Manufacturing

Overview and History

Kværner Energy´s hydropower workshop was moved to Sørumsand when the workshop in Oslo was closed down in 1999. Later on the Sørumsand workshop was bought by General Electric, and then again sold to NLI. The workshop is now an integral part of the Rainpower Group, and presents itself as one of the foremost and most complete heavy mechanical workshops in Norway.

The workshop had a major upgrade when it was moved from Oslo to Sørumsand. It has a total area of 10,800 m2.

Customers consider Rainpower´s workshop at Sørumsand one of the world´s best hydropower equipment workshops. it plays a central role in the service and refurbishment market in Norway, and we are developing knowledge and routines in the workshop so that all mechanical equipment for a hydropower plant may be maintained and rehabilitated in the workshop. The manufacturing competence which is maintained at the workshop is also crucial for Rainpower´s ability to succeed to establish a competitive manufacturing environment in low cost countries. Manufacturing competence is also decisive for procuring quality components.

Scope of Work

The Sørumsand workshop concentrates its jobs around hydro power, with some deliveries to other industries. Much of the work within the hydropower industry is related to service and refurbishment, and in this area we work closely with Rainpower´s service organization. It is very important for the customers that the workshop is able to undertake repair and maintenance on short notice, so that downtime may be as short as possible.

In the medium term we wish to manufacture more of our runners in Norway, and the workshop has already contracts for such manufacturing. The development of new products takes place in the interface between manufacturing and engineering, because manufacturing friendly designs require close cooperation with a manufacturing environment. This is the old "Kværner model" - a corporate culture with proximity between manufacturing and engineering.