Meet our new seafood specialist in Halifax!

He loves seafood. He knows seafood. From every step of the value chain. A perfect match, you said? Oh yes, we say – proudly introducing Kristjan Kristjansson as our new Sales Manager in Halifax.

Processing, packing, sales

Our new team player brings unique and valuable experience from catch, processing, sales and management in the seafood industry.

Kristjan was was born and raised in a maritime environment, with a father and step-father working in the seafood industry throughout the world their entire working lives. He is originally from Iceland and moved to Canada in 1998, and loves the smell of fresh seafood. One month into his Maritech career, he has already become a highly valued member of our North American – and global – team.

“I believe that my knowledge and experience from the seafood industry will be a strength in my new role at Maritech. I really look forward to bringing Maritech’s unique solutions to the North American seafood industry, where I know the companies as innovative, receptive and curious about new technologies and tools that can optimize their businesses.”

Kristjan began his career in the seafood industry working in processing throughout high school in Canada. He continued in the industry while studying for his Bachelor’s degree in Commerce, and worked in a salmon smokery with packing and preparing orders during summer holidays. After a brief stay back in Iceland working in the banking industry, he returned to seafood with Ocean Choice International as a Sales Manager working out of their UK office.

Are you curious?

We would love to talk to you

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Passion for seafood and wine

Since then, he returned to Canada in 2010 and worked in seafood trading for both Nordic Brokers and Prime Catch Canada. More recently, he was a Sales Manager at Clearwater Seafood, where he worked until he started in his new role in Maritech. But it is not all seafood in Kristjan’s life. He is also a co-founder of a wine and spirits agency.

“I have always had a keen interest in wines and the wine industry itself. To have the chance to combine this interest with working within the industry has been a great experience.”

But the wine is just a hobby. It is the seafood which is closest to his working heart. Throughout his career, Kristjan has worked with all sorts of seafood from shrimp, lobster, scallops, crabs to salt fish.

“His broad experience is truly valuable for Maritech, as we offer solutions to the whole range of different seafood producers and sellers. Because he has had many of the roles himself, Kristjan knows the challenges the quality manager meets, which difficulties you face in packing, as a CEO or a trader in the seafood industry. And – he knows what can be optimized”, says Odd Arne Kristengård, Maritech CEO.

 

Customer processes

“I am truly impressed by Maritech’s solutions, and how they can improve the processes throughout the entire seafood value chain,” Kristjan says.

He is still in the middle of the onboarding process in Maritech.

“I am excited to connect with both existing and new customers. It blows my mind how user friendly the Maritech solutions are. They are spot on and can help the customers tremendously. Maritech is the world leading provider of software tailored to the seafood industry, and I am very happy to be a part of this team,” says Kristjan, who just a couple of months ago became the father.

“It is amazing to be a father, even though the nights are a bit different than before,” he smiles.

Are you curious? We know that Kristjan would love to hear from you: kkristjansson@maritech.com

Meet our new seafood specialist in Halifax!

He loves seafood. He knows seafood. From every step of the value chain. A perfect match, you said? Oh yes, we say – proudly introducing Kristjan Kristjansson as our new Sales Manager in Halifax.

Processing, packing, sales

Our new team player brings unique and valuable experience from catch, processing, sales and management in the seafood industry.

Kristjan was was born and raised in a maritime environment, with a father and step-father working in the seafood industry throughout the world their entire working lives. He is originally from Iceland and moved to Canada in 1998, and loves the smell of fresh seafood. One month into his Maritech career, he has already become a highly valued member of our North American – and global – team.

“I believe that my knowledge and experience from the seafood industry will be a strength in my new role at Maritech. I really look forward to bringing Maritech’s unique solutions to the North American seafood industry, where I know the companies as innovative, receptive and curious about new technologies and tools that can optimize their businesses.”

Kristjan began his career in the seafood industry working in processing throughout high school in Canada. He continued in the industry while studying for his Bachelor’s degree in Commerce, and worked in a salmon smokery with packing and preparing orders during summer holidays. After a brief stay back in Iceland working in the banking industry, he returned to seafood with Ocean Choice International as a Sales Manager working out of their UK office.

