"An Important Agreement to Develop Industrial Jobs in Bodø, Northern Norway"

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For over 40 years, Rapp Bomek has designed and produced fire doors in Bodø, Northern Norway. They have supplied burglary-, fire—and explosion-proof security products to the Munch Museum, several royal houses, the Norwegian and Danish armed forces, oil platforms, and other maritime industries, among others.

The Bodø-based company is now entering into a new framework agreement with Equinor for maintenance of security doors on the Norwegian continental shelf and onshore facilities, linking the company more closely with the oil and energy giant.

"For Rapp Bomek, this is a very important agreement for developing industrial workplaces here in Bodø," says CEO Kurt Kristoffersen to High North News and other media outlets during a press conference this week. 

"The long-term nature of the agreement gives us the courage to invest further. Having this as a basis is incredibly important for building industries," he adds.

Opens up opportunities

From Rapp Bomek's work at the National Museum in Oslo. (Photo: Rapp Bomek)

The agreement between the two companies initially lasts four years, with the possibility of extension for a further two plus two years. In connection with the collaboration, Rapp Bomek can employ 15-20 people, while more can be employed in smaller and larger projects through the agreement.

"Another valuable aspect of the agreement is that we can connect closely with Equinor and, in this way, capture more projects both here in the north and elsewhere on the Norwegian continental shelf. At the same time, the collaboration also opens up opportunities to deliver to projects internationally," Kristoffersen continues.

Equinor and Rapp Bomek have been collaborating for a long time. The company has supplied advanced, large fire doors, hatches, and gates to various facilities on land and offshore, such as the Johan Castberg platform in the Barents Sea. The portfolio also includes deliveries of 120 doors to Equinor's Snøhvit Future project on Melkøya outside Hammerfest, Northern Norway.

Northern Norwegian suppliers

Vegard Amdal Stensen, the industry coordinator of Equinor's High North Unit, elaborates that the agreement involves inspecting, maintaining, and upgrading Rapp Bomek's advanced fire doors and security products at Equinor-operated facilities both offshore and onshore.

"We have long experience buying fire doors from Rapp Bomek, and they are known for delivering with quality and reliability. The safety equipment is essential as it serves as the barrier protecting people and facilities in the event of an incident", emphasizes Stensen.

From Equinor's office in Harstad, further north of Bodø, he works full-time with the Northern Norwegian supplier market, aiming to get the company to purchase more from Northern Norway. This work is steadily progressing in several areas of the region, says Stensen.

"Equinor works actively with Northern Norwegian ripple effects; therefore, it is extra nice that this contract goes to a company from the region. Almost everyone who works here [at Rapp Bomek, ed. note] lives in northern Norway, and many of the ripple effects can be felt here in Bodø," he adds.

"The world's smartest doors"

In 2020, Rapp Bomek went bankrupt after a period of financial problems. As the newspaper Avisa Nordland reported, northern Norwegian investors bought up the bankrupt estate and ensured the company's continued operation.

Since then, the company has undergone a significant restructuring and developed in several areas.

"We are impressed by Rapp Bomek's restructuring after the bankruptcy. They have cut costs, become more competitive, and are far ahead in terms of technology," emphasizes Stensen at Equinor.

"Many might think these are simple fire doors, but smart sensors, robotics, and artificial intelligence are involved here," he adds.

CEO Kristoffersen at Rapp Bomek emphasizes the work done to develop the company technologically.

"We have worked closely with Equinor and others in this area. When we rebuilt the company, the aim was to go from being a mechanical company to becoming a technology company. And in this area, we have accomplished a lot," he says and points to a concrete example:

"Two years ago, we said we were going to make the world's smartest doors. We approached Equinor about how we would do this and got them to join us. As a result, our first "smart doors" in the High North are now on the Aasta Hansteens platform—with the sensor we have developed, which informs whether the door is working and whether there is a need for maintenance."

Security solutions for critical infrastructure

Over time, the company has taken new steps toward the security sector. Today, it also supplies security solutions for defense installations.

"We have gone from being a traditional fire door supplier, for which we are perhaps best known within the offshore industry, to moving into the security and defense sector," says Kristoffersen.

He describes the company's direction in the security market as particularly significant. This maneuver happened simultaneously with geopolitical tensions and a growing focus on securing critical infrastructure, says the CEO.

"The Norwegian Security Act from 2019 naturally presented guidelines that we followed, but several incidents afterward have also accelerated the need for the physical security of infrastructure," he says, highlighting the need for the increased physical security of oil and gas installations after gas sabotages in The Baltic Sea, among other things. 

"It gradually became clear that critical infrastructure was going to be a good market," says Kristoffersen and concludes by pointing out that this gives the company more legs to stand on.