Geospatial information solutions company NGIS Australia Pty Ltd’s strong growth of late has continued, with the Burswood-based company making the Deloitte Tech Fast 50 for the second year running.
Geospatial information solutions company NGIS Australia Pty Ltd’s strong growth of late has continued, with the Burswood-based company making the Deloitte Tech Fast 50 for the second year running.
Coming in at number 50 on the list, NGIS was one of four Western Australian companies to make an appearance.
The fast 50 ranks technology companies based on percentage revenue growth over three years (2003 to 2005).
NGIS executive director and 2002 40under40 award winner Paul Farrell said recognition in the Deloitte Tech Fast 50 was important for the company’s standing in the GIS market.
“Having Deloitte recognise us is great, given the fact that it’s a broader IT competition,” he said.
“Also, we were the only spatial information company in both years to be selected.
“It’s good for the people who work here and it also attracts people to our business. This is the biggest issue, getting the right people into our business.”
NGIS develops interactive online mapping systems that are applicable in a number of sectors, including mining and engineering through to environmental management.
Since NGIS’s inception more than 12 years ago, the company has grown to 60 staff, 40 of these based in Perth.
The company has offices in Perth, Sydney, Adelaide and Hong Kong (where it has been based since 1998).
“We reported a turnover last year of around $5 million,” Mr Farrell told WA Business News.
“The company has been growing at about 30 per cent every year for the last three or four years, and we look to keep continuing that trend in the future.”
Mr Farrell said the company’s growth would take place through further expansion, not only in Australia but through pursuing opportunities throughout Asia.
“We have a significant contract with Ivanhoe Mines on the boarder of Mongolia and China,” he said.
“Ivanhoe have lots of exploration data being collected and we developed a system for them so that they can manage all that data and review the data not only in Mongolia, but also from anywhere throughout the world.”
Mr Farrell said the company had also completed work with Rio Tinto on some of its projects and had worked with Chinese companies looking to invest in iron ore opportunities in the Pilbara and Mid-West.
First, however, the company would like to ensure it was well established in Hong Kong before moving further into the mainland Chinese market.
“The plan is to set up an office in mainland China in 2006-07,” Mr Farrell said.
“We look to move into specific regions within China, so from Hong Kong we will probably move on to Shanghai and then possibly look at the Pearl River Delta.”
In October of last year, NGIS earned a finals berth in the 2005 Department of Industry and Resources WA Industry and Export Awards for its work with Great Southern Plantations. NGIS developed a software solution called ForMS (Forestry Management System) to manage the growth needs of the agribusiness in an environmentally sustainable way.
• The 2006 WA Business News 40under40 Awards will be held at the former Fremantle Railway Terminal on Wednesday March 1.