Passion for seafood and wine

Since then, he returned to Canada in 2010 and worked in seafood trading for both Nordic Brokers and Prime Catch Canada. More recently, he was a Sales Manager at Clearwater Seafood, where he worked until he started in his new role in Maritech. But it is not all seafood in Kristjan’s life. He is also a co-founder of a wine and spirits agency.

“I have always had a keen interest in wines and the wine industry itself. To have the chance to combine this interest with working within the industry has been a great experience.”

But the wine is just a hobby. It is the seafood which is closest to his working heart. Throughout his career, Kristjan has worked with all sorts of seafood from shrimp, lobster, scallops, crabs to salt fish.

“His broad experience is truly valuable for Maritech, as we offer solutions to the whole range of different seafood producers and sellers. Because he has had many of the roles himself, Kristjan knows the challenges the quality manager meets, which difficulties you face in packing, as a CEO or a trader in the seafood industry. And – he knows what can be optimized”, says Odd Arne Kristengård, Maritech CEO.

 

Customer processes

“I am truly impressed by Maritech’s solutions, and how they can improve the processes throughout the entire seafood value chain,” Kristjan says.

He is still in the middle of the onboarding process in Maritech.

“I am excited to connect with both existing and new customers. It blows my mind how user friendly the Maritech solutions are. They are spot on and can help the customers tremendously. Maritech is the world leading provider of software tailored to the seafood industry, and I am very happy to be a part of this team,” says Kristjan, who just a couple of months ago became the father.

“It is amazing to be a father, even though the nights are a bit different than before,” he smiles.

Are you curious? We know that Kristjan would love to hear from you: kkristjansson@maritech.com

Optimizing production with IoT

Johanne Tungehaug holds a bachelor’s degree in Digital Business Development from NTNU in Trondheim and has followed Microsoft University’s education program within the Azure Cloud Platform. After working for a time as a SecOps consultant in Syscom, she started in Lillebakk and joined Maritech in the summer of 2020. Here she works with the operation and further development of LINSiGHT, in close cooperation with customers and partners.

“LINSiGHT consists of several products that are closely tied, and my tasks fall within the vast majority of them. My responsibility is mainly LINSiGHT.hmi, which is the graphical interface where data is presented and visualized. It is used as a working and monitoring tool, and provides a total overview of machinery and equipment. In projects, my tasks also end up within LINSiGHT.connect, which is the part of LINSiGHT where we collect data from the customer’s facilities so that we can communicate with equipment, LINSiGHT.alarm where alarm notification is set up to the customer by SMS, email or upon dial-up, and LINSiGHT.forms which is a form module for digital checklists.”

Johanne explains that there is always a lot going on, and always something interesting to look at. “We have several exciting ongoing projects, for example at Vikenco’s new factory at Aukra. It is a state-of-the-art facility, where sensory means that you have full control and real-time data on all operating statuses, can optimize production and receive notifications if something requires manual follow-up. This project is a good example of how we work closely with the rest of Maritech and together create solutions that give our customers added value. Here I see great potential going forward,” says Tungehaug.

LINSiGHT team

Are you curious?

We would love to talk to you

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Meet our new seafood specialist in Halifax!

He loves seafood. He knows seafood. From every step of the value chain. A perfect match, you said? Oh yes, we say – proudly introducing Kristjan Kristjansson as our new Sales Manager in Halifax.

Processing, packing, sales

Our new team player brings unique and valuable experience from catch, processing, sales and management in the seafood industry.

Kristjan was was born and raised in a maritime environment, with a father and step-father working in the seafood industry throughout the world their entire working lives. He is originally from Iceland and moved to Canada in 1998, and loves the smell of fresh seafood. One month into his Maritech career, he has already become a highly valued member of our North American – and global – team.

“I believe that my knowledge and experience from the seafood industry will be a strength in my new role at Maritech. I really look forward to bringing Maritech’s unique solutions to the North American seafood industry, where I know the companies as innovative, receptive and curious about new technologies and tools that can optimize their businesses.”

Kristjan began his career in the seafood industry working in processing throughout high school in Canada. He continued in the industry while studying for his Bachelor’s degree in Commerce, and worked in a salmon smokery with packing and preparing orders during summer holidays. After a brief stay back in Iceland working in the banking industry, he returned to seafood with Ocean Choice International as a Sales Manager working out of their UK office.

