26 October 2012 - Aker Solutions has acquired a fabrication facility in Sandnessjøen, Norway, to increase its fabrication capacity in the Norwegian Sea and further north. The purchase is part of Aker Solutions' northern Norway strategy.
The facility, which is located at Helgelands Industrial Park in Sandnessjøen, Norway (Helgelands Næringspark), is being acquired from Ruukki Construction Norge AS. Historically, the core competence at the facility has been within fabrication of steel structures, including product deliveries to the oil industry. The transaction value is undisclosed.
"As the oil and gas industry moves further north, it is important to build up our capacity in northern Norway. The facility in Sandnessjøen will enable us to provide fabrication services even more competitively, in line with our customers' expectations," says Tore Sjursen, head of maintenance, modifications and operations (MMO) in Aker Solutions.
The facility in Sandnessjøen has not been in use since autumn 2011.
"With this acquisition, we are positioning ourselves for fabrication work for both existing and future oil and gas field developments in the north. The facility will be able to carry out work related to subsea developments as well as traditional offshore and onshore facilities," Sjursen continues.
"Exactly how many who will be working at the facility is dependent on our ability to secure work from our customers. However, we will start by recruiting around 40 employees to our new facility," Sjursen ends.
The facility will be an integral part of the fabrication organisation within Aker Solutions' maintenance, modifications and operations (MMO) business area.
"It is great that we are able to increase our fabrication capacity. We will build up gradually and the goal is that the facility will become an important part of our delivery model in the north," says Svein Oskar Nuland, responsible for fabrication in Aker Solutions.
Before start-up buildings and equipment will be upgraded to prepare for the planned activities. At the same time, work will start to transfer knowledge and competence is transferred from Aker Solutions' fabrication yard in Egersund to the facility in Sandnessjøen. This is necessary, to be able to carry out the complex operations that Aker Solutions' customers require.
In February this year, Aker Solutions acquired engineering company Sandnessjøen Engineering AS. Today, this engineering business has grown from 24 to 41 employees.
Late last year, Aker Solutions also announced that it would set up an engineering office in Tromsø, Norway. This office has already grown to 61 employees. In addition, Aker Solutions recently acquired well technology business X3M Invent in Narvik, and is in the process of building up a subsea service base in Hammerfest.
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Media:
Magnus Godiksen, Communications Advisor, Aker Solutions. Tel: +47 46 40 22 30, E-mail: magnus.godiksen@akersolutions.com
Investor relations:
Lasse Torkildsen, SVP Investor Relations, Aker Solutions. Tel: +47 67 51 30 39, Mob: +47 91 13 71 94, E-mail: lasse.torkildsen@akersolutions.com
Suppliers:
For further information about sourcing and potential subcontracts for this project, please visit www.akersolutions.com/suppliers
Career opportunities:
Visit http://www.akersolutions.com/careers
Aker Solutions provides oilfield products, systems and services for customers in the oil and gas industry world-wide. The company's knowledge and technologies span from reservoir to production and through the life of a field.
Aker Solutions brings together engineering and technologies for oil and gas drilling, field development and production. The company employs approximately 25 000 people in more than 30 countries. They apply the knowledge and create and use technologies that deliver their customers' solutions.
Aker Solutions ASA is the parent company in the group, which consists of a number of separate legal entities. Aker Solutions is used as the common brand and trademark for most of these entities. In 2011 Aker Solutions had aggregated annual revenues of approximately NOK 36.5 billion. The company is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange.
This press release may include forward-looking information or statements and is subject to our disclaimer, see www.akersolutions.com.