PERTH-BASED engineering firm, GRD Minproc Ltd, has won the premier’s award for excellence at this year’s WA Industry and Export Awards, held last week. The company also won the CY O’Connor award for excellence in engineering. Premier Alan Carpenter said the awards provided an opportunity to showcase local companies as they entered new markets. “They also reflect the importance of exports to the economic development of WA, particularly as WA accounts for 36 per cent of the nation’s total export earnings,” he said. Gold Corporation, the parent company of the Perth Mint, was a dual award winner, taking out prizes for marketing and design excellence, and manufacturing. Laser system developer Custom Vis, which manufactures lasers for refractive eye surgery, won an award for innovation excellence, as well as the emerging exporter prize. Rio Tinto Iron Ore was admitted to the hall of fame, as was emergency management and safety training company Risktec Australasia Pty Ltd, which also won the education category. Other winners were: traffic software manufacturer MetroCount; underwater technology developer Divex Asia Pacific Pty Ltd; agribusiness Craig Mostyn Group; financial services company ThinkSmart Ltd; industrial garnet abrasives company GMA Garnet Pty Ltd; and South West-based Smart Burn Pty Ltd. The winners of the 15 export categories will compete in the Australian Export Awards, to be held in Brisbane later this month.
