(Rælingen, Norway, February 10, 2020): StrongPoint (OSE: STRONG) today announces a partnership with Sunrise Technology, part of Kroger, the largest grocery retailer in America, where StrongPoint will serve as a preferred value-added technology re-seller with an initial focus on the Nordics and the Baltics. Sunrise Technology develops fully integrated technology solutions that bring retailers, shoppers and manufacturers into a common platform, based on a close collaboration with Microsoft. "We are proud to announce our partnership with Sunrise, leveraging the close collaboration with Microsoft, aiming at redefining the shopping experience for customers across the globe and to set a new standard for innovation in the industry. By bringing the Sunrise technology to the Nordics and the Baltics, we look forward to work with local retailers to reinvent the customer experience and to create new profit streams," says Jacob Tveraabak, Chief Executive Officer of StrongPoint. StrongPoint has entered into an agreement to serve as a preferred value-added re-seller for Sunrise Technology´ solutions, products and technology for retailers, with an initial focus on the Nordics and the Baltics. Sunrise Technology is a part of Kroger, the largest grocery retailer in America, and has a close collaboration with Microsoft. Sunrise Technology´s Retail as a Service (RaaS) product, powered by Microsoft Azure, offers a suite of capabilities to collect customer insights, enhance employee productivity, improve out-of-stocks, improve the customer experience, and allow for hyper personalization using proprietary technology including the EDGETM Shelf (Enhanced Display for Grocery Environment). "We look forward to work with Sunrise Technology and Microsoft in transforming the retail industry. With ever-increasing competition on a multitude of platforms and delivery options the retailers are facing major challenges. This partnership will bring new solutions for the retailer to stand out, sustain growth and spur productivity," says Julius Stulpinas, Senior Vice President Technology of StrongPoint. For additional information, please contact: Jacob Tveraabak CEO, StrongPoint ASA Phone +47 90 82 13 70 About StrongPoint | www.strongpoint.com StrongPoint is driving productivity for European retailers by providing innovative, integrated technology solutions for multi-channel retailing based on long-standing relationships with customers and partners. StrongPoint is also a leader in IBNS solutions for Cash-In-Transit (Cash Security), and Labels for customers in Norway and Sweden. StrongPoint offers best-in-class service and consultancy expertise through its team of 525 employees in Norway, Sweden, the Baltics, France, Germany, Belgium, Spain and Russia. StrongPoint is headquartered in Rælingen, Norway, and listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (ticker: STRONG). About Sunrise Technology | www.sunrisetechnology.com Sunrise Technology delivers a fully integrated technology solutions that bring retailers, shoppers and manufacturers into a common platform. The company delivers a single platform that integrates seamlessly with existing systems, adding innovative data collection and shopper recognition technologies, predictive analytics and real time promotional programs that drive action, sale and revenue. About Microsoft | www.microsoft.com Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT" @microsoft) enables digital transformation for the era of an intelligent cloud and an intelligent edge. Its mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.
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Press Release: Aker BioMarine brings big data to Antarctic krill fishery
In order to collect detailed data on the krill biomass, Aker BioMarine is launching an unmanned solar-powered ocean data drone (Sailbuoy) as part of its operations in the Antarctica to take a further step in a new data-driven era of sustainable fishery and fishery management.
Equipped with echosounder and environmental sensors, the two meter long data drone collects, processes and transmits density and distribution data from wherever it is deployed, in real time.
Easy to operate, launch and recover, the unique ocean drone uses wind for propulsion while the electronics is powered by solar panels, which charge the internal batteries. The Sailbuoy can reach a speed of 2 knots. Built to be robust and to survive the tough Antarctic conditions, it has also been designed to be small and unobtrusive, so that it does not disturb the local wildlife.
Zero carbon footprint
Minimizing the need for fishing vessels to spend time and resources looking for krill, the use of the ocean data drone significantly reduces the financial and environmental costs of searching for krill. All the data collection carried out by the drone has a carbon footprint of zero.
Frank Grebstad, SVP Vessel Operations says, “Finally deployed, after a number of years in development, the Sailbuoy is changing how we work. We can position it close to the vessel and it will do the searching for us, or we can let it cover remote areas for up to months at a time, telling us where and when to proceed.”
