Navantia entrega a Noruega su quinta fragata

La Marina Noruega recibe la quinta y última de las cinco fragatas que se han construido en El Ferrol, KNM Thor Heyerdahl. Diez años de colaboración que han supuesto un salto cualitativo en la colaboración tecnológica e industrial de Noruega y España. Este acercamiento de las marinas de los respectivos países se manifiesta también en la condecoración concedida al Vicealmirante Sanjurjo Jul.

Este proyecto ha sido un importante eslabón en las relaciones entre ambos países desde su inicio en el año 2000.
El acuerdo comercial vinculado a este proyecto ha involucrado a unas cien empresas españolas y doscientas cincuenta noruegas.
La asociación que muchos hacían de España y "playa" se ha visto matizada por la de un país proveedor de alta tecnología.
Toma el relevo un proyecto de colaboración entorno a comunicaciones por satélite.

Offshore Marine 2011

In acknowledgement of the pivotal role offshore shipping plays in both the Norwegian and the global maritime industry, TradeWinds and Nor-Shipping have together established the Offshore Program, comprising two distinct events, TradeWinds Offshore Marine at the Grand Hotel on May 24th and Agenda Offshore 2011, hosted by Nor-Shipping at Lillestrøm on May 25th.

TradeWinds Offshore Marine will focus on four key areas: the global outlook, balanced broking, technology / innovation and the case for investment. With less than four months to go, we are allowing for the possibility that the programme will develop and may be fine tuned to reflect current issues

The Global Perspective

Norwegian offshore has attracted its share of global investors for good reason as the nation’s players have risen from modest beginnings to become world leaders in the sector. Many Norwegians point to innovation as the key, while others say speculative ordering has been the largest factor behind Norway’s success. But what do the international players think? Is Norwegian know how providing the gateway to deepwater riches? But is Norway exporting its offshore advantage to tomorrow’s sector leaders? While the flipside of innovation is huge prices on assets, the flipside of speculation is over-ordering ---- so do the benefits outweigh the damage? A high-level panel of well-known international business leaders, all with various ties to the Norwegian offshore arena, will bring their global perspectives to the sector. A series of short introductions will be followed by an open discussion.

Offshore Marine broker’s panel discussion

Can the present market sustain the idea of a balanced broker bringing a good deal for both charterer and shipowner?

Technology and innovation

Design, building and operating the next generation of PSV’s, AHTS and Subsea
What do charterers want?
How to meet charterers needs before they know.
Getting ideas from the deck to the boardroom and then into new designs.
Innovation and the technology drain
Operating in ice – could Deepwater Horizon play out in the Arctic?
Offshore Marine as an investment

Exploring the right business model for PSV operators
Achieving the right fleet and balance sheet
Shareholder shudders – coining capital for white elephants?
Post 2008 recalculation of risk, is there any financing for smaller, private investments?

"La transición a Windows Phone nos llevará meses y años"

Tras el pacto con Microsoft, por el que el fabricante europeo de teléfonos adopta su sistema operativo, el patrón de la compañía defiende el cambio de orientación de una empresa que, según anunció, estaba en una situación límite
MANUEL ÁNGEL MÉNDEZ - Barcelona - 22/02/2011

Si hay alguien a quien nadie envidia estos días en el mundillo de la telefonía móvil, ese es Stephen Elop. Este canadiense de 48 años, nuevo jefe de Nokia, se ha atrevido a reconocer en una semana lo que ningún otro mandamás de la finlandesa ha querido ver durante los últimos cuatro años.

Si hay alguien a quien nadie envidia estos días en el mundillo de la telefonía móvil, ese es Stephen Elop. Este canadiense de 48 años, nuevo jefe de Nokia, se ha atrevido a reconocer en una semana lo que ningún otro mandamás de la finlandesa ha querido ver durante los últimos cuatro años: que Apple y Google se están merendado el pastel y que, de seguir así, Nokia desaparecería en poco tiempo engullida por sus competidores.

"Nuestra plataforma está en llamas". Las duras palabras de Elop en un mensaje interno la semana pasada cayeron como rocas. "No me arrepiento de haberlo escrito", reconoce a EL PAÍS durante el Congreso Mundial del Móvil. "Nuestros empleados son inteligentes y saben que tenemos muchos retos por delante", asegura.

