‘Exhibitions in general, and not least the event taking place here in Iceland, are highly important for Hampiðjan as meeting points, strengthening links with existing customers and establishing contact with new ones. These events are also a great place to introduce innovations.
At this exhibition we are presenting the new DynIce Optical Data fibre optic cable and the opportunities this offers, along with new versions of pelagic and demersal trawls,’ said Jón Oddur Davíðsson, managing director of Hampiðjan Ísland, ahead of the IceFish exhibition which opens on Wednesday this week in Kópavogur, continuing to Friday 10th June.
‘At Hampiðjan we look to the future and put the focus on developing products that increase fishing efficiency and the selectivity of fishing gears. DynIce Optical Data is our most ambitious development to date and this is the key to a technological revolution as the fibre optic connection between the catching vessel and the fishing gear opens up possibilities to select fish to be caught during a tow,’ said Hampiðjan’s managing director Hjörtur Erlendsson, who has been instrumental in driving this development.
‘The fibre optic cable is in our opinion now fully developed and ready for use, although it has been shown that conventional netsounder winches aren’t suitable for this cable. We are working with Naust Marine to develop a new type of netsounder winch, and are hoping that we’ll be able to test this next winter,’ he said.
One of Hampiðjan’s collaborators is Danish trawl door manufacturer Thyborøn. According to Jón Oddur Davíðsson, the team from Thyborøn will be at the exhibition at their own stand, while the staff of the two companies work closely together. Portuguese wire manufacturer Oliveira is also at the exhibition with its own presence, although Oliveira staff will also be at the Hampiðjan stand.
Hampiðjan has a 117 square metre stand, D50. In addition to Hampiðjan, staff from subsidiary company Voot will also be there to present their product lines and a total of 15 staff can be expected to be on the company’s stand this year.
‘The Covid pandemic meant that the exhibition had to be postponed twice. It should have been in September 2020, then 2021, but now it is finally happening. We expect a good exhibition this time, as it’s a long time since the last one took place in Iceland. It’s not easy to predict attendance, especially as this event hasn’t previously been held in early summer. All the same, we expect that those in the industry and especially those here in Iceland will make an appearance to come and meet us at the Hampiðjan stand,’ Jón Oddur Davíðsson said.