”This is an affirmative and hopefully motivating signal to our highly qualified NOV employees. NOV-APL continues to think long-term, and is investing in the future related to Floating Production Solution Segment , right here in Arendal. The new facilities will allow us to conduct extensive functional testing, with the qualification of new technology and products under realistic conditions and in full scale”, said Jan-Børre Sannæs, Vice President and Managing Director at APL.
Sannæs was assisted by Arendal Mayor Robert Cornels Nordli in cutting the ribbon to officially open the Technology Center at Vindholmen.
“We are proud and glad to have NOV and APL as a cornerstone company in Arendal. I am impressed by your world-class solutions and your ability to continuously develop. We are really happy to see APL invest more locally, and in Arendal”, said Nordli.
As part of an ongoing long-term strategy APL has over time invested millions in top modern facilities designed to serve as a multi-purpose test and qualification lab.
“Developing core technology and new ideas are key areas for us. The opening of this new center is a tremendous recognition of our staff and with experienced competence in Arendal”, said Sannæs.
100 GUESTS
20 guests and 80 employees attended the opening ceremony, among them CTO Hege Kverneland at National Oilwell Varco and CEO Anne-Grete Ellingsen at GCE NODE.
“I am excited to see this new Technology Center added as part of a company like NOV, proving to have financial muscles to open such a facility in these challenging times”, said Kverneland.
Ellingsen also praised NOV for making tough decisions with tactical investments in a very slow market.
“It is a difficult investment decision to make these days, so I would like to give full credit to NOV and APL for putting this together now. I am looking forward to seeing what kind of innovation this might spur”, said Ellingsen.
APL Norway AS is a company within NOV’s business, Floating Production – Completion Production Solutions, which supplies systems, solutions and products to the offshore production and offshore loading / unloading market. The company has been part of NOV Group since 2010. APL has around 190 employees at the office in Arendal and 240 employees in total for all company locations. In addition to the office in Arendal APL also has operations in Singapore, Houston, Nigeria and the UK.
