Plasto, Norway's leading company in injection molding, moves its production from China to Åndalsnes.

SFI Manufacturing's partner Plasto is Norway's leading company in injection molding. The organization develops and manufactures products in all types of thermoplastics for customers in many different business areas.

Over the last ten years, Plasto has had great success with investing in competence and production technology. The high level of quality and high productivity makes production in Åndalsnes competitive towards China in both performance and price. This is good news for the Norwegian industry in general, as well as for SFI Manufacturing's consortium, since we will have the next SFI workshop at Plasto.

Read more here.

Plasto's CEO Lars Stenerud. Photo: Plasto

From the yearly dialogue meeting with each SFI Manufacturing partner, the centre management writes a travelogue. Welcome along and travel with us here on the blog!

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2016 has been a great year for Kongsberg Automotive so far. Since January the 1st, the organization has won several large contracts.

SFI Manufacturing's partner Kongsberg Automotive develops, manufactures and markets systems for gearshift, clutch actuation, seat comfort, stabilizing rods, couplings and components. So far, 2016 has been a great year for the organization, because of new contracts of 2,7 billion NOK in total.

In today's Finansavisen, CEO Hans Peter Havdal states that it's the results of many years of commitment to strategic research and development. Kongsberg Automotive reserves 6 to 6,5% of the annual sales for R&D activities.

Read more in Finansavisen (pdf).

Couplings components for trucks.​ Photo: Kongsberg Automotive

Statistics show that NCE Raufoss, the national competence centre for light weight materials and automated production, has a high productivity and can compete internationally.

The industrial cluster NCE Raufoss is a national competence centre for light weight materials and automated production in Norway. Nammo, Benteler, Kongsberg Automotive, Hexagon Ragasco, Raufoss Technology, Plastal, NTNU and SINTEF Raufoss Manufacturing are members of NCE Raufoss, as well as partners of SFI Manufacturing.

The project period of ten years ends this summer and the statistics show a very good productivity development. When you're based in a high cost country like Norway, productivit is a key factor in order to compete internationally. On Febryary 3rd, NCE Raufoss published a chronicle in Oppland Arbeiderblad about its achievements so far.

Read the chronicle in Oppland Arbeiderblad here (pdf).
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NCE Raufoss is also called 'The industry's main sports centre'. Illustration: NCE Raufoss

On December 16th 2015, the yards Brødrene Aa and Chu Kong Shipping Enterprises signed an agreement on the sale and purchase of 40% of the shares of Brødrene Aa.

Brødrene Aa is situated in Hyen, Norway, and is mainly manufacturing fast commercial passenger vessels built with carbon fiber composite, in the range of 20 to 41 meter. The investment includes a significant private placement of shares in Brødrene Aa, which will give Brødrene Aa very solid financial muscles for future development. 

A large market and an increased capacity will strengthen the competitive power of the yards and can optimize the comparative advantages between the yards in the two countries. The cooperation between the parties has already started with the shipbuilding contracts and construction of two 41 meter catamarans built with carbon fiber composite.
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