SystemTeknik: Powering the Marine and Offshore Industries from Aalborg to Oslo

Keeping control

Headquartered in the Danish city of Aalborg, and with a sales and engineering office located in the Norwegian capital of Oslo, SystemTeknik has been providing electrical solutions for the marine and offshore industries for more than 50 years.

It manufactures a range of power systems, gen-set applications, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) applications, boiler systems and remote surveillance equipment that can be used in hazardous and demanding conditions.

The company’s customers include global OEM businesses, working across a range of infrastructure, communication, energy and even military projects. Its solutions are used in raw material handling, power plants, hydraulic systems and both oil and gas tankers, and its assignments are often carried out from the basic design stages all the way through to the completed project. Engineers then oversee the planning phase before any necessary assembly is carried out by expert electricians and other related specialists.

Managing director of SystemTeknik, Karsten Ingemann Pedersen, elaborates upon some of his company’s main operations today: “We are focussed on the upstream energy, wind energy, and oil and gas sectors, as well as the marine industry, which has been part of our portfolio for 25 years. We also have northern, land based oil and gas projects. Our biggest clients are in the marine and offshore market and we strive to provide them with the best personalised solutions.”

The company’s high-level service standards are exemplified by the various international quality accreditations it possesses, with it having achieved both ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 14001 certification in recent years. SystemTeknik is also UL-certified, which means it can deliver approved boards to the US market. Furthermore, thanks to its ATEX compliance, the company has all of the permits in place to operate safely in industries where gases, flammable liquids or dust can increase the risk of explosions.

Another of the company’s key strengths can be found in the knowledge and industry expertise of its employees. They are trained to stay focused on the client in all phases of the project, and a continuous post-qualifying education helps to emphasise this philosophy. It also fosters within them an international approach, and this has allowed them to adapt well to difficult situations in foreign regions with ease. Ensuring this is key to the company’s strategy, providing it with the perfect foundation from which to build its worldwide client base.

SystemTeknik has spent the last two years expanding its forays into the oil and gas industries, after participating in various international exhibitions within the sector. In 2008, the company attended both the Offshore North Seas (ONS) conference and the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) – the latter of which it will be attending again this year, in order to help further expand the company‘s client base within the oil and gas industry.

Karsten highlights: “It is very important for us to participate in these arrangements in order to get contacts for further growth and to keep up with market development, as well as presenting our new developments and competences to clients and peers. Both of these conferences were highly successful for us and we received a number of relevant contracts through them – some of which have turned into continued cooperation.”

As it plans to expand further into the oil and gas sector, SystemTeknik is also looking to grow its overseas operations by growing its network in both the Asian and North Sea markets. Karsten highlights: “We have an arrangement with an agent in Malaysia increasing our profile there, and we are addressing the Chinese markets from our base in Denmark. We have local as well as European customers operating in these regions and we work with them to expand our business here. This is just the first step in our plans for expansion and we consider the whole world as our market place. Our motto is to be a local partner with a global approach.”

SystemTeknik also stocks a wide variety of automated control components and transmission equipment from third party providers that include Baumer, Carlo Gavazzi Automation, Groschopp, Invertek Drives, Eldon, Phoenix Contact, Schneider Electric, ABB, DEIF, PR Electronics, Schischek, and Palazzoli. Products here range from process monitoring equipment and sensors to complete boards and industrial automation technology.

The company also holds an exclusive deal with Cubic, with which it works in collaboration to design and manufacture modular system switchboards. These are constructed from an electro-galvanised iron-phosphated steel plate and can offer a degree of protection of up to IP54. They are also shock tested and vibration tested thoroughly before being supplied to the client, and can even be given an earthquake test with both biaxial horizontal and vertical multi-frequency movements if the customer desires.

The third-party trade agreements are further supported by its advanced service centre facility, from which it can also provide on site installation and commissioning of frequency inverters in various different sizes. This also allows the company to conduct periodic servicing of switchboards and breakers and certified electrical thermography, and it covers operator instruction at each service inspection as well as extended warranty on any new switchboards. Customers are also entitled to discounts on standard prices for service and spare parts, with a free telephone service in case of error messages from robots for specific systems.

Karsten believes that SystemTeknik is well poised to continue its growth for several years to come, despite the impact of the global recession. He concludes: “It is difficult for anyone to judge how long this current status will go on for. We consider it a temporary situation, and expect to see an increase in activity levels. Our strategy will be to continue to push our marketing approaches in the global marketplace. Our company is very small compared to the market so we need to make sure that we have the right products to maintain the necessary volume and that we keep building on our existing skills and knowledge.”

SystemTeknik A/S
Services: Power distribution and control systems