People

Marius Aaen Svendsen has been a part of Sydvaranger since January 2013, when he began work as a maintenance engineer. Today he is the maintenance manager, a position that entails leading the maintenance work taking place on all fixed and mobile installations, spanning the entire operation from the mining area to the shiploader.

When the company shut down in 2015, Marius briefly commuted to his new job at Sibelco. However, when the Tschudi Group acquired Sydvaranger in 2016, he took the opportunity to return to Sydvaranger, this time as the maintenance manager.

“I am extremely happy to be a part of this journey, and to be a part of the Sydvaranger team,” Marius says smilingly, “Sydvaranger is a part of me and a unique place to work! The “Sydvaranger soul” and the hard work and dedication of all our team members motivates me every day. The team has extremely strong competence within all aspects of Sydvaranger’s operations. What makes that even more special is that this competence is available locally.” One of Sydvaranger’s main focus-areas is local talent development and nurturing excellence – both within our company and among our local subcontractors.

Freid Sæther had his first day of work at Sydvaranger in 1975. Prior to working at Sydvaranger, he had 12 years of experience working as a sailor and within maritime logistics. Today he is head of the port and rail operations at Sydvaranger.

Freid is a good example of the valuable experience base Sydvaranger has built over time. With a total of 33 years of experience from Sydvaranger’s operations, his heart beats for mining. In 1978 he became responsible for maintaining the pelletizing plant in Kirkenes, and from 1993 he also became responsible for the port facilities. In 1993, Sydvaranger implemented a NS-ISO 9001 quality assurance system, where Freid became responsible for creating and maintaining the procedures and internal control systems. After the closure of “old” Sydvaranger in 1997 Freid work for a continuation of mining in Kirkenes with the company Arctic Bulk Minerals. He held the role as manager until the attempt at restarting ultimately failed due to low iron ore prices. Later, Freid worked for the company Stord on the offshore projects Snøhvit and Ormen Lange.

He jumped at the opportunity when he was offered to return to Sydvaranger, and in 2009 he walked through Sydvaranger’s gates once more. Since then, he has been head of the port and rail operations at Sydvaranger. Freid has continued working with quality assurance and management systems, and in 2018 he has worked to implement the new DNV GL ISO 9001:2015 certification for the port.

Henning Mortensen has worked at Sydvaranger since January 2010. When he began working as an Operator at Sydvaranger, he had previously worked as a carpenter. He later became a Production Supervisor, and today he is a certified production technician and leads the work within processing and chemistry.

Henning has a real love for his place of work: “Sydvaranger is a very dynamic place to work, where we all get very involved and treat each other like family. We love challenges, we dare to fail, and we believe in constant improvement. It makes me proud to see good team dynamics, pride and joy in all parts of the production process. The culture at Sydvaranger is unique. The best thing about working at a place like Sydvaranger, is that you never know what challenges a working day may bring - to be able to accept these challenges and to leave for the day with the feeling of having accomplished something meaningful is fantastic.”

At Sydvaranger he has helped apprentices achieve their certifications as part of a learning culture: “The future of Sydvaranger depends upon young and ambitious operators, from truckers in the mining area to workers at the port terminal loading concentrate. Working at Sydvaranger brings you great opportunities, and I encourage young people to complete the necessary schooling in order to join us as apprentices. Norway needs skilled workers, and Sydvaranger needs skilled workers,” Mr. Mortensen says passionately. “I am currently studying at the technical school in Kirkenes to strengthen my skills for the future. In order to succeed as a company, we have to grow the skills and the can-do spirit – and everyone has to contribute. The time to invest inthe future is now!”

Sydvaranger apprenticeship program commenced August 2018 with a goal of developing the locally based talent pool. The company’s very first apprentice is 23-year-old Asef Ahmadi, who came to Norway 6 years ago from Pakistan and is now undergoing training to become an industrial machinery mechanic.

“Sydvaranger is a great place to work – I believe that as long as we all work hard and pull together as a team, we have every opportunity to succeed. There is nothing I want more than for the company to ramp up to full production, as this would have such good impact on the local community and the people living here. I consider myself lucky to have landed an apprenticeship with the company, and I strongly recommend others to apply for the apprenticeship program. I look forward to every working day and will hopefully be offered a permanent position with the company when the apprenticeship is completed,” Asef says enthusiastically with a big smile on his face.

Sydvaranger’s core values are Teamwork, Enthusiasm, Ambition and Motivation (“TEAM”), and Asef exemplifies these values. In addition to being an apprentice he is working in a local grocery shop, as he is not only supporting himself, but also his family back in Pakistan. Coming from a part of the world where getting an education and landing a job can be difficult, Asef values being able to getting a proper education. As the oldest of 5 children, he considers it his responsibility to make sure his siblings get a proper education.