FEATURE: REGIONAL VOICES Norway
Norway’s economy has long been supported by the country’s natural resources – for instance, it is the world’s fifth-largest oil exporter and third- largest gas exporter. But what is the picture like in its installation sector? Our latest survey finds out
3.6%
STATE OF THE MARKET
Do you think
general levels of confidence in the Norwegian installation sector are higher or lower than six months ago?
Annual GDP growth, Q1 2014 Source: Trading Economics
11.0% EXTERNAL FACTORS
HOW INFLUENTIAL (EITHER POSITIVELY OR NEGATIVELY) ARE THE FOLLOWING FACTORS ON YOUR BUSINESS?
INFLUENTIAL MOST
More affordable technology National economic situation Competitor activity
Legislation/regulations Energy efficiency/green issues INFLUENTIAL LEAST
The same – 81% Lower – 19%
‘The national economic situation has been rather good in Norway. The financial crisis didn’t hit us that hard, compared with, for example, Denmark.’
DO YOU AGREE WITH THESE STATEMENTS ABOUT THE INDUSTRY? Strongly Agree Agree
Neither Disagree
Consolidation in the Norwegian marketplace means we will continue to see fewer integration companies, but with more employees
There are no significant skill gaps in the Norwegian installation sector
In general, Norwegian installers are comfortable with the increasing amount of IT networking in AV installations
0% 20% 40% 36 July 2014 60% 80% 100%
Budget surplus, 2013 Source: Trading Economics
ENTERING THE MARKET
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A MANUFACTURER LOOKING TO ENTER THE NORWEGIAN AV INSTALLATION MARKET?
‘Close integration with control and monitoring systems like Crestron, AMX, Neets etc.’
‘Get an independent distributor that can support all the integrators. Get your products known by integrators, consultants and larger public owners (such as at ISE).’
‘I think they would need to have an alliance with a well-established Norwegian supplier.’
…AND TO AN INTEGRATOR LOOKING TO ENTER THE MARKET?
‘Go into the major markets: education, defence and oil.’ ‘Focus on technical competence, customer awareness
and good project management. Decide which geographical regions you want to cover, and make sure your service
organisation can support all these regions. Know how to communicate with IT departments.’
‘Be prepared to spend some time and effort before starting to earn.’
‘Be visible – have a good, communicating website.’
DESIRED CHANGES
IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING ABOUT THE WAY THE NORWEGIAN
INSTALLATION MARKET WORKS, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
‘Certification to increase competence in the installer market, with specific focus on the EN54 installer market.’
‘There are a few big players, and a lot of small ones. On big tenders, we usually just get one or two bids. That’s not optimal.’
‘In addition to the big companies, I would like to have small specialised integrators, with a more service-minded approach. The margins for equipment are getting smaller, so we need to provide and deliver other qualities than the lowest price on a tender.’
www.installation-international.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60