The cooperation agreement was signed by Nils Klippenberg (left), director of Strategy and global account manager in Siemens, and Halfdan Knudsen, senior vice president for process and refining technology in Statoil. (Photo: Ole Jørgen Bratland)
Cooperation between the companies facilitates the development of future path-breaking technology.
Based on complementary user needs and technological opportunities we aim at developing technological solutions that contribute to more environmentally friendly, effective production.
”This is a strategically important agreement for Statoil,” says Halfdan Knudsen, senior vice president for process and refining technology in Statoil.
Siemens is an important Statoil supplier within several areas, and the two companies already cooperate in the technology development area.
An umbrella agreement has therefore now been developed, structuring the framework of the technology partnership within R&D and technology development and facilitating the start-up of new cooperation projects.
Three areas
The technology cooperation initially focuses on:
- Wind power
- Subsea technology
- Electrical engineering technology and energy efficiency measures
”In these important areas Statoil needs to work closely with the suppliers in order to ensure the required technology development,” Knudsen says.
Cooperation important
He finds it highly important that the customer and supplier cooperate in the technology development area.
”As users we get to define adequate requirements for functionality and describe the conditions under which the equipment will operate. The supplier often possesses extensive skills within product design, fabrication and commercialising of the specific technology,” Knudsen says.
The cooperation agreement contains guidelines for the rights of use of the results.
Working closely with the various suppliers regarding technology development is part of Statoil’s strategy. Statoil has already signed technology cooperation agreements with five other companies.
Strong research community
Statoil this year spends NOK 2.2 billion on research. About half of this is spent externally.
Siemens last year spent about NOK 31.5 billion on research and development. This represents five percent of the company’s revenues.
Statoil finds it important that our partners take research and technology development seriously, and that these activities cover areas that are relevant to the company.
The costs of the cooperation projects are split 50/50 between the parties.
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