| Details: | A novel scheme to help small businesses access new oil and gas export markets was launched today, the latest example of the growing co-operation between the UK and Norwegian offshore industries. The UK Department of Trade and Industry's newest Business-to-Business Mentoring scheme sees four service companies from each country (Aberdeen and Morpeth in the UK, and the Stavanger and Bergen areas in Norway) teamed with a major operator from across the water to gain a better understanding of each others markets.
In co-operation with INTSOK, the Norwegian oil and gas partners, it is hoped that the scheme will continue to build on the relationships established between the two countries in recent years, expand the range of opportunities available to both the UK and Norwegian supply chains, and provide a valuable insight into each country's business practices and cultures.
The scheme is one of the recommendations proposed by UK-Norway North Sea Co-Operation Workgroup, consisting of members of PILOT - the UK's joint Government and Industry task force - and its Norwegian equivalent KonKraft.
The following Norwegian companies have been placed with UK Mentors:
Norse Cutting and Abandonment - Shell
Reslink - BP
Nymo - Total
Alustar - Wood Group
Likewise, the following UK firms have been paired with Norwegian Mentors:
IGL, Aberdeen - Statoil
Duffy & McGovern, Aberdeen - Norsk Hydro
Digital Applications International, Aberdeen - Norske Shell
Hedley Purvis, Morpeth - Aker Kvaerner
Employees from the paired companies will work closely together with the aim of providing benefits for both organisations. The Mentor organisations will gain an enhanced insight into the issues facing SME's - including the effect of their own supply chain practices - whilst at the same time their partners will gain a better understanding of why larger organisations behave as they do. Each pairing will prepare a case study on the outcome of the programme which it is hoped will be published by Offshore Europe 2005.
- ENDS - |
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