What Eker Design AS does

Eker Design AS is a Norwegian turnkey industrial design and mechanical engineering firm headquartered in Gamle Fredrikstad with an additional Eker Werks facility in Oslo Skøyen. Founded circa 1990 by Bård Eker, who remains CEO and owner, the firm employs 30+ designers, engineers, and craftspeople operating under the Eker Group conglomerate (which also includes EpiGuard, Hydrolift, Eker Performance, Hyke, and Eker Werks). Its core offering is end-to-end product development — from insight, concept sketches, and VR-enabled design review through engineering, prototyping, testing, and small-scale production — executed with in-house manufacturing assets including large 5-axis CNC milling, composite manufacturing (RTM and resin infusion with fiberglass and carbon fiber), 3D scanning, and a VR visualization room at Torsnes.

The company serves enterprise clients across diverse regulated and unregulated industries including maritime (Hydrolift X/P-series boats, Powerboat of the Year 2020), medtech (EpiShuttle isolation system co-developed with EpiGuard), defense (Saab Defence Giraffe 1X radar), machine vision (Zivid One/Two/2+ R-Series, three Red Dot wins), consumer products (Stokke Clikk and Xplory — Red Dot Best of the Best 2020; Wilfa ProBaker; Cinderella Premium), and industrial/energy infrastructure (Omexom magnetic rails with 60,000+ units delivered). Business model is project-based professional services (B2B direct engagement, quote-based) with a complementary hardware revenue stream through Eker Composites manufacturing.

Go-to-market relies on direct enterprise relationships, a public portfolio of award-winning case studies, and the Eker Express incubator program (operated with Stiftelsen Teknologiformidling and The Brand Project) targeting Norwegian SMBs and growth companies. The firm is privately held under Eker Group with no disclosed revenue, funding rounds, or external investors.

Name

Eker Design AS

Legal name

Eker Design AS

Website

https://ekerdesign.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Eker Design AS is a Norwegian turnkey industrial design and mechanical engineering firm with 30+ staff, delivering end-to-end product development from sketch to final product for enterprise clients in maritime, medtech, defense, machine vision, consumer goods, and industrial sectors, with in-house CNC milling and composite manufacturing under Eker Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Design Services

NAICS

Industrial Design Services (541420), Industrial Design Services (54142)

akta.pro primary industry

Concept & Industrial Design Prototyping (Additive) (IMAAAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

3D Design & CAD for Additive Manufacturing (IMAAACAA), Electronics & Enclosure Prototyping (Additive) (IMAAAFAH)

Keywords

• Industrial design services
• Mechanical engineering
• Product development
• Composite manufacturing
• Design for manufacturing

Headquarters

HQ city

Fredrikstad

HQ country

Norway

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Industrial Design Services: Professional design and engineering services for product development, from concept sketches through detailed engineering and industrialization. Services include user research, industrial design, mechanical engineering, prototyping, testing, and production support.
2. Composite Manufacturing: Development and manufacturing of composite products including RTM molding and resin infusion for fiberglass and carbon fiber components. Includes both prototyping and small-to-medium scale production runs.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Eker Design AS provides turnkey industrial design and mechanical engineering services, taking client products from concept sketches through user research, detailed engineering, prototyping, testing, and small-scale production. The firm also operates Eker Composites for composite product development and manufacturing using RTM and resin infusion molding with fiberglass and carbon fiber, supported by in-house capabilities including large 5-axis CNC milling, 3D scanning, and VR-based product visualization.