He adds, “As our Antarctic eyes and ears, the data the ocean drone is collecting is proving absolutely invaluable, and it is enabling us to make our operations even more sustainable and more focused, further lowering our impact.”
The company behind building the Sailbuoy, Offshore Sensing is pleased to put the ocean drone in practical use in the tough conditions of Antarctica. David Peddie, CEO Offshore Sensing says: “Albeit small, the Sailbuoy is designed to make a major impact when it comes to improving efficiency and helping the companies make better decisions based on real-time data. This Sailbuoy will help Aker BioMarine enter a new data-driven era of sustainable fishery.”
Benefit wider scientific community
In addition to operational gains, the data will be of enormous benefit in the long-term to the wider scientific community and the krill fishery as whole. The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), the international treaty managing the krill fishery in the Southern Ocean, has made decisive steps towards a more dynamic and scientific data driven management regime, which will put a lot of responsibility on the industry’s capability to monitor the krill biomass. The ocean data drone technology will enable the krill management regime of the future to come sooner rather than later.
With the careful management of the fishery by precautionary catch limits based on frequent estimates, the detailed data that Aker BioMarine now can capture on density and distribution, will provide a more accurate picture of the size of the biomass. This will help the industry to better guide decisions on this precious resource in a time of climate change and with increasing needs for knowledge and data.
About the Antarctic krill fishery
The Antarctic krill fishery today is managed by The Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) and known as one of the best performing fisheries in the world. For the fifth year in a row, the Antarctic krill fishery received an ‘A’ rating from the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP), meaning its krill fishery is in “very good condition. Several of the krill fishery companies are also MSC- and FSO-certified, a process that gets more and more rigorous for every re-certification, and contributes to both raised standards and transparency for the fleet as a whole.
The precautionary principle is applied very strictly to the krill fishery in Area 48 of Antarctica, with the annual quota set at approximately 1% of the biomass, and the actual harvest across the krill fleet being 0,5 to 0,6 % of the biomass.
With the CCAMLR biomass survey conducted in 2019 there is confirmation that the krill stock is in a good and healthy condition, having found 62,6 million tonnes of krill in all of Area 48 with a similar distribution to last time the biomass was surveyed in year 2000.
Through the Commitment on Voluntary Restrictive Zones in 2018, the members of the Association of Responsible Krill Harvesting Companies (ARK) made another dedicated and tangible step towards United Nations Sustainable Development Goals SDG14 Life Below Water.
Aker BioMarine is a biotech innovator and Antarctic krill-harvesting company, dedicated to improving human and planetary health. The company develops krill-based ingredients for nutraceutical, aquaculture, and animal feed applications. The company’s fully transparent value chain stretches from sustainable krill harvesting in pristine Antarctic waters through its Montevideo logistics hub, Houston production plant, and all the way to customers around the world.
For more information please contact:
Katrin Berntsen
Ph: +47 920 54 570
AmCham Sustainability Forum: Where Are You on the Corporate Sustainability Journey?
AmCham Sustainability Forum: Where Are You on the Corporate Sustainability Journey?
AmCham’s latest Sustainability Forum convened at Roche’s Oslo headquarters. Focusing on the corporate sustainability journey, the forum was kicked off by presentations from Roche Director of Public Affairs and Communications Hans Christian Hansson and ReputationInc Managing Partner Dennis Larsen, who discussed the diverse range of issues related to both communicating sustainability issues and better integrating sustainability practices across the entirety of a business.
Presenters
Hans Christian Hansson – Head of Public Affairs & Communications
Dennis Larsen – Managing Partner
Sustainability at the Core
Drawing from his background as a foreign correspondent for NRK and an advisor for Prime Minister Erna Solberg, Hansson took forum participants through how Roche has put sustainability at the core of its business by making all of its employees ambassadors for sustainability and working hand-in-hand with both public and private sector stakeholders.
“From patients to governments, our stakeholders have extremely high expectations of us when it comes to sustainability. We can’t just talk the talk – we really need to walk the walk when it comes to these issues,” he remarked.
