Tag Archives: Norway

DW: Norway ranked as best place to be a woman

Business News

Although no country garnered a perfect score, the global trends in women’s empowerment are “heading in the right direction,” according to the latest Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Index that was published Tuesday.

Women’s well-being improved in 59 countries since the first index was published in 2017, Researchers at Georgetown University’s Institute for Women, Peace and Security and the Peace Research Institute Oslo found.

Norway took the top spot, with a perfect score in women’s financial inclusion and making significant gains in women’s perception of safety. Switzerland took second place, followed by Finland, Denmark and Iceland.

Read entire article HERE.

Maritime Executive: Norway Releases Action Plan for Green Shipping

Business News, Shipping & Offshore,

Norway has released an action plan for green shipping, saying that its maritime industry is a world leader in the development of low- and zero-emission solutions.

The Government’s ambition is to reduce emissions from domestic shipping and fishing vessels by half by 2030. The report notes that with current technology, maritime transport is generally the most energy efficient mode of transport. Additionally, tire wear is the largest direct source of microplastics in Norway, and about half of all microplastics end up in the sea. If a shift in freight transport from road to sea helps to reduce the total volume of road traffic, it will be an important means of reducing the spread of microplastics.

Read entire article HERE.

WEF: USA 2nd, Norway 17th in the Global Competitiveness Index 4.0 2019 Rankings

Business News, , , ,

This year’s Global Competitiveness Report is the latest edition of the series launched in 1979 that provides an annual assessment of the drivers of productivity and long-term economic growth. With a score of 84.8 (+1.3), Singapore is the world’s most competitive economy in 2019, overtaking the United States, which falls to second place. Hong Kong SAR (3rd), Netherlands (4th) and Switzerland (5th) round up the top five.

Building on four decades of experience in benchmarking competitiveness, the index maps the competitiveness landscape of 141 economies through 103 indicators organized into 12 themes. Each indicator, using a scale from 0 to 100, shows how close an economy is to the ideal state or “frontier” of competitiveness. The pillars, which cover broad socio-economic elements are: institutions, infrastructure, ICT adoption, macroeconomic stability, health, skills, product market, labour market, the financial system, market size, business dynamism and innovation capability.

Find out more and download the entire report HERE.

World Oil: Norwegian oil, gas production continues to miss forecast targets

Business News, Energy, , ,

OSLO – The Norwegian Petroleum Directorate’s preliminary production figures for August 2019 show an average daily production of 1.647 MMbbl of oil, NGL and condensate, which is a decrease of 67,000 barrels per day compared to July.

Average daily liquids production in August was 1.353 MMbbl of oil, 267,000 bbl of NGL and 27,000 bbl of condensate. Oil production in July is 3.9 percent lower than the NPD’s forecast, and 3.7 percent below the forecast so far this year.

Read entire article HERE.

Norwegian Companies Fuel Growth in the American Heartland

AmCham News, Membership Guide, , , , , ,

Norwegian Companies Fuel Growth in the American Heartland

This article originally appeared in the 2019-2020 AmCham Membership Guide. 

Offering a combination of low living costs, business-friendly policies, top-notch universities, and a talented, highly innovative population, the American Heartland, a region comprised of states such as Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Ohio, has become an increasingly popular place to invest for a growing number of Norwegian companies.

One such company is DNV GL. The Oslo-based provider of risk management and quality assurance services to the maritime, oil and gas, healthcare, and power and renewables industries employs 145 people in two of Ohio’s largest cities, Cincinnati and Columbus.

“For us, access to talented professionals and good communications in a cost-effective environment are important factors in deciding where to establish our specialized laboratories. Columbus is attractive given the presence of The Ohio State University (OSU), which produces many excellent engineers and scientists with a desire to continue working in the local area after graduation,” notes Steven Sawhill, Director of US Government and Public Affairs for DNV GL.

DNV GL's Steven Sawhill, Director of US Government and Public Affairs

“DNV GL has a special relationship with OSU – the company’s scientists serve as adjunct professors at the university, and OSU graduate students can conduct experiments at DNV GL’s laboratories when they require highly specialized equipment. Columbus is also home to other excellent engineering and research institutes, including the Battelle Memorial Institute, the world’s largest private research and development foundation, providing yet another source for collaboration and interaction,” he concludes.

The company operates its state-of-the-art Materials and Corrosion Technology Center in the Columbus suburb of Dublin. Much of the Center’s work concerns the pipeline and oil & gas industry, but the Center’s wide range of competencies has opened the door for a diverse range of projects, including collaborative efforts with the US Navy, US Airforce, and the US Department of Energy.