Passion for seafood and wine

Since then, he returned to Canada in 2010 and worked in seafood trading for both Nordic Brokers and Prime Catch Canada. More recently, he was a Sales Manager at Clearwater Seafood, where he worked until he started in his new role in Maritech. But it is not all seafood in Kristjan’s life. He is also a co-founder of a wine and spirits agency.

“I have always had a keen interest in wines and the wine industry itself. To have the chance to combine this interest with working within the industry has been a great experience.”

But the wine is just a hobby. It is the seafood which is closest to his working heart. Throughout his career, Kristjan has worked with all sorts of seafood from shrimp, lobster, scallops, crabs to salt fish.

“His broad experience is truly valuable for Maritech, as we offer solutions to the whole range of different seafood producers and sellers. Because he has had many of the roles himself, Kristjan knows the challenges the quality manager meets, which difficulties you face in packing, as a CEO or a trader in the seafood industry. And – he knows what can be optimized”, says Odd Arne Kristengård, Maritech CEO.

 

Customer processes

“I am truly impressed by Maritech’s solutions, and how they can improve the processes throughout the entire seafood value chain,” Kristjan says.

He is still in the middle of the onboarding process in Maritech.

“I am excited to connect with both existing and new customers. It blows my mind how user friendly the Maritech solutions are. They are spot on and can help the customers tremendously. Maritech is the world leading provider of software tailored to the seafood industry, and I am very happy to be a part of this team,” says Kristjan, who just a couple of months ago became the father.

“It is amazing to be a father, even though the nights are a bit different than before,” he smiles.

Are you curious? We know that Kristjan would love to hear from you: kkristjansson@maritech.com

Optimizing production with IoT

Johanne Tungehaug holds a bachelor’s degree in Digital Business Development from NTNU in Trondheim and has followed Microsoft University’s education program within the Azure Cloud Platform. After working for a time as a SecOps consultant in Syscom, she started in Lillebakk and joined Maritech in the summer of 2020. Here she works with the operation and further development of LINSiGHT, in close cooperation with customers and partners.

“LINSiGHT consists of several products that are closely tied, and my tasks fall within the vast majority of them. My responsibility is mainly LINSiGHT.hmi, which is the graphical interface where data is presented and visualized. It is used as a working and monitoring tool, and provides a total overview of machinery and equipment. In projects, my tasks also end up within LINSiGHT.connect, which is the part of LINSiGHT where we collect data from the customer’s facilities so that we can communicate with equipment, LINSiGHT.alarm where alarm notification is set up to the customer by SMS, email or upon dial-up, and LINSiGHT.forms which is a form module for digital checklists.”

Johanne explains that there is always a lot going on, and always something interesting to look at. “We have several exciting ongoing projects, for example at Vikenco’s new factory at Aukra. It is a state-of-the-art facility, where sensory means that you have full control and real-time data on all operating statuses, can optimize production and receive notifications if something requires manual follow-up. This project is a good example of how we work closely with the rest of Maritech and together create solutions that give our customers added value. Here I see great potential going forward,” says Tungehaug.

LINSiGHT team

Are you curious?

We would love to talk to you

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Meet our new seafood specialist in Halifax!

He loves seafood. He knows seafood. From every step of the value chain. A perfect match, you said? Oh yes, we say – proudly introducing Kristjan Kristjansson as our new Sales Manager in Halifax.

Processing, packing, sales

Our new team player brings unique and valuable experience from catch, processing, sales and management in the seafood industry.

Kristjan was was born and raised in a maritime environment, with a father and step-father working in the seafood industry throughout the world their entire working lives. He is originally from Iceland and moved to Canada in 1998, and loves the smell of fresh seafood. One month into his Maritech career, he has already become a highly valued member of our North American – and global – team.

“I believe that my knowledge and experience from the seafood industry will be a strength in my new role at Maritech. I really look forward to bringing Maritech’s unique solutions to the North American seafood industry, where I know the companies as innovative, receptive and curious about new technologies and tools that can optimize their businesses.”

