Two S.I. companies win export awards

Press, 12 February 1986, Page 38

Two S.I. companies win export awards

Two South Island and two North Island companies have won Export Awards, the Minister for Overseas Trade and Marketing, Mr Moore, has announced.

“Christchurch Carpet Yarns, Ltd, and Farmlands Grain N.Z. Society, Ltd, Fletcher Fishing and Walk-Off Mats, Ltd, have won the awards because they are committed to excellence. Each of them has demonstrated at least five years solid hard work in building up and sustaining overseas markets. They have all brought significant overseas earnings back to New Zealand and have made a positive contribution to local employment. All of this takes effort and determination, and I am proud to announce the awards.” Christchurch Carpet Yarns, Ltd, is a whollyowned subsidiary of Mair Astley, Ltd, producing quality carpet yarns and hand-knitting yarns. From an initial production capacity of 2500 kg a week in 1975, the company has expanded to a level where, at the completion of its current programme, it will have a production capacity of 70,000 kg a week: Some 80 per cent of that total is destined for overseas markets. From a zero base in 1979, Fletcher Fishing, a development company of Fletcher Holdings, Ltd, has built up export sales of fish products to nearly $73 million in 1985. Exporting began as joint ventures with Japanese and Russian companies, but ensuing substantial investment by the company in deep-sea trawlers and on-shore processing allowed it to expand into other markets. Based in Ashburton, Farmlands Grain N.Z. Society, Ltd, previously the South Island Barley Society, has seen a spectacular rise in export sales since its inception in 1980. As a co-operative marketing pool for barley growers, the society has built up a successful trade with major European grain traders. Markets in-

clude Brazil, the United States of America, Saudi Arabia, the Soviet Union and Peru, with export sales totalling more than $27 million in 1985. Future ' plans include diversification in export marketing of oil-seed rape, wheat and maize. Walk-Off Mats (N.Z.) Ltd, with a production unit at Marton, near Palmerston North, was formed in 1978 as a joint venture between Walk-Off Mats, Ltd, England, and Supertex Holdings, of Wellington. The company has always had a high proportion of exports to total sales, and its appearance and dust-control mats are a good example of “niche” marketing. Having overcome considerable difficulties breaking into the Australian market, sales are now made in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Fiji.

Nominations for the next round of Export Awards close with the Department of Trade and Industry on Monday, March 31, this year. Awards are open to exporting organisations which have demonstrated at least five years exceptional export performance and who have made a significant contribution to New Zealand’s overseas trade.

Further details and application forms are available from: The Secretaiy, Export Awards Committee, Department of Trade and Industry, Private Bag, Wellington. An employee of Betta Metal Products, Ltd, (Betacom), of Christchurch, which won an Export Award last November, will receive the 1985 Export Award Holiday Prize, granted to the most outstanding Export Award winning company each year.

The prize is one week at any Tourist Hotel Corporation resort in New Zealand, with air fares, accommodation and spending money provided for an employee involved in the company’s exports and a companion.

The Holiday Prize is jointly sponsored by the Government, Air New Zealand, the Tourist Hotel Corporation and the Union Shipping Group. Suspension Wah Kwong Shipping, Hong Kong’s third largest shipping concern, has asked that local trading in its shares be suspended. Wah Kwong president, Mr Frank Chao, said the suspension of trading was necessary to enable a financial restructuring of the firm to “prevent it from running into a disastrous situation.”