Get to know Garda Road Safety better (GRS)! The company uses the product LCA Project, which has been further developed and adapted together with MEF into what is now the MEF Climate Calculator. MEF is an independent industry and employer organization that represents a little over 2,400 small, medium, and large companies.
We had an interesting and insightful conversation with the company’s HSE and Quality Manager, Alf Eldar Nikkerud. Alf Eldar joined the company a year and a half ago and has been involved in the entire journey with the MEF Climate Calculator for GRS. He is a trained computer engineer with a long background in retail and extensive experience in quality management and assurance.
You can read more about Alf Eldar here.
All images have permission from Garda Road Safety AS.
Garda Road Safety – Leading Player in Road Safety
Garda Road Safety (GRS) is the result of the merger between Trygg Vei and Veisikring. GRS has 121 experienced employees, with a turnover of over 550 million, and a long and proud history. The company is part of Garda Sikring Group – Northern Europe’s leading company in security solutions, with 1,700 employees and a turnover of NOK 4 billion.
The company has over 30 years of history and is a specialized firm in traffic safety, leading in Norway for crash-resistant guardrail solutions, supplying guardrails in both steel and concrete. GRS has its own certifications according to the European EN-1317 standard (crash-resistant guardrails) and uses several leading suppliers in Norway and Europe. GRS also has over 30 years of experience in the field of road and bridge guardrails, with particularly strong expertise in various bearing and expansion joint solutions.
The machinery includes modern, fully automated post drivers, crane trucks, wheel loaders, and excavators. GRS has its own workshop where we develop and build post drivers and other specialized equipment. The company is led by Clas Brede Bråthen.
You can read more about the company here.
Several factors that influenced the focus on environmental documentation
“There are several factors that triggered the focus on environmental documentation and the collaboration with LCA.no. Public purchasers are placing greater emphasis on environmental requirements than before. We are noticing that sustainability and environmental documentation are increasingly becoming competitive factors. Our partners require that we can document the environmental impact of our services in a verified and competitive manner.
Many of our customers are public and/or larger private clients. We must be prepared. We also wanted to be future-ready for the green transition. This means we need insight into both foreign and Norwegian suppliers. We wanted to be able to choose suppliers based on their environmental profile, such as whether they could deliver approved EPDs and had structures in place to further develop this. Garda, as owners, also wanted us to spend time and resources on environmental work,” says Alf Eldar.
Smooth collaboration characterized by high trust
We asked how GRS got in touch with LCA.no. The feedback was that it was somewhat coincidental, but in the early stages, it was Garda who connected GRS with the LCA EPD Generator. There was a maturation process within the company to fully embrace the new tools. GRS got in contact with KAM Bjørn Flagestad at LCA.no via MEF. Alf Eldar explains that GRS has greatly appreciated Bjørn’s contributions. There are always positive responses. GRS highlights that Bjørn has been an important partner and very thorough in the sales and customer follow-up process. This builds trust. Bjørn has gained a deep understanding of the customer’s business and processes. GRS also values the invitations to various seminars and the good follow-up they have received.
Would you like to know more about EPD? Visit our knowledge bank.
Strong leadership involvement from the start
At GRS, the management was involved from the very beginning of the procurement process. The HSE and Quality Manager, along with the Managing Director, have been heavily involved in the process. GRS wanted a thorough introduction to the issues from the start. A4 and transport were central for GRS, and the company received clear answers from LCA.no. GRS wanted to deliver a final result they were completely confident in. There should be no uncertainty or doubts about the environmental documentation the company presented.
Available tool that met our needs
What convinced you that LCA.no’s solution was the right one for the company? “It was the available tool that met our needs. Our collaboration with MEF was also crucial. We appreciated the good user interface and ease of use. We also need to highlight the excellent user support and follow-up. It gives us the necessary confidence. We were dependent on implementing a well-functioning tool just to qualify for submitting bids,” explains Alf.
Strong project anchoring
The company had a clear plan regarding EPD and environmental requirements, and this was well established within the organization. GRS focused on building competence from March 2023, around the same time Alf Eldar joined the company and took on project responsibility. The company wanted to be prepared when the environmental documentation requirements from clients were implemented. There was a clear awareness, and the initiative was documented in the company’s governance documents. The company emphasized both the risk and opportunity perspectives, with Alf Eldar particularly highlighting the opportunity aspect, which became central to the organization. GRS has received positive feedback from the company’s auditors, stating that they have a good plan, the plan has been implemented, and it is an integrated part of the strategy.
