What Kaj Olesen does

Kaj Olesen A/S is a Danish manufacturer of specialized fish processing equipment, founded in 1998 and headquartered in Nr. Nebel, Denmark. The company's flagship product, the EASY-MATIC pinbone remover, is designed to pull 90-95% of pinbones from salmon and trout fillets and is offered in 1-8 lane configurations and TWIN models. Over 25+ years, the product portfolio has expanded to include dark meat removers (CEM80 and a full-automatic model), the KSL 950 slicing machine for frozen salmon and a tuna slicer variant, conveyors and transport belts, distributors and collectors, vacuum systems, knife grinders, weighing scales, chest freezers, ergonomic working platforms and chairs, plus pre-owned equipment and stainless steel assembly/electropolishing services. Most machinery is manufactured from stainless steel to facilitate cleaning and maintenance in food-processing environments.

The company generates revenue through three primary streams: capital equipment sales (one-time hardware purchases of pinbone removers, dark meat removers, slicers and integrated production lines), spare parts (sold via an online ordering system for the entire installed base), and service and maintenance. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Nearly 500 EASY-MATIC pinbone removers are deployed globally, and the company exports more than 85% of its turnover through a network of international agents combined with direct sales from its Danish factory. Customer reach spans Tasmania, Chile, Alaska, Hong Kong, Thailand, Japan, and South Africa, with named enterprise customers including Vikenco A/S, Ferme Piscicole Des Bobines Inc., and Seafood Products Ltd.

The company is privately held and owner-operated by Jacob Olesen, who serves as managing director. With 1-10 employees and no disclosed external funding, Kaj Olesen A/S operates as a bootstrapped niche manufacturer in the salmon and trout processing equipment segment, relying on proprietary mechanical engineering know-how, an international agent distribution network, and recurring aftermarket revenue to sustain the business.

Name

Kaj Olesen

Legal name

Kaj Olesen A/S

Website

https://kajolesen.dk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kaj Olesen A/S is a Danish manufacturer founded in 1998 that produces EASY-MATIC pinbone removers, dark meat removers, slicers, and supporting stainless steel machinery for commercial salmon and trout processing facilities worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fish Processing Equipment Manufacturing

NAICS

Food Product Machinery Manufacturing (333241)

SIC

Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550), Special Industry Machinery, Nec (3559)

akta.pro primary industry

Finfish Processing (Filleting, Portioning, Trimming) (AFANADAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fresh & Frozen Seafood Fillets (Portioned, Skinless/Boneless) (AFANALAA)

Keywords

• Fish processing equipment
• Pinbone removal machines
• Salmon processing machinery
• Dark meat removers
• Stainless steel conveyors

Headquarters

HQ city

Nebel

HQ country

Denmark

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Fish Processing Equipment Sales: Manufacture and sale of fish processing machinery including pinbone removers, dark meat removers, slicers, conveyors, trimming lines, and supporting equipment. Equipment is sold as capital goods to fish processing facilities.
2. Spare Parts: Sale of replacement parts for all Kaj Olesen equipment. Online spare parts ordering system available.
3. Service and Maintenance: Service offerings for equipment installation, maintenance, and support. First-class service cited as a key differentiator.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Kaj Olesen A/S manufactures specialized stainless steel fish processing equipment for salmon and trout processing facilities. Its core offerings include Easy-Matic pinbone removers (removing 90-95% of pinbones, available in 1-8 lane and TWIN configurations), dark meat removers, the KSL 950 slicing machine, and supporting equipment such as conveyors, distributors/collectors, vacuum systems, working platforms, and trimming/packing tables. The company also sells spare parts and offers service and maintenance support.

Product overview

Kaj Olesen A/S is a Danish manufacturer of specialized fish processing equipment founded in 1998, exporting more than 85% of its turnover worldwide. The product portfolio centers on the Easy-Matic pinbone remover line (including EM10, EM54, EM104, and TWIN models TWP104/TWP204) for removing bones from salmon and trout fillets, complemented by dark meat removal solutions (CEM80 and full-automatic Dark Meat Remover). Supporting equipment includes the Distributor FB200 and Collector for lane management, Fillet Carousel FC100 for orientation changes, conveyors and transport belts for material handling, vacuum systems (KOS5, SP21, KOS20, KOS23) for bone and water extraction, KSL 950 and Tuna Slicing machines for portioning frozen product, Grinder for Knives for maintenance, Scale 3 Kilos for weighing, Chest Freezer for cold storage, and ergonomic solutions including KOS 10/12 Working Platforms and KOS 14/15 Chairs. The company also offers used equipment, electropolishing, and stainless steel assembly services. All machines are manufactured from stainless steel for easy cleaning and maintenance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Easy-Matic Pinbone Remover (EM10, EM54, EM104, TWP104, TWP204)
• CEM80 Dark Meat Remover
• Dark Meat Remover (Full-Automatic)
• KSL 950 Slicing Machine
• Tuna Slicer
• Distributor FB200 and Collector
• Fillet Carousel FC100
• Conveyors/Transport Belts
• Vacuum Systems (KOS5, SP21, KOS20, KOS23)
• Trimming Line
• Trimming and Packing Tables
• Scale 3 Kilos - Stainless Steel
• Chest Freezer
• Grinder for Knives
• Working Platforms and Chairs (KOS 10, KOS 12, KOS 14 & 15)
• Used Equipment
• Electropolishing Service
• Stainless Steel Assembly Service

Quantifiable outcome

• 90-95% pinbone removal rate (TWIN model removes more bones)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• Cabinplant A/S: Danish food processing equipment maker specializing in weighing, portioning, and handling for fish, seafood, and other proteins. Regional peer based in Denmark with overlapping product categories and access to similar customers in European fish processing.
• Protecnica Food Solutions: Spanish provider of fish processing machinery and turnkey plants, primarily serving Mediterranean and Latin American aquaculture and wild-caught processors. Comparable product categories (filleting, portioning, grading) but operates in different geographies from Kaj Olesen.

Direct peers

• Baader Group: German-headquartered specialist in fish and seafood processing machinery with deep installed base across salmon processing. Competes head-to-head with Kaj Olesen on filleting, pinbone removal, and trimming equipment for salmon and trout.
• Marel: Iceland-based global leader in fish, poultry, and meat processing equipment. Directly competes with Kaj Olesen in salmon processing lines with a much broader portfolio (whole-plant solutions), but is the most relevant peer for primary fish processing machinery.
• Uni-Food Technic: Danish manufacturer of processing equipment for fish, poultry, and meat. Specializes in weighing, grading, and batching — complementary to Kaj Olesen but serving the same salmon and trout processing customer base with overlapping product categories.
• Skaginn 3X: Icelandic manufacturer of advanced fish processing equipment and turnkey processing lines. Targets similar salmon and whitefish processors with chilling, grading, and portioning solutions; comparable in size and niche focus to Kaj Olesen.

Broad incumbents

• JBT Corporation: US-listed broad-line food processing and air transport equipment provider. Through its FoodTech segment, competes in fish and seafood processing (freezing, cooking, portioning) at a much larger scale and offers integrated solutions Kaj Olesen cannot match.

Emerging players

• TOMRA Group: Norwegian sensor-based sorting and grading technology company with growing seafood applications. While not a direct machinery competitor in pinbone removal, TOMRA's optical sorting and grading tech increasingly intersects with salmon processing lines where Kaj Olesen equipment is installed.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kaj-olesen-a-s

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Kaj Olesen