Page 8 - Mantena Annual Report 2021

Message from the Managing Director/CEO
MANTENA
– ALWAYS MOVING FORWARD
Mantena is an essential part of a climate-friendly, efficient and safe mode of transport. Every year our employees carry out very important jobs for the railways and for our customers.
We help to ensure that millions of passengers
and millions of tonnes of freight arrive safely at their
destination. As well as passengers and freight arriving safely, we do our part to maintain the value of trains and other railway equipment over time. Through good and efficient maintenance, we help to keep trains in service for up to 30-40 years.
Mantena has a central role
in development
The railways in Norway and the other Nordic countries are undergoing rapid development and digitisation. New equipment is being bought in, to provide for higher frequency and more trains
to meet society’s need for increasingly climate-friendly transport solutions.
Mantena is part of the development
of the railways. One example of this is the rollout of ERTMS within Norwegian railways, which you can read about
in this annual report. This is currently Norway’s largest digitisation project and represents a technology boost for the whole of the rail sector in Norway.
Developing rail operation
We continued to win contracts against tough competition in 2021. However, we also saw a negative financial result for the year. This is mainly due to provisions for expected losses on contracts entered into previously, challenges related to
the pandemic and a need for further streamlining of operations.
Measures were initiated through 2021 both to strengthen the company’s financial position and to increase competitiveness. The measures include an efficiency improvement programme which will help to reduce costs and substantially improve competitiveness over the next two years.
We have also reviewed the contract portfolio and terminated several unprofitable agreements in 2021 and 2022.
Greater focus on HSE
As a responsible employer and provider of essential services to the rail sector, Mantena has a clear focus on HSE in all parts of the business. The HSE work in Mantena was stepped up during the year and will continue in 2022.
Always moving forward
We will also continue to develop our methodology for maintaining rail equipment. There is significant potential in the industry both to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions from rail operations and to increase efficiency in the value chain for customers.
Mantena will always be moving forward, and we aim to be a driver for a climate- friendly, efficient and secure railway sector in the coming years.
Best wishes,
John Arne Ulvan, Managing Director/CEO
8 Annual Report 2021
John Arne Ulvan