Why Bolaks chose Synfaring
– “We spend less time and have fewer misunderstandings. We are very impressed at the quality of their work, and we have achieved fantastic results with Synfaring.”
These are the words of Mark Ringeling, technical manager of Bolaks, a fully integrated producer of Atlantic salmon.
Bolaks has 10 aquaculture licences, 2 broodstock licences and one onshore facility producing roe, all of which are in Bjørnafjorden municipality. The company also owns BF Sjø, which manages operations at sea. They are involved in every stage of the process – from breeding to the final product of packaged fish.
Synfaring started by providing services in vessel inspection of work boats, and when Bolaks decided to reduce the number of suppliers, Synfaring was a natural candidate.
– “We performed an analysis, and discovered that we had more than 300 different suppliers, of which 16 were in areas representing 80% of turnover. We went through what we could do, and concluded that it would be beneficial to reduce the number of suppliers,” Ringeling explains.
Synfaring provides engineering, servicing and consultancy services regarding structures, lifting, vessels and marine operations. The company has a unique set of skills and accreditations, particularly within fish farming.
– “It was only Synfaring that could provide all the certifications and cover all the technical fields we needed,” Ringeling explains.
Synfaring and Bolaks started by signing a framework agreement for a trial period. When that period was over, the companies signed an exclusive contract. Synfaring became the full-service provider of inspection and certification services, and other related services.
– “During the trial period, we were able to show Bolaks that we practise what we preach. We have always had a good, close dialogue with Bolaks; we ‘speak the same language’,” explains Tormod Grindheim, head of Synfaring’s aquaculture department, and Bolaks’s Ringeling agrees:
– “The service, the skills and the quality of the work we get from Synfaring were the main reason we chose them. We find Synfaring’s staff to be extremely competent, and they respond quickly to incidents. Obviously, price comes into it, but it is the overall package that is important.
At Bolaks, we are committed to farming fish in harmony with nature, with a strong focus on fish welfare, traceability and quality. The company has a big technical department, but this is intentional,” says Ringeling.
“Some companies are very conservative, while Synfaring challenges us in a serious and competent way. We have achieved incredible things with them.”
– “We take the regulations very seriously, and our aim is to be a serious company. It’s not cheap, but it’s important for us. We aim to have a good and honest dialogue with the supervisory authorities, and have had good feedback from them.”
Here too, Bolaks is impressed at the assistance they have had from Synfaring.
– “They are not afraid to challenge the supervisory authorities about anything they think is a problem. Some companies are very conservative, while Synfaring challenges us in a serious and competent way. We have achieved incredible things with them,” says Ringeling.
Synfaring is also generous with the compliments when it comes to Bolaks as a customer.
– “We have found that Bolaks wants the same as us. They have skilled professionals who monitor our work closely and expect high quality, and that is what we want to deliver. We both share a goal of ensuring that all the equipment is in order, and for safety to be the priority,” Grindheim says.
Both Synfaring and Bolaks find that the full-service provider contract gives them financial and professional predictability. And financially, the collaboration with Synfaring has already allowed Bolaks to save considerable sums.
– “Among other things, Synfaring has helped us to introduce modern methods of recycling material, which saves us from having to buy new material when we set up a new facility. We also save a lot of time, because communication is much more efficient than when we had multiple suppliers, and we save time on obtaining new offers,” says Ringeling.
With a full-service provider, Bolaks also finds that they have less down time, because multiple different inspections can be performed at the same time.
– “It is also beneficial to Synfaring as a provider to supply the same client with multiple services. For example, if there is anything we are not sure of in an analysis, we can walk across the corridor and ask the person who performed it. This avoids duplication of work and misunderstandings,” explains Grindheim.