New Deals
August saw two more companies join the Abel community:
- Another dairy product manufacturer – this one is based in Auckland.
- A company that designs and manufactures large turbines and equipment for the hydro-generation industry.
American Chamber of Commerce Awards
In mid-August, we were delighted to be among the finalists in the American Chamber of Commerce DHL Express Success and Innovation Awards. It was the 50th anniversary of AMCHAM’s presence in New Zealand.
The awards were attended by US Ambassador Mark Gilbert, New Zealand Prime Minister John Key and a number of past Prime Ministers, Ambassadors, Past Presidents and others who have played a significant role in AMCHAM’s success over the last 50 years.
New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key presented the three Exporter Awards as well as the Supreme Award.
Prime Minister, The Rt Hon. John Key
A big thank you to our customers Mastip Technology, Australian Wool Testing Authority, G-Tech Bellmor, Alsco Inc, GMP Dairy and Manuka Health who were chosen to showcase Abel at the awards. Their success in exporting around the world is a vital part of our success.
Although we didn’t win our awards category, it was great for the Abel team to attend the evening’s celebrations and to meet other companies that are also doing business in the USA. Congratulations to all the winners and especially to Aranz Medical Limited, the winner in our awards category.
Customer Visit
On a visit to Melbourne last week, Allan and I visited the Australian Wool Testing Authority. The Australian Wool Testing Authority (AWTA) is the world’s largest Wool Testing Authority, and uses Abel to run their financial, operational and analysis functions.
AWTA has three Raw Wool Testing laboratories in Melbourne, Sydney and Fremantle. Each laboratory operates 24 hours a day 5 days per week. Together they serve all of Australia. AWTA provides a bridge between the research and commercial applications of testing technology. They do this by :
- Facilitating further research and development
- Sponsoring and participating in practical trials
- Developing and implementing national and international standards, procedures, methods and technologies.
AWTA’s operation provides major benefits to all segments of the wool industry in Australia and overseas.
AWTA’s Carl Carter took Allan and I on a tour of the Wool Testing Laboratory. It was truly fascinating to see all the tests and measurements that the wool samples go through including Yield Measurement, Vegetable Matter types in Australian Wool, Fibre Diameter Measurement, Staple Length and Strength Measurement, Colour Measurement and Fleece Measurement.
We then headed off to the Product Testing Division, an independent materials testing facility available to government instrumentalities, industry and the general public. The Product Testing Division is accredited by NATA to ISO/IEC standards. The laboratory provides a comprehensive range of testing services on a wide variety of products including: fibres, yarns, textiles, plastics, flammability, automotive, building products, glass, carpets/flooring materials, retail products, health care, insulation, clothing, accelerated weathering and laminates. It has specialised capabilities in thermal conductivity, spectrophotometry, measurement of static electricity and retro reflective performance.
From left: Carl Carter, Management Account, AWTA,
Jane Mattsen, Business & Channels Manager Abel Software
and Allan Baird, Managing Director, Abel Software
It’s always pleasing to meet up with our customers and see how Abel helps them with their businesses.
After the tour it was time for a well-deserved lunch at an all-time AWTA favourite Italian restaurant in North Melbourne. We met with Peter Walsh, AWTA Chief Financial Officer, and Denice Bennet-Rae, General Manager, Abel Solutions Australia.
From left: Denice Bennet-Rae, Abel Solutions Australia General Manager,
Allan Baird, Managing Director Abel Software and Peter Walsh, Chief Financial Officer, AWTA
Supporting N.Z. Sport
We wish to congratulate Amy Mills and her team who recently returned from the 2015 World Rowing Under 23 Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. As part of supporting our community, we at Abel helped Amy fund her trip to the World Championships.
Amy’s team won the B final of the U23 Women’s Quadruple Sculls finishing 7th overall, having narrowly missed out on the A final by 0.18s to the eventual winner and 3rd place getter. As a young crew, they showed great courage in overcoming their disappointment of not making the final, to perform so well in the B final.
We look forward to seeing them on the world stage in the future.
Amy (right) and a teammate at the 2015 World Rowing Championships
Photo courtesy of Steve McArthur, Rowing Celebrations
Until next time.
Jane