As the world’s largest biotech company, Hansson further noted that it was critical to have a deep local understanding when translating Roche’s global sustainability commitment across borders, a point he illustrated by discussing how different his native Northern Norway is from Basel, the Swiss city that plays home to Roche’s global headquarters.
“For us, it was very important to identify focus areas in Norway so that we could show our Norwegian stakeholders that we are a credible partner that shares key goals critical to the development of society,” he concluded.
Reputation Pitfalls and Rewards
Hansson was followed by ReputationInc Managing Partner Dennis Larsen, who discussed how companies can harness qualitative and quantitative analysis to build upon the “sustainability opportunity” by engaging stakeholders, building an influence-generating reputation, and leveraging that influence to drive transformational, systemic change.
“It’s critical to use strategic long-term thinking to engage the stakeholders that matter to us. If you want to reap the rewards of your reputation, you need to be bold and forward looking, actively engage with transparency, align your strategies across your business, and ensure you promote capable voices. Then you can truly drive change.”
Larsen then discussed how companies could avoid reputation pitfalls, noting the importance of finding the right communicative balance – neither under nor over communicating – and setting ambitious, yet realistic goals. This concept of balance carried over to his closing remarks – a stimulating exploration of how a lack of resources and competing priorities are the greatest barriers to change, and how leadership support is the greatest factor in transformational success.
The Sustainability Journey
At the conclusion of the presentations, forum participants then took part in dynamic roundtable discussion concerning the range of themes discussed by Hansson and Larsen.
“It is interesting how companies often look at developing country-specific sustainability and communication strategies, but then at the same time they reduce Europe to one big blob. By doing this, they lose the ability to leverage local insight to connect with a specific country,” noted one participant, who then argued for the importance of using quantitative and qualitative analysis to develop strategies tailormade for local stakeholders.
Another participant noted the crucial role of companies in driving change.
“We cannot survive without a sustainability focus, and it is interesting to be here and see how different companies and industries are looking at their global footprint and finding ways to contribute.”
The forum then ended, with participants noting their excitement for future meetings.
“Today truly delivered on my expectations – the presenters certainly provided a lot of food for thought,” concluded one participant.
The AmCham Sustainability Forum
Many AmCham companies have been on the sustainability journey for some time, while others are trying to find their way to a sustainable future. Though our members are represented through the full spectrum, we know that several are at the forefront within their respective industries.
Hence, AmCham brings select, cross-industry member company representatives together on a quarterly basis to discuss opportunities, share best practices and find out how AmCham members can play a role in the Norwegian sustainability agenda going forward. Read more about our Sustainability forum here, and please contact us for interest in future forums at amcham@amcham.no.
Bloomberg: Citi Doesn’t See Oil Revival From Virus Until 4Q
Citigroup Inc. slashed its price forecasts for commodities from oil to copper and iron ore as it said the impact of the coronavirus looks much worse than it initially thought.
Oil came in for the most severe downgrades, with the bank cutting estimates for the first three quarters. Citi also reduced its first-quarter copper projection, noting the outbreak had “drastically shifted” the Chinese and global economic outlook, analysts including Ed Morse, wrote in a note.
Read entire article HERE.
Reuters: Electric cars grab 44% market share in Norway in January
OSLO (Reuters) – Electric cars accounted for a 44.3% share of Norway’s new car sales in January, rising year on year but falling short of the 50-60% range the industry forecast for 2020, data from the Norwegian Road Federation showed on Monday.
In January 2019 electric cars made up 37.8% of sales in the Nordic country and climbed in subsequent months to an overall 42.4% market share for the full year.
As it seeks to phase out the sale of combustion-engine cars by the middle of this decade, oil-producer Norway has exempted battery-powered vehicles from taxes imposed on those running on petrol and diesel.
Read entire article HERE.
MAREX: Huntington Ingalls Buys Kongsberg’s Hydroid UUV Division
Huntington Ingalls Industries announced Wednesday that it has agreed to buy Massachussets-based marine robotics company Hydroid from its current owner, Kongsberg Maritime. HII and Kongsberg are also establishing an alliance to market their joint capabilities to the U.S. government.
