From garage to Columbia Elektronik
It all started in a basement at former CEO Hennings Essen’s home in 1977, where he began building test fixtures at home in his garage. But he had trouble with storing products (He even kept storage under his bed) When he didn’t have more space, he bought a property and built the company there. This is where the main office and production facility still stands today.
Since then, Columbia Elektronik AB has expanded several times in both facility, capability, and highly skilled people and became a leading supplier of test fixtures and test solutions through out Scandinavia and the Baltics. One of the major steps in the continuous growth was in May 2024 when Columbia acquired the Danish company Mekan, now Columbia Mekan ApS.
From Shipmate to Columbia Mekan
Mekan’s roots trace back to the 1980´s where a mechanical workshop was established at Shipmate in Støvring, Denmark, a leading manufacturer of maritime communication and navigation equipment.
When Shipmate’s activities were relocated from Støvring in 2007, the workshop and its skilled employees continued independently by Per Milborg Pedersen and Claus Bo Jensen. Based on decades of experience in mechanical engineering, tooling, and test fixture manufacturing, Mekan was established October 2007 by Per Milborg Pedersen and Claus Bo Jensen. Since then, Mekan has grown from a local workshop into a leading Danish supplier of test fixtures, production equipment, solder wave pallets, and automation solutions for the electronics industry. Through innovation, strong customer partnerships, and continuous investment in manufacturing capabilities, the company has delivered solutions to customers throughout Scandinavia and around the world.
In May 2024, Mekan became part of Columbia Elektronik and was renamed Columbia Mekan ApS.
Stronger Together COLUMBIA GROUP
For many years, Columbia Elektronik and Mekan worked alongside each other in the Scandinavian electronics industry. While each company developed its own strengths, both shared the same ambition: helping customers create more efficient, reliable, and competitive testing and manufacturing processes.
In 2024, the two companies joined forces when Columbia Elektronik acquired Mekan and established Columbia Mekan ApS. Together, they form COLUMBIA GROUP, combining complementary competencies, technologies, and resources to create a stronger presence across Scandinavia.
The vision behind COLUMBIA GROUP is simple: to provide customers with easier access to testing and manufacturing solutions, technical expertise, and local support through one organization. COLUMBIA GROUP is a market-leading supplier with strong partnerships from world-leading manufacturers. Our shared experience, technical expertise, and close collaboration with customers and suppliers enable us to provide optimal solutions for testing and manufacturing requirements without the electronic industry.
COLUMBIA GROUP is part of Addtech, a Swedish publicly listed technical solutions group comprising approximately 150 independent companies serving customers in around 20 countries.