Fast and frictionless delivery
“We had 3-4 meetings with Bjørn Flagestad (KAM at LCA.no), and then LCA.no set up the solution in just a few days. We received great help and support along the way. All our questions were answered professionally, which created high trust and laid the foundation for a good collaboration. We have had internal follow-up to provide employees with a clear direction in this work. It has mainly been the Procurement and Quality departments that have been trained. We have communicated and supported the employees in their work. We also want to point out that many of our employees do not have extensive digital competence. This was handled excellently through training and follow-up by LCA.no,” says Alf Eldar.
Already seeing positive results from the delivery
“We are seeing improvements in efficiency and greater accuracy in the data and processes. We have won three tender competitions where EPD was part of the evaluation criteria. The expertise we have gained in evaluating suppliers and setting requirements for them has been central to our sales efforts. We use this expertise to advise our suppliers, influencing them to prioritize environmental documentation work and put it on their agenda. This way, we ensure that our national and international suppliers can offer more sustainable products. We spend a lot of time providing guidance and advice to our partners and suppliers. We are also noticing great interest from foreign suppliers.
These are clear indicators that, in the coming years, we will improve our work on sustainability and environmental documentation throughout our value chain. This will give us a better competitive position. We are already seeing that the environmental requirements around EPD in public procurement are yielding the desired results: those who do not prioritize the environment and sustainability are disqualified from the competition”, explains Alf Eldar.
By using the Climate Calculator, we have implemented an efficient digital solution for environmental documentation. This streamlines our processes and strengthens our competitive position. The tool is simple, user-friendly, and professional. The software has made it easier for us to manage our environmental documentation in an efficient and accurate way. We have received excellent help from KAM Bjørn Flagestad and the support department at LCA.no. There has always been a good and positive tone – helpful people. We hope you can continue providing customer support in this way. Our questions have often been challenging, but the support has been outstanding. – Alf Eldar Nikkerud, HSE and Quality Manager, Garda Road Safety AS
Plans for strengthening competence and new applications
GRS plans to take the next step in acquiring additional competence to assist suppliers and employees. GRS will involve the group so that the group gains a better understanding of what the company is doing in the environmental area, specifically regarding EPD. “With A1-A3, we want a ‘deep dive’ into what this is and how we can understand its content, to increase competence so that we have greater insight, both in terms of advising and in setting requirements for those we purchase materials from.
Once we have acquired the necessary competence in A1-A4, we want to look at the next step, A5 (construction/installation), and then C1-C4 (end of life). By increasing our competence, we will be able to have even greater influence on the environmental impact and choose products with the right environmental profile that are also competitive,” explains Alf Eldar.
GRS expects environmental requirements to become even stricter in future tender competitions, and this will also reflect societal expectations (in compliance with laws). The company will use its increased insight to provide good advice to its partners. The company will prioritize the work of setting the right environmental requirements for suppliers and ensuring these are followed.
GRS is working to establish environmental collaboration across Garda. The goals are clear: GRS will be a sustainable, future-ready company with a clear connection between strategy and daily activities.
The company also wishes to involve LCA.no in its strategic focus on environmental matters and has already agreed on follow-up activities. Asphalt and bridge maintenance are areas that GRS wants to analyze further.
Our collaboration with Garda Road Safety has been characterized by mutual trust and a shared understanding of the importance of sustainability. We have worked closely with them to ensure that they get the most out of the Climate Calculator, and it has been a pleasure to see how the tool has helped them streamline processes and strengthen their competitiveness. The fact that we were able to deliver a tailored solution quickly and with a high degree of user-friendliness has been crucial to the success. The collaboration with Garda has been both educational and rewarding, and we look forward to continuing to support them in their sustainability efforts. – Bjørn Flagestad, KAM, LCA.no
We thank GRS for their contribution to this article and for the collaboration so far. We look forward to following the company’s strategic focus on sustainability and the use of digital tools for environmental documentation, such as the Climate Calculator we developed in collaboration with MEF.
Would you like to increase your expertise in environmental documentation? We regularly offer courses for our customers and other interested parties. Feel free to check our course calendar.