Asfaltlegger konkurs: – Slitt med å få betalt

This week, a bankruptcy proceeding was opened for Asfaltleggeren AS in Nedre Telemark, according to a notice in the Brønnøysund Registry. It appears that the company itself has filed the petition. Local resident Hilde Skei reports that four employees are facing unpaid wages, with the company having difficulty paying its contractors and incurring significant costs over time.

The company owes around 1.5 million kroner and has little hope of continuing operations, Skei tells E24. The company owes a substantial amount to leased equipment, which is now being returned, she adds. Established in 2021, the Skien-based firm has previously employed seven people, according to prof.no. The total provider of asphalting and resurfacing services in Skien and Vestfold for both private individuals and businesses has stated on its website, "Need road resurfacing, lay asphalt on a private road, or repair a crack – we take the job."

The company's employees, many of whom have over 20 years of industry experience, are behind the proceedings. The company's books show healthy growth until 2024, when revenue was 8.6 million kroner. However, operating income rose to 12.1 million kroner in 2024, while the company lost nearly 1.5 million kroner in total in 2023-24, after a profit of over 0.7 million kroner in 2022.

The books also show negative equity of 0.7 million kroner at the end of 2024. E24 has widely reported several bankruptcies in the construction and engineering and related industries in recent years, driven by rising interest rates and increased costs, which have contributed to the near bankruptcy of many contractors. The Maskinentreprenørenes Forbund (MEF) confirms that many are struggling, with the exception of the largest actors who have received significant contracts from Vegvesenet, according to a MEF representative.

"There are huge variations, but it is terrible times. We hardly hear about any place in the country where there is enough work to count," Sverre Huse-Fagerlie of MEF told E24 earlier this summer.