„You can still feel the start-up mentality among the staff – I think that is very crucial when tackling new challenges”

You joined BAADER about three months ago – how is it going so far?

I would say, it is going quite well. I was – and still am – amazed by the expertise of my colleagues at BAADER Iceland. Be it the people in the CNC workshop, our service technicians, spare parts and sales, or our development team – most of them have years of experience and are excellent problem solvers. I think that impressed me the most when I first joined. Though BAADER Iceland was founded more than 50 years ago, you can still feel this start-up mentality among the staff. This is very crucial when tackling new challenges.

What is currently one of the biggest challenges?

Iceland always focused on whitefish – this is where we are the experts. But the whitefish catch is declining or at least stagnating. So, there are more and more fish processors investing in salmon these days. While aquaculture has its challenges, I think land-based farming is really attractive and that is what has been the focus most recently in Icelandic fisheries.

How are you tackling this shift to salmon processing?

Shifting to salmon processing is a huge transformation for us and the entire industry. But this is also where the BAADER network comes in handy – we are closely cooperating with our colleagues from Norway, I have already sent some of my technicians over there to educate themselves. Another advantage is – of course – BAADER’s long-standing expertise and market leadership in salmon processing solutions.

Due to Iceland's low-cost green energy, we have an advantage in land-based salmon farming. As we increase our expertise, we look forward to helping our customers enter the salmon business or improve their salmon processing standards.

You spent most of your professional life in Norway – how does that help with the recent developments focusing on salmon?

It does help, I would say. I have a business degree and thus always worked in the financial area, having most recently held Managing Director or Chief Financial Officer positions. But ever since I started working, I worked within the seafood industry. So, I would say I do have some insights that I am happy to share and use while contributing to building a strong business for BAADER Iceland.

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Is BAADER Iceland solely focusing on the local market or also outside of Iceland?

Of course, the local market is very important to us. Based on our pelagic and whitefish expertise, our in-house development team has over the years designed a range of heading machines that can handle various fish species with accuracy, maintaining the integrity of the product while optimizing the processing workflow. They further designed a range of descalers. Both kinds of machines are developed by Iceland for the local as well as the global market.

On the other hand, filleting machines are usually developed and manufactured in Lübeck / Germany and then shipped to us for sale. We are also producing the 189 Pro, an updated version of the first efficient whitefish filleting machine for mass production and ship this machine worldwide. With these machines we cater to a large market we have within pelagic. As for the growing salmon market, we closely collaborate with the BAADER project department to set up greenfield factories and build our footprint in this market section in Iceland. 

Besides the local market, our key markets are Norway and the US. Some machines as well as spare parts also go to South America, as the fish processing industry is picking up there. 

Besides developing and manufacturing machines, we also offer maintenance and spare part service – I believe that this is key to building a close relationship with our customers and making them think of us whenever they need a new machine or even want to build an entire factory. 

In 1984, BAADER Iceland acquired its first computerized CNC machine, marking the beginning of its ascent as one of Iceland`s most advanced CNC workshops – how is that today?

I am happy to say that we still have one of the most advanced CNC workshops on the island. And it shows – we receive a lot of applications from apprentices who want to learn in our workshop. They come for 18 months of training and often stay on as BAADER employees. 

As a learning organization – I already mentioned the start-up mentality – being close to the education system and exchanging with younger people is important. And the CNC workshop is a great connector. 

You have always been working in the seafood industry though your background is in economics – how did you find your way in this industry?

I had already started my master’s degree when I was offered my first job after graduating with a bachelor's degree in Business Management in the seafood industry. So, it was kind of a coincidence or maybe destiny. Even before that, I have always been close to this industry. My father is a mechanical engineer and machinist, inspecting seagoing vessels, and my grandfather was a fisherman.

I spent my summer holidays with my grandparents in the northeast of Iceland, which is a natural fishing ground. We played at the harbour, caught fish, and ran around fish production sites – sometimes fishermen took us out to sea on their vessels. 

When I got older, I worked at a salt fish production site during the summer (bacalao). This shows the seafood industry has somehow always been part of my life. I have to say though that back then, with a lot of small fisheries, it was quite different to what it is now. After several mergers and foreign investors coming to Iceland, the seafood industry has professionalized itself and instead of many small, there are fewer big players left in the game. So, kids nowadays probably couldn’t just run around a processing factory for fun like I was fortunate enough to do. 

What is it like, working for BAADER?

I have to admit, though I am new to BAADER, BAADER has to some extent always been with me. I kind of grew up to the advertisement of the BAADERman – which is what the technicians from BAADER are called over here. I think this speaks for itself and underlines how much BAADER has always been an integral part of the fish processing industry in Iceland. 

I always had a great level of respect for the technical engineering of the BAADER machines. And before that background, I am excited to see what we can achieve together.