Our history starts in the immediate post-war years. Master builder Bjarne Kynningsrud started the operation that was to develop over the years into today’s Kynningsrud, with its four business areas Cranes, Precast, Property Development, Building and Foundations.
Our history
The country needed a great deal of building after the war and, in addition to building operations, Bjarne also established the machinery contracting business. His wife, Solveig, had an important role in the company in the fifties and sixties. In 1967, the first mobile crane was bought. However, Bjarne died suddenly in 1970 and his oldest son Harald took over the local company in Halden. He chose to focus on mobile cranes, the assembly of concrete sections and piling/sheet piling. This meant expanding into a larger geographical area in eastern Norway. In 1977, Harald established Bj. Kynningsrud AS, which is now Kynningsrud AS.
The factory in Sweden starts up
Bj. Kynningsrud AS quickly grew through acquisitions and organic growth and its market area was expanded to cover Norway and Sweden. In 1997, Kynningsrud established its own factory for the production of concrete sections in Uddevalla in Sweden. Fredrikstad and Uddevalla became the starting points for great opportunities in a large market. This was the start of Kynningsrud Prefab, which is now a complete precast supplier to the Norwegian and Swedish markets. For some years now, Kynningsrud Prefab has been undergoing a strong investment phase, with production capacity increasing year by year.
Since April 1 2020, Kynningsrud Prefab is owned by Nordic Precast Group.
Growth in Foundations
In 1994, Kynningsrud purchased Norfund in Trondheim. This was an important strategic investment, increasing market share to approximately 35%. With bases in Fredrikstad and Trondheim, the whole of Norway was opened up as a market for Foundations. In 2000, Veidekke became the main shareholder in the foundations business, and is now owner of Kynningsrud Fundamentering. The market share has been maintained and promotion and operations are still in the Kynningsrud spirit.
Property – a focus area
The Kynningsrud group has been involved in property since 1980, and since 2001 Property has been a specific focus area alongside Cranes, Precast and Foundations. The organisation is now established in Halden and Uddevalla. This division is actively involved in the development and leasing of commercial premises and sites.
Building contractor
The ball rolls on, and Kynningsrud is constantly evolving. In 2018, the Group started its construction contracting business “Kynningsrud Bygg” in Uddevalla, Sweden. The Construction market area is under development, and is constructing buildings both for its own use and for external partners.
The cranes become “Kynningsrud Green”
The crane division has been growing strongly since the 1970s, with the main focus directed at eastern Norway and also Sweden. The characteristic green colour appeared in 1998 and proved to be a great success in the market. Today, Kynningsrud Nordic Crane is one of Scandianavias leading suppliers of heavy lifting and transport services.
Harald is currently Chairman of the Board of all Kynningsrud companies except Kynningsrud Fundamentering.
