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FIVE MINUTES WITH HALVARD OLAFSEN, MANAGING DIRECTOR, NORWEGIAN MARITIME EXPORTER'S
Halvard Olafsen, Norwegian Maritime Exporter's
On the eve of NorShipping 2009, Maritime Reporter spent five minutes with Halvard Olafsen, Managing Director, Norwegian Maritime Exporter's, a group of small and medium-sized companies that embody the Norwegian spirit and expertise in the global maritime market. by Greg Trauthwein
Please provide MR with a brief overview of the Norwegian Maritime Exporters (NME) and its activities Halvard Olafsen NME's member companies are bearers of Norway's maritime traditions and culture through collaboration and teamwork in the maritime cluster and through their network organization Norwegian Maritime Exporters (NME). NME has more than 120 member companies nationwide that are represented in over 130 countries. NME's main mission is to be a leading organization for internationalizing the Norwegian maritime industry and service providers and for promoting its members' exports through marketing activities. When considering NME members as a whole, what do you consider to be the unique strengths this group offers to the international shipping community? HO While engaged in a broad range of activities, NME is driven by one core ambition: establishing networks. NME represents many of Norway's most ambitious and innovative companies, from established multinationals to specialist niche players serving a wide variety of different markets. Norway's maritime cluster has a strong tradition of technical innovation, cooperation between different players and keeping an international perspective. And while no organization can take all the credit, it is perhaps no surprise that NME continues to be regarded as an important link between member companies in Norway and the international maritime industry. Established by the maritime industry and owned by the maritime industry NME is fully owned by its member companies; suppliers and manufacturers of high quality products and services to the shipping industry, shipyards and fisheries worldwide, with agents in more than 130 countries. What are the top 3 or 4 innovations that have originated from Norway that you feel have most dramatically impacted this industry? HO It is not easy for me to say. It depends on how far back we go. I started working for SIMRAD as a very
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young man and would of course say that their echo sounders and sonars did have a major impact on the development of international fisheries. Afterward also their DPS systems (Kongsberg). Ship design must be mentioned, especially within the Offshore Service Vessel niche. Can you point to 2 or 3 recent successes (technologically or from a business standpoint) from your members? HO Three that immediately come to mind include: Sperre, C-Map (Jeppesen) and Brunvoll. Sperre's offers a new X-Range, a series of 21 new compressors across six ranges, launched at SMM 2008 in Hamburg. The series incorporates a distinct, easy-to-recogize "X" cover design. Apart from aesthetics, the air-cooled ranged was extended from 160 to 320 cu. m./hr.; the water-cooled range was extended from 400 to 540 cu. m./hr. Overall, the systems are designed to provide ease of maintenance, with ease of access via three screws, and a system which offers fewer parts and higher reliability. eFairways (eFarled in Norwegian) was a research project set in motion by Kongsberg, backed by the Norwegian Research Council and supported by Jeppesen Marine, two Norwegian research bodies and the Norwegian Coastal Administration. The project's purpose: bring more and better information, using the technology available, to decision-makers onboard, so they can better foresee dangerous scenarios. And Brunvoll -- part of the world-class maritime cluster along Norway's West Coast -- has a product portfolio, longhistory and excellent reputation as a premium supplier of complete thruster systems. Please assess the overall health of the Norwegian cluster today. HO Probably still the strongest there is. What, specifically, are the two or three biggest challenges facing the NME and its members? HO Order cancellations, competiton from local suppliers, and the duraHalvard Olafsen and the NME must pedal hard to ensure that the members of NME are positioned to succeed in the global marine market.
tion of the current economic crisis. How has the current global financial crisis impacted the Norwegian maritime business as a whole? HO Considerably, especially from
late 2010 and forward. What is NME's strategy to help expand the influence and business of its members globally? HO Strengthening of our network, cooperation in innovation and activities.
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