ÅF Offshore Race begins with news of renewed cooperation

ÅF and Royal Swedish Yacht Club sign agreement for continued cooperation – ÅF is title sponsor for at least three more years.

ÅF Offshore Race 2016 kicks off with a variety of activities and venues with both clients and students.

This year ÅF announced a competition, the ÅF Innovation Race, in which three teams of three students each, over a 24-hour period, had to work on a proposal for how to make Stockholm more sustainable by 2050 by using water. The students were very creative and the winning team were the students, Chris Chong, Lia Zetterlund and Ray Ngéno, that came up with a solution for future public transport. The solution included both an analysis of where new lines should be placed, as well as concepts for amphibian buses which will operate the new routes. The amphibian buses are able to travel on land and water, they are powered by solar cells and hydrogen and can accommodate both travelers and their bikes and strollers. The team also presented an idea on how the buses should be cleaned at the entry and descent into the water.

The jury included: Nyamko Sabuni, Sustainability Director, ÅF; Thomas Sandell, Sandellsandberg; Karin Wanngård, Finance Commissioner, City of Stockholm; Petra Wadström, award-winning inventor of Solvatten; and Anders Snell, Executive Director, ÅFORSK.

The winning team was ...

The motivation from the jury: "A solution that combines social, ecological and economic sustainability factors. The team impresses with a thorough analysis of where the new lines will be placed and the solution connects the city with water and provides Stockholm right conditions to continue to grow in a sustainable way."

For the third year in a row ÅF and main sponsor Volvo Cars hosted a client seminar entitled “Digitalisation - Future Connected”. Speakers and panellists were Erik Kruse, Ericsson; Hans Dahlberg, Telia Company; Petra Sundstrom, Husqvarna; Claes Tingvall, ÅF; and My Lindström, Volvo Cars. Discussions were on how digitalisation will change offers, business models, corporate partnership, how companies need to adapt to selling services, and in that change try to focus on how to create value for the client tomorrow. They talked about controlling legal requirements, smart vehicles and transport solutions, online infrastructure and how to find a different core than its traditional.

ÅF arranged, also for the third year in a row, a popular Energy Seminar on “Requirements for the Electricity Market of the Future”. About 70 clients participated with representatives from energy companies, industry, trade associations, government agencies and technology providers. Participants heard how new technology is revolutionising the energy market today. Erik Hedström from Ericsson provided insight into the digitalisation of the energy sector and Olle Johansson from Circle K, talked about how more clients are generating their own electricity and the “off-grid” concept. Carina Håkansson from Skogsindustrierna spoke about how the forestry industry is planning for the future. Elin Broström from the Swedish Energy Markets Inspectorate explained how they ensure a viable future electricity market while facing today's challenges.

Besides this, ÅF has two sponsor tents in the Race Village at Skeppsholmen where there is a knot-tying school and popcorn, and also coffee for the visitors. ÅF also has an augmented reality station where a digitalisation consultant has used this technique to visualise the race course from Stockholm, around Gotland and finishing in Sandhamn.