History
You can read the story of Havator in the book "Strong wills - Havator Group 1956 - 2006".
Read the book here
Havator's eight decades
1940s
Havator Group was established in Tornio. The company founder Ahti Hanhirova (1918-1990) went into business after the Second World War, focusing on trade in cereals and wood products, as well as crane and sawmill operations. The first family business, Hanhirovan Saha ja Mylly Oy, was set up in 1947. Much of the postwar business consisted of scrap dealing. The Finnish state sold to Lapin Jäte Oy all the war scrap in northern Finland. The collection of war scrap was one of the biggest projects carried out in northern Finland in the 1940s.
1950s
Ahti Hanhirova started a successful construction business at the beginning of the 1950s. Hanhirova made a considerable investment in construction in 1956, which is when today's operations are considered to have begun. Hanhirova Yhtymä & Kumpp Ky was set up in 1958 to work with construction, and is the base for today's Havator Group. The name of the company was changed to Hanhirova-Yhtymä in 1960. in the same decade, it ceased trading in cereals, scrap and wood products, and the milling and sawmill operations were discontinued. Resources were concentrated on construction oeprations.
1960s
Under the leadership of Ahti Hanhirova and his wife Märta, Hanhirova-Yhtymä's construction operations developed during the 1960s into a major contracting company. The biggest projects were hydropower projects, mines and roads in northern Finland. During the decade, the company moved into new areas. The first mobile crane - a P&H 325 TC - was bought in 1966.
1970s
At the beginning of the 70s, the construction company expanded into other building operations. It grew in other areas through the acquisition of additional mobile cranes. One of the biggest single investments was a 90-tonne Lokomo, which at the time belonged to the biggest category of cranes in Finland. Tornion Konepaja Oy was set up in 1976.
1980s
The decade brought big changes - the company name, its leadership and its areas of operation. In 1981, the company name was changed to Havator Oy. It was decided in 1984, in view of the operations in Sweden, to set up Havator AB. A generation handover meant that Ahti and Märta Hanhirova's sons Erkki and Antti Hanhirova became the owners. Erkki Hanhirova took over as managing director in 1986 and Antti Hanhirova became the chairman of the board in 1990. At the end of the decade, building and workshop operations were discontinued and resources were concentrated to mobile cranes.
1990s
Polar Lift Oy, which provides crane services in the ports along the Gulf of Bothnia, was acquired in 1993. The first major project in Russia, part of the construction of the Conocon oil refinery in Siberia, was carried out in 1994 - 1996. Havator also acquired the Swedish company Krancity in Skellefteå in 1996.
2000s
At the beginning of the millennium, the Havator Group grew into a leading company in its field. This was due to successful business acquisitions and continued expansion of the fleet.
Havator's expansion during the 21st century has been extremely strong. Rentals of access platforms increased rapidly from 2000. The crane operations of Blomberg Stevedoring, Vaasa, were bought that year. The same year saw the opening of a sales office in Gothenburg. In 2001, the depots in Umeå and Espoo opened. In spring 2002, two subsidiaries were set up, Havator AS Norge (based in Hammerfest) and Havator Kraana OU Viro (Tallinn, Estonia). The same year saw the acquisition of NYAB Kran AB in Sundsvall, Sweden. The depot in Örnsköldsvik opened in spring 2004 and in summer 2005, the subsidiary Havator Montage was set up.
In 2006, Kuljetusneliö (now Havator Transport) merged as well as Lapin Nosturipalvelu in the Havator Group through a take-over. The rapidly expanding group took the name Havator Group.
Havator Group's ownership structure expanded at the end of 2006. After the transaction, the insurance company Varma and Kaupthing Bank Oyj own roughly 25 % of the shares in Havator Group.
In May 2007 Avilun Oy and Pika-Tikas Oy in the Helsinki area were acquired by Havator Group. In Vaasa, Havator Group bought the company Oy CS-Trans AB.
In June 2007, the Gothenburg crane company Bohuslyft AB was bought and became part of the Havator Group. In November,
Havator Group bought the entire stock of Nostopalvelu Veikko Ojala Oy, based in Vantaa.
In November 2007, Havator Group completed a share purchase programme offered to the personnel. Havator Group's participating interests therefore were distributed thus: Erkki Hanhirova 60.9% (including personnel holdings, 68.3 %), Havator Employees Oy 18.8 %, the mutual occupational pension assurance company Varma 12.7 % and Kaupthing Bank Oyj 7.6 %.
In February 2008, Havator Group acquired the crane operations of Swedish Allyft i Östergötland AB. The Group's subsidiaries Polar Lift, and Polarbase AS based on the Rype Fjord (Hammerfest) were merged into a joint holding. Polarbase primarily provides comprehensive services to drilling platforms and to oilfields and gas fields. The new jointly-owned dockside crane service operates under the name Polar Lift AS, and Polarbase AS owns 50 per cent.
In March 2008 Havator Transport Oy acquired 100% of Transport Priuska Oy. Through the acquisition, two major special transport companies in the Nordic countries have joined forces.
2010s
In May 2010 CapMan Buyout IX fund invested in the Havator Group, one of the Nordic region’s leading suppliers of crane services, special transports, section assembly and harbor crane services. CapMan’s aim is to further strengthen Havator’s position on the Nordic market.
“Havator’s business has grown strongly, both organically and through a number of acquisitions which have been completed in the 2000s. The company has excellent references in handling challenging projects successfully. We believe that, together with the company’s management, we can further strengthen Havator’s competitiveness and market position, particularly in the Nordic countries, e.g through acquisitions,” says CapMan Partner, Anders Björkell.
“Havator has established an excellent position in the marketplace and is able to serve its customers throughout the logistics chain. Our aim is to continue building on this capability, enabling Havator’s customers to concentrate on their core businesses. Havator is committed to being a long-term partner for its customers and aims to provide them with new solutions, efficiency, and cost savings. We also intend taking an active part in the consolidation of the sector,” says CapMan Advisor Teuvo Salminen, who is to become the Chairman of Havator’s Board of Directors.
“CapMan is the type of strong and active owner that we have been looking for and will give us a better opportunity to further develop the business. Our key goals as we go forward will continue to be managed growth, improved profitability, and further strengthening of Havator’s strategic position in the Nordic region and elsewhere in Europe,” says Havator’s Group President, Erkki Hanhirova.
Jussi Yli-Niemi continues as Havator’s CEO.
CapMan Buyout IX fund has an approx. 45% stake in the company. Erkki Hanhirova holds approximately 40% stake. The remaining shares are held by the Varma Mutual Pension Insurance Company and the company’s management and other employees.
In November 2010 Havator AB bought all of the stocks of BinSell i Uppsala AB. In December Havator Transport AB, a part of Havator Group, bought all of the shares of Trailer Consult i Östergötland AB , company that focuses on heavy and special transports.
Founded in 1956, Havator operates in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Russia, and the Baltic countries. The company records net sales of approx. 80 mEUR and employs 530 people.
Text: Mika Kulju
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