Four Western Australian companies from diversely different industries were honoured at the recent International Business Council awards, held at Government House.
Four Western Australian companies from diversely different industries were honoured at the recent International Business Council awards, held at Government House.
Design and manufacturing project engineers Afkos Industries, based in Balcatta, is one of many businesses to perform strongly in recent years on the back of growth in iron ore, natural gas and other mineral sectors.
Led by managing director Paul Afkos, the company received the President’s Award of Distinction from Acting Premier Eric Ripper at the IBC awards.
“Businesses are selected for contributing to WA, for their exports as well as contributing to local business,” Mr Afkos told WA Business News.
“This year, the award was given for services by Afkos to the WA economy.”
Afkos Industries was established in January 1980 to service the mining, mineral exploration, oil and gas, shipping, agriculture and transport industries.
It exports to many countries including Mongolia, Italy, Russia and Turkey, with offices in Canning Vale, Kalgoorlie and Brisbane, as well as in Chile and Greece.
Barclay Engineering, which specialises in industrial noise control for the mining and building sectors in WA, was honoured with the International Business Award.
Speaking to WA Business News, operations manager Aidan Murray said the company had grown internationally, expanding into the gas turbine industry and power station markets, with projects in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Pakistan, Scotland and the Middle East.
“We do a lot of international business development and we’ve worked all over the world, so this award really is recognition of what owner Terry Barclay has been building up for more than 30 years,” he said.
South-west inventor Peter Hutchison won the New Exporter Award for his fully patented SmartBurn device which reduces smoke haze from domestic heaters.
Mr Hutchison heads up SmartBurn from home, distributing the product to 275 retail stores around Australia, with his first export order dispatched to New Zealand in 2007.
SmartBurn is a length of metal tubing put into the base of a domestic wood heater and releases a small amount of vaporising ingredients out of its ends. The vapour that mixes with the sap and soot within the fire and allows the combustion to occur before the soot and sap goes up the chimney, reducing emissions.
Another home business, Design Mergers, won the Home Based Business’ Award. It designs, produces and markets original art glass pieces and limited edition prints, with owner Jill Yelland importing handmade raw materials from overseas in bulk and selling into a number of export markets.