Kristjan began his career in the seafood industry working in processing throughout high school in Canada. He continued in the industry while studying for his Bachelor’s degree in Commerce, and worked in a salmon smokery with packing and preparing orders during summer holidays. After a brief stay back in Iceland working in the banking industry, he returned to seafood with Ocean Choice International as a Sales Manager working out of their UK office.

Are you curious?

We would love to talk to you

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Passion for seafood and wine

Since then, he returned to Canada in 2010 and worked in seafood trading for both Nordic Brokers and Prime Catch Canada. More recently, he was a Sales Manager at Clearwater Seafood, where he worked until he started in his new role in Maritech. But it is not all seafood in Kristjan’s life. He is also a co-founder of a wine and spirits agency.

“I have always had a keen interest in wines and the wine industry itself. To have the chance to combine this interest with working within the industry has been a great experience.”

But the wine is just a hobby. It is the seafood which is closest to his working heart. Throughout his career, Kristjan has worked with all sorts of seafood from shrimp, lobster, scallops, crabs to salt fish.

“His broad experience is truly valuable for Maritech, as we offer solutions to the whole range of different seafood producers and sellers. Because he has had many of the roles himself, Kristjan knows the challenges the quality manager meets, which difficulties you face in packing, as a CEO or a trader in the seafood industry. And – he knows what can be optimized”, says Odd Arne Kristengård, Maritech CEO.

 

Customer processes

“I am truly impressed by Maritech’s solutions, and how they can improve the processes throughout the entire seafood value chain,” Kristjan says.

He is still in the middle of the onboarding process in Maritech.

“I am excited to connect with both existing and new customers. It blows my mind how user friendly the Maritech solutions are. They are spot on and can help the customers tremendously. Maritech is the world leading provider of software tailored to the seafood industry, and I am very happy to be a part of this team,” says Kristjan, who just a couple of months ago became the father.

“It is amazing to be a father, even though the nights are a bit different than before,” he smiles.

Are you curious? We know that Kristjan would love to hear from you: kkristjansson@maritech.com

Optimizing production with IoT

Johanne Tungehaug holds a bachelor’s degree in Digital Business Development from NTNU in Trondheim and has followed Microsoft University’s education program within the Azure Cloud Platform. After working for a time as a SecOps consultant in Syscom, she started in Lillebakk and joined Maritech in the summer of 2020. Here she works with the operation and further development of LINSiGHT, in close cooperation with customers and partners.

“LINSiGHT consists of several products that are closely tied, and my tasks fall within the vast majority of them. My responsibility is mainly LINSiGHT.hmi, which is the graphical interface where data is presented and visualized. It is used as a working and monitoring tool, and provides a total overview of machinery and equipment. In projects, my tasks also end up within LINSiGHT.connect, which is the part of LINSiGHT where we collect data from the customer’s facilities so that we can communicate with equipment, LINSiGHT.alarm where alarm notification is set up to the customer by SMS, email or upon dial-up, and LINSiGHT.forms which is a form module for digital checklists.”

Johanne explains that there is always a lot going on, and always something interesting to look at. “We have several exciting ongoing projects, for example at Vikenco’s new factory at Aukra. It is a state-of-the-art facility, where sensory means that you have full control and real-time data on all operating statuses, can optimize production and receive notifications if something requires manual follow-up. This project is a good example of how we work closely with the rest of Maritech and together create solutions that give our customers added value. Here I see great potential going forward,” says Tungehaug.

LINSiGHT team

Meet our new seafood specialist in Halifax!

He loves seafood. He knows seafood. From every step of the value chain. A perfect match, you said? Oh yes, we say – proudly introducing Kristjan Kristjansson as our new Sales Manager in Halifax.

Processing, packing, sales

Our new team player brings unique and valuable experience from catch, processing, sales and management in the seafood industry.

Kristjan was was born and raised in a maritime environment, with a father and step-father working in the seafood industry throughout the world their entire working lives. He is originally from Iceland and moved to Canada in 1998, and loves the smell of fresh seafood. One month into his Maritech career, he has already become a highly valued member of our North American – and global – team.

