A powerful diverse culture
Worldwide operations allows Solvang to spread the word – of mutual respect, team spirit and quality across markets, regions and cultures.
Solvang’s ecosystem is profoundly global. Vessels are constructed and assembled in South Korea, Germany and Japan, using equipment and technology from Norway, Germany and a global set of producers. Recruitment of personnel takes place in the Philippines, Lithuania and Norway - among other countries. Clients, contractors and partners count on Solvang in all corners of the world.
Both offshore and onshore, our organization itself depends on cooperation between societies and professional backgrounds as well as geography. Together, we make up a formidable diversity of cultures. “We need people who want to take part in our voyage, going where we are going”, says Mr. Kjetil Meling, HR Director at Solvang.
Transparent efforts
Shipping as an industry offers plentiful opportunities - when guided by the right values and governing principles - to make substantial contributions to peoples’ lives in local communities where social security and stability is not guaranteed by public administration or others.
Solvang’s declared values of respect, team spirit and quality are not self-evident around the world. Hence, our top management and Board of Directors acknowledge the impact of our decision-making on Solvang’s employees, partners, their families and local communities around the world. Solvang practices social responsibility through care and consciousness in all our activities.
Cross department involvement
The onshore staff at Solvang is a team of 45 individuals sharing the same workspace. This includes executive management and various departments such as fleet operation, IT and technical support, chartering, finance and accounting, HR, legal, supply chain, HSEQ, and R&D, all operating from the main offices in Stavanger.
“People are not being slotted into boxes but get to participate in projects from a to z”, explains Mr. Meling. For instance, taking on an inspector role involves overseeing an entire ship, not just focusing on a limited inspection scope. The possibilities for involvement and growth are extensive.
“We aim for top-notch performance with a compact team managing a large and growing operation. To succeed in Solvang’s onshore crew, one needs to be resilient and value high standards of performance and quality,” Mr. Meling remarks.
Living the vision
Solvang’s intent to spread ideal values - mutual respect and team spirit - will succeed only when the company’s employees live by the vision in all their encounters with others.
“We are an organization of diverse origin, pertaining to belief, life experience and nationality. But we sail under the Norwegian NIS flag, meaning we enforce our values under that jurisdiction”, states Mr. Meling.
Solvang’s ambition is to make the core values of mutual respect, team spirit, and quality influence colleagues, customers, owners, competitors, public sector, society and the local and global environment.
“Done right, we hope our efforts contribute to a positive spiral with positive dialogue and improved standards from an international perspective,” Mr. Meling says.
