Swedish Company Buys Barel in Kirkenes, Northern Norway
From the left: CEO Mats Jensen Salomonsson of Aluwave, CEO Nina Bergman of Tången, owner and entrepreneur Geir Torbjørnsen of Barel, and CEO Bård Gamnes of Barel. (Photo: Barel/press release)
"It is very exciting that we can create engines for growth in Kirkenes that are attractive elsewhere in Europe," says owner and founder Geir Torbjørnsen, who is selling the tech company Barel to a Swedish investment company. The management and operations will continue in Kirkenes.
The tech company Barel has been sold and will merge with the Swedish company Aluwave.
That is revealed in a press release from the company.
Barel is based in Kirkenes, and the company specializes in developing and producing electronics for challenging environments and the global aviation industry.
Staying in Kirkenes
According to the press release, Barel will keep its management and employees.
"I am not selling just to sell. The most important thing to me has been that this will be a good strategic match for Barel and that the jobs and the company will live on in Kirkenes," says owner and founder Geir Torbjørnsen, who will also continue working for the company to ensure continuity.
"It is very exciting that we can create engines for growth in Kirkenes that are attractive elsewhere in Europe," he adds while thanking Innovation Norway for the support the company has received.
Safe workplaces
The buyer, Aluwave, has its headquarters in Gothenburg and is owned by the Swedish investment company Tången.
"We are buying a solid and well-managed company, where the value is the employees, the experience, the knowledge, and 30 years of solid history. We will continue to build on that, and there is no reason to change this now," says CEO Nina Bergman of Tången and the new chair of Barel.
Manager Bård Gamnes of Barel, who will also continue in his position, emphasizes that the new buyers are long-term investors with a significant focus on sustainability and local value creation.
"They have a big, global network to which Barel will be connected. This will create big opportunities for further growth," says Gamnes of Barel.
