Cheers for new industrial establishment!

First Seafood establishes Norway's most modern fish filleting facility at SIVA in Kongsvinger. With the plant in Kongsvinger, First Seafood takes home production that today takes place abroad. This means new jobs in the Kongsvinger region and increased Norwegian export revenues. The investment is therefore important for both the nation and the Kongsvinger region.

- The plant in Kongsvinger will receive salmon that arrive on trailers from Western Norway and Northern Norway. The location in Kongsvinger is perfect as it is both close to Gardermoen and close to the market in general, says Andreas Sundnes who is the general manager of First Seafood.

The fish that comes from the shore must be two to three days old before one can remove bones from the fillet after it has been slaughtered. It fits perfectly with the time it takes to transport it to Eastern Norway, says Sundnes.

The factory that will be established in Kongsvinger will initially have 35 jobs, but Sundnes hopes that it will be possible to increase to about 60 after a relatively short time.

- Theoretical capacity in the factory is 60 tonnes of raw material per day and that will be our goal in the long run. This corresponds to a turnover of almost 1 billion.

Sundnes also emphasizes that the establishment of a fillet factory near Oslo and Gardermoen will save on logistics costs, and give a lower CO² footprint than the production that is done today. In addition, production in Kongsvinger will increase durability for end customers and therefore reduce waste. Kongsvinger as a location opens up in the future for the use of railways for logistics.

Sundnes praises the actors in the Kongsvinger region for the assistance and support they have received in connection with the establishment process.

Andreas Sundnes who is the general manager of First Seafood

- The reception we have received in Kongsvinger has been crucial for the establishment in Kongsvinger! Klosser Innovation has helped us with various clarifications along the way and helped to ensure that the process went smoothly. I would say that having bricks is very important for the Kongsvinger region. Kongsvinger municipality has been welcoming all the way, and we feel warmly welcomed in the region.

The most important thing now in the future will be to recruit people with the right skills for the factory, says Sundnes.

- Automation means that the requirement for competence is much higher than before. We need skilled workers and good people at all levels. We are particularly interested in recruiting young people with a desire to work. For young people who have the ability and willingness to work and learn, we can offer an exciting career path, concludes Sundnes.

Blocks that have worked with the establishment of First Seafood cheer for the establishment.

- This is a very important establishment for both the region and Norway. When processing of Norwegian salmon is taken home from abroad, it means more new Norwegian jobs and increased national value creation. The establishment will also have major ripple effects locally! For several years, Klosser, together with various players in the region, has worked intensively to stimulate the establishment of new ones in industrial companies and it is fantastic for the Kongsvinger region when this succeeds. There are few places in Eastern Norway where so much exciting is happening in industrial development as in the Kongsvinger region - both in the existing industry and through new industrial establishments. It has been a pleasure to work with such good industrial entrepreneurs as First Seafood and Berggren, say Ola Boisen and Stian Gulli Hansen in Klosser.