Michail Matskevich, the head engineer in the Murmansk workshop, points out a space that’s been cleared to make way for workstations and a new soldering machine.
Cardboard boxes line the perimeter. In the background, machines click and hum and workers, mostly women, work silently at their desks. One of them will soon be promoted to direct production for the Airbus contract to produce emergency exit signs with LED lighting.
At 10 million NOK per year, the five-year contract is a big step for BR Electronics, a subsidiary of Kirkenes’ Barel AS. Considering Barel’s nearest customer is 1700 km away, supplying a high-profile client like Airbus means the company will also gain significant exposure, says Barel’s founder Geir Torbjønsen.
The company currently employs 20 staff in Kirkenes and 45 in Murmansk. BR Electronics is expected to grow by about 10 employees in the next two years, says Torbjønsen. The number would also depend on the volume of orders from the company’s other clients.
Barel currently supplies customers in Norway, South Korea, central Europe and South America. Their products include thermoregulators, explosion-proof lighting, electronic ballasts and low location lighting.They can be found aboard cruise ships, cargo vessels and oil rigs.
The Airbus products will be hand mounted and assembled in Murmansk and tested in Kirkenes. BR Electronics also manufactures thermoregulators, explosion-proof lighting, electronic ballasts and low location lighting for ships.
Read more about Barel founder Geir Torbjørnsen.
