It’s busy on the Fehmarn construction site, and it spreads like ripples in the water to the local subcontractors.
– Things are going well. The consortia are good at shopping with us, says Bjarne Hansen, director of KS Værktøj A/S.
The company sells, among other things, safety equipment, welding gases, tools, lubricating oils and business clothing.
KS Værktøj is based in Maribo but opened a branch in Rødbyhavn on 1 January 2021.
– The branch was running slowly at the beginning, and it took some time before the construction started and our goods were needed. But we made some good contacts in the early days, says Bjarne Hansen.
Both direct and derivative sales
Especially here in 2022, however, there has been more momentum in sales, and an extra employee has also been hired this year so the store is now staffed by two employees.
– This year we have had a growth in sales of between 30 and 35 per cent. The Fehmarn project accounts for a large part of that progress, but sales in the Maribo department have also progressed. We also have sales in Maribo, which is derived from the Fehmarn building, as there are sub-suppliers who need work clothes, says Bjarne Hansen.
In the Fehmarn branch, the demand is very broad, and a number of tools, pumps, hoses for pumps and welding equipment are in great demand. Business clothing, however, you have to go to Maribo to find, as the consortia have another permanent supplier for the work clothes.
Firm anchor in uncertain times
According to Bjarne Hansen, it is of huge importance that a lot of equipment must be used continuously throughout the construction phase for the Fehmarn project.
– It means something for the local business community in these changing times that we have a huge project with Fehmarn that is not affected by the crises of the time. The Fehmarn connection must be built regardless of the crises, as Bjarne Hansen says.
He has therefore not regretted the decision to establish a branch in Rødbyhavn, and he sees it as a huge plus if the tunnel factory is made permanent so that it can attract other companies to the area.
– If a separate industrial area is created, I can see that we will be stuck even after the Fehmarn tunnel is built. It requires that there is still demand for our goods at that time, says Bjarne Hansen.
Expensive to establish a branch
At P. Hatten A/S, which is one of Lolland-Falster’s leading wholesalers within plumbing equipment, steel, tools, technical articles and welding gases, they have chosen not to invest in a branch in Rødbyhavn.
– We do not have a definite setup for the Fehmarn activities, but we deal with the consortia, and then there are a number of derivative effects on the entire local community, from which our customers also benefit, says Rune Pedersen, director, P. Hatten.
Close in advance
Instead, Rødbyhavn is covered by the existing departments in Maribo, Nakskov and Nykøbing.
– We are already close to the Fehmarn construction site, and it is also expensive to establish a business, and a large sales volume is needed, so we have chosen to say that we can do that from our existing businesses, says Rune Pedersen.
The wholesaler sells mostly steel and tools to the consortia, but Rune Pedersen describes this as a limited scope of business.
Wouldn’t it make sense to have a local presence in the area to get a bigger share of the market?
– En tilstedeværelse i Rødbyhavn skal også kunne dække omkostningerne. Tiden vil vise, om det vil være en succes, siger Rune Pedersen.
