Orkla Associates

REC is a major actor in the solar energy industry. The business covers every part of the value chain, from production of raw material to finished solar cells and modules. As a global actor, REC mainly serves markets in Europe, the USA and Asia. The company has about 2,350 employees, and its business activities are organised into three divisions: REC Silicon, REC Wafer and REC Solar.

REC continued to expand its operations in 2008. Investments have been made to expand the company's capacity on three continents, a process that will continue in 2009. REC is developing new technology, and expectations are highest with regard to the new Fluidized Bed Reactors (FBR) silicon technology.

Several major delivery contracts were signed in the course of the year with pre-defined fixed prices and volumes for many years to come, the longest contracts running up until 2015.

http://www.recgroup.com/

Jotun is one of the world's foremost manufacturers of paints, coatings and powder coatings. The Group has 71 companies and 40 production facilities on all continents. In addition, Jotun has agents, sales offices and distributors in more than 70 countries. The Group has a total of 7,100 employees. Jotun's operations include development, production, marketing and sale of a range of paint systems, as well as products designed to protect and decorate surfaces in the residential, shipping and industrial markets.

The Jotun Group comprises four divisions: Jotun Decorative, Jotun Paints, Jotun Coatings and Jotun Powder Coatings. Each division has its specific products, segments and geographical areas of responsibility.

Jotun strengthened its market positions in 2008, and achieved good growth in key areas of Asia and the Middle East. Towards the end of the year, however, the Group felt the impact of the global economic decline. Jotun has taken steps to increase focus on outstanding claims and cost-reduction measures in preparation for more turbulent markets ahead.

Nevertheless, Jotun continued to pursue its long-term strategy, with focus on positioning the Group in countries and segments where growth is expected to be relatively strong in the longer term. A new factory was opened in India in 2008. A new plant is expected to be opened in South Korea in spring 2009, and work continues on plans to build new production facilities in Libya and USA.

http://www.jotun.com/