Westcontrol Berget is currently experiencing a period of rapid growth. At the beginning of 2020, the company employed 110 people. Today, that number has grown to more than 220. This expansion is the result of a long-term commitment to modernization and increased production capacity, with the collaboration with Boeing serving as a key driver of this development.
“Our partnership with Boeing since 2020 has been of great importance, both for Westcontrol Berget and for the Notodden community as a whole,” says Managing Director Inge Flaten.
He is proud to have one of the world’s leading aerospace and defence companies as a strategic partner.
Under Flaten’s leadership, the company has achieved record-breaking revenue growth and has become the largest private employer in Notodden.
“Through our industrial cooperation with Boeing, we have been able to carry out extensive upgrades across our production facilities. These improvements are visible throughout our entire value chain,” Flaten explains.
He points out that one of the main reasons for the company’s continued growth is its expanded ability to deliver a broad range of services across precision machining, cable manufacturing and electronics production.
In Norway, industrial cooperation—known as industrial cooperation agreements through the Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA)—means that international defence suppliers not only deliver equipment to Norway, but also commit to projects that strengthen Norwegian industry through technology transfer, industrial assignments and capability development. The objective is to enhance national expertise and supply chain resilience where it is relevant to the Norwegian Armed Forces.
As part of this cooperation, Westcontrol Berget has made substantial investments in both equipment and production systems at its precision machining facility in Tuven and its cable manufacturing facility in Høgås.
These investments have improved production flow, increased efficiency and strengthened the company’s competitiveness within the defence industry. They also support Norway’s long-term ambition to build a stronger national defence industry in response to an increasingly complex global security environment.
“The value created at Westcontrol Berget and in the Notodden community is an excellent example of what industrial cooperation can achieve,” says Kun H. Roh, Technology Transfer Manager at Boeing.
Having followed the partnership closely and visited both Westcontrol Berget and Notodden on several occasions, Roh emphasizes that the collaboration is about much more than technology and manufacturing—it is equally about people.
Westcontrol Berget has made workforce development a strategic priority by creating opportunities for more people to enter the labour market.
The company actively invests in apprenticeships, particularly within precision machining. Due to the limited availability of specialised expertise in cable manufacturing, it has also established its own internal training programmes to develop the required skills.
Through close cooperation with the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV), both in these training programmes and through other initiatives, motivated individuals—particularly young people—are given the opportunity to build careers in a high-tech manufacturing environment.
According to Flaten, this is an important part of the company’s contribution to the local community.
“We are proud to play an important role in creating a more inclusive labour market in our region. Our industrial cooperation with Boeing has been an essential part of making that possible.”
Westcontrol Berget plans to recruit at least 30 additional employees during the remainder of 2026, with the potential for further growth later in the year.
“We look forward to continuing our successful industrial partnership with Boeing and greatly appreciate the trust they have placed in us. This collaboration enables us to remain both a leading supplier to the Norwegian defence industry and an important cornerstone employer in our region,” Flaten concludes.