Top Bay business tastes double success

Trimax Mowing Systems,  one of the Bay's leading exporters over the past 25 years,  last night celebrated one of its finer moments.
The Tauranga manufacturer and distributor, which makes tractor-mounted rotary mowers, captured a double at the Bay of Plenty Export Awards gala dinner - winning the Innovation category and its general manager Graeme Boyd taking the Service to Export tribute.
Trimax, which exports to Australia, United States, Britain and Europe, has  twice before won the Supreme Exporter of the Year.
But even though the company has been on the exporting landscape for more than two decades, it stole the show again - through  innovation  providing an edge for increasing sales in the international marketplace.
In August Trimax will begin producing a new Merlin mower specifically designed for golf courses and other playing fields.
The compact mower, with three mowing decks, will be cheaper and more flexible than  customary greenkeeping machines.
Normally, a golf courses has up to five different mowers to trim the rough and cut  fairways, tees and greens. The Merlin mower doubles up for the fairways and rough, reducing the maintenance costs for golf clubs.
Already Trimax has forward orders for the Merlin and it is eyeing a global market that has 34,000 golf courses around the world, including 2300 in Britain and 1700 in Florida, in the United States, alone.
The Merlin  is the results of a five-year development programme. It began when managing director Bob Sievwright and technical manager Jim McEwen were on a golfing trip to southeast United States and England, and decided they could produce a better, simpler machine for mowing  fairways.
"We called it Merlin because it transforms a grass space into a magical space," said Mr McEwen.

 Mr Boyd was "absolutely gobsmacked" at  receiving the Service to Export award. 
 An Export Institute member for 10 years, he has provided plenty of impetus to Bay exporting since arriving in Tauranga in 1992.
He was general manager and chief executive for Comvita for eight years, a consultant for Oasis Engineering and has been with Trimax for five years.
"They took me on as a contractor for three days a week and I've been there ever since."
During his spells with the three companies, they have won export awards.
"I like to develop export plans, but I'm a person that also wants to be part of the implementation to create results," he said.
Pollen Plus, the world's largest producer of pure chieftain male pollen for the kiwifruit industry, won the Emerging Exporter of the Year, and it prides itself on innovation by developing more efficient pollination application systems.
It was a finalist in the innovation category, and Pollen Plus managing director Steve Saunders was  delighted to be there.
"I'm just pleased to be standing up alongside Puma Darts and Trimax. They are strong, branded companies which have been around for as long as I can remember.
"I first used a Trimax mower in the orchards 24 years ago, and we had plenty of parties where we threw darts at the Puma dartboard," said Mr Saunders.
The supreme award went to Kawerau heavy mechanical engineering service company, Allied Industrial Engineering (AIE), ahead of Puma Dart Products, which exports to 70 countries, and Rotorua's Peterson Portable Sawmills.
AIE is providing engineering solutions in the marine, pulp and paper, wood processing, power generation and mining sectors in New Zealand and the South Pacific, including repairing propeller blades for the five Anzac frigates.
EXPORT CHAMPIONS
Winners from last night's BNZ Partners-sponsored Bay of Plenty Export Awards, at Baypark Conference Centre:
Sharp Tudhope Supreme Exporter of the Year: Winner, Allied Industrial Engineering (Kawerau). Finalists: Peterson Portable Sawmills (Rotorua), Puma Dart Products (Katikati).
United Travel Corporate Emerging Exporter of the Year: Winner, PollenPlus (Te Puna). Finalists: Fastcraft (Papamoa), Steve Bird Winery and Vineyard (Tauranga/Marlborough).
Page and Macare Innovation in Export: Winner, Trimax Mowing Systems (Tauranga). Finalists: Pollen Plus, Puma Dart Products.
 Bay of Plenty Polytechnic Export Achiever: Winner, Scott Coulter (Comvita New Zealand). Finalists: Dr Alan Seal (Plant and Food Research, Te Puke), Jevon Priestley (Allied Industrial Engineering), Gwenda Merriman (Jeffco International, Te Puna), Trevor Vile (Baytex, Tauranga).
Zespri Service to Export: Graeme Boyd (Trimax general manager).