Al día siguiente anunció su remedio-bomba para reconducir la situación: una alianza con Microsoft que convierte Windows Phone 7 en el sistema operativo de referencia de Nokia. Un palo para sus Symbian, MeeGo y Ovi. En las manos de Elop está ahora el futuro del todavía mayor fabricante mundial de terminales.

Pregunta. ¿Cuánto tiempo le llevará conseguir que el acuerdo con Microsoft sea un éxito?

Respuesta. Es algo que no se podrá medir en días o semanas. Tenemos que lanzar una familia completa de productos. La transición nos llevará meses y años.

P. Pero han anunciado que este año lanzarán su primer móvil con Windows Phone 7.

R. Sentimos una presión intensa para lanzar el primer terminal este año, pero no confirmamos que esa vaya a ser la fecha final. No es un compromiso.

P. ¿Cómo afectará la alianza a Symbian, su propio sistema operativo?

R. Seguiremos invirtiendo en Symbian para asegurar la transición a Windows Phone. El salto de un sistema a otro dependerá de cuán rápido seamos capaces de sacar los primeros móviles.

P. Entonces Symbian aún no está muerto, pero lo estará.

R. Si Windows Phone es tremendamente exitoso quedarán pocos móviles Symbian. De hecho, ya estamos moviendo a ingenieros y directivos de Symbian a Windows Phone.

P. ¿No se arriesga a que Nokia ni venda teléfonos Symbian ni Windows porque aún no están listos?

R. Lucharemos duro para retener a nuestros clientes. Nuestra marca es muy potente y esperamos que esto permita defendernos.

P. ¿Ocurrirá lo mismo con MeeGo, una transición a Windows Phone?

R. Hay un grupo grande de gente trabajando en el primer móvil con MeeGo para lanzarlo este año. Luego trasladaremos ese esfuerzo en investigar las innovaciones del futuro.

P. ¿Por qué no ha funcionado MeeGo?

R. Analizamos con qué rapidez podríamos lanzar un abanico de móviles MeeGo en relación a nuestros competidores y la conclusión fue que tardaríamos más de lo deseable. Además, estudiamos el ecosistema: búsqueda, publicidad, redes sociales, juegos, música... Y concluimos que nos llevaría también bastante tiempo. Si queríamos competir con Android inmediatamente, nuestra mejor opción era Microsoft.

P. ¿Se integrará Ovi, la tienda de Nokia, con la de Microsoft?

R. Tendremos una infraestructura común para compartir todas las aplicaciones, pero continuaremos impulsando Ovi.

P. Los acuerdos de Microsoft con otros fabricantes de móviles no han ido muy bien.

R. Lo que hemos hecho con Microsoft es sustancialmente diferente de lo que han hecho otros fabricantes, que están centrándose en Android. Nuestro foco es Windows Phone. No hay comparación posible.

P. En Google dicen que "dos pavos no hacen un águila".

R. Supongo que están enfadados porque hemos escogido a Microsoft. Pero yo podría hacer otra analogía: hace 100 años dos fabricantes de bicicletas de Ohio se unieron porque decidieron que querían volar.

P. ¿Cómo va a mantener la moral en la empresa con los despidos que se planean?

R. La situación de los empleados nos preocupa. Pero hemos recibido mucho apoyo porque la estrategia ahora está clara. Los empleados de Nokia saben que la competencia ha aumentado y que nuestra cuota de mercado ha ido en la dirección equivocada. Por eso nos apoyan para tomar fuertes medidas.

P. Los sindicatos aseguran que despedirán a 6.000 empleados en Finlandia. ¿Es cierto?

R. No hemos anunciado ninguna cifra. Es cierto que tenemos que empezar las conversaciones con los sindicatos para llegar a un acuerdo. Habrá reducciones de coste, y una parte vendrá de recortes de empleo, pero otra importante vendrá de corregir ineficiencias.

P. Nokia ha perdido casi un 20% de su valor en Bolsa en los últimos días. ¿Le preocupa?

R. Reconozco que hay ambigüedad sobre cuándo saldrá el primer móvil o la transición de Symbian, pero nos moveremos lo más rápido posible para demostrar que es la estrategia correcta.

P. ¿No cree que su correo de la "plataforma en llamas" fue demasiado difícil de digerir para una compañía finlandesa?

R. En realidad fue una charla interna que di a los empleados. Hubo una reacción muy buena al mensaje y por eso lo transformamos en mensaje escrito. El hecho de que se filtrara fue desafortunado; pero no me arrepiento de haberlo escrito.

