Nordic News, Business and Life in Asia
Follow the latest business developments connecting the Nordic countries
with Asia. ScandAsia covers companies, investment, trade, technology,
energy, manufacturing and new opportunities across the region.
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Myanmar Investment Commission (MIC) has allowed Norway’s Telenor and another license winner, Qatar-based Ooredoo, with 100 percent investment, said sources quoted by Eleven Myanmar. Read more: Eleven Myanmar
Myanmar grants Telenor full foreign investment Read More
H&M and other major labels that source clothing and shoes from Cambodia have written an open letter to the government, manufacturers and union leaders of the country, expressing major concern …
H&M, major brands decry violence against Cambodian workers Read More
On Thursday January 9 Scandinavian Airlines hosted this month’s Nordic networking event at Admirals Pub in Bangkok. On that occasion the Director and General Manager of SAS Southeast Asia Niels …
Niels Henrik Hansen says goodbye to SAS Bangkok Read More
Volvo Cars reports global sales growth in 2013 thanks to strong China growth. The United States continued to be No.1 market for Volvo Cars, followed by China, contributing to a …
Volvo cars global sales up on strong China growth Read More
Norway’s Telenor is on the lookout for more projects in the Asia despite the planned expansion into Myanmar, the company’s chief executive told Reuters on the sideline of a conference …
Telenor eyes further Asian expansion Read More
Despite sizable decline in salmon exports to China, which dropped by 5,000 tonnes, overall export value totalled NOK39.8 billon (USD6.4 million) in 2013, or a 35 per cent up on …
Norway’s salmon export value soars despite weak China’s demand Read More
A Danish Pavilion will be arranged at the Water Expo during the Singapore Int’l Water Week from 1 – 5 June 2014. The export initiative is arranged in cooperation between Danish Water …
Danish Water Pavilion and Danish Water House in Singapore Read More
WantChinaTimes reported that Swedish mining equipment supplier Sandvik Mining is one of the latest companies to name a Chinese executive after Gao Dinggui was named as president of its construction …
Sweden’s Sandvik Mining appoints Chinese exec Read More
Interaksyon.com reported on 7 Jan 2014 that Jotun, Norway’s leading producer of paints, coatings and powder coatings is setting up a factory in the Philippines. Michael Thorup Kruse, Jotun (Philippines) …
Jotun to set up paint factory in Philippines Read More
China expects to build its new icebreaker before 2016, government officials said, as the veteran Xuelong, or Snow Dragon, remains stuck in Antarctic ice after rescuing 52 passengers from a …
Finland’s Aker to design China’s new icebreaker Read More
Denmark’s largest manufacturer of workwear, MASCOT, inaugurated a newly built factory in Laos in early January 2014. MASCOT constructed the 9000 sq m building and the new production unit becomes …
Danish workwear ‘Mascot’ opens Lao factory Read More
KONE has won an order to provide 36 eco-efficient elevators and four escalators to Liuzhou Diwang International Fortune Center in China. The four-building mixed-use development will be located in the …
KONE wins order for tallest building in Guangxi Province, China Read More
Indonesian cement producer, PT Semen Padang, has ordered a new cement production line with a capacity of 8,000tpd from FLSmidth (Denmark), work EUR40m (DKK 300m), according to a press release …
Indonesian cement plant orders Danish production line Read More
Danish brewer Carlsberg said in December 2013 it had bought the owner of eight Chinese breweries for 1.4 billion kroner (US$258 million) as it grows outside the sluggish markets of …
Carlsberg buys Chongqing Beer Group Read More
Wartsila Corp, one of the world’s largest ship power suppliers and manufacturers by revenue, is hoping to turn China into its biggest market by adding more manufacturing capacity in the …
Wartsila to capitalise on China’s shipbuilding industry Read More
China’s top commerce watchdog is taking a more prudent approach than usual to granting approval for US software giant Microsoft Corp’s takeover of mobile telephone business from Finland-based Nokia, Beijing-based …
China keeps Microsoft’s Nokia takeover under microscope Read More
