Subsea champions
Optime Subsea is actively working to both develop and preserve local expertise, not just for the benefit of the industry but for the county municipality as a whole.
Strategically located at the edge of ‘Energy Valley’ Optime Subsea has experienced both success and growth since its inception in 2015. For Optime Subsea, internal expansion and development are of the utmost importance. In order to achieve this they utilise the vast pool of talent that is to be found in the local area. This in turn positions Optime Subsea as a major contributor to the overall economic wellbeing of the Vestfold and Telemark regions.
– Despite the fact that we have grown from only four employees to almost 50 in just five years we are still a relatively small player in our industry. This means competition from China and other low-cost countries is fierce. Fortunately we have many high quality suppliers right here in Vestfold and Telemark and we choose to deal with these suppliers and to build close relationships to increase future collaboration.
Jan-Fredrik Carlsen, CEO of Optime Subsea
Reducing costs
– We have our offices on the edge of what is known as Energy Valley, a location consisting of a cluster of companies boasting an incredible amount of expertise. But where some of our competitors might choose to move this expertise out of Norway, we want to conserve it. It is precisely by preserving and developing this unique talent that we will also contribute to the growth of this industry in Norway, Carlsen continues.
Optime Subsea’s primary business consists of services related to the maintenance of subsea offshore installations and was established, according to Carlsen, to offer a more cost-effective alternative in an increasingly expensive industry.
– We were four colleagues who made the decision to start our own business when we observed that the subsea maintenance industry was becoming significantly more expensive. We had a vision to develop new cutting-edge technology that would reduce the cost and time required for subsea operations, thereby offering cost-effective solutions for installations, maintenance and retraction of oil and gas wells.
Jan-Fredrik Carlsen
– In our company, we work with systems engineering, so we have high skill levels within the many various engineering disciplines. Our engineers build the component elements for our products which are then assembled and tested in our own production facility in Notodden. Optime Subsea then outsources the machining of parts to local subcontractors in Vestfold and Telemark, thus contributing to economic growth in the county municipality, continues Carlsen.
An adaptable model
After having entered the business as a versatile alternative to the traditional big players, Carlsen believes that a large part of the company’s success is down to the work they do to help develop their own workforce.
– It is the employees who in reality are the core value of our company, so it is naturally very important for us to take care of them. Among other things, we offer development through further education and a variety of other courses that support the skillset we strive to possess in Optime Subsea, he adds.
– The fact that we entered this business as an adaptable alternative in an often rigid industry, and by doing so gained many satisfied customers, proves our capacity for further growth. We are innovative, forward-thinking and with a working culture based on team spirit. Our success is down to the reality of starting with a blank sheet, and from there we developed a completely new, cost-effective and revolutionary technology utilising local know-how, Carlsen finishes.
The text above is a translated version of Andreas Aguilera Myrvold’s text at www.næringslivnorge.no.
