Brisbane manufacturer receives $250,000 to design new water valve

An Eagle Farm manufacturer which has developed many world-first products has received a $250,000 in State Government funding to help design a revolutionary new water valve that reduces energy consumption.

Industry Minister Desley Boyle today announced GSA Industries, trading as Reliance Worldwide, had received the funding under the State Government’s Business and Industry Transformation Incentives scheme to design, commercialise and export a new water valve.

The L-pattern valve will be a more streamlined and cost-effective model able to facilitate the use of renewable water heating technologies, including solar energy.

Ms Boyle said the funding would help the firm to build on the success of its extensive range of water heating products by speeding up the commercialisation of the new valve.

“The company now aims to be the ‘first to market’ globally with this new high quality thermostatic mixing valve technology that is more installation friendly and can be designed with fewer components,” she said.

Ms Boyle said the company began in Brisbane nearly 60 years ago.

“The original manufacturing operation of the group, Reliance Manufacturing Company, actually started in 1949,” she said.

“It began to develop a range of controls to regulate temperature and pressure in water heaters which led to the development of many world-first products, including thermostatic mixing valves and control valves.

“These are now available worldwide and the company exports a range of products to the UK and Europe, North America, New Zealand, Asia and the Middle East.”

Reliance Worldwide business development manager Peter Flynn said the development of the L-pattern water valve technology was a very exciting step for the company.

“There is already strong interest from the lucrative US and UK markets for this new product which saves energy, delivers water at safer temperatures and allows the use of environmentally friendly technology – all at the same time,” he said.

“We will be using the funding to implement best practice production systems and supply chain processes to ensure that we can meet manufacturing and supply demands.”

Ms Boyle said the State Government was very pleased that its support would enable Queensland-designed technology to be manufactured in the State rather than under licence off-shore.

“A key component of this project is the collaborative supply change arrangement between Reliance Worldwide and its two main supply chain partners Plasmasters, a plastic injection moulding company from Brendale, near Caboolture, and Qalcast, a supplier of cast metal products located at Burleigh on the Gold Coast,” she said.

“The project will strongly enhance their performance and improve their competitiveness, growth and productivity. It will also put them in a position to secure new contracts and business both here as well as in Europe and North America.

“This will also be a huge win for the Gold Coast and Caboolture regions’ manufacturing sectors.”

Ms Boyle said that kind of innovation was the vision behind the State Government’s big picture plan for the Queensland manufacturing industry, the largest provider of full-time jobs to the Smart State.

“The Government’s Advanced Manufacturing Plan supports research and development and the commercialisation of new Queensland technology,” she said.

Applications for funding under the next round of the Business and Industry Transformation Incentives Scheme close on 3 October. For more information go to www.industry.qld.gov.au/incentives

16 September 2008

Media contact: 3224 2007 or 3225 1005