Our history

AVK was established in 1941 in the modest surrounding area of a small village named Galten in Denmark. The founder, Aage Valdemar Kjær (hence the name AVK), performed everyday plumbing and heating services in the local community. In addition to these everyday services, the company also had a minor production operation in which it produced compressors for the refrigeration industry, which mainly supplied farmers having a need for cooling the fresh milk from their cows. The guiding principles were quality, customer relations and continuity. He knew that the products were in order, and therefore he was able to offer an extensive product guarantee. In 1970, Aage Valdemar Kjær’s son, Niels Aage Kjær, took over the business from his father and started to develop a resilient seated gate valve destined for the water supply segment. The first series of valves produced by AVK – socket gate valves for PVC pipes - was an important invention that revolutionised the company and formed the basis of the AVK business that we know today. Over time, business objectives were expanded, opportunities were growing, and AVK started to produce and sell not only valves, but also fittings and accessories for water supply, gas supply, wastewater treatment and fire protection.