Future Fibre Technologies honoured for exporting success
Austrade media release
1 December 2010
Future Fibre Technologies (FFT) has received the nation’s highest exporting accolade at the 48th Australian Export Awards Ceremony, held tonight in Sydney.
FFT won the Small to Medium Manufacturer Award, sponsored by the Commonwealth Bank, and then received the Award night’s top honour, the Prime Minister's Australian Exporter of the Year. The Prime Minister’s Australian Exporter of the Year is selected from the winners of the 12 national award categories.
One of the country’s longest-running and most prestigious business award programs, the Australian Export Awards celebrates Australia’s best exporters, commending them for their achievements and commitment. The Australian Export Awards are co-presented by the Australian Trade Commission (Austrade) and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Sally-Ann Watts, Austrade’s State Manager for Victoria, said that Future Fibre Technologies was an excellent example of a Victorian company representing its state internationally.
"Future Fibre Technologies has made a significant contribution, not just to its community, but also to the national prosperity," Ms Watts said. "It represents what is best about Australian business – dynamic, resourceful and determined to succeed in international business.
"The company has positioned itself as a thought leader in its industry, through the publication of its annual security report. This document is now widely accepted as an industry reference source and has positioned FFT as the primary expert in this field," Ms Watts said.
Established in Melbourne in 1994, FFT is now the global market leader in the manufacturing of fibre optic intrusion detection and location systems. These systems protect the perimeters of high value and high-risk assets worldwide, including industrial, military, petrochemical and government sites.
Earlier systems were able only to identify that an intrusion had occurred, not the location. FFT developed core technology with the potential to pinpoint the location of intrusions over many kilometres of deployed optical fibre.
FFT now has thousands of kilometres of fibre optic intrusion detection installed, pinpointing the location of intrusions at hundreds of installations worldwide. FFT’s patented artificial intelligence technology, which has played a significant role in export success, is able to clearly discriminate between real events and nuisance alarms, ensuring much higher reliability and increased security for protected sites than any existing intrusion detection solutions.
FFT has achieved consistent year on year growth over the last three years in the order of 80 per cent each year. Ninety per cent of the business is export-based, and the company has offices in the UK, the US, Europe, and the Middle East.
The Australian Export Awards are co-presented by the Australian Trade Commission and the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
ENDS
Media contact
Samantha Mattila
Tel: 02 9390 2388
Mob: 0434 567 673
samantha.mattila@austrade.gov.au
Full case studies are available at www.exportawards.gov.au