Nordic Shelter

Col (Ret) Stein F. Walle
About: Col (Ret) Stein F. Walle - Former Managing Director

The past 20 years Mr. Stein has founded and brought 7 different companies to success. Through this experience, he had been fortunate to work as an administrator and marketing professional and has gained broad international experience and a massive international network. He worked with Nordic Shelter as a Managing Director for 10 years and a Chief Commercial Officer for a year. Stein is heading his privately owned company, STEWA AS, acting as an advisor to other companies and representing market leaders of security and military products in Scandinavia and is currently occupied with innovative projects in the defense and healthcare sectors.

1. Defence-industries is a connecting point for buyers and suppliers across the global defence industry. Used daily as means of creating partnerships and as a point of reference by professionals within the defence industry, this comprehensive resource supplies the latest news releases, detailed information on industry projects, event information and careful segregation of products and services. What do you think about our website which promotes & brands defence industry today on such a wide scale?

Defence-Industries has proven to be a good and cost-efficient marketing platform to Nordic Shelter. We appreciate the approach to the market, good lay outs and frequent launch of new features.

2. What do you see as the single biggest challenge for the Defence Industry in 2013? What are some of the newer, exciting technologies or products that NORDIC Shelter is working on?

There are challenges related to the crippled economies in several countries. However, our focus markets are not so much affected. Currently we are developing new Tactical Training Shelters that will offere enhanced ROE and live firing training for forces at reduced cost compared to traditional training.

3. What makes you so different from your competitors in terms of developing these products? What was the last major project that you have won in designing containers and shelters?

Being a mid-sized company our design principles differs from most of our large competitors. Firstly we apply simplicity as rule when designing or enhancing our products. Secondly we use COTS components to the largest possible extent in order to simplify maintenance, repair and re-supply. Our latest big-scale project is taking fully advantage of our main design principles, delivering highly mobile Squadron Operations and Support Facilities for the UAE Joint Operations Command. This project includes are specially designed expanding shelters among other specialty products like Explosives Freight and Storage Containers.

4. Everyone talks about effective customer service, ensuring Customer satisfaction. How do you ensure this at NORDIC Shelter?

Customer satisfaction is first and foremost ensured by a close and detailed dialogue with our clients in the preparation of every project, during the design and manufacturing phase and certainly after delivery of the product. We spend large resources in order to ensure that our clients are followed up once systems are delivered and eventually deployed.

5. NORDIC Shelter is growing fast across the globe. How do you see things going forward in Asian region? What else is driving NORDIC Shelter’s growth?

Asia has not yet been a focus market to us. However, we see the Asian economies growing and that they engage more frequently in conflict solving regionally and under the “UN-umbrella”. This will certainly call for more demand of our products in the region.

6. What is the place of innovation in a company as large as NORDIC Shelter? Where are your key markets and where would you see your main focus in the future?

Our clients, as well as the background of key staff members (ex military) is the basis of our in-house innovation process. Our key markets are currently our home market, Scandinavia, The Middle East and the USA.

7. What do you think of all the talk about India as a manufacturing hub for Defence Industry today?

I do think that India may be a future manufacturing hub for our products, wholly or partly. India has got all of the technical and man power resources needed. However, there are trade and tax obstacles that needs to be addressed to ease the set up an operation of manufacturing plants in India.

8. What excites you most about Defence Sector and what were the most important achievements for NORDIC Shelter in Defence Sector?

There is a huge demand for mobile systems, constantly growing since the introduction of the “new” NATO doctrine in the 1990ies and as a result of conflicts World-wide requiring use of International Forces. Nordic Shelter has been fortunate to succeed in the development of operational and supporting mobile shelter systems that fully meet the needs of such forces when operating outside their home countries/home bases.

9. Can you please outline the basic structure of NORDIC Shelter, and about its expertise for containers and shelters for military applications and deployments.

Nordic Shelter AS is multi-national company with a Scandinavian base and headquarters in Norway. Main product components, like special sandwich panels, are manufactured in-house to ensure high quality and deliveries on time. Marketing and sales World-wide are done partly by Nordic Shelter, our subsidiaries or selected partners. Nordic Shelter “strong-points” are: - in-house engineers and key-staff members with long experience in the design and manufacture of special containers and shelters. - a proven record of quality products delivered on time to military clients in Asia, Europe, Middle east, South America and the USA. - Innovation. Nordic Shelter has designed and developed shelter concepts that are uniquely cost-efficient (low investment/low operation cost/long in-service lifetime).

10. Defence Industry is known to be a very critical sector compared to other industries. What’s your view of the Defence market?

The defense market consists from very demanding customers that have strict requirements as to products features and quality. The defense industry must adhere to stringent manufacturing and testing principles and maintain complex quality management systems to satisfy the market. Product enhancement and product development are key parameters in order to enter this market and enable growth.