Omega making strides

Published: 10.05.10

Haugesunds Avis (Sigmund Hansen)

650 employees worldwide, an accelerating market, four new frame agreements with Statoil and one with ENI. The sun is shining at the Omega headquarters in Ølensvåg.

Omega CEO Petter Aalvik can smile when looking at their 40 different customers in the energy sector. Statoil is the biggest customer, but the portfolio also includes Conoco, Aibel, Hydro, Gassco, Total and many others.

– The new frame agreements we have signed, qualifies us to offer personnel on jobs that Statoil publish in the frame agreement areas. We are experiencing that our customers are relying on us. We get these big frame agreements because we have competent personnel who give Omega a good reputation, says Petter Aalvik.

– What is the competition like?

– It may be from five to ten Norwegian companies, but internationally there are even more.

Growing

Omega got through 2009 on budget, and are now seeing a market increase after the financial crisis and lower oil prices.

At the main office in Ølensvåg there are 80 employees in the administration, technology, project consultants and system departments. The other offices are in Stavanger, Bergen, Oslo, Houston and Singapore. One technology department is located in Lithuania, with one eye looking at the Russian market. Also, a new office in Trondheim is opening soon.

Providing personnel

CEO Petter Aalvik says that long-term frame agreements (three years plus options to extend) makes it easier to find the right personnel.

– We are awarded these agreements because the customer has been happy with our work, and our employees think we are an attractive employer when we have customer relations like this.

A dedicated Service Centre arranges for the employees’ well-being at Omega.

– They arrange teambuilding trips, offer houses in Southern Europe and the Norwegian mountains, and send employees to relevant job courses, Aalvik tells us.

Big numbers

The Omega concern, with international subsidiaries, properties and engineering firm Omega IAT, had a turnover of 796.5 MNOK in 2009. This is an increase of 20 per cent from the year before.

– It was on budget. The profit after taxes was 30.5 MNOK, says the CEO.

Sigmund Lunde is chairman of the board, and owns 28.18 per cent of the Omega stocks through his company, MittDistrikt Invest AS.

Petter Aalvik owns 10.65 per cent through his company, Ryvarden AS.

HIRING MORE PEOPLE: CEO Petter Aalvik at Omega has been hiring more people lately, as they have been getting more business. The Omega concern has 650 employees. And the future looks bright with four new frame agreements with Statoil and one with Italian company ENI. (Archive photo: Arne Frøkedal)