Air New Zealand Cargo Auckland Export Award winners announced

Banking and paying bills from mobile phones has been facilitated in many countries thanks to software developed by Auckland company M-Com Ltd, winner of two categories in the Air New Zealand Cargo Auckland Export Awards 2010.

Convenor of the Award’s judges, Hugh Cronwright, announced the winners from 23 finalists. The export award winners and categories are:


BCS Group - Westpac Exporter of the Year (total sales over $35 million a year)

BCS employs 270 staff at sites in Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Perth and San Jose (California). BCS is the preferred supplier of baggage handling solutions for airports in the Australasian region with 75% market share in Australia. Its expertise lies in logistics hardware, automation controls and elegant software solutions, which have made it the supplier of choice to airports, freight and industrial customers around the world.

BCS is growing to be a major player in its market having supplied systems and services in more than 30 countries over the past few years, including Morocco, Egypt, Oman, Greece, France, Papua New Guinea, Hawaii, Vietnam and the Philippines.



Lifestream International Ltd - QBE Insurance Exporter of the Year (total sales under $35 million a year)

Lifestream is a privately owned New Zealand licensed manufacturer and marketer of more than 60 natural nutritional products such as Lifestream Spirulina, Aloe Vera Juice, NZ certified organic Barley and Wheat Grass Powder, NZ Blackcurrant Capsules and Natural Calcium Capsules.

Lifestream is committed to supplying the best quality, whole food supplements available – using no synthetics and no compromise. It exports over 60% of its products to more than 20 international markets.

In 2008 Lifestream International was awarded the Natural Products New Zealand Excellence in Marketing Award, and in 2009 the Natural Products New Zealand Exporter of The Year Award.



M-Com Ltd - TNT Express Emerging Exporter Award

M-Com exports mobile banking and payments software to banks and other financial institutions in both developed and emerging markets alike. This software facilitates millions of bank customers’ access to their bank accounts and undertake all their day-to-day banking and payments, including international remittances, via their mobile phone.

M-Com’s platform can be deployed in-house or via an SaaS model for which thousands of bank branches can operate off the same software.



M-Com Ltd - Endace Hi Tech Exporter of the Year (as above)



Cognition Education - Baldwins Intellectual Property Consultants & Services Exporter of the Years

Cognition Education has grown from a supplier of support services to New Zealand schools (called Multiserve) to a multimillion-dollar enterprise exporting New Zealand educational values and systems throughout Asia, the Middle East and beyond. It is now a preferred supplier to governments focusing on education reform, particularly in the Gulf States.

Annual export earnings have grown from $10 million in 2007 to more than $60 million last year.

Factors that most impressed the judges were the enthusiasm and sense of commitment of the Cognition team, and the focus on core priorities. Business growth is based on careful planning, rigorous market research and risk management.

Cognition has around 400 staff, has recently opened a regional office in Abu Dhabi, and is actively exploring new and promising markets in North Africa and South East Asia.



Flotech Group - DB Breweries Deal of the Year

The judges were impressed by Flotech’s focus on developing clever solutions for challenging gas compression projects. The company has developed niche applications that differentiate its offering from other companies in the sector.

This resulted in Flotech securing its largest ever deal - for supplying gas compressors into power generation sites in the Amazon jungle of Brazil. The equipment was delivered on time, on budget and allows the power stations to run on high pressure gas rather than diesel, which delivers substantial fuel savings to the power stations. The success of the deal and a focus on continual improvement and staff development positions Flotech well for the future.



(A list of all finalists is at: www.exportnz.org.nz)



Judges comments:

The convenor of judges, Hugh Cronwright, says despite the sluggish world economy, this has been the strongest year for entries in the Auckland Export Awards programme.

“These award winners supply more evidence of just how good New Zealand exporters are. They keep battling on regardless, and so many of them are winning!

“We have seen and heard some wonderful examples of ingenuity, innovation and sheer determination, presented in typical, understated Kiwi style.

“The nation cannot survive without the foreign exchange exporters earn, and this opportunity to honour them is well deserved.

“It’s very pleasing this year to see entries from the tourism and education sectors. They also earn substantial foreign currency and it is most fitting for them to receive this recognition.”
 

The 2010 Air New Zealand Cargo Auckland Export Awards 2010 were presented at a gala dinner on Friday, August 6. Kiwi performers Darryl Lovegrove, who was also the awards MC, and Tina Cross provided the entertainment.