There’s a new, flexible freight forwarder in Norway.
As of June 1, 2021, Peak Group and deugro group have launched a new project freight forwarding unit named K2 Project Forwarding. This joint venture will act as an independent project freight forwarder. It will make good use of the partners and resources that the established market players Peak Group and deugro group offer. With their strong global network K2 Project Forwarding can ensure excellent services, efficient solutions and unique industry knowledge to clients all over the world.
Prospects
The Norwegian market offers a lot of opportunities, not only in the oil and gas industry but also in the renewable power generation sector and the marine industry, according to the two industry experts. Mr Strømmen explains, “There are a substantial number of capital investment projects expected in Norway as part of the green shift. Energy production from renewable sources is constantly growing and we are expecting this trend to continue well into the future. We also see opportunities in the offshore sea farms and land-based fish farms segment as new technology development is taking place and that sector will continue to develop in the years to come.” Mr Hordnes agrees and adds, “These new segments expect small and flexible project organisation. You must be competent, both technically and commercially, and constantly develop your services to meet new demands. Though the market in Norway is still dominated by large oil & gas companies we see a big shift to the power and renewables market. It needs a fresh approach. That is why we want to offer something different.”
Challenges
Both professionals explain what they are up against this year and how they plan to develop this latest endeavour. “We are building the company step by step”, says Mr Strømmen, “and we benefit greatly from the fact that we are part of Peak Group and deugro group. And even though K2 Project Forwarding will act as a separate unit within Peak Group, we have Chinese walls. We act independently but we are part of a large network that we can use to our advantage.” “Right now we need to promote ourselves and deliver something original,” according to Mr Hordnes, “being a new player on the market is challenging. It is all about building up trust and ensuring customer confidence in the company. We aim to improve continuously by focusing on deliverability, good systems, and operational control. Our top priorities however, are safety, saving costs and the continuous development towards more sustainable solutions”, he adds.
Transparency
Setting a course for success
The duo has worked together closely in the past as both were part of Nor-Cargo group (known as Bring Group today) –a large Norwegian cargo company. In 2007 Mr Strømmen joined Kuehne-Nagel and from 2011 to 2018, his role was that of global head of Projects, Oil – Gas and Marine Logistics, based out of Hamburg. The past three years saw him taking a slightly different course, as Vice President Innovation and Project Logistics at G2 Ocean, but he missed the freight forwarding business. He explains, “It was an easy decision to return to my freight forwarding roots. I already knew a lot of people in Peak Group including Mr Hordnes. And I liked the idea of getting this new venture up and running.”
Together they look to the future with confidence. As Mr Strømmen clarifies, “I try to pay attention to what is going on the market so I know when an opportunity presents itself in Norway, or internationally, for that matter. I am a strategist, and solution-orientated. And I like to share my know-how and experience in this sector. “My rule number one is to ensure I deliver what I say I will,” adds Mr Hordnes, “I am also an avid listener. I pay attention to the needs of the client so I know what we should develop.”