Laerdal Medical wins the 2022 Export Award – Econnect Energy is Newcomer of the Year

Stavanger-based Laerdal Medical has a long history of creating products and training programmes that help healthcare professionals feel confident in their work, for example when practising cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Through continuous innovation, the company has established a strong position in a large international market. It employs more than 2,000 people, 75 per cent of whom work outside Norway. Laerdal exports its solutions to most countries worldwide, with operations in 26 countries and distributors in 70. Its goal is to help save one million more lives globally by 2030.

'Laerdal Medical is a company name I have known for many years because of the Anne training manikin. Today, Laerdal is a leading and highly innovative company that helps save lives around the world. Laerdal is an impressive export success and a worthy winner of this year's Export Award,' says Tone Lunde Bakker, CEO of Eksfin.

This year's newcomer was Oslo-based Econnect Energy, a young company with proprietary technology, a large commercial market and rapid export growth. In a short space of time, the company has achieved a high share of exports in an area that is critical to society and vital to the green transition.

The company is developing a floating solution that connects terminals and ships for loading and unloading clean energy, eliminating the need to build expensive quay facilities with a large environmental footprint. It enables LNG, ammonia and other products to be loaded and unloaded safely without harming the marine environment.

'This year's newcomer is a company with an innovative product that could play an important role in the energy transition across Europe. Both we and Eksfin have followed the company with great interest for several years,' says Håkon Haugli, our CEO.

Minister of Trade and Industry Jan Christian Vestre presented the Export Award, now in its eighth year, at the Export Conference on 14 March. We and Eksfin organise the conference and the award. The jury comprised Alexandra Bech-Gjørv, CEO of SINTEF; Per A. Sørlie, CEO of Borregaard; Kathrine Myhre, CEO of the Norwegian Industrial Property Office; Per Niederbach, EVP of Trade and Invest at Innovation Norway; and Tone Lunde Bakker, CEO of Eksfin.

Of the 70 companies nominated for this year's Export Award, these were the top contenders:

Laerdal Medical develops and manufactures life-saving training equipment in Stavanger for current and future healthcare professionals. Laerdal Medical has been nominated for putting Norway on the global map with its resuscitation manikin and for continuing to innovate to help save lives.

GE Healthcare in Oslo and Lindesnes is Norway's largest pharmaceutical manufacturer and the world's largest producer of iodine-based contrast media for X-rays and CT scans at hospitals worldwide. GE Healthcare has been nominated because it has shown that a company can operate competitively from Norway in a global market, competing with comparable international manufacturers.

Nexans Norway is one of the world's largest cable manufacturers and has three factories in Norway, in Rognan, Halden and Langhus. The company is at the forefront of cable technology for offshore wind farms, enabling wind power generation further out at sea. Nexans has been nominated for exporting world-leading cable technology and products from Halden to customers worldwide.

Orkel develops and manufactures environmentally friendly technology and compactors for agriculture and industry worldwide from its base in Fannrem. Orkel's compactors are used for applications including baling animal feed. The company has been nominated as an example of a strong Norwegian exporter that has successfully brought Norwegian technology and design to a highly traditional industry.

Bergen-based NordicNeuroLab develops, manufactures and sells hardware and software for use in MRI scans. The company is a leading global manufacturer of fMRI systems – a technology used to map functional areas of the brain. NordicNeuroLab has been nominated as a successful Norwegian company in this field with a very high share of exports. It shows that start-ups can succeed in this sector.

Protan manufactures environmentally friendly thermoplastic roofing and wet-room membranes, storage buildings, as well as ventilation ducts and tunnel membranes used in tunnel construction, from its base in Lier. The company has been nominated because its products have low CO2 emissions, a long service life and are designed for material recycling. Protan helps reduce emissions from the construction sector.

Kristiansand-based Umoe Advanced Composites develops and manufactures advanced lightweight composite transport modules for storing and transporting hydrogen, biogas and compressed natural gas (CNG). The company has been nominated for its growth and expansion of its customer base in the international market.

NAVTOR developed an early leading solution for distributing electronic nautical charts, based on an ecosystem connecting ships, shore-based operations and cloud services. Today, Egersund-based NAVTOR is the world's largest provider of e-Navigation solutions to the global shipping industry. NAVTOR has been nominated because it is a global leader in its field and has exported to more than 60 countries.

NORBIT is a global company based in Trondheim that delivers tailored technology for selected applications across several sectors. NORBIT has been nominated for its high share of exports and customers worldwide, as well as its significant contribution to value creation in Norway.

Hofseth International AS is an internationally focused seafood group based in Sunnmøre, farming and processing salmon and trout. The company has been nominated for processing its products in Norway, staying close to where the fish are farmed, focusing on sustainability and creating jobs in local communities, while also exporting a high proportion of its products.