Historie

The urge to develop intelligent and functional solutions has always been a driving force at Epoke.

The beginning
The founder of Epoke, Alfred Thomsen, did not inherit his ingenuity from strangers. As early as the 1930s his father, Ole Christian Thomsen, invented the sewer-cleaning device “Grab”, which became a reality thanks to Alfred’s ability to turn ideas into marketable products.

Development of the spreading disc
It was also Ole Christian Thomsen, who started the production of a spreading disc in the mid-1930s. It was hand carved out of wood and mounted underneath a funnel thus constituting a simple spreader. The spreader was attached to the tailgate of a truck, and spreading material was shoveled into the funnel manually. A speed-dependent friction wheel pushing against the rear wheel of the truck was the driving force of the spreading disc. Today this seems to be a simple solution, but it was a revolutionary innovation back then.
The spreading disc solution has been widely copied since then; and if we compare a contemporary spreading disc and road wheel with Thomsen’s version from the 30s, it’s not hard to see the common basic principles. In many ways this invention became  significant for Epoke’s future, as it led the company to direct its focus on products for winter road maintenance. This venture turned out to be
successful and has since resulted in Epoke growing to a size never imaginable for neither farther nor son.

The Epoke-principle
In the 1950s Alfred Thomsen invented the Epoke-principle featuring an unloaded conveyor belt and a delivery roller, ensuring problem-free start of spreading. The invention was patented, and today it’s considered the most accurate system for delivery of material. After this invention the company grew rapidly and began to find opportunities in the export markets with Norway as the first foreign business venture. In 1955 Alfred Thomsen – as a natural part of development – changed the company name to the current Epoke.

Development takes off
Epoke has always strived to develop its product range, and since the beginning it has attached great importance to development. The first bulk spreaders for trucks were put on the market in the 1960s and have since been subject to further development to include features such as the roadwheel,
liquid spreading, high-speed spreading and other advanced features for optimal spreading. In
1981 Epoke was among the first suppliers in the world to introduce machines for spreading of brine, which was used particularly in Southern Europe. At the end of the last millennium other parts of the
world, including Denmark, recognized the potential of brine spreading using the new generation of Epoke combination spreaders.

The new millennium
Epoke marked the beginning of year 2000 with the launch of the SIRIUS spreader-series currently keeping  winter roads passable in traditional markets such as Europe, Canada, and the USA – but also in more distant markets such as China, and not least Russia.
With the introduction of EpoSat in 2005 modern information technology became an integrated part of Epoke products. Since then satellite-controlled spreading has improved the working conditions for the drivers and increased traffic safety. The system ensures that the salt is delivered exactly where it’s needed, and only there. An important side benefit is also a smaller environmental impact due to reduced salt consumption.

Finally, a new generation of machines such as the CERTUS AST, SIRIUS AST, SIRIUS COMBI AST, and VIRTUS AST were introduced in 2010. The machines form a product family, which shares design components and standard components, and they are characterized by their ability of precision performance and low maintenance costs.

Epoke today
Today the Epoke product program covers most needs and consists of intelligent solutions adapted to
various markets around the world. The most import areas of focus of Epoke product development  include environmental awareness, reliability, user-friendliness, and the possibility of individual adaptation.