“I believe that my knowledge and experience from the seafood industry will be a strength in my new role at Maritech. I really look forward to bringing Maritech’s unique solutions to the North American seafood industry, where I know the companies as innovative, receptive and curious about new technologies and tools that can optimize their businesses.”

Kristjan began his career in the seafood industry working in processing throughout high school in Canada. He continued in the industry while studying for his Bachelor’s degree in Commerce, and worked in a salmon smokery with packing and preparing orders during summer holidays. After a brief stay back in Iceland working in the banking industry, he returned to seafood with Ocean Choice International as a Sales Manager working out of their UK office.

Are you curious?

We would love to talk to you

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Passion for seafood and wine

Since then, he returned to Canada in 2010 and worked in seafood trading for both Nordic Brokers and Prime Catch Canada. More recently, he was a Sales Manager at Clearwater Seafood, where he worked until he started in his new role in Maritech. But it is not all seafood in Kristjan’s life. He is also a co-founder of a wine and spirits agency.

“I have always had a keen interest in wines and the wine industry itself. To have the chance to combine this interest with working within the industry has been a great experience.”

But the wine is just a hobby. It is the seafood which is closest to his working heart. Throughout his career, Kristjan has worked with all sorts of seafood from shrimp, lobster, scallops, crabs to salt fish.

“His broad experience is truly valuable for Maritech, as we offer solutions to the whole range of different seafood producers and sellers. Because he has had many of the roles himself, Kristjan knows the challenges the quality manager meets, which difficulties you face in packing, as a CEO or a trader in the seafood industry. And – he knows what can be optimized”, says Odd Arne Kristengård, Maritech CEO.

 

Customer processes

“I am truly impressed by Maritech’s solutions, and how they can improve the processes throughout the entire seafood value chain,” Kristjan says.

He is still in the middle of the onboarding process in Maritech.

“I am excited to connect with both existing and new customers. It blows my mind how user friendly the Maritech solutions are. They are spot on and can help the customers tremendously. Maritech is the world leading provider of software tailored to the seafood industry, and I am very happy to be a part of this team,” says Kristjan, who just a couple of months ago became the father.

“It is amazing to be a father, even though the nights are a bit different than before,” he smiles.

Are you curious? We know that Kristjan would love to hear from you: kkristjansson@maritech.com

Optimizing production with IoT

Johanne Tungehaug holds a bachelor’s degree in Digital Business Development from NTNU in Trondheim and has followed Microsoft University’s education program within the Azure Cloud Platform. After working for a time as a SecOps consultant in Syscom, she started in Lillebakk and joined Maritech in the summer of 2020. Here she works with the operation and further development of LINSiGHT, in close cooperation with customers and partners.

“LINSiGHT consists of several products that are closely tied, and my tasks fall within the vast majority of them. My responsibility is mainly LINSiGHT.hmi, which is the graphical interface where data is presented and visualized. It is used as a working and monitoring tool, and provides a total overview of machinery and equipment. In projects, my tasks also end up within LINSiGHT.connect, which is the part of LINSiGHT where we collect data from the customer’s facilities so that we can communicate with equipment, LINSiGHT.alarm where alarm notification is set up to the customer by SMS, email or upon dial-up, and LINSiGHT.forms which is a form module for digital checklists.”

Johanne explains that there is always a lot going on, and always something interesting to look at. “We have several exciting ongoing projects, for example at Vikenco’s new factory at Aukra. It is a state-of-the-art facility, where sensory means that you have full control and real-time data on all operating statuses, can optimize production and receive notifications if something requires manual follow-up. This project is a good example of how we work closely with the rest of Maritech and together create solutions that give our customers added value. Here I see great potential going forward,” says Tungehaug.

LINSiGHT team

EDI-Systems integrated January 1st

Happy New Year! We kick off 2021 by officially welcoming EDI-Systems to Maritech. Through this acquisition we are now a leading provider of third-party logistics solutions for cold storage.

Third-party logistics specialists

Our new colleagues are specialized in WMS systems for warehouse hotels and cold storage. Since 1996, they have built a leading position in the Norwegian market, and the EDI-Systems solutions are used by a broad range of seafood companies and other companies that rent out cold storage services. 

