From alpha to
Omega.
From alpha to Omega.
Omega – a company’s name, that doesn’t ring too many bells for the general public – is a successfully operating international company also present in Klaipėda, that has already been recognised for rapid growth and the input into Lithuanian market by providing competitive jobs and global competence to customers in Lithuania. Originating from Ølensvåg, Norway this local IT shared service centre (SSC) branch focuses on software systems development for the world’s leading players in the oil and gas industry and the public sector. Alongside the growth of IT industry and emerging talents in the field, the company has become a beacon attracting specialists to Klaipėda.
But let’s rewind to the beginning. Since 1991 as a software and consultancy company, working primarily with the oil and gas businesses, Omega is now a market leader and the second largest software company in Norway, according to Norwegian Finance Magazine “Kapital”. Over the years Omega built up expertise in project management and systems development and was able to expand into other sectors such as transportation, construction, healthcare and won contracts with world’s largest organizations, like Equinor, BP, Repsol, Maersk, TAP and others. Today Omega has 19 offices with over 1300 employees located in 10 different countries and contradicts any need for product or service marketing as most new clients are secured merely on the strength of satisfied customers’ recommendations.
Global office in Klaipėda
The journey to set up the SSC in Lithuania took two years, though. Two of Klaipeda University master graduates were employed for a couple of years in the Norwegian headquarters, where they lived and breathed the company’s native culture, soaked-in all the ins and outs of the technology, products and services. Then and only then they were given the green light to set up operations in Klaipėda.
The decision to open a division in Klaipėda was based on a few incentives, which apply to this day.
“Klaipeda got many talented people, and the quality of education traditionally was strong, whereas the jobs market is not yet as saturated as in other big Lithuanian cities, so it is easier to create stable, long-lasting relations with employees. This is crucial for Omega since we have to train our own resources for an extended period of time until they become efficient in daily tasks,” – states Vadim Narožnij, the director at Omega in Klaipėda.
The successful Omega’s start and rapid growth are rooted in strategical decisions made in the very beginning. A lot of support was received from collaboration with a local law firm and Klaipėda’s Science and Technology Park (KSTP). The advantages that come from the KSTP have fulfilled the company’s needs to the fullest to this day: modern facilities, all-inclusive services and competitive rental rates.
“The additional benefits being a member of the park include helpful administration, periodically arranged training, consultations, events as well as outstanding opportunities to collaborate with various organizations, be it a new potential project, like LitChain, or a social initiative, like CoderDojo for school pupils,” – added V. Narožnij.
Products and services
Omega’s shared service centre in Klaipėda provides IT solutions on a multi-national level. Specifically, Lithuanian branch office is focused on software systems development. The specialists are competent in all the areas of IT: cloud infrastructure and setup, application framework (Appframe) development, Pims modules creation and maintenance, and global customer support.
Their most successful ready-made or tailored project management tool (Pims) is a unique software package designed to optimize the sharing and storage of project information. It consists of several different modules, and each module is tailored to the various phases of a project, for example, document control, risk management, completion management, HSE, cost and contract management, and is mainly used on complex oil and gas projects, but also has clients within the logistics, pharmaceutical and public sector.
Special training
According to V. Narožnij, the specifics of the company’s services require the employees to have a rock-solid knowledge of database design, requirements management, system engineering methodologies and skills with the tools Appframe is based on: Microsoft SQL Server, .NET and the modern web technologies, like HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript. So, if an employee does not yet have a firm grasp of all tools required for the job, the company must first invest in his start-up training.
“Majority of our employees come straight from universities, who have an opportunity to prove their strengths and learn more about the company prior to employment – during the study practices. For students of the master’s degree, we have an established internship program with a flexible schedule where young professionals can combine studies and practical training in real development groups,” – says director of Omega branch in Klaipeda.
Even with a master’s degree in IT, the knowledge new employees bring is just the tip of the iceberg needed to fully understand the depth of the Omega’s systems. Hence, the company developed a special onboarding process called “Appframe Certification Program”, which allows the candidates to demonstrate their potential and skills and cover the basics of the functions in a short period of time.
Future
Omega SSC division in Klaipėda is expanding to create up to 20 new job positions. For the time being the plan is to hire and settle talents in the city in order to maintain the high standards of the team already in place.
“We are happy Omega has chosen to further solidify its position in Klaipeda. In 2018 a 12-year plan was put in motion to strategically attract more top-tier talents, who would take part in strengthening the service sector. Klaipėda ID and the city are more than ready to support Omega and any other shared service centre looking to expand or establish its presence in Klaipėda,” says Simas Simanauskas, director of Klaipėda city development agency Klaipėda ID.
Suffice to say that Omega’s success story validates the city’s advantages – a multitude of talents, a strong education system and an attractive cost-to-quality ratio. What is more, Omega and Klaipėda coexist in a symbiotic relationship, in which the company brings diversity in job opportunities and attracts top-tier talents – all this increases the potential for the city with strong manufacturing traditions to become a leader in IT sector.