50 Favourite Exporters

QLD

Fusion Sport

•         Exporting since: 2004

•         Key markets: UK, Ireland, Europe, South East Asia, Qatar, New Zealand.

It’s fitting that products from a sports-mad country like Australia should export to the world. Fusion Sport’s SMARTSPEED and SMARTJUMP go beyond current measuring technology and are used to develop training systems for individual athletes and teams in speed, endurance, pacing, reaction time, and decision-making in land-based sports. It seems the world likes what it sees, with sales making up 80 percent of revenue.

“What makes us stand out is our ability to integrate sophisticated wireless technology with innovative sports science expertise, and make it easy to use,” says Markus Deutsch, co-founder.

With high profile customers like the New Zealand All Blacks, and key soccer teams in the UK—such as Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal—the company is set to go far, a long way from the early days where budget accommodation meant that their first concern was protecting equipment from rats!

Battlefield Sports

Exporting since: 2002

Key markets: US, UK, Canada.

Founded in 2002 by husband and wife team, Peter and Nicole Lander, Battlefield Sports has been exporting since day one. And now the laser experts have their products going out to 27 countries.

Internet marketing has been the driving force behind the business, raising their exports to 87 percent. The use of online tools like Google adwords and search engine optimisation has led Battlefield Sports to become an industry leader.

All seven employees are obsessed with games, and with producing a constantly improving quality product. This is not to say it has all been fun and games. Peter Lander worked on the idea for more than 22 years before launching the business.

Pacific Seeds

•         Exporting since: 1987

•         Key markets: Middle East, Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe.

Drought is frequently associated with Australia’s harsh environment and it was drought that first brought Californian company Pacific Oilseeds to our shores in 1962. Since then, however, the company has grown beyond our borders to specialise in providing product to the arid field crop markets in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world.

“Our major competitors tend to be based in the softer temperate regions of Europe and North America. This regional strength sets us somewhat apart from much of the competition,” says Howard Morris, international sales director. “Our best markets are those where the food is crook and the water is undrinkable.”

The company has an export team devoted to servicing international opportunities, which account for 40 percent of sales. Morris says export revenue allows then to fund a stronger research program than domestic turnover alone would.

eeni meeni miini moh

•         Exporting since: 2006

•         Key markets: Europe, New Zealand, US.

Eeni meeni miini moh may well be Australia’s answer to Armani. Armani Junior, that is. The brand with the name of choice made a breakthrough in 2006 when it was invited to show at Florence’s Pitti Immagine Bimbo, an exclusive childrenswear fashion event showcasing, among other brands, Baby Dior and Versace Junior.

Started by Elizabeth O’Connor-Cowley and her husband Philip Cowley, the company produce ready-to-wear garments for children—newborns to 12 year olds. The neutral tones and fashionable cuts sees the company competing well with higher priced European brands, hence its popularity.

Their success overseas is due in part to their high visibility through the exhibition circuit, showing at trade events around the world. Regular attendance has meant that they maintain contact with key distributors in existing and new markets.

Callidan Instruments

•         Exporting since: 2004

•         Key markets: China, Korea, US, Brazil, Chile, Indonesia, India, Canada.

Callidan Instruments’ signature analyser, Moistscan, is a solution not a product. “We have recently adopted a philosophy of solving our clients’ problems rather than selling technology,” says Garry France, founder of the company. “This has worked very well.”

Moistscan is a microwave moisture analyser that helps to monitor with a variety of applications in handling and efficiency across fields such as manufacturing, mining and chemical processing. It provides real-time reports on moisture levels so that companies can monitor and control everything from material handling to equipment performance and product quality.

Each region of the world needs different methods for exports to take off, acknowledges France. Following some distribution errors in different markets, he nominates “perseverance” as the key success factor in the company’s overseas performance, which makes up 65 percent of sales.

Absolute Data Group

•         Exporting since: 2004

•         Key markets: US.

One complaint about the information age is that there’s often too much information. Absolute Data Group (ADG) solves that with its software, assisting companies with managing information, from technical documentation to marketing. They also provide training and consultation services to complement the products.

Founder, Tammy Halter, began her career in defence but saw an opportunity where IT wasn’t meeting requirements in complex industries such as defence, aerospace, and automotive sectors. Their first export was to Daimler-Chrysler in 2004. Now ADG counts big names such as Qantas, Vodafone, and Boeing among their customers.

Halter says ADG’s domestic dominance and their involvement in developing industry standards enhanced their international reputation, allowing the group to start exporting. ADG hope to expand their reach to the UK and add mining and manufacturing to their key market sectors in the coming year.