Lerøy Seafood Group will invest NOK 170 million (€17.4 million/$19.3 million) to upgrade its whitefish plant in Batsfjorn. The northern Norway plant is one of the largest filleting factories in the country. "This will make us more modern, efficient, competitive, and sustainable," said Borge Soleng, General Manager of the company.
According to Soleng, the investment amounts to NOK 40-50 million (€4.1 million/$4.5 million – €5.1 million/$5.7 million) in building upgrades. Production equipment will keep the rest.
Two years ago, Leroy Seafoods canceled its plans to build a new whitefish factory in Batsfjord. The reason was that the investment became too large. However, the renovation will turn it into the largest private workplace in the municipality and one of the largest in eastern Finnmark.
Firstly, work on the factory will begin in 2022, and the upgrade will be completed within a year. Lerøy goal is to secure the 130 year-round jobs at Batsfjord, increasing volumes and productivity.
In addition, Lerøy Seafood Group experienced a significant improvement in earnings in all segments in the fourth quarter of 2021. Strong demand for seafood products, better prices obtained for the group's main products, and an improvement in underlying operations were some of the reasons for this.
