Toowoomba wins at Australian Export Awards

A Queensland exporting business based in Toowoomba has taken out the 2008 Australian Export Award in the Large Advanced Manufacturer category at an awards ceremony held in Melbourne last night.

Minister for Trade John Mickel today congratulated Russell Mineral Equipment and said that the company, along with other Queensland winners at the State and National Awards, was providing an excellent example for Queensland’s regional businesses, contributing valuable overseas capital to the local economy.

Mr Mickel said that Russell Mineral Equipment had performed extremely well, standing out above all other 2008 State and Territory award recipients from around the country to win the national Large Advanced Manufacturer award.

“With the world in the grip of an economic downturn, exporting becomes even more important for Queensland as a means of contributing to the State’s economy, creating jobs and enabling businesses to bring in the income required to ride out the storm,” Mr Mickel said.

“I congratulate Russell Mineral Equipment on the company’s win at the Australian Export Awards to back its previous success at the Premier of Queensland’s Export Awards in October and wish the enterprise a strong exporting future,” he said.

Russell Mineral Equipment is a technology company that specialises in identifying opportunities in the mining and mineral processing industries, inventing solutions and designing and manufacturing mechanical, electrical, electronic, hydraulic and pneumatic systems necessary to provide those solutions.

Recognised as the world leader in the grinding mill relining technology niche, Russell Mineral Equipment's sales have grown by 400 per cent in four years. Over this period, employment has grown from 46 to 180 staff.

“All of Russell Mineral Equipment's products are designed and manufactured in Toowoomba and sold directly to customers globally,” said Darren Chapman, Russell Mineral Equipment’s sales and marketing manager.

“Our increasing proportion of exports has generated at least 140 new jobs within the company and a significant number of additional jobs through various suppliers,” he said.

Russell Mineral Equipment’s major export markets include North America, Latin America, Africa, Asia, the Pacific and New Zealand, and Indonesia. Exporting contributed 79 per cent of total company revenue in 2007-08.

The company has now won 18 industry awards including four Premier of Queensland Export Awards and three National Export Awards (2001, 2007 and 2008).

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6 December 2008