Brattvåg · Haram · Norway

Kongsberg Maritime Brattvåg

Deckmachineryfortheworld,since1941

T he winches that anchor, moor and tow ships across oceans all over the world have been made on the fjord at Brattvåg since way back in 1941. Today the factory is Kongsberg Maritime’s home of deck machinery. Around 235 people design, machine, assemble and test winches and the motors that drive them, in a town built around exactly this work.

Company Snapshot

Employees in Brattvåg ≈ 235

Winch production since 1941

Part of Kongsberg Maritime ASA

Municipality Haram

Makes Winches & deck machinery

Group 7,985 people · 20 countries

On board 15,000+ vessels

0 People in Brattvåg Design, production, assembly, test and service

0 Winches since More than 85 years on the same fjord

0 Vessels worldwide Carry Kongsberg Maritime technology

What We Do

Brattvåg is a global center of excellence within Kongsberg Maritime’s Handling Division. Combining engineering, manufacturing, project execution, and lifecycle support, we deliver innovative marine handling solutions trusted by offshore, merchant, and naval customers worldwide.

Integrated Engineering & Project Delivery

Complete in-house capabilities covering sales, engineering, project management, manufacturing, testing, and lifecycle support.

Deck Machinery Solutions

Advanced winches, windlasses, mooring systems, towing winches, and Launch & Recovery Systems (LARS) for offshore, merchant, and naval vessels.

Permanent Magnet Motors

High-efficiency electric drive technology designed and manufactured in Brattvåg for demanding marine operations.

Low-Pressure Hydraulic Systems

Reliable and energy-efficient hydraulic solutions engineered for performance, safety, and durability at sea.

Testing & Quality Excellence

Comprehensive testing and verification of motors, components, and systems to ensure world-class reliability.

Global Lifecycle Support

Worldwide commissioning, service, upgrades, and aftermarket support maximizing uptime and customer value.

A technician seen through the centre of a large winch housing

Operator at the automated storage and machining system

Operator preparing a machined motor housing

Apprentice and fitter lifting a motor part at the assembly station

Precision measurement of a machined hydraulic motor block

Two colleagues going through a checklist on the workshop floor

Engineers reviewing a 3D model of a winch motor

Two fitters preparing a permanent magnet motor for shipment

History

The Winch Makers by the Fjord

Brattvåg has been home to generations of engineers, craftsmen, and innovators dedicated to developing world-class marine handling solutions. Founded as A/S Hydraulik Brattvaag, the company grew from a small local manufacturer into a globally recognized supplier of winches, deck machinery and hydraulic & electrical systems for the maritime industry.

The Kongsberg Maritime factory on the fjord at Brattvåg, with the test tower and the Sunnmøre mountains behind

Throughout its history, the company has been at the forefront of technological innovation, supporting the fishing, merchant, offshore, and naval sectors with reliable equipment designed to perform in the world’s harshest sea conditions.

The expertise developed in Brattvåg helped establish the region as an international center for marine technology and advanced manufacturing.

Today, as part of Kongsberg Maritime’s Handling Division, the legacy of the «Winch Makers» lives on. Brattvåg continues to design, manufacture, and service advanced deck machinery, permanent magnet motors, and low-pressure hydraulic solutions for customers around the world. Built on more than 85 years of experience, innovation, and quality remain at the heart of everything we do.

More than 85 years of winches. Same town, same fjord.

People

Learn it Here, Use it Anywhere

The factory floor in Brattvåg holds every stage of a working life: apprentices learning the trade next to machinists with decades of experience, engineers at CAD stations a corridor away from the test stands, and service engineers packing for the next vessel.

An experienced fitter and a young apprentice working together on a motor unit in the Brattvåg workshop

Apprentices are part of daily production, trained at the motor assembly stations and in the machining halls. Haram upper secondary school is in the same town, a few minutes from the factory gate.

For engineers, the work spans hydraulics, electro, control systems and mechanical design, with the rare luxury that the thing you drew is machined, assembled and tested in the same building.

For a relocating household the practical side matters just as much. In Brattvåg and Kongsberg Maritime you’ll find a stable industrial employer in a walkable town, where the school, the shops, the harbour and the mountains are all minutes apart. Plus, VARD’s shipyard next door means two maritime careers can fit in one small place. World-class industry, ten minutes from the beach.

The town

Life in Brattvåg

Brattvåg is a working town of around 2,500 people between the mountains and Samfjorden, and the administrative centre of Haram municipality. A fifth of its residents have an international background, so arriving from somewhere else is perfectly normal here.

Marching band and majorettes parading through central Brattvåg, surrounded by a crowd of spectators

Daily life is compact: kindergartens, primary and lower secondary schools and Haram High School, the library, the medical centre and the little Samfjordkvartalet shopping centre are all gathered in town. Football is huge, and the pitches are good.

The marina on Samfjorden has its own community sauna. The cultural house lends out a recording studio. And on celebration days, the school band with its majorettes takes over the main street.

When the town feels small, Ålesund is around 40 minutes away by car. The rest of the time, everything you need is within walking distance, including the factory gate.

«People in Brattvåg are friendly and down-to-earth.»
Jorunn Fjørtoft, culture café manager

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Live nearby

Brattvåg

A working town of around 2,500 people between sea and mountains, where a fifth of the residents have an international background. School, shops and the factory gate are all within walking distance.

Your Future Career?

Explore careers at Kongsberg Maritime, or get in touch to find out what working and living in Brattvåg could look like for you.

Visit kongsbergmaritime.com Send an E-mail

Or write directly to rune.longva@km.kongsberg.com