Lars Tore Gellein

Plasto must be the unofficial national champion of research.

“Plasto is the poster company for contracting research. I think they must be the official national champion of research projects.”

Lars Tore Gellein of SINTEF Raufoss Manufacturing AS (SRM) smiles as he gives the analogy.

“From a research perspective, Plasto is a very attractive partner. They have a comprehensive awareness of trends and developments, they have great knowledge and insight, as well as a wide network of contacts, and they are skilled at bringing in new ideas and suggesting new research projects,” Gellein says.

Gellein emphasizes the importance of triggering the interests of research communities, piquing their curiosity.

“The Plasto team excels at taking in new things. They actively participate in every research project they are part of, and they give researchers a lot of feedback. This gives us a lot to work with,” Gellein explains.
He believes Plasto and Lars Stenerud are authority figures in the field; their opinions carry a lot of weight in the Norwegian manufacturing industry.

You have headed up several international research projects with 15–20 partners, where Plasto was one of the corporate partners. Do you find that Plasto’s size and geographical location are drawbacks in these types of projects?

“Actually, no. On the contrary. Many international research projects seek out small and medium-sized companies as partners, as these types of business make up the majority of the corporate landscape in most countries. In Norway, too. Plasto’s size is usually perfect for these types of projects.