P. ¿Cuántos sistemas operativos sobrevivirán en el móvil?

R. Creo que es una carrera de tres caballos: iPhone, Android y nosotros con Microsoft. Se necesitan miles de millones de dólares de inversión para desarrollar servicios como la búsqueda, por eso creo que no habrá seis o siete plataformas.

P. Todos sus competidores han estrenado tabletas...

R. Es un mercado importante, pero con esta nueva estrategia tenemos más opciones. Podríamos lanzar una tableta con Windows o con MeeGo. Aún tenemos que decidirlo.


© EDICIONES EL PAÍS S.L. - Miguel Yuste 40 - 28037 Madrid [España] - Tel. 91 337 8200

Making commuters' lives easier

EARLY this month, a massive new railway tunnel opened for the first time. It was finished six months early and nearly 10% under budget. So by now you know this didn't happen in America (or Britain, for that matter.) No, this feat of modern engineering (and good government) was completed in the Swedish city of Malmö, just across the Oresund bridge from Copenhagen, Denmark.

The project transformed Malmö Central Station, which is actually in the northern part of the city, from a dead end where trains had to reverse course into a through station. The former terminus is now just a stop on a large circular route that cuts underground through the center of Sweden's third-largest city. The construction of the tunnel was accompanied by the construction of two new stations—one in the actual city centre, and another south of the city, in an area targeted for future development. Here's a map:

Official travel times aren't much reduced, but commuters who work in the city centre will no longer have to disembark at Malmö Central. Instead, they can use the new underground station at Triangeln, cutting a transfer to a bus or cab out of their daily grind. And as the area around the new, southernmost Hyllie Station develops, the benefits of the project should become even more apparent. Railzone's Daniel Sparing explains:

"This new link virtually makes Malmö and Copenhagen a single conurbation, [making] commuting from one city to another even easier. Copenhagen airport is also extremely well connected to central Malmö and the new development area [south of the city]"


When's the last time a rail project of this size was completed ahead of time and under budget in America? And if the Swedes can do it, why can't the Americans? The answer to the second question, at least, was in The Economist earlier this month.


http://www.economist.com/blogs/gulliver/2010/12/malm%C3%B6_rail_tunnel

Book released on Innovation in Finland

NOKIA AND FINLAND IN A SEA OF CHANGE 10.05.2010

Ali-Yrkkö, Jyrki (Ed.)

In the 1990s, Nokia became a leader in the global cell phone market. The stellar growth of Nokia contributed significantly to the Finnish national economy, especially to GDP growth, exports and the R&D system.

The first years of the 21st century have witnessed a massive relocation of electronics manufacturing from Europe and the U.S. to Asia and other low-cost regions via the emergence of global supply chains. The Finnish ICT cluster and the national economy as a whole have been influenced by this transformation in many ways.
This book offers four complementary perspectives on the global ICT transformation and the role of Nokia in the Finnish economy:

- What is Nokia’s contribution to the growth and restructuring of the Finnish economy?
- How have the manufacturing supplier networks of Nokia changed during the 2000s?
- Is the innovative dominance of Nokia in Finland a unique phenomenon in international comparison?
- Where is the value added of high-tech products such as mobile phones created, and who captures the value?


2010 108 p.
price: 32 €
ETLA B 244

OnLine orders from:
http://www.etla.fi/eng/julkaisuhaku.php?type=details&id=1748&link=fp

Ministry of Employment and the Economy - Enterprises’ financing problems have eased but are still widespread

Enterprises’ financing problems have eased but are still widespread

The availability of financing for enterprises eased substantially in 2010 compared to the recession year 2009. This is shown by the annual Business Finance Survey conducted by the Confederation of Finnish Industries, the Bank of Finland and the Ministry of Employment and the Economy.

About 15–25% of all businesses seeking new finance found it difficult to tap external sources, as compared to 25–35% in 2009. Financing problems eased most in respect of microenterprises with less than ten employees. Despite the easing, it is clear that financing problems are still more widespread than in the years prior to the recession.

Interest rate margins on new corporate loans widened

Interest rate margins on new loans widened for almost every second medium and large business, but only for a fifth of the microenterprises. Interest rate margins on new loans to medium and large businesses also increased relatively more than those on loans to smaller enterprises.

