Rapp Marine AS opens new production hub in Gruza, Serbia

Rapp Marine opens production hub

October 2014: The winch and deck machinery producer Rapp Marine AS, majority owned by the private equity fund Nord II, opened a new factory in Gruza, Serbia, on Thursday 9 October. The top modern 11,000 square meter factory, which is equipped with state-of-art machinery, was opened in a highly profiled ceremony with both the Serbian Vice Prime Minister, the Norwegian ambassador, the owners, the Board of Directors and the whole Rapp Marine management as well as approximately 200 additional guests present. The factory will serve as the production, assembly and test hub for the whole Rapp Marine Group.

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Rapp Marine, a leading supplier of advanced winches and deck machinery to the offshore, fishery and research vessel markets, was acquired by Nord II, managed by Nord Kapitalforvaltning, in December 2012. A vital part of the value creation plan was restructuring the company and investing in new, state of the art production facilities. After evaluating different alternatives, it was decided to locate the new factory in Gruza, approximately 160 km south of Belgrade. This is the mechanical industry centre of Serbia, with highly qualified engineers and mechanical personnel, and Rapp Marine has been present with a smaller production facility for several years already.

The opening of the new factory represents a substantial strengthening of engineering capacity, production capacity and efficiency in the whole group. The facility also has capabilities for the planned product portfolio expansion, which will take place over the years to come.

The group is headquartered in Bodø, Norway. In addition, the group is present with sales and service capabilities in relevant markets from Seattle in west to China in east. The facility in Serbia is manned mainly by Serbian personnel, but with additional Norwegian supervisors and other core staff.

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