Time does not stand still, and certainly not at Hvide Sande Shipyard, where the company once built and repaired wooden fishing boats. The company has kept up with the development and has become a medium-sized group that takes pride in being the "industry's preferred engineering and automation house" that develops, produces and services. This is the case regardless of whether it is for the maritime shipping industry or offshore wind.
It all really began when Johannes Kristensen and his family moved to the fishing town of Hvide Sande in 1938 from the Limfjord and began working in a shipyard. When he was asked by local fishermen about twelve years later if he wanted to open a shipyard, the answer was: No. But he had a son who had just completed his apprenticeship in Esbjerg.
This is how it came about that Johannes' son Carl Erik Kristensen opened Hvide Sande Shipyard in 1950 to repair fishing boats. Things moved quickly back then, because just two years later the first fishing boat was built. In 1990 it was time for a generational change, with Hans Peter Kristensen taking over.
The company has gone from making steel ships to aluminum vessels such as CTVs and to being a supplier in the wind industry with special solutions.
Today, the son Carl Erik Kristensen is the third generation CEO of the family business, which he runs together with his cousin Anders Madsen. They took over from Hans Peter Kristensen over a ten-year period from scratch, and there is no doubt that the ambitions and appetite are fully present to run a successful company.
- It only takes three generations from nothing to nothing. That's why Anders and I have given each other our word that we will keep each other's ears open, says Carl Erik Kristensen.
But there is now much evidence that the two of them do not need to keep each other's ears open, as the company is developing at breakneck speed.
- Since 2006 and up until today, we have professionalized the board of directors, so we have three external board members with industry knowledge, says the CEO.
The right educations
Carl Erik Kristensen is a trained ship carpenter at the shipyard and although he also lived in North Zealand when he was growing up, Hvide Sande is the focal point.
- I have been here my whole life, he states soberly.
As a third-generation CEO and owner-manager in West Jutland, you can look much further than beyond the city limits. And it doesn't stop at reaching out for the skills that will develop the company in the right direction.
- I have a diploma in management from Aarhus University, an MBA from CBS in Copenhagen and a professional INSEAD board education, where we were in France several times, says Carl Erik Kristensen.
The education has even been used extensively in the development of Hvide Sande Shipyard. In 2019, the company acquired factory buildings after a bankruptcy estate in Ringkøbing, where cranes for wind turbines are currently produced. The following year, Blaaholm Wind Solutions was acquired after another bankruptcy.
Production of the vessels of the future
Production of crew transport vessels, the so-called CTVs, is something the shipyard specializes in, along with other types of daughter crafts. There have been five CTVs for Ørsted alone, which are used to transport the company's employees to offshore wind turbines. The electric ferry Grotte, which sails on the Fanø crossing, was also built at Hvide Sande Shipyard, and right now the fisheries inspection ship NB 147 is being completed, it should be ready by August.
The green transition has by no means been forgotten, and much more than electricity is being invested in as a means of propulsion for the vessels.
- We are in limbo right now. If you were to buy a car right now, would you buy an electric, petrol or diesel car? It's the same with ships. That's why we have a strong focus on hybrid solutions. We know that there will be replacements that may last until the 20s. We are also looking at hydrogen with a solution where the hydrogen will be below deck, says Carl Erik Kristensen.
There is no such hydrogen ship yet, where the hydrogen is below deck. Although other major players such as MAN Energy Solution on Teglholmen do not believe in a future for hydrogen, they do in Hvide Sande. It will be an expensive solution, however.
- It costs twice as much to build a hydrogen ship, so it will not happen before a CO2 tax is introduced, says Carl Erik Kristensen, who can already show a sketch of what a hydrogen ship solution will look like.
There are shipyards where certifications do not yet play a big role, but that is not the case in Hvide Sande.
- Today we notice that there is a strongly increasing demand for ISO certifications. We have six employees working on our certifications, says the CEO while showing an impressive overview.
Pride in the group's values
In addition to the production of vessels of up to 60 meters, the shipyard does service work in the indoor dock, which provides optimal conditions for good work.
- It is crucial that it is dry where painting and welding work is to be carried out. We can do this even in winter, because there is light and extraction, says Carl Erik Kristensen.
Here there is also a focus on creating good working conditions for the employees, because this is a core value at Hvid Sande Shipyard. That is why the employees also stay longer than usual.
- We have just celebrated the 50th anniversary of a 74-year-old full-time employee who is the chairman of a blacksmith team, he says and elaborates.
- In total, we have 240 employees, including 22 apprentices. We take being a spacious workplace seriously. Five percent of our employees have disabilities or physical disabilities, and we have 10 percent apprentices, students or others in training, says Carl Erik Kristensen, about something that is clearly noticeable and means something to him.
Today, Hvide Sande Shipyard has subsidiaries located in three locations in Hvide Sande in addition to Ringkøbing and Varde. There are also branches in the UK, the US and Taiwan, and the growing pains don't seem to have stopped in any way.
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