TAGARNO, a Denmark-based firm that makes digital microscopes and accompanying software, is using metro Atlanta as the base for an intensified U.S. expansion.
The 68-year-old company has used a reseller in the country since 2013 but decided to set up a subsidiary in Tucker as it seeks to grow market share by four times in the next few years.
Executives say digitization, blended with artificial intelligence and machine learning, is creating more opportunities for microscopes to be used in a broader array of applications, from color matching in textiles to seed analysis in agriculture. TAGARNO is rolling out new modules and software updates to upgrade the capabilities of existing microscopes, touting the flexibility and longevity of its systems as a key competitive advantage.
“We have eliminated the concern that technology investments are not future-proof,” said Betina Svendsen Ebdrup, the Horsens, Denmark-based company’s CEO.
Jake Kurth, who has more than a decade of experience in the microscope industry in the U.S., was tapped to lead the expansion. TAGARNO projects that the market for microscopes in the U.S. will grow from $885 million to $1.16 billion in the next five years.
Diplomatic Dividends
TAGARNO’s decision an example of how Atlanta’s diplomatic ties can pay investment dividends in the long run. Charlotte Nytoft, a former official in the Trade Council of Denmark’s shuttered Atlanta office, directed the company to the metro area through her export and foreign-investment consultancy. Ms. Nytoft is also the author of “Export Across the Pond,” a new book helping Danish companies eye business expansion opportunities in the U.S.
The prospect of promoting trade with Georgia, particularly in technology, was fresh on the mind of Ambassador Berit Basse, Denmark’s consul general in New York, who spoke to an Atlanta audience via a Global Atlanta Consular Conversation in April.
Ms. Basse cited a leading role in digitization of industry as one of Denmark’s core strengths, outlining how the “Denmark Means Business” campaign was encouraging companies to find opportunities in the U.S. as a means to post-pandemic recovery. Companies like Kamstrup and Dinex have already found firm footing in Georgia.
“We are a nation of traders, descending from the Vikings — I think it’s in our DNA,” she said. Read a summary or watch the interview here.
Learn more about TAGARNO here.
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