Hydroid is best known as the maker of the REMUS series of underwater unmanned vehicles (UUVs), which are in widespread commercial, scientific and government use for oceanographic research, surveying, hydrography and (with special adaptations) for mine countermeasures. In November, Hydroid also took over responsibility for Kongsberg’s Seaglider long-endurance research drone product line.
Read entire article HERE.
Lakselaget Offers Scholarships to Minnesota and Norwegian Women
Minnesota-based Lakselaget (Norwegian for “The Salmon Club”) will be offering scholarships for study in Norway and the US (Minnesota/North Dakota).
The application deadline is March 1, 2020.
Lakselaget offers scholarships to Minnesota women desiring to study in Norway and to Norwegian women wishing to study in Minnesota or at the University of North Dakota, Grand Forks.
The organization also provides grants to Minnesota professional women who have an opportunity to work in Norway and to Norwegian women who have an opportunity to work in Minnesota. The grants are meant to supplement wages lost for experience gained. Applicants should have an interest in contemporary Norway and in the sciences, technology, business, politics, language and culture, or in the cooperation between the countries.
Please pass this on to anyone who might be interested in the scholarships.
For more information about the scholarship and opportunity fund application process, you can visit: www.lakselaget.org and click on the “Foundation and Scholarship” tab.
The scholarship application can be downloaded from the Lakselaget site.
KPMG ang. Microsoft-undersøkelse: Over halvparten av arbeidstiden er uproduktiv
Det som kjennetegner de mest innovative virksomhetene i undersøkelsen «When change is the new normal», utført av Microsoft, London Business School og KRC Research, er at de lar de ansatte få mulighet til å fokusere på arbeidsoppgavene sine og legger til rette for en god arbeidsflyt. Undersøkelsen viser at mer enn halvparten av arbeidstiden til ansatte i norske virksomheter, uavhengig av bransje, er uproduktiv. Støy, uproduktive møter, informasjons- og dokumentjakt og unødvendige e-poster er blant distraksjonene som stjeler 52 prosent av arbeidstiden til norske arbeidstakere.
Dette medfører at de ansatte blir mer stresset og mindre fornøyde med arbeidssituasjonen.
– Dette handler mye om kultur. Organisasjonen, avdelingen og teamet må bli enige om et felles sett med kjøreregler for hvordan man ønsker å jobbe og hvordan man skal respektere hverandres tid, samt når og hvordan man vil samhandle. De digitale verktøyene gjør dette mulig. Med riktige verktøy og riktig bruk av dem, kan man få bedre innsikt i egne arbeidsvaner og forslag til hvordan man burde jobbe annerledes for å få mer fokustid i kalenderen, sier Maria Hope, som er en del av KPMGs ekspertmiljø for moderne arbeidsplass, «Digital Workplace».
Les hele saken HER.
Microsoft Launches Work Reworked Report
Companies today experience constant organizational change. Across businesses and industries, change has become the new normal. However, there are critical factors that determine which companies thrive in times of relentless transformation – and which get left behind.
To help organizations tackle this era of rapid change, Microsoft has partnered with the London Business School and KRC Research to examine how companies can best adapt to achieve competitive advantage. In this whitepaper discover:
- How innovative companies are removing silos, connecting employees – and creating cultures where people are encouraged to reach beyond the confines of their teams.
- How the best teams leverage technology to make it easy to work across organizational boundaries, contributing at anytime from anywhere.
- Why empowerment in the workplace is critical for innovation, with employees in innovative workplaces supported to make key decisions.
- And why companies are not yet equipped for the distractions of a modern workplace, losing more than half of their work time each week to interruptions.
Download the whitepaper now and discover how companies can build and maintain a culture of constant innovation and learning.
Reuters: GSK to collaborate with Oslo-based CEPI in effort to develop coronavirus vaccine
British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline Plc is collaborating with the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to contribute towards the effort of developing a vaccine for the coronavirus outbreak, GSK and CEPI said on Monday.
GSK will make its “adjuvant platform technology” available for developing a vaccine against the 2019-nCoV virus, according to the statement.
Read entire article here.