Announcing the acquisition in August 2020, our CEO Odd Arne Kristengård said: “We are delighted to welcome EDI-Systems as the newest members of the Maritech team. Their solutions, customers and expertise are a natural fit with our business and further plans. Many of our customers already use their systems; they will benefit from an improved cold storage integration. EDI-Systems also delivers solutions for quality registration for fisheries and that likewise will be a good fit in the Maritech product range. At the same time, we will strengthen our expertise regarding 3rd-party warehousing and will now cover an even larger part of the value chain in the seafood industry. Furthermore, this acquisition also represents opportunities in other industries, related to new and existing logistics customers.”

Joining our Maritech loigistics team

The employees of EDI-Systems have now become a part of our Maritech logistics team, including the founders Robert Hansen and Are Selnes who have until now each had a 50% ownership interest. “We are proud of what we have built and are now looking forward to new milestones as part of Maritech,” says Hansen. “There is no doubt that our solutions fit well into the Maritech portfolio, and we have a number of common denominators – also beyond the anchoring in seafood and software. It is also exciting to be part of a skilled logistics team, where we probably have a lot to learn from each other. We see this as a win-win for both EDI-Systems and Maritech and look forward to working together in the time to come.” 

Photo: Are Selnes, former CTO EDI-Systems (to the left), Raymond Haga, Finance and Business Management Director Maritech, Robert Hansen, former CEO EDI-Systems

Would you like to know more? Do not hesitate to let us know.

Revolutionizing the quality control of white fish

After 17 years of research, Maritech Eye™ is a reality.

Objective quality scan

For the first time, fish producers can now determine whether they have caught world-class whitefish even before the fish is gutted.

On Monday 23 November, Maritech, research institute Nofima and Norsk Elektro Optikk (NEO) together with industrial partners Lerøy Norway Seafood and Lerøy Havfisk, proudly announced the launch of a new hyper-spectral camera solution Maritech Eye™– an innovation that may revolutionize the seafood industry. Hyper-spectral camera technology and complex algorithms now makes it possible to run automated, objective quality inspection of whole white fish, at industrial speed.

The Norwegian Minister of Fisheries and Seafood, Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen, kicked off the official launch by sending the first fish through the machine that can identify the fish’s quality seeing through its skin.

 

Senior Scientist Karsten Heia and Minister of Fishery and Seafood Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen at Maritech Eye launch
Senior Scientist Karsten Heia and Minister of Fishery and Seafood Odd Emil Ingebrigtsen

“This is a great day! A day of champions in several ways”, said an excited Minister of Fisheries and Seafood, who – donning the yellow and black Bodø/Glimt football scarf – also celebrated his regional team´s recent football league championship win.

He said the people who developed the new quality inspection technology also had every reason to celebrate as champions this Monday.

”This project is a prime example of the possible achievements when the business and research communities collaborate on technical innovations. Better quality sorting will increase profitability and the reputation of the seafood industry”, said Ingebrigtsen.

In 2021, Maritech has also been launched for red fish – read more here.

Background

  • Maritech has been leading the innovation project and is the commercial provider of Maritech Eye™.
  • For 16 years, Nofima Senior Researcher Karsten Heia has collaborated with technology developers in NEO (Norsk Elektro Optikk) who have developed a hyperspectral camera for quality measurements of round fish.
  • The industrial trial was carried out at Lerøy Norway Seafoods’ Båtsfjord facility in Finnmark, Norway.
  • Maritech Eye™ is now also being tested on board the ocean-going fishing vessels of Norway’s largest trawler company, Lerøy Havfisk AS.

 

Maritech Eye™ is the result of the KVASS research project on the quality measurement of whitefish through analysis of spectral images in real time. A business-led project funded by the Fishery and Aquaculture Industry Research Fund (FHF).

The project partners have great expectations for the impact of the machine in the industry.

“Lerøy works every day to raise the quality at all levels of our production of high-quality seafood. With this project, Lerøy has contributed to the development of a technology that provides a better and more consistent raw material quality, which in turn delivers seafood of an even higher quality to our customers,” says Roy Martin Martinsen, Quality Manager for whitefish as a raw material in Lerøy Norway Seafoods. “The intention is that Maritech Eye can be implemented in a process line and also contribute to a more efficient production by sorting the raw material based on different qualities in a fish grader” says Martinsen.

