A CONVERSATION WITH...NORSAP

Anyone who visit the Hoenderop showroom is likely to choose a Norsap helmsman’s seat. Hoenderop fully supports the Norsap products, as the exclusive dealer for the Benelux and Germany. With good reasons! First; it’s all about top quality, but also because Norsap uses all feedback from its customers and dealers to improve its seats. The conversation we had with Ove Jensen and Kjetil Johannessen of Norsap shows that listening is a conscious choice.


The company is a former family-owned business and founded by Johan T. Jansen. His three sons were in charge of the company for a long time. Until 2008, when the current owners took over the company. “It’s now a private owned company, but it still has the charm of a family business. Employees work here for a long time, much longer than average. That is also our strength, because our products require craftsmanship.” Ove Jensen has been at the helm of Norsap since 2012.

Kjetil Johannessen, working at Norsap for 32 years now, is a good example of someone who is working there for a long time. He entered the company at the age of twenty, starting at the production department. He made several steps, worked in different divisions of the company and now he is the Marketing & Production Manager. “Norsap is a great company with 34 employees. We know little hierarchy. The owners are closely involved and we keep the lines short to be able to make quick decisions.”

‘Stand up chair’
This is also necessary, because Norsap continuously wants to develop and invest. “Our goal is to make the best helmsman’s seats in the world. We listen to what the customer thinks of our products and, if necessary, we adjust a full product range,” says Ove. “We want to make sure that people are comfortable and that it will contribute to the quality of the work they do. Our newest helmsman’s seat, the Norsap 4000 Agile M, is a good example of innovation. This so-called ‘stand up chair’ is specially developed for the oil and gas market, because people in this sector often have to be able to perform their work both sitting and standing. The development of this ‘stand up chair’ is certainly also interesting for other sectors.”

The new helmsman’s seat makes both men visibly proud. Nevertheless, when we ask them about their all-time favorite, they still mention the Norsap 1500. Kjetil: “Our product range includes a number of helmsman’s seats that we have been making for about 25 years. The Norsap 1500 is truly unbeatable. We designed this seat in the 1990s, but people still want this seat. Quality survives, always!”

Local suppliers
Norsap does not mention it often, but the helmsman’s seats and other Norsap products are made with the lowest footprint possible. “For us it’s just a logical consequence, since we want to deliver a genuine Norwegian product. To get that recognition, a certain percentage of the parts must be made in Norway. With a new design, we consciously look at the possibilities of producing parts ourselves or purchasing them locally. Quality always comes first, but fortunately there are many high-quality suppliers of, for example, metal and leather in our area,” says Kjetil.

Norsap offers short delivery times since they achieve to have sufficient stock of all individual parts in Kristiansand, where the Norsap office and workshop are located. As soon as the customer has made its choice, the various parts are collected and assembled. Ove: “It means that we can deliver very quickly, if the choice contains standard parts. If the customer really wants something special, a longer delivery time is prevailing. But then everything is possible!”

Norsap makes fully custom-made chair on a regularly basis for Hoenderop clients. Recently one with bright blue and orange leather upholstery and the company logo neatly embroidered in the headrest. Far from standard. Kjetil: “Good communication with the dealer is essential to achieve this. We work closely together with Hoenderop and we share the same values of quality. Our excellent relationship contributes to this mission. This is the only way to create beautiful products for our customers together!”


The Norsap team with in the middle Ove Jensen, and right of him Kjetil Johannessen.

Exclusive in our assortment
Hoenderop always has a certain number of fully assembled helmsman’s seats in stock. Good communication with Norsap results in quick delivery times in case of special requirements. Our team is happy to think along with you and you are most welcome in our showroom. For more information, please contact our sales staff or visit our webshop.

Feature story
As the maritime specialist, Hoenderop provides clients in inland shipping, maritime shipping and offshore with ship supplies. The range of products widely varies, but all items have one thing in common: all are quality products. What story is behind these products? That’s a question which can be answered best by our suppliers. In this edition, we talk with Norsap, (one of) our supplier(s) of helmsman’s seats for almost 30 years.