ABB Completes Acquisition of Marine Automation Firm Hoglund

ABB has finalized its acquisition of Hoglund AS, a Norwegian specialist in marine automation systems, the companies confirmed this week. The transaction closed September 1, approximately two months after the initial agreement was announced in late June.

The purchase brings Hoglund's entire global footprint into ABB's Marine & Ports division, including 85 employees across facilities in Norway, Poland, Romania, and China. Hoglund's headquarters in Tonsberg will now operate under ABB's umbrella. The company was previously owned by Eitzen Group. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The technology at stake

At the core of the acquisition is Hoglund's Integrated Automation System, a modular platform that consolidates data from engines, generators, and cargo systems to improve safety, energy efficiency, and operational performance. The IAS has been deployed on more than 600 vessels worldwide.

The system is built on ABB's own control hardware—specifically the 800M and S800 platforms—creating technical compatibility between the two companies' offerings from the outset.

Why it matters

This acquisition positions ABB to serve a broader range of vessel types with integrated automation solutions, combining Hoglund's specialized platform with ABB's global service infrastructure. For shipowners and operators, the deal could mean access to more comprehensive automation capabilities backed by a larger support network. It also reflects consolidation in the marine technology sector as companies seek scale to address increasingly complex vessel automation and efficiency requirements.

Strategic rationale

Rune Braastad, president of ABB's Marine & Ports division, emphasized the competitive advantage of pairing Hoglund's automation capabilities with ABB's global reach and service network. The combination is intended to expand ABB's automation portfolio and enable the company to address evolving customer needs across different vessel categories.

Peter Morsbach, Hoglund's CEO, described the deal as recognition of three decades of automation technology development at Hoglund. Saara Kuusisto, global business line manager for marine systems at ABB's Marine & Ports division, said the combined operation would strengthen automation expertise and expand the company's ability to deliver integrated solutions.

The acquisition closed in the third quarter of 2026 following customary regulatory approvals, as ABB had indicated when the deal was first announced.

Details of the transaction were first reported by WorkBoat.