Currently the imaging spectroscopy technology is able to detect blood accumulation in ungutted (whole) fish. Roy Martin Martinsen expects that this technology will be developed further to allow the industry in the future to assess even more quality parameters and become even better equipped to deliver quality seafood to consumers.

Sorting the catch onboard

Lerøy Havfisk AS is Norway’s largest trawler company with ten vessels and 29.6 trawler licences for cod. “In recent years, the company has placed a great emphasis on raising the quality of trawl-caught fish,” says Operations Manager Odd Johan Fladmark. He looks forward to using the new tool in this work.

“With this equipment, we now see the possibility of being able to better sort the catch on board based on quality, which makes it possible for us to offer a fully sorted raw material which is in line with the scanner’s objective. We believe this will give us a better price for the fish and improve profitability for the onshore facilities”, says Fladmark.

Trond Løke_CEO NEO

Stronger reputation

Those who have worked on the development of the technology are also hopeful and proud to have participated in a historical industrial innovation project, and expect to see a significant impact on the industry.

Maritech has worked closely with both scientists and the industry to develop the solution, and is very pleased with the result.

“This project excited me due to the possibilities which the objective quality measurements of the total volume of fish passing through the production lines provide us with in terms of a) analyses for uncovering possible process improvements and b) correct utilization of raw material based on its quality. And of course – the possibilities for optimizing factory operations”, says Odd Arne Kristengård, CEO of Maritech.

He points out that the associated reduction in wastage and quality complaints will result in increased profitability and sustainability. “Maritech Eye™ represents a significant competitive advantage which may transform the entire industry as well as help boost the reputation of Norwegian seafood exports further”, says Kristengård.

 

World leader

Trond Løke is the CEO of Norsk Elektro Optikk AS, which has been developing hyperspectral cameras (HySpex) since the early 2000s and is currently collaborating with prestigious Norwegian and international research communities.

“Nofima was our very first client and bought their first hyperspectral camera in 2003. I find it particularly enjoyable that, together with Maritech and in collaboration with Lerøy and Havfisk, we have now developed a complete commercial product which will revolutionize the quality control process for whitefish. For NEO it’s an extra feather in our cap that the fishing industry, a cornerstone of Norwegian industries, is among the first in the country to seriously take advantage of the hi-tech solution hyperspectral cameras represent. In this field we are actually world leaders”, says Trond Løke.

Karsten Heia, Nofima at the launch of Maritech Eye

Proud and excited scientist

Without Nofima scientist Karsten Heia, the solution that was launched on Monday would never have seen the light of day. He has been working on developing this technology for decades. The first time he attempted to measure the quality of fish by using imaging spectroscopy was in 1997. Back then it took half an hour to inspect a 10 x 10 cm skin-free piece of fish. Now, the solution can assess whole fish with skin at industrial speed.

“Today I am both a proud and excited scientist. Being able to utilize imaging spectroscopy in an industrial setting is a major milestone for me as a scientist, for Nofima as a research institute and for the Norwegian fishing industry.  The fact that we, as an institute for applied research, using funding from the FHF, can contribute to uplifting the Norwegian business community in terms of both technological developments and innovations in the food industry, is a big deal”, says Karsten Heia.

Curious to learn more? Let us know!

Images: Lars Åke Andersen/Frifoto

Odd Arne Kristengård appointed new CEO

We are very pleased to announce that Odd Arne Kristengård has been appointed as the new CEO of Maritech Systems AS.

Kristengård (47) has been serving as our Acting CEO since June and has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Maritech Group from the 1st of November.

High speed and ambitions

“Maritech has grown rapidly and become a leading software company with global reach. We are convinced Odd Arne is the right person to lead the company through the next phase of consolidation and development. Building infrastructure to support a rapidly expanding technology company is no small task, and Odd Arne has been crucial in steering the company´s technological vision in the right direction. His expertise will ensure we have the right foundation, tools and processes to support our further global growth,” says Mette Kamsvåg, Chair of the Board of Directors for Maritech.

