Dana Lim

Dana Lim can trace its history back to the spring of 1928. That was when Kai Leopold Hansen got the idea for a revolutionary new and strong type of glue. Since then, Dana Lim has become a well-known name in Denmark, the rest of Scandinavia and Europe as a leading manufacturer of adhesives, jointing compounds and fillers that set new standards for functionality, quality and ease of use.

There was otherwise nothing to indicate that it was Kai Hansen who was to create his life's work in the world of glue. After his father's death, he had helped his mother as the day-to-day manager of Hotel Postgaarden in Køge in Denmark.

But one spring day in 1928, the event that would forever change life within the hotel's four dilapidated walls occurred. One of the town's esteemed citizens was to celebrate his 25th anniversary, and the widow asked her son to restore a couple of the rickety chairs in the hall.

The quality of the glue at the time did not impress Kai Hansen, who had repaired the same chairs time and time again. So instead of lighting a fire under the glue pot, he went over to his neighbour, who worked at the rubber factory. Soon after, he walked back over the cobbled streets with a small box of German glue, easy and quick to use, with an impressive adhesive strength.

Thus, it was not far from thought to action. Kai Hansen began experimenting with film waste and acetone in the washhouse, where prescriptions and glued together numbered pieces of wood flowed everywhere. As summer approached, the breakthrough came, and a local journalist made sure Dana Lim became world news, at least in Køge.

With the help of good friends, Kai Hansen established a small glue production in the hotel's back building, and already the following year, in 1929, Dansk Limfabrik in Nørregade 56 was a reality. Kai Hansen had no doubts about the name of his invention, because everywhere there was a focus on Danish work and Danish products. Dana Lim was born, and soon the famous yellow tube followed, which was to become one of the country's best-known trademarks.

In record time, Dana Lim was in use all over the country. The motto was not modest, but very apt: "The easiest glue to use. The strongest glue there is." The world economic crisis that hit Denmark in the mid-1930s meant yet another upswing for Dansk Limfabrik. Danish products became popular as never before, and Kai Hansen constantly added new products to the range.

The Second World War was quite a test for Danish industry, and Dansk Limfabrik was no exception. But it succeeded in keeping production going, despite an often chaotic raw material situation.

The production of flammable adhesive products in the middle of the city of Køge had long been an unfortunate combination, and Kai Hansen decided to build a brand new factory north of the city, where Dana Lim is located to this day. The factory was opened in 1948, but Kai Hansen himself did not get to experience the continuation of his life's work.

With the fund as owner, Dansk Limfabrik developed at a steady pace. It was only at the end of the 1980s that the expansion really picked up speed. New products, expansion of the development and sales department as well as the construction of modern production facilities became the starting point for a new golden age for the old glue factory.

After acquiring businesses in both Denmark and Sweden, as well as establishing subsidiaries and sales organizations in most of Europe, Dana Lim was ready at the start of the new millennium to bring the good story beyond Europe's borders.

And today, new chapters are still being written in the exciting story of Dana Lim, which developed from the laundry to the world market.