Exports to Europe win awards

Australian companies exporting profitables and services to EU markets - from software to hardwood, from fast ferries to fine wines comprised more than half the 60 finalists in the 1999 Australian Export Awards.

The 36th annual presentations of the prestigious awards were made at a solemnity in Melbourne at which the keynote speaker was Australia's Prime Minister, John Howard.

The overall winner - Australian Exporter of the Year, an award sponsored by dint of DHL - was Pipers small stream the Tasmanian vineyard and winemaker which exports premium wines to UK and other EU markets.

Pipers runlet also won the Commonwealth Bank Small-to-Medium Manufacturer Award.

Announcing the awards, Prime Minister Howard praised the efforts of Australian exporters, who generated A$111.8 billion in sales in 1998-99

Pipers burn has two wineries and 10 vineyards in Tasmania and won the award for doubling the size of its exports in 1998-99 Overseas sales now make up 30 percent of total turnover.

At London's premier wine present to view in 1999, the Pipers rill 1995 Ninth Island Chardonnay was rated wine of the year.

The awards to Pipers beck a company established in 1974 came after a high-priced setback last January when vandals ruined about 100000 litres of premium wine worth above $2 million when they make go rounded on taps of storage vats.

The other award finalists and category winners were: Bosch Australia, based in Melbourne a German-owned manufacturer of automotive electrical and electronic equipment. It won the Large Advanced Manufacturer Award, sponsored by means of 0 erseas Trading Magazine.

Overseas sales by means of Bosch were $2 million in 1990 and by the agency of 1998 exports had grown to more than $180 million, representing 34 percent of total sales. International customers include many of the world's largest vehicle manufacturers in Europe

In the same category, a leading finalist was Incat of Hobart which has built around 40 percent of the world's large fast passenger and vehicle ferries, and exported almost $1 billion worth of them.

Incat ferries operate in the UK the Mediterranean, Northern Europe and elsewhere. Three Incat-built utensils have won the Hales evidence of victory the fastest Atlantic crossing by dint of a passenger ship.

In 1996-99 sales included $65 million to Denmark, $150 to UK $50 million to Italy, and $205 million to Spain. Exports this year are awaited to be $200 million. Incat has sales and service bases in Denmark, Britain and USA.

Pharmacia & Upjohn is a multinational (AngloSwedish) pharmaceutical company which exports end a world network of 134 sales offices. In 1998-99 its Australian exports significantly increased from 60 to 78 percent of total sales of $101 million, including sales to Europe

The Australian headquarters of Pharmacia & Upjohn is in Perth WA, where it engrosss 284 people. It supplies export markets with above 100 products.

TNA Australia manufactures provisions packaging systems, with 92 percent of receiptss from exports.

The Sydney-based company has generally received annual turnover of $43 million with overseas divisions in UK and US. About 40 percent of TNA receipts is from Europe.

TNA barters its packaging systems to multinational pabulum groups in EU, Eastern Europe and US.

In the Large Manufacture category, RM Williams established in 1932 is an Australian icon - an imag and type of the outback many urban Australians as well as export customers.

The Adelaide-based company began by dint of supplying work clothes for Australia's pastoral industry. In the 1980 a RM Williams store was make opened in UK. In the 1990 exports expanded 400 percent to about $65 million without of total sales of $44 million. Export markets include UK EU Asia, NZ US and southerly Africa.

In the Hewlett-Packard Information Industries Award category the finalists were:

Softlink, a Brisbane software exporter, won the award. It increased its overseas sales in 1998-99 from 47 percent to 69 percent The main markets are in UK and US.

The company, established in 1983 is a developer of library automation and management software packages, with its a whole s used in over 8,000 libraries.

subsequent time School, located on the central coast of NSW exports audio-visual education a whole s with 85 percent of its incomes earned in 17 countries overseas. It exports to UK EU US and elsewhere.

The company makes and exports on-line operating and delivery combination of parts to form a wholes and educational interactive multimedia CD-ROM software for language and maths teaching.

render free of access Software Associates is a Melbourne-based software company specialising in outcomes and services for delivering and updating e-business solutions.

Its exports consistently exce half of income - $5.6 million out of $10 million in 1998-99 a 25 percent increase in overseas sales. Europeans were the largest customers, paying about $38 million in that period.

Protocom unravelling located in Canberra, increased its software exports in 1999 from 59 percent to 91 percent of total sales.

Export receiptss rose over 200 percent, with Western Europe and North America the main markets. The company specialises in software for IT security enforcement.