Maritech currently has 109 employees and offices in Norway, the USA, Canada, Chile and Iceland. “The recent years represent a tremendous development for us as a company,” Kristengård says. “Now we are entering a new phase where we are reorganizing and revising our strategy to equip ourselves for further international growth, and to take the next step within product development. Our most important mission is to lead our customers into the future and enable them to supply the global market with healthy, safe and sustainable seafood, as well as smart logistics with the least possible footprint.”

Learning every day

“Since 2014, we have delivered an annual growth rate of 23%, at the same time we have built an extremely strong team and world-class solutions. We are very proud of what we have achieved so far. Personally, I believe that the most important step has been the creation of our Innovation Lab – one of Central Norway’s largest development environments, where a top team of employees together create a digital seafood platform for the global market. They are creative, bold and ambitious, and we have succeeded in uniting new and old cultures. We have become a company that the very best want to work for, with a strong, common motivation to succeed together as one team.”

Kristengård holds degrees in IT (Molde University College) and Social Economics (NTNU) and has had many different roles so far in his career. “I am a sponge, and have worked with sales, development, strategy, project management and business development. I remember that I joined Maritech thinking I was an expert,” Kristengård laughs. “Then I met our colleague Hallgeir Loe in Averøy, who has been involved in building the company from scratch. Then I realized that something is being created here that is very special. Since then, I have learned every day. And we have learned and developed tremendously as an organization.

In my eyes, the start of today’s company is the journey we began when we became Maritech again in 2012, after being part of AkvaGroup. When Mette (Kamsvåg, editor’s note) took on the role as Chair of the Board in 2015, the board agreed on a new strategy characterized by high goals, proactivity and speed. Then my predecessor Janne Morstøl became CEO, professionalizing our product development and the commercial aspect. Now we are going from being the largest in Norway to the largest in the world, with a unique product portfolio and a fantastic team. It’s incredibly inspiring.”

Family and football

As a leader, Kristengård is described as extremely skilled and a person with good social antennae. “I’m interested in people. Why they do what they do, how we can make them the best version of themselves. Then we reach far. Furthermore, I believe that openness and integrity are crucial values, as well as a good balance between speed and nuances.”

As a father of four and an avid football coach, it comes in handy to be both determined and fond of people. Kristengård is an ardent Hjelset-Kleive supporter, and loves books, music and film. “Above all, I am a family man,” he concludes. “The family is my most important value, it always has been. And at home, my wife is the boss.”

Robert Veiset Thomas Brevik

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Maritech joins the UN Global Compact

We are pleased to announce that Maritech has been accepted as a new participant in the UN Global Compact, the world’s largest corporate sustainability initiative.

What is the UN Global Compact?

The organization was founded in 2000. Since then 11 600 companies from 156 countries have joined as participants. The initiative is a call to companies world-wide “to align strategies and operations with universal principles on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption – and take actions that advance societal goals”.

The UN Global Compact aim to mobilize a global movement of sustainable companies and stakeholders, and supports companies to:

  • Do business responsibly by aligning their strategies and operations with Ten Principles on human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption; and
  • Take strategic actions to advance broader societal goals, such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals, with an emphasis on collaboration and innovation.

Source: unglobalcompact.org

Sustainability in Maritech

As a leading software provider we are in a position where we see it as our duty, as well as a great opportunity, to help our customers to do more sustainable business. Some examples are optimization of transport capacity, sensor data from IoT, and improved production planning resulting in reduced waste and resource consumption. Our analytics tools provide valuable insights and our traceability solutions ensure food security and documentation throughout the value chain.  

We applied to join the UN Global Compact to take our sustainability efforts to the next level, through specific projects, competence programs and cooperation with other companies. Together we can achieve more than what each of us can on our own. Furthermore, the UN Global Compact organization and their activity level has impressed us. We are thankful for the warm welcome we have received from the UN Global Compact Norway team, who are our primary contacts and represent an excellent resource for us. 

As a part of our UN Global Compact participation, Maritech has joined the Sustainable Ocean Business Action Platform, where the aim is to support and potentially cooperate with other ocean related organizations in sustainability projects. The platform emphasizes the responsibility of businesses to take necessary actions to secure a healthy and productive ocean. We are currently in a planning and learning phase and will post new updates regarding our plans and actions from early 2021.