Meet Henrik Mahaini, Chief Sales Officer at Intertec, a relatively new member of A2i – and a new member of the board of Access2innovation:
– Henrik Mahaini, who is Intertec?
“Intertec is headquartered in Aarhus, with an office in Chile and roots going back to the 1980s. We offer worldwide services ranging from advanced automation systems in the feed and food industry to technical electrical installations at airports.
We have a group of permanent employees in our offices in Aarhus and Chile, supplemented by a varying number of project staff around the world, depending on the projects, we are working on.”
– What projects does Intertec do?
“Intertec has two divisions: one works in airports, where we carry out all electrical installations on the airside, e.g., runway lighting, navigation equipment, meteorological equipment, and everything else that helps planes land safely. We design the installations, handle procurement and installation, and ensure all requirements are met. Here we have primarily focused on the Nordic region but also internationally, e.g., in Europe, Africa, and South America.
Our second division plans and carries out automation and electrical installations, for example, in dairies and starch and fish feed factories, among others. It can also involve controlling starch production at cassava factories. This is the division that actively works with Access2innovation. We have previously worked in Africa and know the culture. At the same time, we see great potential in East Africa. We want to support African companies—especially dairies—to optimize their production. It’s about increasing automation in factories in Africa in general to achieve better product traceability and optimize production output.”
Intertec supports African companies – especially dairies – optimizing their production.
– Is there demand for automation in Africa?
“Yes, actually. Not necessarily to reduce staff, as is often the focus here at home, but to minimize product waste and production errors. There is also a strong desire to standardize products and achieve not just production savings but also administrative improvements. For example, we can help make the product traceable all the way back to the raw material. A well-thought-out and integrated monitoring of the process lines also makes it possible to continuously optimize production. We procure the equipment and help set it all up so the entire process is automated and monitored. We connect all the steps so that machines from perhaps ten different suppliers in the same process flow communicate with each other. That way, you can sit in the control room and monitor everything—with a cup of coffee.”
– Why do you want to do business in Africa?
“Our founder, Erik Martinussen, did several projects in Africa back before the turn of the millennium. Africa is a region that is sure to develop positively over the coming years. With our DNA, we have the experience and knowledge to make it manageable for us. We already know quite a bit about Africa. We are already in good dialogue with embassies and so on. It takes some resources to build a network, but it’s incredibly exciting.”
-You became a strategic member of Access2innovation in January 2024. What does that bring you?
“A2i has already helped us a lot with creating contacts. We get solid guidance and good sparring from the A2i team. They help open doors. We use A2i’s resources to set up meetings with stakeholders in Africa. It makes a lot of sense.”
– A big welcome on board to the board! Why did you join?
“I find it incredibly interesting what A2i does to promote Danish companies in East Africa. There are so many opportunities—which is also what the government’s new Africa strategy is about. So it’s important work, both for me and for the company I represent. I’m confident there is great potential for Danish companies in Africa.”
– What do you contribute to the board?
“I bring a commercial perspective, which I’m happy to contribute. And I think the whole collaboration is exciting.
Access2innovation also has some challenges that need to be addressed, and I hope, together with the management and the other board members, we can develop a winning strategy for A2I . It will be really exciting to follow and If I can make a small difference, I’ll be very happy.”
