Norwegian wool fabrics are in demand worldwide

Unlike many other Norwegian textile manufacturers, Gudbrandsdalens Uldvarefabrik has chosen to keep production in Norway. The entire production process, from freshly shorn wool to finished textile products, takes place under one roof in Lillehammer. This gives the employees extensive expertise and close control over the process, as well as opportunities to tailor products to customers' needs.

Gudbrandsdalens Uldvarefabrik was founded in 1887 and is now in its fourth generation of family ownership. Over the years, the textile manufacturer has built extensive expertise and helped promote Norwegian design in Norway and internationally.

The company has won the 'Award for Design Excellence' 20 times and was named 'Manufacturer of the Year' by Bo Bedre. The latter award recognises a Norwegian company that uses design strategically to strengthen its brand and grow its business.

'We believe reliable production, consistent quality and a high level of expertise are key to our success. We also have a unique production line, and wool itself is, of course, a unique raw material,' says Karen Lauvålien, Sales and Marketing Manager at Gudbrandsdalens Uldvarefabrik.

'Having a strong understanding of the market and actively pursuing innovation and development are important to us. At the same time, we have always remained true to our core business and upheld our strict quality standards. This has been crucial to our success both in Norway and internationally,' says Lauvålien.

Gudbrandsdalen Uldvarefabrik exports more than 65 per cent of its products, but its customer base is vulnerable. The company is now taking strategic and operational steps to strengthen its international position. It has joined our Global Gateways export development programme. This includes support from our internationalisation advisers in Norway and our market advisers at offices around the world. This initiative will strengthen the company's local value creation, help safeguard its 65 jobs in the local community and, hopefully, drive growth.

'Our goal is to increase our export share by ten per cent over the next three years,' says Lauvålien.

Textile production is subject to strict environmental requirements, and the company is certified for environmental and quality management in accordance with standards from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The factory uses water from the nearby river in its production processes, and the water discharged back into Lake Mjøsa ultimately becomes drinking water. We have provided input and worked closely with the company on strategic development initiatives, including its environmental programme, and helped reduce some of the risk associated with strategic investments through funding.

- Gudbrandsdalens Uldvarefabrik impresses us with its ability to retain specialist expertise while continuing to develop its products, enabling the company to appeal to both Europe's trend-led design market and the more traditional upholstery fabric market. It is particularly encouraging to see how they have put sustainability on the agenda. We advise all businesses to update their strategy and operations with sustainability in mind well before it becomes a customer requirement, says Beate Follestad, financing adviser at our Innlandet office.

Lauvålien says they have worked on sustainability for many years, but have struggled to communicate their efforts effectively.

- Our challenge has been to bring together all our insights and data and 'translate' them into language that all our employees and customers can understand. Innovation Norway has helped us connect the dots and create a foundation that now makes it easier for us to explain how we work and what we need as we develop a communication strategy for this.