While electric car sales remain disappointingly low in North America, it’s the exact opposite in Norway, so much so that the existing infrastructure is unable to sustain the demand, according …
Electric car boom outpaces Norway’s infrastructure Read More
China will play a pivotal role in Volvo Car Corp’s global revival plan, said Alain Visser, senior vice-president of the automaker headquartered in Sweden. Volvo has set a goal to …
Volvo Cars’ fate rests with China – not Europe Read More
VANTAA, Finland – Navis Engineering has completed work on its latest project involving Singaporean offshore specialist Miclyn Express Offshore (MEO), following the commissioning of the DP-2 system onboard the Resolution, …
Finland’s Navis deepens ties with SE Asian shipbuilders Read More
While the rest of the country enjoys a break this Christmas, some Finns must work hard to help Santa through the holidays. After all, there is no way Santa can …
China flies in Finnish Santas Read More
Finnish Vacon’s case is a typical scenario showing the important role as the hub for the region that Singapore is increasingly playing. With its pole position in attracting such corporate …
Finnish Vacon’s New Multi-purpose Regional Center Read More
Recently the Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine office and the State Forestry Administration (SFA) jointly issued a notice advising that as of 1 November 2013 China has banned the import …
China bans ash logs, sawnwood from Scandinavia Read More
A year out of bankruptcy and with just two cars a day rolling off its production line, Saab is betting on an as yet unbuilt electric version of a decade …
Saab’s revival hinges on electric cars, China market Read More
Norwegian flotel player Prosafe has secured a contract for use of a semi-submersible accommodation unit off Indonesia. The Safe Astoria will serve offshore gas gathering facilities in the Natuna Sea …
Norway’s Prosafe to rent out ‘flotel’ off Indonesia Read More
UD Trucks on 16 December 2013 delivered the first units of Quester, its all-new heavy-duty truck range, designed specifically for growth markets in Asia and the rest of the world, …
Thai UD Trucks delivers first Quester heavy-duty trucks Read More
The Danish Embassy in cooperation with Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MOLISA) organised a Seminar on Promotion of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in Vietnam in early December 2013. …
Denmark urges Vietnam to invest in people Read More
DKSH’s Business Unit Healthcare has entered into an agreement with Nordic Bioscience to offer clinical trial logistics services in Hong Kong. As part of the deal, DKSH will import investigational …
Nordic Bioscience inks clinical trial logistics deal in HK Read More
IKORNESS, Norway — Upper-end upholstery producer Ekornes has signed a letter of intent to acquire fellow Norwegian producer IMG for an undisclosed price. Ekornes officials said the deal will give …
Norway’s Ekornes acquires IMG Read More
Clothing giant H&M is considering raising retail prices and passing the buck onto the consumer to help pay higher wages to garment workers in poor countries. There won’t be any …
H&M may raise prices to increase Cambodian workers’ wages Read More
Sweden, the third-largest exporter of sawn timber globally, expects shipment to China to triple this year from 2012 on rising demand. Mikael Eliasson, president of Swedish Wood, an industry association, …
Sweden’s timber export to China to triple in 2013 Read More
China International Marine Containers Group (CIMC) has acquired 90-percent ownership of Swedish rig specialist Bassoe Technology AB, announced CIMC Raffles, the group’s major offshore business, on 14 December 2013. Bassoe …
Chinese Group Acquires Swedish Rig Specialist Read More
Denmark’s Haldor Topsoe will invest about DKK900 million to build catalyst plant in China. The board of directors of Haldor Topsoe has approved the capital investment needed to carry out …
Denmark’s Haldor Topsoe to set up catalyst plant in China Read More
Danish bio-innovation company Novozymes and the China Knitting Industry Association (CKIA) have signed a strategic partnership in a bid to jointly promote sustainable development in the Chinese textile industry by …
Novozymes boosts China knitting industry’s green credentials Read More