Product overview

Eker Design AS is a Norwegian industrial design and product development agency offering turnkey services from concept to final product across diverse industries. Their portfolio spans maritime vessels (Hydrolift boats, P-42 SAR rescue vessels), medical technology (EpiShuttle isolation systems, Somnofy sleep sensors, rollators), robotics and vision (Halodi Eve humanoid robots, Zivid 3D cameras), consumer products (Stokke strollers and high chairs, Northug eyewear), and industrial equipment. They operate Eker Composites as an in-house manufacturing division for composite products and offer the Eker Express innovation program. The Hydrolift Professional Platform provides a modular vessel base adapted for multiple professional applications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Eker Composites: Division focused on development and manufacturing of composite products including RTM molding, resin infusion molding with fiberglass and carbon fiber
• Eker Express
• Eker Werks

Products and services

• Industrial Design Services Turnkey industrial design services including concept development, user research, sketch-to-form design, and aesthetic refinement for clients across maritime, automotive, medtech, defense, robotics, consumer products, and industrial equipment sectors.
• Mechanical Engineering Services Detailed mechanical engineering from concept through industrialization, including CAD modeling, engineering analysis, design for manufacturing, and production support for complex physical products.
• Prototyping and Testing Services
• Composite Manufacturing (Eker Composites) Development and manufacturing of composite products including RTM molding and resin infusion molding with fiberglass and carbon fiber for maritime, automotive, defense, and industrial applications, including prototyping and small-to-medium scale production runs.
• Eker Express Innovation Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Zivid 2+ R-Series won Red Dot Design Award 2025
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• JotronminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2019Jotron participated in Eker Express program in spring 2019, developing exciting ideas and concepts in a preliminary project with Eker Design. Resulted in two new projects started together.
• Stiftelsen TeknologiformidlingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEker Design and Stiftelsen Teknologiformidling co-developed the Eker Express innovation program supporting Norwegian businesses with design-driven value creation. Stiftelsen provides economic support to make the program accessible to SMBs.
• The Brand ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners with Eker Design in the Eker Express program, providing business development, brand, and market strategy expertise alongside Eker's design and engineering capabilities.
• HydroliftcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClose strategic partnership for boat design and development. Eker Design handles design and engineering while Hydrolift handles manufacturing and production. Joint development of multiple boat models including X-series and P-42 SAR vessels.
• Eker GroupcoreOthersEker Design is part of Eker Group ecosystem which includes EpiGuard, Eker Performance, Hydrolift, and other companies. Provides shared resources, knowledge center for electro/electronics, autonomy, mechatronics, and circuit board development.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Designworks (BMW Group): BMW-owned global design studio with broad transportation, consumer, and industrial design capabilities, a larger incumbent whose multi-sector scope and brand-driven approach overlaps with Eker Design's portfolio.

Direct peers

• IDEO: Global design and innovation consultancy offering turnkey product design and engineering services to enterprise clients, directly comparable to Eker Design's turnkey industrial design and product development model.
• Whipsaw: Industrial design and engineering firm known for award-winning consumer, medical, and technology products, with turnkey capabilities spanning concept through production similar to Eker Design.
• Method: Global design and engineering consultancy combining product design, mechanical engineering, and prototyping, comparable in offering and enterprise client model to Eker Design.
• Bresslergroup: US-based product design and engineering consultancy specializing in turnkey product development from research through manufacturing, closely aligned with Eker Design's integrated design-to-production model.
• Karten Design: Norwegian design and innovation consultancy that, like Eker Design, serves Nordic and international enterprise clients across medtech, consumer, and industrial sectors with integrated design and engineering services.
• Frog Design: Global product design and strategy firm (part of Capgemini Engineering) providing end-to-end industrial design, mechanical engineering, and prototyping services to enterprise customers across multiple verticals.
• Ammunition Group: Product design and brand consultancy with strong industrial design and consumer product portfolio, comparable in service offering and enterprise client engagement to Eker Design.
• Lunar: Scandinavian design and technology firm offering product design, engineering, and digital services to enterprise clients, a direct regional peer in the Nordic industrial design market.

Regional players

• Snøhetta: Norwegian design and architecture practice with strong Scandinavian brand presence and a similar multidisciplinary turnkey ethos, though primarily focused on architecture, brand, and spatial design rather than mechanical product engineering.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Eker Design AS