Tracplus Global Wins International Challenge

Tracplus Global Wins International Technium Challenge

Dunedin technology company beats 31 international companies
to win prestigious competition

Auckland, 3 June 2008 – International Business Wales and Technium UK today announced New Zealand technology company TracPlus Global Limited, providers of a ground-breaking GPS tracking service, as the winner of the International Technium Challenge.

It is the second year running that a company from New Zealand has won the competition and TracPlus Global, which is based in Dunedin, now intends to open a base in Wales to target the UK and European markets.

TracPlus’s service is used by aircrafts, vehicles and vessels throughout New Zealand and Australia including: private and commercial aircraft owners, boating enthusiasts, air rescue helicopter trusts, emergency response services and governments. TracPlus can prove invaluable in rescue missions when the tracking system can be used to locate the flight path of a missing plane.
The International Technium Challenge is a worldwide, business planning competition to identify and support innovative technology-based businesses with growth potential. The global competition is organised each year by International Business Wales (IBW) and Technium UK, and gives one company from dozens of international competitors, a UK business passport to open an office in Wales establishing a beachhead into the lucrative European market.

Kiwi winners TracPlus Global beat 31 companies across nine countries including Australia, China, USA, France and Japan to win the worldwide challenge. Six companies were selected to compete in the final leg of the competition which involved a weeklong Learning Journey in Wales. TracPlus Global, along with the 15 other countries presented their business cases to the Technium UK judging panel which comprised patent attorneys, solicitors, management consultants to the University of Wales Newport Business School and big name CEO’s such as Sony Corporation’s global CEO Sir Howard Stringer.

In addition to office space in a Technium business innovation and incubation centre in Wales, TracPlus Global will also receive an impressive business support package including legal, marketing and business advice, capital raising assistance, personnel / manufacture sourcing and ongoing guidance for navigating the UK market and more.

TracPlus Global has had a banner year. In addition to winning the Technium Challenge, the Company received the Mateship Award for its part in helping two kayakers on their 3,000 km, 61-day journey from Australia to New Zealand, while continuing to secure prestigious contracts and expand overseas. TracPlus Global is currently being used in 12 countries as well as Antarctica.
Head of International Business Wales (Australia and New Zealand) Gareth Davies congratulated TracPlus Global on their win in the international competition.

“TracPlus stood out from the beginning, especially in terms of their business proposition for expansion into the UK market. Chris and the TracPlus team will now be able to utilise one of Wales’ 12 advanced Technium Centres where they can take advantage of a range of specialist knowledge, collaborate with a cluster of other technology companies in the Technium community, as well as find support to help build their success in the UK market.”

This marks the second year in a row that New Zealand has taken home the top honour at the international competition. Davies applauded TracPlus Global as an outstanding example of a Kiwi company taking up the challenge of the global economy.

“TracPlus Global is a great example of a company leveraging a superb new business model firmly anchored in New Zealand but looking to access and scale itself in global markets as a key to success – that is exactly the sort of company that IBW can assist in the UK market,” says Davies.

Chris Hinch, CEO of TracPlus Global says the Company is thrilled to have won the programme offered by Technium UK and IBW.

“I’ve been incredibly impressed with how IBW has taken an integrated and coordinated approach to attracting and supporting new businesses into the UK market. We look forward to taking full advantage of the support provided by the Technium UK business passport programme to take TracPlus Global worldwide.”

ENDS

© Scoop Media