New horizons:

innovation, sustainability and technology on the agenda

On 17 April, the members of the Kongsberg Industry Network invited to their first workshop on the topics of innovation, technology and sustainability.

  • Text:Ellen Marie Klausen

    Photo:Helene Strøm Bergset

The network’s goal is to engage, identify limitations and provide opportunities to support sustainable development and circular business models. Consisting of member-companies like TechnipFMC, Fagskolen Viken, Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, GKN Aerospace, Kongsberg Maritime, Semcon and the Kongsberg Technology Cluster, the overall objective of the network is to support and contribute to a more sustainable industry and commerce. Through collaboration, the network seeks to develop tools and competencies for efficient integration of sustainability principles in the member companies.

The purpose of the workshop was to gather engineers from the different companies to present specific examples of different sustainability initiatives and efforts made by the Kongsberg industry. By establishing an arena for member companies to share experiences and good practices within innovation, technology and sustainability.

“Our goal is to establish a common arena where members get the opportunity to gain professional supplement and enable discussions to put the Kongsberg-industry in lead on technology and sustainability,” says Ellen Marie Klausen – Sustainability Manager in Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.

An area in constant development

The member companies of the Kongsberg Industry Network are keen to keep pace with developments and progress to ensure that the industry remains attractive and current. This requires continuous innovation and collaboration between the companies, as well as a willingness to share knowledge and experiences. By working together, they can contribute in creating a more innovative and sustainable industry that is equipped to meet the current challenges and needs of the future.

"The industry at Kongsberg has a long and proud tradition of sharing best practices across companies, so this is something we know is valuable," says Ole B. Hoen, Head of the Kongsberg Technology Cluster.

During the workshop, it became clear that the different companies had several common thoughts about both current topics and challenges.

"We have almost exclusively received positive feedback on the concept and great input on how we can organize ourselves for future meetings and workshops. We also saw which topics and challenges our engineers want to hear more about and discuss further - so we will take the feedback we received and improve even further," says Klausen.

The network has a goal of exploiting the immense potential of the members’ collective expertise by engaging and challenging their employees to ensure that the industry will lead the way in the development towards the green, industrial shift.