Beachheads: Success Stories

In this section you can find out more about some of the ambitious companies participating in the programme and their thoughts on how the Beachheads Programme has added value to their export business.

For more case studies see News and Publications. 

• Accordo Group
• Actronic  
• Datasquirt
• Endace Systems
• Flintfox
• Mercer Technologies
• New Zealand Berryfruit Group
• Specialist Marine Interiors
• SPM Consultants Limited

Accordo Group

Founded in 1999, Accordo Group sprang out of an opportunity for large organisations to have an efficient way to review and manage their software licensing options. Licensing can be complex, and Accordo has a unique way to rationalise this using best practice and thorough audits to save time and money.

With eight staff throughout New Zealand and four based in Singapore, New Zealand remains Accordo’s regional hub overseeing all quality control and development. Among its clients, the company has already successfully found tens of millions of dollars in unlicensed software, predominantly in large companies where compliance is much harder to manage.

Some of the world’s largest software companies are becoming more vigilant in policing licensing of applications. Estimates of the loss from the use of non-compliant and pirated software vary from $US12 to US$16 billion per year. Accordo Group saw a niche opportunity in this environment to become experts in assisting companies to review their software licensing requirements and work out the most efficient strategy for managing ongoing needs.

Accordo ensures companies only pay for what they need and get the most benefit out of their licensing agreements and options. Software compliance can be complex with savings for some large companies in the millions of dollars. With vendor-initiated audits by software companies becoming more common, Accordo can quickly put in place the systems for customers to negotiate successfully their way through a vendor-initiated audit. Accordo Group can also provide professional assistance in preparing tender documents, selection criteria measurements and expertise in software licensing contract negotiation.

Contact:
Vicky McCullough
Director
Accordo Group
Tel +64 9 300 6485
Email Vicky.mccullough@accordo.com

For further information visit www.accordo.com or download the case study.

“NZTE helped by providing expert advice on establishing a downtown office in the right location and gave us invaluable access to local organisations and professional services like accounting and legal” – Vicky McCullough

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Actronic

Actronic was started in 1977 by Doug Rankin, working out of his garden shed designing and making general industrial electronic products. Today Actronic export to over 30 markets - the USA, Australia and Canada are the major markets, with Europe growing strongly and China, South America and South Africa becoming fast emerging markets.

Almost 100 per cent export-focused, Actronic designs, manufactures, distributes and supports mobile weighing and measurement systems for heavy equipment in rugged environments such as quarries and mines.

Actronic also provides research and development services and manufactures specialised measurement and control equipment for log harvesting, which is marketed by Waratah NZ Ltd.

Contact
Mark Templeton
Chief Executive
Actronic
Tel +64 9 525 7006

For further information visit www.actronic.co.nz or download the case study.

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Datasquirt

Datasquirt, one of New Zealand’s fastest growing high-tech companies, is poised on the brink of big export success as it takes its short message flagship solution CONTACT™ to the world’s wealthiest markets.

Chief Executive Aaron Ridgway says the sky’s the limit for CONTACT™, a software application that fully integrates text, email, fax messaging and wireless data, so call centres can communicate with customers via their preferred communication channel. Benefits to clients include increased accessibility to customers, reduced operating costs, more revenue and improved customer satisfaction.

Datasquirt was founded in May 2001 by 10 private investors with extensive IT and telecommunications backgrounds, collectively inspired by the significant potential of the mobile and wireless channels of communication.

Datasquirt is today recognised as a leader in mobile solutions. In 2005 it was named New Zealand’s second fastest growing ICT company and one of its most innovative.

Contact
Aaron Ridgway
Chief Executive
Datasquirt
Contact +64 9 358 5878

For further information visit www.datasquirt.co.nz or download the case study.

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Endace Systems

The platform of choice for high performance network security.

Since being founded in 2001, Endace has quickly become a global leader in telecommunications and computer network security and network traffic analysis technology.

