April 25, 2008

Shetland-Norwegian partnership acquires Grading Systems

A Vidlin-based company and Viking Atlantic have announced the purchase of the Grading Systems from the administrators of No Catch.

The Grading Systems allows greater efficiency at fish harvesting through a flex-panel that is able to separate large and small fish.

The product is manufactured at a factory in the Shetland village of Vidlin, and has been patented in 30 countries. The company has gone on to achieve GBP 1 million (US$2 million) of annual sales over the past eight years.

Viking Atlantic has been the main distributor of the flexi-panels in Norway, which is the product's largest market. The business is growing steadily worldwide, said Carsten Wangsmo, the managing director of Viking.

Viking had bought the entire Grading Systems but sold 50 percent of the shares to Vidlin's John Johnson, said Wangsmo.

The panels are currently used in the farmed salmon and trout industry in Chile, Scotland and Scandinavia. They are also used for sea bream and sea bass in the Mediterranean.