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design theme . We ’ re promoting our products not simply as being made in Norway but also as being reflective of our view on sustainable business behavior . This is a very competitive market , so we really need to perform very well from day one . That ’ s also why we ease into new segments , limiting volumes and opting for selective distribution .”
Lars goes on to highlight the business ’ approach to sustainability . “ We focus on utilizing ocean freight for our distribution . Fifty-one percent of our volume for the group is exported from Norway . We have our own port at the factory site , so , we load our furniture directly into containers and they are loaded onto vessels going to the European , Asian and US markets . While shipping is the obvious choice for destinations further afield , we also use this method for Europe and the UK instead of relying on trucks .”
“ Our biggest factory ,” continues Jan , “ is in a remote location on the west coast of Norway . We try to mitigate the impact of this location by utilizing our unique resource which is access to our own harbor that is managed in cooperation with vessel operators . Using sea freight helps to reduce our transportation emissions , both in terms of exports and imports .”
“ We ’ re obviously not able to transport everything by sea ,” Lars explains . “ As such , we have implemented biofuel truck transportation which involves two trailers switching mid-route and journey sharing . We have five shipments to and from Oslo per week that use this biofuel truck . We also require internal transport at our factories and have implemented an electrical distribution truck to support this requirement . Going back to our harbor initiative , to grow further we need to be able to move containers more frequently than we ’ re currently able . We
are introducing an electric , autonomous barge to enable greater movement of volume .”
“ This initiative is ready to be launched but we need to meet regulations and are working with professional partners to achieve this ,” Jan adds . “ We are amongst the top tier groups in Norway , influencing and driving these kinds of initiatives . Our strategy is to encourage the use of zero-emission vehicles across our supply chain . Our product offering is high end , and we want to be able to demonstrate a high degree of responsibility when it comes to how we transport components and distribute finished goods . Our consumers have a high level of awareness when it comes to the environmental impact of their purchasing decisions .”
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