Such projects require a high degree of technical competence, and nearly a quarter of the Center’s employees hold PhDs. Many more hold advanced degrees in various engineering and scientific fields, highlighting Ohio’s ability to cultivate the high-skill labor force necessary to support knowledge-intensive industries.

Map of the American Heartland. Photo: Wikipedia

The Columbus skyline as seen from the Scioto River.

Cincinnati, on the other hand, serves as the country headquarters for DNV GL Healthcare North America, which has become the United States’ second-largest hospital accreditation body, working with hospitals to mitigate risk, increase safety, and enhance effectiveness.

DNV GL’s Sawhill touts Cincinnati’s talent pool and central location when discussing the reasons the company chose to headquarter its national healthcare operations in the Queen City.

“Such work requires a broad geographic network of healthcare professionals employed to visit, survey, and work with hospitals across the country. Cincinnati is an excellent hub location for coordinating that sprawling network, as sixty-percent of the nation’s population lives within a one-hour flight or a one-day drive from Cincinnati.”

AmCham member companies with a presence in Ohio according to the 2017 Royal Norwegian Embassy in Washington D.C. report Norway Creates Jobs in the United States.

Cincinnati's Over-the-Rhine neighborhood. The former haven for German immigrants is now one of the largest urban historic districts in the United States.

The contributions of Norwegian companies like DNV GL have not gone unnoticed by state officials in Ohio. In a quote provided to AmCham, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine commended Norwegian companies for their continued investment in Ohio’s economy, encouraging more companies to follow DNV GL’s lead and invest in the Buckeye State.

“Norwegian companies supply hundreds of jobs in Ohio, and we welcome additional investment. We appreciate the contributions of companies like DNV GL and encourage other Norwegian companies to benefit from Ohio’s strong business climate, world-class research institutions, and strategic location. Ohio is not only a great place to do business, it’s also a great place to live. We have abundant natural resources, a great quality of life, and a low cost of living.”

The Ohio Statehouse in Columbus. Photo: Wikipedia
Download the 2019-2020 AmCham Membership Guide

US News: Norway Named World’s Top Performing Country in Clean Energy Innovation

Business News, Energy, , , ,

The top performing country in the world in the field of contributions to global clean energy innovation is Norway, followed closely by Finland and Japan, according to a recent report published by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a nonprofit public policy think tank based in Washington, D.C.

The United States ranked No. 4 in the ITIF report. Other countries in the top 10: France, Canada, Germany, South Korea, the United Kingdom and Denmark.

Read entire article HERE.

Bloomberg: Tesla’s Model 3 Shatters Record in Electric Car Crazy Norway

Automobile / Transport, Business News, ,

Just weeks after Tesla Inc. started rolling out its Model 3 in Europe, the electric-car maker has beaten the monthly sales record in its key Norwegian market by a wide margin.

As many as 3,593 Model 3s have been registered so far in March, according to independent website Teslastats.no. Even with a few days still left in the month, that’s 65 percent more than a previous high set in March 2018 by the Nissan Leaf, Norway’s most sold car last year.

Read entire article HERE.

Reuters: From California to Oslo: foreign subsidies fuel Norway’s e-car boom, for now

Automobile / Transport, Business News, , ,

On the outskirts of Oslo, a row of Fiat 500es imported from California stand parked in the snow outside the Buddy Electric dealership, part of a global flow of pre-owned electric cars to Norway powered by green subsidies elsewhere in the world.

The company’s production manager, Tor Einar Hanssen, said it had sold about 110 in the past year and a half, making a small profit on the cars, most of which had been used for a few years by U.S. leasing companies.

“They’re surprisingly good in cold weather,” he said.

A gleaming blue Fiat 500e is on sale for 129,000 Norwegian crowns ($15,000) with 24,000 km (15,000 miles) on the clock. It costs about 20,000 crowns($2,300) to import and adapt each Fiat, Hanssen said.

On U.S. used car websites, similar Fiats in California are advertised for about $10,000.

Read entire article HERE.

Bloomberg: A Ship Full of Teslas Is Hotly Awaited in Oslo

Automobile / Transport, Business News, , ,

Tesla Inc. is set to make one of the largest deliveries yet of its new Model 3 car to Norway, one of the electric-vehicle producer’s biggest markets.

The Glovis Courage is due at the Port of Oslo on Thursday, loaded with about 1,800 Teslas, according to an email sent by the port to businesses located near the dock.

It wasn’t clear how many were Model 3s, but that car has largely outpaced the older Model X and S in new registrations in Norway so far this year. If that’s any indication, most of the cars are likely to be Model 3s

Read entire article HERE.