Endace has established itself as a major exporter of innovative, world-class network monitoring equipment. As a winner of the prestigious New Zealand Hi-Tech Awards in 2005 as well as the second fastest growing New Zealand company in the 2004 Deloitte / Unlimited Fast 50 awards, Endace has a range of network systems that deliver flexibility and high performance for monitoring and securing some of the world's fastest and most complex networks.

Endace has over 60 staff in offices in New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom, and a broad European and Asian distributor network. 

Since the September 2001 terrorism attacks, the concern over actual and potential attacks on key infrastructure like telecommunications networks has escalated dramatically.  Endace's technology helps to ensure that network threats such as hacking, viruses, and DDoS (Distributed Denial-of-Service) attacks are mitigated.

With its FPGA-based (Field Programmable Gate Array) technology Endace can also tailor products to its customers' specific needs.

The company has the expertise and experience to deliver high performance end-to-end solutions and not just a 'shrink-wrapped' product. 

Endace does two things fundamentally differently from its competitors:

(1) Assured 100% data capture regardless of the traffic load, and;

(2) Zero loading of CPU during capture, allowing much deeper traffic analysis.

Telecommunications carriers, large enterprises, government intelligence agencies, and network research institutions in over 25 countries use Endace's technology to monitor, measure, and secure their networks.

Contact:
Selwyn Pellett, Group CEO
Endace Measurement Systems
Tel +64 9 262 7260
Fax +64 9 262 7261

For further information visit www.endace.com or download the case study.

“We did get good support and advice along the way from being part of NZTE’s Beachhead Programme. Having people with detailed knowledge of overseas markets was very helpful for Endace to be able to tap into.” – Rodney Bolton

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Flintfox

Founded in 1987, Flintfox has more recently built a leading suite of software solutions that adds significant value specifically for manufacturers of consumer packaged goods (CPG) who spend between eight and 30 per cent of their gross revenues on trade promotions, rebates and related pricing discounts.

Flintfox’s products improve the quality, accuracy and speed of their customers’ planning, sales administration and business analytics decisions in knowing what returns are being delivered by the trade promotions process.  Less than 25 per cent of companies know if the money they spend on trade promotions actually returns measurable results for sales, which is why Flintfox’s solutions are so invaluable.

A trade presentation in 1993 saw Flintfox quickly gain sales in Australia and catch the attention of ERP software vendor QAD who became a partner for several years. The relationship with QAD also pulled Flintfox into the US market, giving them immediate credibility along with their ability to add value. QAD has since purchased the original solution and Flintfox has launched the new TRM Suite.

Post-Enron, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act in the US forced consumer goods companies to be more accountable for their trade promotions budgets which are up to a third of their gross revenues. Accordingly, there was demand that trade promotion programmes be managed more effectively with software that is effective in integrating various corporate functions and processes from sales to finance. Large and fast moving consumer goods companies needed solutions that helped them understand the manufacturer-retailer relationship and how effective their promotional activity was. 

The Flintfox suite of products allows customers to have a handle on tracking the true costs and return on investment on all promotional, price based, discount, rebate, deduction, claim or incentive costs. Using Flintfox products, companies can track revenues and expenses automatically against plans, budgets and targets. The Flintfox TRM (Trade Relationship Management) solution stores data and also analyses trade promotional effectiveness factors including incremental sales and promotional rate of investment. Importantly, as lots of people in CPG companies are involved in trade promotions, the Flintfox solution allows for integration by allowing customers, brokers and corporate staff to all contribute information into the decision making process.

In addition to its Auckland head office, Flintfox also has a North American office in Moorestown New Jersey. 

Contact:
Steve Peppler
CEO
Flintfox
Tel +64 9 477 0888
Email speppler@flintfox.com

For further information visit www.flintfox.com or download the case study.

“Being part of the Americas Beachhead benefited Flintfox as we received good professional advice regarding tax, accounting and finances from NZTE. NZTE’s Beachhead Board was excellent in terms of showing us the best way to structure our business for the US market and they also gave us a lot of useful marketing ideas.” – Steve Peppler

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Mercer Technologies

After one year on the ground, Mercer Middle East is now getting traction in a region it sees as having big export potential, signing several lucrative contracts to supply medical equipment and technology to hospitals in the United Arab Emirates.

