FFS Marine changes name to Farmar

The new name was celebrated with sausages and cake for employees and partners at the workshop on Friday 1 March. Farsund's mayor Ingrid Willumsen came from Husan with both gifts and words of praise.

The name change reflects the growing portfolio of services, which extends far beyond the mooring operations on which the business was originally founded.

With around 100 employees, Farmar is one of Farsund's largest private employers. In addition to towing and salvage, the company operates a full-scale offshore supply base and also has its own mechanical workshop.

- WE STARTED as Farsund Fortøyningsselskap in 1982. The name was eventually shortened to FFS, which has worked well. But the mooring part has become such a small part of the operation that a rebranding makes sense," says Nilsen.

The new name also avoids confusion with namesakes, which has been a growing problem.

ADMINISTRATION regularly receives emails, letters and other enquiries from customers and suppliers of Fire Fighting Systems - which also calls itself FFS and is a leading player in firefighting systems for ships.

In addition, a third company, Fast Food Services, owns the domain name ffs.no.

- Although the confusion is not as great here, having another company holding the attractive no domain in Norway is not very favourable in terms of Google searches. "We have now secured the farmar.no domain, which will be ideal for international and digital communication," says Nilsen.

NAMED FARMAR is derived from Farsund Maritime Group, which will now be the name of the overall holding company. At the same time, the various operational areas are separated into separate companies.

Shipping operations will be centralised in Farmar Towage. Everything within storage boats and workshop services will be in Farmar Services. The administration will be employed by Farmar Management. And the properties in Lundevågen will be owned and operated by Farmar Port.

- The new model will give us the opportunity to purify the various businesses in the company. It will also be easier to administer. Not least for the accounting office, which has to take into account different tax rules on land and at sea," says Nilsen.

AS A LEDD In the rebranding, the company gets a new logo. It is inspired by the original, but with a more modern twist. However, the slogan remains the same: "RSQ - we respond, we seek solutions, we deliver quality".

The implementation of the new name and visual identity will start with the launch on 1 March 2024, and will be followed up with a number of measures throughout the spring to ensure a seamless transition.

- All labelling of buildings, vehicles and other equipment will be replaced. So will the names on boats. A new collection of workwear has been ordered. In addition, we will change the name and profile on our website, email addresses, social media and marketing material," says Nilsen.

Employees are already fully informed and engaged in the new brand strategy.

- Even though the employees will now be employed by different companies, everyone will still be part of the same family - the Farmar family," says Nilsen.