A section dedicated to Danish food products has recently been opened in the high-end supermarket CenturyMart in Bailian Xijiao Mall in Shanghai by the Consul General in Shanghai, Mr Nicolai …
Chinese supermarket showcases Danish food products Read More
The Finnwatch monitoring group has issued a report detailing poor working conditions at a glass factory in Thailand that produces goods for two prestigious Finnish design companies, Marimekko and Fiskars …
Beautiful Marimekko, Iittala designs made in Thai sweatshops conditions Read More
Volvo Group of Sweden said it is eyeing 50 percent growth of its truck business in Asian countries after it launched a new heavy-duty UD truck range with Dongfeng on …
Volvo group eyes 50% of China, Asian truck business Read More
Nordea Bank, the Nordic region’s largest bank, will open a full-scale currency and money markets desk in Singapore to offer clients trading around the clock as it expands services for …
Nordea to open currency desk in Singapore Read More
Danish brewer Carlsberg upped its stake in China’s Chongqing Brewery to 60 per cent, strengthening its foothold in the world’s largest beer market by volume, and hopes to increase its …
Carlsberg consolidates position in China Read More
The European Commission approved on 27 November Microsoft’s nearly 5.5-billion-euro (S$ 9.3 billion) takeover of the mobile phone business of Finland’s Nokia which once dominated the global industry. The acquisition …
EU clears Microsoft-Nokia mobile phone deal Read More
Long established as a major Pattaya property developer catering mostly to Scandinavians and other Europeans, the New Nordic Group is looking to expand its customer base by targeting more Thai …
New Nordic Group eyes Thai buyers to expand customer base Read More
The 17 Group of Norway, an association of maritime suppliers, expects a 40 percent rise in combined sales in China next year with more high-end ship types being built here. …
Norway’s marine suppliers bullish on China market Read More
Swedish company Midroc Automation has been requested to deliver a fully automated system to manage the World’s largest gold mine in Papua, Indonesia. The client is the American mining company …
Swedish Midroc gets 800 Mil. SEK order in Indonesia Read More
Maersk Line and the intra-Asia container shipping specialist, MCC Transport, celebrated their 20 years of business co-operation in Cambodia with a major celebration in Phnom Penh attended by Public Works …
Maersk Celebrates 20 years in Cambodia Read MoreCargotec has established Sinotruk (Shandong) Hiab Equipment Company a joint venture with the China National Heavy Duty Truck Company (CNHTC). The Finnish manufacturer’s stake in the JV is 50 percent …
Finland’s Cargotec in Chinese truck crane joint venture Read More
A new collaboration which may be a sign of things to come sees a project incorporating innovative European design skills alongside the physical and mechanical attributes of Chinese ship building …
Danish-designed, Chinese-built ships in the offing Read MoreThe Consulate General of Denmark in Guangzhou organised an exquisite Hi-Fi event for a very select group of people at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Guangzhou the 30th of November. …
Consul General in Guangzhou hosts Hi-Fi event Read MoreNorway’s OBX index could be hampered in the near term by developments hitting the fish production and processing sector, according to comments from politicians and market analysts. The problem is …
Norwegian salmon’s China market share dwindles Read MoreForeign businesses, including those from Finland, will enjoy a number of preferential treatments when they invest in the Mekong delta city of Can Tho. Profitable investors in the field of …
Finnish firms urged to invest in Vietnam Read More
Much of Tacloban city in the central Philippines is still littered with debris, weeks after a super typhoon. A welcome addition to the clearing effort is this unmanned aerial vehicle, …
Danish firm launches ‘good drones’ in Philippines typhoon cleanup Read More
Bjørn Kjos and his low-cost carrier Norwegian Airlines now have a total of 55 routes from Copenhagen Airport. Latest they opened one to Fort Lauerdale in Florida. In an interview …
Bjørn Kjos and Norwegian aim at Asia in the future Read More