Our Formula One strategy, launched spring 2024, is about building one team that pulls in the same direction, leveraging our expertise from start to finish. By collaborating across the Nordics, we will share best practises and technology, integrate sustainable actions, and use new tech to enhance positive impact and productivity.
One year into the strategy a digital transformation is beginning to take shape. We have launched several pilots that demonstrate that there is an easier and simpler way of working.
- Digitalization at NRC Group is about making every day work simpler, projects more profitable, and decisions more informed, says Espen Slyngstad, Head of Digitalization at NRC Group. Our approach is hands-on, data-driven, and rooted in project realities. We start by identifying needs in the field and test solutions through targeted pilots before scaling them to the rest of the organization.
Pilots in Action
Several exciting pilots are already underway in NRC Norway:
- Automated HR and HSE reporting to reduce manual work and improve data quality,
- Ditio as the single interface for skilled workers to handle time tracking, check-in, checklists, and deviations,
- Endre - simplifying variation order management and giving full control over changes.
- The Project Manager Cockpit, giving managers real-time insight into key data creating early awareness and enabling data driven decisions,
- Leasi, a tool for better managing and utilizing our machine company’s resources,
- A data platform pilot at Gunnar Knutsen focused on automation and simplification,
- And AI-generated bids – our first step towards automating the tendering process.
While many of these initial pilots are taking place in Norway, they are designed with scale in mind, so experiences can be shared across Sweden and Finland.
- We aim to become the most ambitious infrastructure builder in the Nordics. Using modern technology to simplify everyday work for all our talented people, provide timely data of high quality to support fact-based decisions, and remove duplication of effort, are important aspects of this ambition, says Marianne Ulland Kellmer, Executive Vice President, Group Head of HR and Digitalisation.
This work has already begun through targeted pilots in NRC Norway, with a focus on better decision-making for improved quality, efficiency, and overall project execution. It’s a key enabler for delivering growth, achieving our margin targets, and being an attractive employer. Technology should make it easier to succeed – and modern, user-friendly solutions will help differentiate us from the competition.
Highly Intuitive and Easy to Navigate
At the Stange project, Benjamin Lystad-Larsen, assistant project manager, has been testing the Ditio app together with other employees. The goal of the testing is to evaluate it as a common interface for skilled workers on the project. In Ditio, they can continuously log hours directly to production codes, check in at the worksite, complete checklists, and report HSE and quality deviations – all in one place.
At the Stange project, Benjamin Lystad-Larsen and Helene Lykke Beer-Svendsen are making the most of Ditio.
- The app is intuitive, easy to navigate, and saves time for both field and admin staff. When checking in, you just select your trade and the relevant work operation, and you're instantly directed to the checklist. No more scrolling through the whole project. It even gets to know you over time and can remind you to check in or out. And since it's integrated with HMSREG, all your check-ins and check-outs are automatically registered, says Benjamin.
He adds: we gather data from checklists, photos, safety alerts (RUH), DUM inspections, machinery checklists, and more. Ditio integrates well with other systems - like our setup with Leasi for the machine department - and offers a range of features tailored to our needs.
Simplifying Work to Accelerate Results
- One of the main barriers to achieving our goals in NRC Norway has been fragmented systems, manual processes, and inconsistent use of tools. We're now taking clear steps to standardize, automate data flows between systems, and break down data silos. Our aim is simple: register data once, ensure one shared source of truth, and give employees a unified workspace with everything they need to make informed decisions, says Ingvild Storås, Managing Director of NRC Group Norway.
Using AI to Deliver Smarter, More Targeted Tenders
Another noteworthy pilot is the AI-driven tender platform developed by NRC Group, now being used by the Rail division in Norway.
This innovative tool enables the creation of more tailored, structured, and high-quality implementation descriptions – faster and more efficiently – supporting a smarter and more competitive bidding process
- Instead of spending time building lengthy descriptions from scratch, a smaller team from the tender department can now prepare a solid draft using the AI tool. When our subject matter experts are brought in, they can focus entirely on strengthening and customizing the parts that require their specialist knowledge, says Sindre Sæteren, Head of Market and Tendering, NRC Norway AS, Rail Division.
The Rail division is already using the platform, Civil has started, and NRC Group Finland is currently testing it. This means that development in one area, supports progress across the organization.
- We know the quality of the platform's output depends on what we put into it - and how we interact with it. While the first drafts require some initial effort, the results so far give us confidence that this will become a key tool going forward, says Sindre.
Looking Ahead – One Year from Now
In one year, we aim to have rolled out the first version of our project solution to all projects in Norway. This will give us a shared workspace for project management, built on real-time data, with automated reporting fully in place.
By then, we will have access to far more operational data than before and will have started combining this with advanced analytics, language models, and AI tools. We will also have tested the use of AI agents in at least two processes – with the goal of achieving both greater precision and reduced manual work.
This marks the beginning of a new way of running projects. While the pilots at the time being are mostly in Norway, the strategy is Nordic and scaling to Finland and Sweden is in the pipeline.