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Engineered in Kongsberg since 1986.
Kongsberg has built precision machinery, systems engineering and defence technology for generations. We are a privately owned engineering company in the same town, with 23 people in Norway, 5 at our German subsidiary, and service technicians in the UK and Canada.
- 1995
- HS News Systems AS founded
- 16+
- countries with HS lines
- 4
- countries with service staff
- 1986
- first lines for press distribution
What we are for
Better work, not just faster work.
Automation is about capacity and cost, and our customers measure it that way. But in almost every project we also hear about the people doing the work: heavy lifting, repetitive picking, night shifts under pressure.
Examples from our customers
At UBD and DNMH, a better working environment was one of the reasons to automate. At Godt Levert, 18 people moved from placing menus in boxes to other tasks. We see the working environment as part of what we deliver.
We work closely with each customer from the start, and many of our customers have worked with us for many years.
History
From press to anything in a box.
A short history of how a niche supplier to newspaper wholesalers became an automation partner for e-commerce, meal kits and third-party logistics.
- 1986Media Craft is foundedJon Hognestad sees how much manual work goes into packing and returning newspapers, magazines and books, and starts building equipment to automate it.
- 1995HS News Systems is foundedJon Hognestad and systems engineer Rune Sletterød join forces. The H and the S in the name come from their surnames.
- 1996The first employeeFinn Hogstad joins, starting with a computer that had no software on it. Today he leads mechanical engineering.
- 1990s–2010sFrom Norway to the worldSimple conveyors become PLC-controlled lines with high-resolution cameras, barcode control and our own software, SVEA. Lines are installed across the Nordic countries, Central Europe, the UK and North America.
- 2020–2022New goods, new buildingLines built for press are adapted for convenience goods, medicines and e-commerce. In early 2022 we move into our new production and development facility at Basserudåsveien in Kongsberg.
- 2024The AI pick robot goes into productionAfter nearly two years of development, our pick robot starts picking soft spice bags at Cheffelo in Oslo.
- 2025Complete lines for 3PL and returnsID Logistics goes live with a complete line from de-palletising to palletising. Cargoe more than doubles its returns efficiency with eight HS Returns machines.
The next generation
Founder-owned, with a planned change of generation.
Martine Hognestad Wagener leads the company as Managing Director. The founders are still in the company: Jon Hognestad works on business development and Rune Sletterød leads the software department.
It means stable ownership, long-term decisions and people who remember why an older line was built the way it was.
People
The people you will actually talk to.
No call centre and no account managers in between. You talk to the engineers who design, build and service your line.
- Martine Hognestad WagenerManaging Directormyhognestad@hsnews.no
- Jon HognestadFounder, Director & Ownerhognestad@hsnews.no
- Rune SletterødDirector of Software Department & Ownersletterod@hsnews.no
- Reidar KylstadSales & Marketingkylstad@hsnews.no
- Stephan AxelssonHead of Software and Serviceaxelsson@hsnews.no
- Finn HogstadMechanical Engineeringhogstad@hsnews.no
- Morten SødermanProduction Managersoederman@hsnews.no
- Roy BogenElectrical Production Managerbogen@hsnews.no
- Janis GrobovsProgrammer
- Richard PeatService Manager, UK
- Kongsberg & Horten
- Jørgen Tvedt, Software Engineer · Willy Laurent-Gonnet, Data Engineer · Erik Faane, Software Engineer · Tore Døskeland, Service Technician · Kai Rune Dahl, Mechatronics Technician · Vidas Drazdauskas, Installation Technician · Dagfinn Rustand, Mechanical Production
- Germany
- Steven Ruckert, Service Technician · Cordula Meyer, Financial Manager
- United Kingdom
- Daniel Fenwick, Service Technician · Matthew Gadd, Service Technician
- Canada
- Patrizio Melillo, Service Technician
Start here
Not sure who to talk to? Start here.
Tell us what moves through your building, how much of it, and where it hurts. No finished specification needed.
- Head office & manufacturing, Kongsberg
- +47 32 86 72 20enquiries@hsnews.no
- Sales, Reidar Kylstad (Borsdorf, DE)
- +49 172 9439511kylstad@hsnews.no
- Already running an HS line?
- Service & support, around the clock