King Harald of Norway has visited the Kongsberg weapon factory. The King was warmly welcomed by hundreds of cheering children with flags as he arrived for his visit on Tuesday. Chairman of the Board, Eivind Reiten and CEO Geir Håøy welcomed the King to the Kongsberg Group. As well as the usual flowers for the king, there was also got a very special present. This was a sweater that the king received as a gift from the local sports team in the city.
During his stay in Kongsberg, King Harald got an insight into the company’s various technologies and future opportunities. King Harald got to learn about several exciting projects, with themes ranging from the bottom of the sea to the satellites above us. One important project is “Yara Birkeland”. This will be the world’s first emission-free and self-propelled container ship. Project manager An-Magritt Ryste told the king about the work on the ship, which will be completed in 2020.
His Majesty the King of Norway. Photo: Oskar Aanmoen.
One of the main reasons for the visit was to learn about developments in main defence technology. The business is a provider of command and control systems, weapons control, communications, missiles, advanced composites and surveillance. A major milestone for the Group’s defence area came in 2007 when the it won a contract worth eight billion kroner for the delivery of Protector Remote Weapon Stations to the U.S. military.
The Joint Strike Missile who is made by Kongsberg. Photo: Strak Jegan via Wikimedia Commons.
The visit ended with lunch in the old director’s house at “Kapteinshaugen”. There, the King also had the opportunity to meet representatives from other companies in the industrial area at Kongsberg.
“Kongsberg Gruppen” is an international technology group that supplies high-technology systems and solutions to customers in the merchant marine, defence, aerospace, offshore oil and gas industries, and renewable and utilities industries. The company’s origin and background dates back to the early 1600s. When the Danish-Norwegian union was dissolved in 1814, there was a need to build up a strong defence that would contribute to independence and security for Norway. From then the factory flourished.
