Aker Solutions and ABB are joining together to develop new technical solutions for the oil and gas industry, but people shouldn't take that to mean there's a merger on the cards. That was the message from senior managers in both organisations when they discussed yesterday's announcement the Norway's subsea specialist Aker Solutions would cooperate more closely than ever before with Swiss power giant ABB to build on their combined experience in subsea, power and automation technologies. The pairing will see ABB's expertise in power and automation technology combine with Aker Solutions' track record and expertise in subsea production aimed at improving oil and gas recovery around the world via technological innovation. Both companies have worked together closely for decades, notably last year's landmark Asgard subsea compression system for Statoil – a world first.