Creating light at the end of the tunnel

Installing temporary lighting in tunnels has long been a time-consuming task. The systems are heavy, and cables and equipment often fail because they are used in harsh, highly humid environments.

Porsgrunn-based company Exentric has been working to solve these challenges. The company has developed an interconnection system focused on light quality, durability and safety. The lighting equipment is lighter, making it easier to install and take down.

'The company has a strong understanding of the industry and is developing its solution in close collaboration with the customer. This will help it target the market more effectively when launching the product. The project will have a positive environmental and social impact by improving safety for tunnel workers, while the system can also be reused,' says Marte Lønnebakke, financing adviser at Innovation Norway.

With the help of a market clarification grant from us, the company gained valuable input for developing its prototype and secured market validation through an agreement to test it with NCC Infrastructure – one of the Nordic region's leading tunnel construction companies.

We have been an important partner throughout the development process, and Exentric particularly highlights our mentoring programme.

'Having someone to bounce ideas off who sees the project from a different perspective is incredibly valuable. Our mentoring programme has made an important contribution to Exentric's business development, and it is a service I would recommend to others,' says Dag Jonassen, CEO of Exentric.

Based at Herøya Industrial Park in Porsgrunn, the company found a solution close to home when the coronavirus pandemic once again prevented it from testing the prototype abroad – this time in the Faroe Islands.

The lighting system is now being tested in a tunnel beneath the industrial park instead. Jonassen praises Herøya Industrial Park for its support and for facilitating the tests, adding that being based close to the test site is very convenient. They can easily take customers into the tunnel to see the solution in action.

At this stage, we have provided innovation grants and startup loans.

'It has been absolutely crucial for us, and development would have taken too long without this funding,' Jonassen emphasises.

The company has clear growth ambitions. It aims to become the preferred provider of traffic lights, primarily for companies building and refurbishing tunnels in Scandinavia.

The goal is to deliver 50,000 metres of the product in the first half of 2021, before expanding across Europe. The company already has supplier agreements with partners in Poland, Italy, Sweden and Finland. The international market is significant, and the product can also be used in other industries, such as the power and construction sectors.

Exentric is also an authorised distributor of Ex lighting, which includes fixed and portable lighting equipment specially designed for explosive environments such as refineries and offshore facilities. The company recently signed an agreement to supply this type of equipment to one of Europe's largest refineries.