Jess had been carrying the idea with him for 25 years before taking the leap in 2020. Six years later, the company generates more than DKK 100 million in revenue.

When Jess Jung founded Harco Heavy Lifting in January 2020, the idea was simple:

To turn a quarter of a century of experience in the wind industry into smarter and safer solutions for heavy lifting.

And he was right. The phone started ringing before the company had even properly got off the ground, and today, Harco – founded by the 54-year-old entrepreneur from Varde – generates more than DKK 100 million in revenue by helping the wind industry install turbines weighing hundreds of tonnes.

“It feels like only yesterday that Jess was in his garage working on prototypes. Now we have a brand-new 4,300-square-metre production facility. It’s quite a success story,” says Harco CEO Sten Dyrmose.

For Jess Jung, the story began long before Harco became a reality.

I first had the idea many years ago, but I didn’t dare take the leap and start my own business. It was probably a good thing that I waited. The wind industry is built on experience, relationships and trust, so even though I already had the concept in place, I still had a lot to learn.”

Jess Jung

Founder & CTO, HARCO

Built in the garage

Throughout his career, Jess Jung worked as a technician, installer and troubleshooter. He travelled around the world for companies including Siemens, helping to install and troubleshoot hundreds of wind turbines.

It gave him a unique insight into the industry.

I was part of the early days of offshore wind, when everything was new. You quickly learned what worked, what didn’t, and, not least, what was safe. That experience has been incredibly important to what we are building today.”

Jess Jung

Founder & CTO, HARCO

He built prototypes in his garage, mounting winches on frames and developing the software needed to operate them. So when he finally took the leap and started the company, the foundation was already solid.

“I pretty much had a complete traverse and tagline system mapped out in my head when we started. And we quickly got it up and running,” says Jess Jung:

“We landed our first job just four days after founding the company. The phone practically started ringing before we had even got started, and we’ve been busy ever since.”

Efficient and safe

At the time, heavy lifting in the wind industry was a complex and costly process. Jess Jung believed he could make it simpler and more efficient.

For several years, I had seen customers being required to use new equipment for every individual project. This made the projects both more expensive and more complex – and it was almost like starting from scratch every time, meaning that the safety benefits gained through routine and experience were lost. Many of the solutions had become unnecessarily complex and expensive. We wanted to create something simpler, more efficient and safer.”

Jess Jung

Founder & CTO, HARCO

They succeeded. Today, Harco delivers solutions that, among other things, have made it possible to operate in more challenging offshore weather conditions.

“We have created something that makes a difference. On some projects, we have extended the weather limits for operations. That has a significant impact for our customers and can save them considerable costs.”

New facilities

Today, Harco has around 80 employees, generates revenue in excess of DKK 100 million and works with customers around the world.

The company provides complete lifting solutions as a service, and demand has grown to the point where Harco has recently moved into new production facilities.

“We now provide solutions and expertise across a much larger part of the value chain than I had imagined. And we have grown faster than expected,” says Jess Jung.

“I did think there would be customers for what we were offering. But we also entered the market at exactly the right time,” he says.