Record Order Intake

“This came pretty unexpectedly. January and February are usually relatively quiet months in our industry. But February also looks strong, so this is really a good start to the year for us,” says Sales and Marketing Manager Ivar Lifjeld at Scandinavia’s largest producer of distribution transformers and prefabricated substations.

Data Center Order Worth 30 Million

Among the incoming orders, one stands out: a major order of around 30 million kroner for a data center in Trøndelag, where Møre Trafo will deliver 46 large transformers.

Doubled Order Intake

“We saw a real slowdown in all markets last autumn, so the strong start with a surprising number of additional orders now in January is really good news for us. To the extent anything has been normal in recent years, order intake in January has been plus minus 50 million,” says Lifjeld.

The previous record for order intake in a single month was close to 80 million kroner. In addition to the Norwegian market, Møre Trafo will deliver to Denmark, Sweden and Iceland.

The Grid Companies

“The weak krone and the fact that we can deliver fast have led to some more exports, but it’s the deliveries to Norwegian grid companies that clearly make up the largest share here, with orders of around 100 million in January,” says Lifjeld.

Reinvestments

Even if it is hard to explain the record order intake after a somewhat slow autumn, Lifjeld believes the record level shows that things are happening and that there is strong demand for Møre Trafo products. Møre Trafo plays a major role in the green transition with electrification, and even though the grid companies do not see the same influx of new customers and new builds, many of them use the slightly quieter periods for necessary reinvestments in the grid, installing new and better transformers.

Streamlining

Møre Trafo currently has order reserves of 270 million. Møre Trafo has streamlined operations and commissioned several new machines. Together with skilled employees, this has made it possible to increase production significantly. Møre Trafo is also in the process of building new facilities for the production of both transformers and substations.

Positive Outlook for the Future

“We still believe in further growth ahead, not least because political climate targets are now in place, and that means major multi‑billion investments over the next three to four years,” says Lifjeld.

In 2022, Møre Trafo had annual revenue of 573 million. That record will be beaten by a very solid margin when the final figures for 2023 are ready.