Atlas Copco in Hungary

In 1968, the "New Economy" in Hungary made it possible for "Western" companies to establish a representative office in Hungary in state-owned "kft" forms. One of them is ZENIT Kft., which mainly consists of employees of Technoimpex Külkereskedelmi Vállalat.

Atlas Copco is one of the first to sign an agreement for representation. The first employee of the representative office was Fon Lajos, who until 1974 carried out the marketing of Atlas Copco with the Swedish colleagues. From the end of 1971, with the entry of Ferenc Pálmay, air tool sales are revived.

The target market is the big companies and distributors of the time, including Ikarus, Ganz-Mávag and Szerszám és Kisgépértékesítő Vállalat.

Between 1968-76, the best selling equipment was the air operated CAVO type loader, which is used in bauxite mining.

In 1974, a consignment warehouse was established within the framework of Bakonyi Bauxit Vállalat for the supply of spare parts for mining machines, which can be considered the first stage of the service activity.

In the mid-70s, there was a significant increase in the sale of air tools, thanks to Éva Gergely Attiláné.

The first Atlas Copco compressor in Hungary was an N-type piston compressor installed in the early 1960s at Magyar Hajó- és Darugyár.

In the 1970s, air instrument demonstrations were held with mobile compressors that were silenced but still had pistons. In 1971, Vízművek purchased such equipment.

The first UA type compressor delivering low-pressure oil-free air was put into operation by the Chinoin pharmaceutical company in 1970.

In 1974-75, Chinoin, MHD, Debreceni Biogál, Mecsek Uránbánya and Tungsram bought ZR oil-free compressors. Due to the increased demand, ZENIT Kft. appoints a special sales representative for the field of compressors, Péter Takáts.

The sale of G series compressors and mobile XA compressors gained significance in 1977 with the cooperation of the AUTOKER company, where a parts consignment warehouse was established to provide service activities. At that time, the compressor service opens, the first two employees of Zenit Kft., Nándor Baraczka and Károly Stekl, are tasked with installation of machines and providing maintenance support.

In 1981, Ferenc Pálmay began negotiations with the managers of the Budapest subsidiary of Vörös Csillag Mgtsz in Nádudvar: Tamás Vitézy and Péter Viga. In 1982, the warehouse closed by AUTOKER was taken over by Mgtsz, and a wider scope service for air tools and compressors was started on a contractual basis, led by the service staff of ZENIT Kft.

At that time, sales-marketing and service activities were still operated by two separate companies.

In 1982, Vörös Csillag Mgtsz Nádudvar opens a service center in Budapest in Kada Street (130 Kada Street), where six technicians work. The consignment warehouse also operates here.

In 1985, based on the increased demand and the political opening towards the West, it became possible to assemble the smallest GA100 series compressors, which was carried out by the Atlas Copco cooperative plant of Nádudvar Vörös Csillag Mgtsz at its Hajdúszoboszló site under the leadership of András Fucskó.

In 1988, based on the changed possibilities, Atlas Copco separates from Zenit Kft. and establishes an independent representative office with seven employees in the office building of the Financial Center on Bajcsy-Zsilinszky Street. The first managing director in Hungary was Gunnar Hindrum in 1988.

The company's main focus was sales - the service was still operated in a separate company.

In 1989, Atlas Copco and Vörös Csillag Nádudvar Mgtsz jointly inaugurate the newly built modern Service center in Budapest, at Kada utca 137. The building owned by Mgtsz includes the consignment warehouse, multi-station service area, sales, service management, warehouse management offices and meeting rooms and social rooms that meet the needs of the age.

In 1991, assembly is discontinued with the termination of the service contract & cooperation contract concluded between Atlas Copco and Vörös Csillag Mgtsz.

January 1, 1991. Compressor sales and service operations are united in one Atlas Copco company at one location in Hauszmann Alajos Street, where it operated until 1999, then moved to Frangepán Street.

In 1997, Atlas Copco introduces electric hand tools.

In 1998, when the first Audi TT production line starts, it uses Atlas Copco air tools.

From 2000, the preparations for obtaining the ISO certificate began and in 2002 the Hungarian unit of Atlas Copco Compressor Technique received the ISO certification.

In 2000, with the opening of the Allison gearbox factory established in Opel, the first significant quantity of Atlas Copco Tensor electronic screw-driving tools was brought to Hungary.

The air tool representation office will continue its work in the Hajógyár building, then on Váci út, under the name FERSAT Kft. In 2004, Atlas Copco set up its own sales and service team instead of the exclusive distributor, and the service center of the Industrial Technique Business Area was opened in Győr.

The Opel engine production in Szentgotthárd, which started in 2001, was expanded and in 2011 the Opel Flex engine factory uses 100% Atlas Copco manual and mechanical tightening solutions.

In 2002, the first Atlas Copco Tensor tools arrived at the Hammerstein (currently known as: Adient) factory in Mór through the German parent company, which was followed by hundreds of them.

In 2005, the divisional structure was established at Atlas Copco Compressor Technique, which is still valid today. The two equipment sales divisions - industrial and oil-free - are managed by independent commercial directors, and the service division is managed by the service director.

In 2006, the Compressor Technique office and service building in Biatorbágy is completed, and the Rental business and Power Technique sales also operate from here.

In 2007, Atlas Copco's Hungarian Industrial Technique Product Center (pneumatic products manufacturing company) was established in Szigetszentmiklós. Per-Magnus Hyltenius and his team lay the foundation stone of the company and the transfer of tools from England begins. The first Hungarian workers to join are trained by English workers in Hemel Hempstead and in the Hungarian factory.

In 2009, Atlas Copco's Szigetszentmiklós factory obtained ISO 9001 and 14001 certificates.

In 2009, Hungarian Compressor Technique joined the region with Czech and Slovak companies, further strengthening and developing the company's operations and customer focus. The management is transferred abroad, with the involvement of Hungarian management members.

Mercedes in its Kecskemét production centre uses Atlas Copco Tensor manual screwdrivers at the start of 2010.

In 2014, a further regional reorganization took place, in which the customer centers in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Austria, Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia-Herzegovina operate in the Central-East European region of Compressor Technique with the Prague center.

In 2015 and 2017, the Atlas Copco Industrial Tools factory won the Best Workplace Award in the category of 100-250 employees in Hungary.

In 2016, all the Atlas Copco Industrial Technique air engine tool families are assembled in the Hungarian Production Centre.

In 2016, the Szigetszentmiklós Product Centre of the Industrial Technique Business Area, the Hungarian representation of the Hungarian Compressor Technique BA, the Power Technique BA and the Hungarian division of the Central-Eastern European Tools business unit will be merged into one company. The company's domestic head office is located in Szigetszentmiklós.