FAQ

The pandemic has swallowed up many companies, in Norway among other places. But some companies have managed to turn the crisis into something positive, such as OSO Hotwater – a family-owned group with solid Norwegian roots and a long tradition of high welding quality.

With its head office and factory in Hokksund, OSO Hotwater has entered several demanding international markets in recent years. Pressure from competing suppliers has made everyday life demanding. – It keeps the organisation sharp, and we have benefited from that throughout the pandemic, says CEO Roy A. Magnussen. He points out that increased efficiency and adaptability have been important factors in surviving and growing through the pandemic.

It is incredibly rewarding to hire more colleagues at a time when many people are being laid off and companies are going bankrupt!

Roy A. Mangnussen

Spring 2020 – the outlook was threatening, and plans were made for scenarios with a drop in turnover of 10–30%. How would we secure the value chain at every level, from raw material supplies to maintaining sales in all segments? How would we prepare for a possible outbreak of infection and a production stop? Every aspect was discussed, solutions were proposed and plans were drawn up at an early stage of the pandemic. At the same time, we had to maintain positive momentum internally and keep a crew motivated while they were dealing with closed schools and working from home. The psychosocial aspect is important to focus on, and open dialogue is a big part of the solution for maintaining team spirit and the right drive. OSO’s established multi-segment strategy was maintained, and the organisation was strengthened to ensure progress in all areas, with dedicated department managers and realistic goals.
In summer 2021, OSO can look back on a year of increased turnover and headcount. – It is incredibly rewarding to hire more colleagues at a time when many people are being laid off and companies are going bankrupt, says Roy A. Magnussen. OSO has increased its production crew in Hokksund by 25 people and 4 full-line shifts. Over the past year, the group has established the company OSO Energy AS to increase its focus on developing control systems that will help reduce future electricity consumption among residential and commercial customers. This also requires reinforcement in the form of engineers and managers, and it is important that this development continues at full pace, even during the pandemic.

Welding activity is also growing significantly, as OSO is investing heavily in several industrial segments. “We are going from being a manufacturer of our own standard products to also including customer-specific products in several segments such as marine/offshore, aquaculture, industry, the paper industry, the automotive industry and research, to name a few. This means more personnel certification, extensive knowledge of standards and a broader range of testing. To handle this, OSO has established a production base in Sweden in the form of 3 factories dedicated to machining, waterjet cutting, laser cutting and flexible welding and assembly lines. This base is also being reinforced with sales staff and engineers to establish a more independent value chain,” says quality and welding manager Steffen Overaa. Production in Sweden relies on skilled welders and testing personnel to serve industrial segments with high quality requirements and an extensive set of regulations to comply with. Good project management and thorough customer follow-up are essential to meeting customer requirements at every level.

In addition to ISO 9001, OSO holds a well-established certificate to ISO 3834-2 and has two IWS welding coordinators in production. On the environmental side,
OSO is certified to ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 and works purposefully towards a sustainable future – something OSO was already focusing on in the early 1970s.
Over several years, the factory in Hokksund has developed automated, streamlined production by designing its own processes and building its own machines. This independence has contributed to safe operation and continued development through the pandemic. – We depend very little on external service personnel and can optimise the production lines ourselves. This has made it possible to adapt the lines to new products launched during the pandemic, such as Wally, Versa and Optima Coil, says production manager Egil Tronrud.
A strong and flexible organisation with detailed strategies has resulted in a record year through the pandemic. OSO now looks forward to further growth in all segments and to launching more products in several international markets.

Fun fact: if you add up the length of all the seams OSO welds in a year, it equals the distance from Oslo to Mo i Rana – and the length increases every year.

This article was published in WeldingActual 3 – 2021 and republished by the Norwegian Welding Technology Association.