Local presentations

Press, 11 October 1982, Page 30

Local presentations

The Enterprise 1982 awards for the Canterbury region will be presented this evening by the member of Parliament for Rangiora. Mr D. F. Quigley. The ceremony will be held in the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce building at the comer of Oxford Terrace and Worcester Street.

The eight local entries have been described by the chamber as “quite outstanding'’ .. „ .

Mr David Hamilton, the manager of commercial affairs for the chamber, says that because of the high calibre of entrants the judges had a difficult task choosing the winner.

One of the most significant aspects was the length of time businesses had been established.

“Many of these were young firms and because of this, next year we hope to include a novice section," Mr Hamilton says. AuCom Electronics, Ltd, won the South Island small business section with an en-ergy-saving device for electric motors and an electric motor starter.

This company applied to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in

America (NASA) to compete for licence agreement to use a NASA invention for en-ergy-saving applicable for single-phase motors up to 1000 h.p.

Against international competition from leading companies. AuCom managed to design such a device for three-phase motors.

NASA has been directing overseas firms interested in the three-phase device io AuCom, and there has been a steady stream of technical visitors from some of the world's leading industrial States.

Last financial year, the company had a turnover of $680,000, but this financial year it is expecting sales of about $6 million.

PDL Industries, Ltd, is the Christchurch section winner in the large business category. It was chosen for the successful design and marketing of waterproof industrial switch combinations.

The range, which is marketed in both Australia and New Zealand, is water and dust-proof. Although the design and technology were part of a

joint approach with an Australian company, the end result was manufactured entirely in New Zealand.

In two years, the company has gone from design and research into production. Sales have increased from $70,000 to $1.5 million.

The design of the switch (it is capable of withstanding water forces similar to that of heavy seas) makes it suitable for use in dairy sheds, breweries, abattoirs, cement and sand works.

All the metal components are corrosion-resistant and the plug tops incorporate a transparent body for easy visual inspection of the terminals.

The wide locking ring makes tightening and unscrewing easy. The PDL group is one of the largest custom-moulding companies in New Zealand. In addition to electrical accessories, the company produces portable fan heaters and exhaust fans.