Jessen has already mapped out how KJ1 will continue to soar in the future.

First, Jessen’s desire in 2016 is to find balance between the peak (busiest) and the valley (slowest) periods of receiving orders for manufacturing, distributing and installing pumps.

Jessen’s plan for next year tries to answer a question he faced this year: “How many people do we need in a factory?”

“Actually, we do need people in the factory to take up the peak load. So we will start off with production of smaller and standardized pumps, which we have already [decided] … and we have the manufacturing tools to do it. Then, we will take in and make a Korean assembly of other group projects and different types of pumps, but also big pumps, so that when we have our peak in flood control … we can get more of a stable flow of products going through the factory with a higher volume.”

Jessen stated that removing such extreme variations in productivity will best help the company in the future. “I want to keep the peaks, but I want to avoid the valleys, so we put in some different pump types to have a more stable production.”

The 2020 strategy is to have a newly-created team specializing in solution development that will later refine their job descriptions and roles. “If you are a manufacturer today, it is easy just to produce pumps. But again, the mentality of the customer is actually, to be honest, [that] he doesn’t really care about the pump. For him, the most important point is he gets a certain amount of water moved from one place to another as soon as possible, or in a certain flow with a certain speed.”

Jessen recalls all-too-familiar scenarios when a waste-water pump does not function. So now, this current five-member team, which will someday number 25, will help any customer with any installed-pump crisis. “If you are part of a company that creates a proposal and a solution to an end-user, then you have removed all of his considerations. If you take the responsibility, you will win the heart of your customers.”

By 2025, Jessen desires to acquire more land and continue developing pumps for the company’s multiple partners and consumers, especially in the Land of the Morning Calm. “I believe if you have the will and if you have the drive, then Korea is the place where you can do miracles, which would also answer the question of why I continue to stay here in Korea. It is very motivating for me.”

Throughout this basic 10-year plan, Jessen desires to provide employment opportunities for differently-abled people and former criminals. While global societies typically ostracize both groups, Jessen sees potential. For the differently-abled, Jessen explained that “a certain part of our work could be standardized” to make it easier for smaller specialized groups to handle projects.

“Everyone deserves a second chance in my book, and especially people who have a doubtful past,” Jessen said about the formerly incarcerated. “Maybe mentally, they want to get out of that part of their former lives and start a fresh note. So you might give them the chance to [go on] a stepping stone to get them to the next level, and I would love to have the resources to run this kind of program here [as is done in Denmark.]”

Following structure is crucial for KJ1’s success as well.

“We have to keep our integrity, and then, we will stay faithful to our philosophy.”

And, it is clear that Jessen has developed and continues to develop a dynamic work environment with creativity and loyalty exhibited by its employees, with success as its accompanying force.

“We have to adapt to change, both in mind and in ways. We have to do it.”