Caution in seeking finance

Aggregate business demand for funding does not appear to be increasing. Compared to the survey for 2009, a slightly larger portion of micro and small enterprises intend to seek new funding. Medium and large businesses plan to acquire less funding than before.

Interest in securities-based and venture capital funding is increasing

Medium and large businesses are increasingly seeking funding via securities market instruments, such as commercial paper and other bonds. Securities issuance is gaining in importance as a source of funding for large enterprises, also as measured by intentions to seek funding.

Interest in venture capital funding has also increased slightly for businesses of all sizes, even though the portion of enterprises that received funding from venture capital investors was smaller than in the previous survey.

Efficiency gains from electronic billing

Very few enterprises use electronic billing extensively, even in business-to-business invoicing. Slightly less than 5% of enterprises pay the majority (over 60%) of their bills via electronic invoices and just over 5% send the vast majority of their bills as electronic invoices.

The Business Finance Survey gives a comprehensive picture of enterprises’ financing situation. The survey conducted in September 2010 drew responses from 997 enterprises from different provinces and industrial classification groups. The survey has been conducted since 1994. The survey was carried out by Statistics Finland on behalf of the Confederation of Finnish Industries, Bank of Finland and Ministry of Employment and the Economy.

See original link:
Ministry of Employment and the Economy - Enterprises’ financing problems have eased but are still widespread

Analysts: BA and Iberia looking into buying Finnair

British Airways and the Spanish airline Iberia said during the weekend that they are looking for new airline acquisitions, even though their own merger talks are still incomplete.

The Finnish national airline Finnair has come up in discussions on the merger.
BA’s CEO Willie Walsh says that BA-Iberia has drawn up a list of 12 possible acquisition targets. He would not say which airlines are on the list, but analysts immediately saw Finnair as a possible merger partner.

Walsh emphasised that no negotiations are underway yet about the matter. He added that the focus now is on setting goals.

However, on Tuesday Walsh said in The Australian Financial Review that BA would like to start talks with the Australian airline Quantas.

Previous talks on a merger fell apart two years ago over disagreements over the valuation of the two companies.

Quantas has been seen by some analysts as a first choice as a partner of BA-Iberia, as its dense network in the Far East would considerably strengthen the British-Spanish carrier’s activities in the world’s fastest-growing market.

However, Finnair would also provide such an advantage. The Finnish airline’s extensive network in Europe could feed passengers between Asia and Europe via Helsinki-Vantaa Airport.

BA would be able to collect passengers to Asia only from the British Isles, while Iberia, lacking the routes, could do even less.

Finnair’s strategy of flying European passengers to Asia has worked magnificently.
The company said on Tuesday this week that its traffic on Asian routes grew in August by nearly nine per cent over the same period last year. The growth has been almost uninterrupted.

Finnair carries many passengers from both Britain and Spain to Asia, which has not gone unnoticed by BA-Iberia.

British Airways flies to six destinations in the Far East, while Finnair serves nine.

Nagoya and Osaka in Japan, as well as the South Korean capital Seoul are destinations of Finnair, but not of BA. The other destinations are the same.

However, Finnair’s biggest attraction is its European feeder network. With it, BA-Iberia-Finnair could seriously challenge its main rivals, Lufthansa and Air France-KLM.

The blow could be quite strong, as it would allow the merged company to gather passengers from the back yards of its competitors.

Another question is whether or not the Finnish state would be willing to sell Finnair, which has been classified as a strategic national asset.

Although Finnair’s foreign routes would be a golden egg for BA-Iberia, the situation can always change.

Finnair is quite capable of operating independently, in spite of recent losses. Previous failures of possible mergers with Lufthansa and the Scandinavian SAS have proven to be blessings.

For a merger to take place, the price would have to be lucrative.

Membership in the Oneworld Alliance is probably enough for Finnair for now.

BA, Iberia, and Quantas are all part of the same alliance, whose other leading members are American Airlines, the Japanese JAL, and the Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific.

BA-Iberia may have to make do with smaller fish. The Indian Kingfisher and the German airline Air Berlin have been mentioned as options.

Analysts say nevertheless that there is a need for mergers, as there are still too many airlines in the world.



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Helsingin Sanomat
Internation Edition
Thursday 9.9.2010