RIVAL A/S and LPM Production A/S Join Forces to Become a Stronger Partner for Customers

RIVAL A/S has been sold to an investor group that also owns LPM Production A/S (LPM) in Ølgod.
As sister companies, LPM and RIVAL will become a stronger supplier to the industry than they have been individually. The timing for this new partnership is perfect.

Demand from sectors such as the defense industry is steadily increasing. This presents significant growth opportunities for individual suppliers but also requires substantial investments to keep up. For owner-managed companies, this can be challenging, and the right investors can be the key to maintaining momentum and supporting continued development.

Passing on a Lifework
For Kirsten and Henrik Holvad, the time has come to pass RIVAL on to continue its development journey. “We are proud to hand over our life’s work to new owners. Over many years, we have built a truly unique company with a strong culture, a solid organization, and valuable partnerships with customers who place high demands on us and wish to grow alongside us,” says CEO Henrik Holvad. “We believe that our Sales Director Christian Aarup, the new owners, and the collaboration with LPM will take RIVAL to the next level of growth — all while honoring the culture and competencies that define RIVAL.”

The investor group consists of Brygge Partners A/S, business leader Lars Gantzel Pedersen, and three senior employees: Sales Director Christian Aarup from RIVAL, and CEO Jan Nielsen Økjær and Sales Manager Leif Jonsen from LPM. Businessman Lars Aaen will serve as Chairman of the Board for both the parent and subsidiary companies. Moving forward, Jan Nielsen Økjær and Christian Aarup will form the executive team of both LPM and RIVAL.

Fantastic Owner-Managers Say Goodbye
“From our first meetings at RIVAL, we could sense what fantastic owner-managers Kirsten and Henrik Holvad are. Their integrity and values strongly influence the daily work at RIVAL — something that benefits customers, employees, and the local community alike,” says CEO Kent Ernst Hansen of Brygge Partners.

More and more industrial customers are shifting toward requesting deliveries in sets rather than traditional series production with many identical parts at once.

This development introduces new requirements for production planning and logistics on our end, while at the same time enabling greater flexibility, faster assembly, and fewer errors for the customer.

Investing in the Future
At RIVAL, we are highly attuned to this shift in customer demand—underscored by our latest investment in a DMG MORI DMU 60 eVo with PH 300 cell.
“The new machine will strengthen our flow production, and we are already actively planning set-based deliveries for several of our key customers,” says Henrik Holvad. “We have a number of large orders in the pipeline, and with this new investment, we’re preparing ourselves to meet our customers’ evolving needs.”

Close Collaboration Between Humans and Machines
Effective set-based production requires close collaboration between skilled operators and advanced machinery to maintain the highest quality. “Our most skilled employees are responsible for programming and preparing individual components before they transition into full set production on the DMG MORI DMU 60 eVo with PH 300 cell,” explains Henrik Holvad.

Check out this short video, where our photographer, Martin Strunge, captures the team’s excitement and genuine joy over the new “gear”

It’s almost like watching our kids on Christmas Eve, unwrapping the gifts they’ve been dreaming of for months.

RIVAL A/S achieved a turnover of more than DKK 100 million in 2024. Reaching the nine-figure mark has been a major goal, and the result even exceeded expectations.

The management at RIVAL is proud and pleased when looking back at a truly successful 2024. A gross profit of DKK 21.3 million and a net result of DKK 8.2 million reflect healthy growth and strong business.

“We feel very well equipped for the future and the growth ambitions we have,” says CEO Henrik Holvad. “We live in very uncertain times and need to be robust and ready to adapt if necessary. And we are. Our employees play a huge part in that.”

Continued Growth in the Defense Industry
RIVAL currently has strong partnerships with significant international customers in the defense industry. It’s a growing market — unfortunately for sad reasons.

“The demand from the defense industry is only going one way — and that’s up

There’s a buzz of activity in RIVAL’s production hall. Employees and contractors are working intensively to make room for the impressive DMU 200 Gantry from DMG MORI, which is set to arrive soon. The installation requires a foundation of 76 m³ of reinforced concrete weighing a massive 183,000 kg. The machine itself has a footprint of 70 m², and the total area needed—including handling and automation solutions—covers a quarter of the large production hall.

“Our team is really looking forward to the arrival of the new machine. We’ve been eagerly awaiting this moment since we signed the contract back in April 2024,” says CEO Henrik Holvad. “The investment is primarily made to fulfill a new 10-year contract with our Swiss customer, Rheinmetall.”

Innovative Solution
Preparing for the new machine has been a long process. Our foreman, Glenn Scharling, has been working intensively on developing a new automation solution to integrate with the DMU 200 Gantry. This includes the DMG MORI AMR 2000, a mobile robot capable of automating heavy lifting and material transport.

“The AMR 2000 will be tasked with traveling to our warehouse to pick up components for processing. Once at the machine, the AMR 2000 will be lifted half a meter, allowing the component to be loaded into the machine,” explains Henrik Holvad. “It’s a wild and highly innovative solution that has also impressed the team at DMG MORI.”