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A VALUE-BASED
TECHNOLOGY LEADER
TECHNOLOGY KNOW-HOW, STRONG CULTURE AND INTERNATIONAL FOCUS ARE MAJOR FACTORS PROPELLING
THE EXPANSION OF KONGSBERG, THOUGH ACCORDING TO PRESIDENT AND CEO WALTER QVAM, INNOVATIVE THINKING
AND MARKET CREDIBILITY ARE ALSO IMPORTANT FACTORS.
TEXT: STUART BREWER PHOTO: NINA E. RANGØY
Throughout the world, most industries
are in a state of transformation.
increasing competition, new technologies,
global value chains and uncertainties
related to the global economic
situation are everyday challenges facing
global companies.
To KONGSBERG, a technology corporation
that is one of the leading suppliers
of sophisticated systems and products
to the maritime, oil & gas, space and
defence industries, these challenges also
represent opportunities. “KONGSBERG
has grown significantly, mainly through
product development, global expansion
and key acquisitions, as well as
through competence development,” says
Walter Qvam, the President and CEO of
KONGSBERG. “This has served us well
and our strong focus on collaboration
with our customers and being seen as a
very reliable organisation has been, and
will continue to be, key for us.”
KONGSBERG’s performance in recent
years is a story of growth in revenues as
well as in profitability. “Our progress has
been steady and almost all our areas have
improved in recent years,” says Mr Qvam.
“Our second quarter results this year show
that the Group is maintaining a high level
of activity in virtually all key segments. The
order backlog remains stable at a high level
and ongoing efficiency measures are supporting
continued profit levels. Further,
our market shares are continuing to grow
and we are working on significant new
business and technology opportunities that
have great potential. This combination
provides a robust commercial platform
for KONGSBERG, and this is particularly
important for us given the uncertain global
market situation.
“All businesses have a desire to grow
and improve their financial performance
– and these are important drivers for
KONGSBERG too. However, for us, the
ability to adapt quickly and deliver innovative
systems, products and services that
improve safety, security and efficiency are
equally important,” emphasises Mr Qvam.
FULL OPERATIONAL PICTURE
KONGSBERG is continually developing
its position as a high-end supplier of systems,
products and services to its customers.
“Although delivered to very different
industries, there is a strong commonality
in KONGSBERG’s systems and products.
“It’s all about delivering systems that help
the operator make the optimal decisions
or run the optimal operations – by always
having the full operational picture available
in the control room environment –
at sea, in space or during defence operations,”
points out Mr Qvam.
“Our vision – World Class – through
people, technology and dedication –
forms the basis of our ambition. We have
described our value proposition as ‘Extreme
performance for extreme conditions’
because KONGSBERG’s solutions are often
used by operators that undertake complex
and challenging tasks in difficult situations.”
Mr Qvam has definite views on how
KONGSBERG is to further its standing in
the marketplace. These include a continued
and even strengthened focus on quality,
research and development and internationalisation.
“We also place great emphasis
on the importance of the KONGSBERG
culture, and our values and ethical standards
describe how we should work and act
to achieve our ambitions,” he says.
He continues: “Our future growth
and business strategy are centred around
this framework and focus on a strong performance
culture, partner collaboration,
I KONGSBERG Maritime’s K-Bridge integrated bridge system including ECDIS electronic chart display, ARPA radar, propulsion control system and conning display.
no 01 2012 – 39