Mercer Middle East was established in mid-2005 and was one of the founding members of NZTE’s Dubai Beachhead. The company is part of Mercer Technologies, the R&D and product development arm of Mercer Group, one of the oldest industrial firms in Australasia specialising in stainless steel manufacturing for the dairy, meat, medical and building industries.

General Manager Chris de Klerk says Mercer Technologies builds on the stainless steel, control technology and process know-how and expertise of the group’s manufacturing businesses, and takes new products it develops to international markets.

Contact
Chris de Klerk
General Manager
Mercer Technologies
Tel +64 9 837 5002

For further information visit www.mercers.co.nz or download the case study.

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New Zealand Berryfruit Group

Marketing, scientific and horticultural expertise are combined in New Zealand Berryfruit Group (NZBG), a joint venture company formed in 2004 to achieve a premium price for New Zealand blackcurrants in Japan, targeting the functional foods and nutraceutical markets.

The two partners in this successful joint venture bring their complementary expertise to the enterprise. Horticulture Marketing Ltd has been selling blackcurrants internationally for the New Zealand blackcurrant industry since 1994. Just the Berries Ltd, a powder manufacturer focusing on blackcurrants has the scientific knowledge and manufacturing know-how to take blackcurrants out of the commodity basket and up the value chain. It’s largely owned by New Zealand Pharmaceuticals, a GMP certified manufacturer of biochemicals purified from a range of plant and animal raw materials.

Contact
Alan Dobson
General Manager
Horticulture Marketing
Tel +64 27 432 6914

For further information visit www.blackcurrants.co.nz or download the case study.

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Specialist Marine Interiors

With a wealth of experience and knowledge in building yacht interiors, SMI’s team of 97 professionals specialises in the construction and maintenance of super yacht interiors. SMI’s unique and revolutionary process enables the interiors to be built to the highest quality using advanced design and innovative, efficient systems allowing for their remote build.

SMI understands boatbuilding in its entirety, and realises that there are few vendors who both install and manufacture interiors for super yachts. Typical boatbuilding practice means that everything is built on the boat so often lack of coordination by different contractors can mean delays and also damage to interiors.

SMI has pioneered an innovative system to build the complete interior of a super yacht without needing the vessel on site. This is made possible by SMI’s ‘box in box’ construction and the digital replication of the exact contour features of the vessel.

The advantage of the SMI system is that it allows a walk through the interiors as they are built in the workshop to get a feel for the interior space, see the finishes and monitor the progress either personally or via a secure web page. The entire interior is then assembled, fitted, trimmed and luxury finishes applied before being disassembled, put into containers and shipped to boatyards throughout the world.

The SMI ‘box in box’ technique reduces project time, increases efficiencies and cost savings.

Contact:
Grant Willis
Director
SMI
Tel +64 9 438 3859
Email: grant@smigroup.co.nz

For further information visit www.smigroup.co.nz or download the case study.

“Getting the right advice on issues like banking and tax needs to be right first time and the Beachhead facility is ideally placed to provide support.” – Grant Willis

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SPM Consultants Limited

Since 2001, SPM has been helping the owners and managers of large scale infrastructure and property assets achieve best practice in managing those assets. Now with a team of 18 professionals, the company provides solutions that allow clients a greater level of confidence to more effectively manage their risks.

From their position of international thought leadership SPM has developed industry guidelines that are widely followed. These same principles and knowledge have also been captured within several of their software applications designed and built for fixed asset management. SPM has a large client base in New Zealand, well represented by Local Authorities, Utilities, Health Boards and commercial enterprises.

SPM have partnerships in both Australia and the United Kingdom

Contact:
Steve Lyons
Director
SPM Consultants Limited
Tel +64 9 921 4070

Email: steve@spmconsultants.co.nz

For further information visit www.spmconsultants.co.nz or download the case study.

“Presenting to the Beachheads Board and getting their feedback at that time was a highly valuable exercise for us. It pinpointed the issues we needed to consider further and focused us on the opportunity cost of making the push into the UK.” – Steve Lyons