GBD is using a purpose-built Hamar facility to cope with Norway’s winter crash surge while accelerating parts throughput for Autocirc. The site adds 25 staff, targets around 1,400 late-model insurance vehicles a year, and tightens dismantling-to-warehouse workflows. It also strengthens group logistics as EV volumes rise and operational complexity grows.
Tom Grønvold, managing director of Norway-based vehicle dismantling operation Grønvolds Bildemontering (GBD), describes how the company is gearing up for Norway’s winter crash surge while scaling up its role within Autocirc.
Winter crash surge meets expanded operations
January is peak season for Norwegian dismantlers. “We get ten times as many crashed vehicles in the winter as in the summer,” says Tom Grønvold, pointing to the combination of snow, ice and sudden cold snaps. For Grønvold’s team, the chaos is familiar, “business as usual” in a country where heavy snowfall doesn’t close schools, let alone bodyshops.
That winter intensity is now being met with expanded capacity. GBD has recently opened a new facility in Hamar, designed to strengthen its dismantling operations and streamline internal logistics within the Autocirc group.
A purpose-built facility in Hamar
The Hamar site represents a significant step forward for GBD. It has added 25 employees, bringing the company to a total of around 70 staff, and is designed to process approximately 1,400 newer insurance vehicles per year, not the traditional end-of-life vehicles.
The facility combines a 14-acre yard (around 14,000 m²) with 3,500 m² of workshop, logistics, sales and warehousing space. According to Grønvold, the site was purpose-built after years of adapting an older, more fragmented location, allowing for clearer flows, higher efficiency and improved working conditions.
GBD as part of Autocirc
GBD’s development takes place within Autocirc’s broader consolidation and growth strategy in the Nordic circular parts market. Autocirc, owned by Nordic Capital, brings together dismantling, remanufacturing and resale of original automotive components under one group structure.
Grønvold says GBD officially joined Autocirc on 1 January 2024. He describes the integration as positive, and he sees clear advantages in being part of a larger group with shared standards, systems and long-term investment capacity.
Operating model: efficiency and quality focus
Operationally, the Hamar facility is designed for speed, clarity and quality. The work remains highly skilled and manual; an eight-lift workshop is laid out much like a modern dealership service bay, with one technician assigned per vehicle.
Each car follows a defined dismantling process, where components are removed, documented, photographed and quality-checked before moving directly into storage. Short internal distances between dismantling, inspection and warehousing are intended to reduce handling time and improve overall efficiency.
Electrification reshaping dismantling
Electrification is already having a tangible impact on daily operations. Around 16% of GBD’s incoming vehicles last year were fully electric, with hybrids pushing the total electrified share even higher. EVs introduce new requirements, from high-voltage safety procedures to more complex vehicle architectures, but also new opportunities.
According to Grønvold, body parts from EVs sell well, and demand for high-value components continues to grow. At the same time, electrification adds complexity and reinforces the need for scale, expertise and structured processes, factors he sees as central to the decision to become part of a larger group.
Looking ahead
For the coming years, Grønvold expects operational continuity rather than dramatic change: steady growth, continued winter intensity and increasing technical complexity as the vehicle fleet evolves. What the Hamar facility represents, however, is a clear shift in how dismantling is organised, with purpose-built infrastructure, defined workflows and group-level coordination playing a central role.
In that sense, the new site is more than just added capacity. It reflects a more industrialised, professionalised approach to vehicle dismantling, one designed to meet today’s demands while preparing for the vehicles of tomorrow.
Further Reading on Auto Recycling World
-
Autocirc signs an agreement to acquire GBD-Grønvolds Bildemontering AS – Norway’s leading and largest car dismantling company
-
German Car Brands Dominate Used Parts Demand in France, According to Recent Study by Ovoko
-
Autocirc announces strategic expansion in France by acquiring automotive company Caréco Molins Creauto
