This month, machine-building company “Malmar Sheet Metal”, which successfully operates in the industrial area of the Freeport of Ventspils, is celebrating its 20th anniversary.
At the anniversary event, Freeport of Ventspils CEO Igors Udodovs praised the company’s achievements: “Twenty years ago, several promises were made: “Malmar” promised to start modestly but grow and develop step by step, while the Freeport promised to provide all the necessary support to ensure that the company felt at home here. We can see that the company has kept its promise—from a business operating in a single office within a business incubator, it has grown into one of the most significant players in the engineering industry in Latvia. And I am pleased to say that Ventspils has also kept its promise, starting with providing the company with its first workplace in the business incubator, support from EU funding programmes at the Business Support Centre, public infrastructure, and even training programmes at the vocational school tailored to the company’s needs. The strength of “Malmar Sheet Metal” lies not in loud or lengthy speeches, but in hard work—something we can all be proud of, grateful for, and wish to see continue.”
“Malmar Sheet Metal” is a Belgian-origin metalworking company specialising in the production of spare parts for the chassis of buses, trucks, construction machinery and cranes. The Ventspils facility produces components for internationally recognised brands such as Volvo, Renault Trucks, Scania, Komatsu, and others.
“Malmar Sheet Metal” started operations in Ventspils in 2006 with a small number of employees. Among other Latvian cities, Ventspils was chosen as the location for the facility, partly due to the port and ferry connections. As production volumes grew, so did the number of trucks delivering the components—the first truck was loaded over a period of six months, while later several trucks were already leaving the facility every week. In 2012, the production facility at Ganību iela 107 was opened, and in 2024, the production premises were expanded.
In 2018, the company opened a new production facility in Lithuania. In Belgium and Poland, closer to the company’s customers, it operates logistics centres serving its production facilities.
In 2024, the company joined other businesses operating in the Freeport of Ventspils that generate part of the electricity used in their production from renewable energy sources by building a solar park next to the company’s premises.
Today, the company employs 230 people, and around 15 fully loaded trucks leave the facility every week. The company has also invested in advanced technologies—alongside production workers, robots and automated equipment are used, while some production processes are fully automated.
The Freeport of Ventspils Authority is the developer of the Port of Ventspils and its industrial areas. More than 30 manufacturing companies operate within the Freeport of Ventspils, collectively providing around 2,500 jobs, which accounts for more than 15% of all people employed in Ventspils. By investing more than EUR 50 million, the Freeport of Ventspils Authority has developed more than 50,000 square metres of production space in Ventspils.
