Artelia continues its development in Northern Europe and reinforces its technical excellence in complex structures with the acquisition of the Norwegian engineering company Olav Olsen

On 16 October 2020 in Oslo, Artelia and Olav Olsen announce the acquisition by Artelia of 100% of the shares of Olav Olsen. 

Less than a year after the arrival of MOE, a leading player in the Danish engineering sector (1,000 staff), Artelia takes a new step in its expansion dynamics in Northern Europe, affirming its position as one of Europe's major engineering firms.

This operation allows Artelia, French leader in independent engineering in the fields of building, infrastructure and industry, to reinforce its expertise in civil engineering and complex onshore and offshore structures. After the acquisition of a majority stake in Principia in July 2020, a company specialized in marine studies, Artelia confirms its leadership in maritime, port and offshore engineering.

For Olav Olsen, the backing of an international multidisciplinary group represents a genuine opportunity to develop its business in new sectors and markets, benefiting from the support of MOE in the Scandinavian countries and the permanent presence of Artelia in more than 40 countries. 

Founded in 1962, Olav Olsen is an independent engineering company with leading skills in the field of complex structures, applied in particular to offshore installations, bridges and buildings.

Based in Oslo with a regional office in Trondheim, Olav Olsen has a staff base of 110 employees, of which more than 90% are engineers. Strongly established in Norway, it is also involved with international projects worldwide to support its customers with design of concrete and steel structures for their industrial and infrastructure projects. 

Driven by a strong culture of innovation, the company devotes more than 6% of its turnover to R&D and holds 12 patents. Faced with the increase in energy needs worldwide, the company leverages its expertise in fixed and floating structures to develop innovative solutions in wind, wave, tidal and offshore thermal energy.

According to Olav Weider, Chief Executive Officer of Olav Olsen: "We want to continue our positive development without compromising our strong competence profile. We view the collaboration with Artelia's international operations and MOE's strong Scandinavian position as a springboard in this development. For us, it is very important to be able to offer our skilled employees opportunities to contribute to exciting and challenging projects. For our clients, Olav Olsen and MOE Norway will continue to be the companies they know, but now with access to enhanced cutting-edge expertise. We are very enthusiastic, but of course also excited to start a new chapter in the company's exciting history. ”

Christian Listov-Saabye, Chief Executive Officer of MOE, says: "MOE has been established in Norway since 2009 through a subsidiary with 25 employees. With Olav Olsen being now part of Artelia, our operational entities will pool their skills in an integrated Scandinavian business unit to better service our customers, driven by common values of proximity and technical excellence. »

On signing this commitment, Benoît Clocheret, Chief Executive Officer of Artelia, declares: "The acquisition of Olav Olsen is fully in line with Artelia's strategy to develop its business at a sustained but controlled pace to become a leader on the European market. Thanks to this merger, we now generate nearly 90% of our turnover in Europe, reinforcing our resilience in an uncertain and volatile world. After Artelia's acquisition of a majority stake in Principia last July, Olav Olsen also offers us new development prospects in the very buoyant fixed and floating marine structures market. Confirming our world leadership in marine, port and offshore engineering, we are strengthening our resources and diversifying our offer to meet the increasing energy requirements around the world, with particularly strong growth on the international offshore wind power market.”
 

About Olav Olsen: 
Dr.techn. Olav Olsen is an independent structural engineering and marine technology consultancy, providing conceptual studies and detailed design of both offshore and onshore structures. Heavier concrete structures such as bridges, quays, industrial plants and offshore concrete platforms have been the company's special characteristics and trademarks. The office today engages a broader range of assignments, with common goals for optimal and environmental design and construction solutions. 
www.olavolsen.no/en 
 

About Artelia: 
Artelia is a multinational, multidisciplinary consultancy, engineering and project management group specialising in the construction, infrastructure and industry sectors. With 5,900 employees and a turnover of €681m* in 2019, Artelia is a leading player in the European engineering sector and is established in more than 40 countries throughout Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia-Pacifica and the Americas. Artelia is 100% owned by its managers and employees. 

^{* Combined turnover of Artelia and MOE in 2019}

www.arteliagroup.com
 

Photo: Arena Ulstein
Photographer: Per Eide Studio

Olav Olsen and MOE collaborated on the project Arena Ulsteinvik, which was completed in 2017. The building consists of a sports building with swimming pool, sports hall, changing rooms and library, which is the central meeting place in Ulsteinvik, Norway.