EU – Baltic States, Latvia, Markets and Companies, Real Estate

Production manager at Husvik, Andris Spilbergs, informed LETA that in order to be able to produce the requested amount of houses, the company would have to expand its production facilities and hire additional staff. Currently, 26 employees working in two shifts are employed at the plant; 12 to 13 more workers will be hired for work on the new project; the factory will operate in three shifts.

It is the largest project Husvik has ever undertaken; therefore the company is working on restructuring production and setting up suitable infrastructure that would allow to boost production capacity.

At the moment, Husvik plant has 2,000 square meters floor space and a production capacity of 25,000 square meters per year.

The first houses for the Norwegian project will be ready by February next year; the whole project has to be completed in two to three years' time.

Negotiations with Norwegian partners still continue and possibly the Latvian company will also be commissioned to decorate interior of houses.

Spilbergs admitted that most of Husvik customers have usually been Norwegian; the Latvian company supplies not only prefab family houses, but also kindergartens and other house types, corresponding to demand from customers.

"Recently it seemed that Latvia's market has come to a halt, however, now we observe an increase in demand for wooden houses also in the local market," Spilbergs says, pointing out that some local governments have started showing interest in possibly purchasing construction for social housing needs.

Wooden prefab manufacturer Husvik was established in 2006 by Norwegian owners. The plant is located in Riga Region's More. The enterprise designs, plans, constructs and sets up wooden houses.