MONTGOMERY – Governor Robert Bentley on Wednesday presented the Governor’s Trade Excellence Awards to eight Alabama companies that are excelling in international trade.
“The success of these companies shows how Alabama products are reaching a global marketplace,” Governor Bentley said. “These companies are taking advantage of the tools available to them to serve customers all over the world. The Export Alabama Alliance is connecting Alabama companies with exciting new opportunities, and that’s good business for this state.”
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The recipients of the 2013 Governor’s Trade Excellence Awards are:
· Atlas RFID Solutions – Birmingham
· Induron Coatings, LLC – Birmingham
· Intergraph Corporation – Madison
· LINE-X, LLC – Huntsville
· Mack Manufacturing, Inc. – Theodore
· Motion Industries – Birmingham
· Quincy Compressor – Bay Minette
· Von Corporation – Birmingham
Increasing exports from Alabama companies is a major priority in the Accelerate Alabama long-term economic development plan. Exports increase company profitability and help create and support new jobs. Job creation remains the top priority of the Bentley Administration.
“All of these companies are leaders in Alabama for exports,” Alabama Department of Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield said. “By expanding their markets beyond those of the state and the U.S., they are creating high-paying jobs that support families, sustain jobs and make a major impact on the local and state economies.”
In February, Governor Bentley announced that Alabama exports closed out calendar year 2012 at a record-breaking total of $19.5 billion in the value of goods exported. The 2012 figure showed an increase of 9.36 percent from the 2011 total. Alabama moved to 22nd in the nation for total dollar exports during 2012 while ranking 25th in 2011.
Alabama’s top five destination markets are Canada ($3.9 billion), Germany ($2.5 billion), China ($2.4 billion), Mexico ($2 billion) and Japan ($795 million).
The U.S. Department of Commerce states that for every $1 billion in exports, 5,000 jobs are supported. Applied to Alabama’s $19.5 billion in exports, an estimated 97,500 jobs are supported by exporting from this state.
The Governor’s Trade Excellence Awards Program was established in 2005 to recognize Alabama manufacturers and service companies for excelling in international trade. The objectives of this program include identifying Alabama’s successful exporters, promoting exporters as role models to the Alabama business community and increasing awareness of the impact of exporting onAlabama’s economy.
The awards program is coordinated by the Alabama Department of Commerce and the Export Alabama Alliance. The program recognizes small, medium, and large businesses, including new-to-export companies located throughout the state.
Additional information on the companies receiving the 2013 awards:
Atlas RFID Solutions (Birmingham)
Atlas RFID Solutions develops and implements RFID-based systems throughout the global marketplace, bridging the knowledge gap between the capabilities of auto-ID technology and the commercial needs of efficiency-conscious firms.
· Since the company opened its doors in the Innovation Depot in 2007, it has grown from a few employees to more than 40.
· Export sales were 71% of revenue in 2012 with the company only engaged in exporting for past three years.
Induron Coatings, LLC (Birmingham)
Induron Coatings, LLC is an industrial paint manufacturer founded in 1947 to serve the growing Magic City steel industry. Now under its third generation of family ownership, Induron specializes in coatings for the water, wastewater, electrical transmission and distribution and other specialized, industrial markets.
· Doing business internationally for over 15 years with 5%+ in revenue attributed to exports
· Just completed a large project for multiple painting contractors with high-profile coal handling conveyor in Colombia.
· Products offer significant improvement in both abrasion resistance and total applied cost for mining industries in South America as well as the oil and gas industry in Western Canada.
Intergraph Corporation (Madison)
Intergraph Corporation, a subsidiary of Hexagon Corporation (a Swedish-based, publicly-traded entity) is the leading global provider of engineering and geospatial software that enables customers to visualize complex data. Founded in Huntsville, Alabama, Intergraph is comprised of these divisions: Process, Power & Marine (PP&M) and Security, Government & Infrastructure (SG&I). Intergraph PP&M is the leading global provider of enterprise engineering software to the process, power and marine industries.
· Large service company with total sales over $50 million and 4,588 employees worldwide
· During 2012, export sales accounted for some 67% of total revenue.
· International success comes from executive’s vision to bring regional managements together in the APAC region, which includes Japan,South Korea, China, Australia and Southeast Asia.
· Intergraph is a strategic technology partner to the Italian Rail (RFI), and its network supports in excess of 9,000 trains a day.
Line-X LLC (Huntsville)
LINE-X Protective Coatings is the nation’s leading developer and provider of Spray-On Protective Coatings. LINE-X coatings are scientifically engineered spray elastomer polyurethanes and polyureas that are used in a variety of different industries and markets worldwide.
· Small company (less than $5 million in sales) with 65 employees
· Company’s headquarters relocated from California in 2009, with distribution center moving from Texas to Huntsville in 2010.
· Exporting has been part of its overall strategy since 1998.
Mack Manufacturing, Inc. (Theodore)
Mack Manufacturing Incorporated is a family-owned and operated company. Founded in 1942 in Duluth, Minnesota, by Maurice McElderry as a welding company to support the mining industry, the company soon transformed itself into a crane attachment manufacturer specializing in grapples. The products are primarily used in the logging and pulp and paper industries.
· Medium-sized company (total sales $5 – $50 million) with 82 employees
· Doing business internationally for over 35 years with export sales accounting for some 15% during 2012
· Company is a direct exporter and is experienced in practicing patience and diligence to export
Motion Industries (Birmingham)
Motion Industries distributes industrial replacement parts and supplies such as bearings, mechanical and electrical power transmission products, industrial automation parts, hoses, hydraulic and pneumatic components, safety/industrial supplies and material handling products to MRO (maintenance, repair and operation) and OEM (original equipment manufacturer) customers worldwide.
· Export division is ISO certified and sells products in over 100 countries and on 6 continents
· Company works with other distributors throughout the world to help them obtain parts not readily available in their markets and supplies parts to U.S. companies that have foreign production facilities.
· Employees hired are proficient in several languages ranging from Czech to Swedish.
Quincy Compressor (Bay Minette)
Quincy Compressor is a leading designer and manufacturer of reciprocating and rotary screw air compressors (ranging from one-third to 350 horsepower), vacuum pumps and a full line of air treatment components.
· Established in 1920 and also operates facilities in Quincy, Illinois, and Kunshan, China, with more than 600 employees worldwide.
· Over 28 years of export experience and employs 187 people
· Roughly equal growth in domestic and international sales
· Exports full units and aftermarket parts as well as exporting core proprietary components to be packaged in China and Korea for use in Asian markets.
The VON Corporation (Birmingham)
The VON Corporation is the world’s most trusted name in underground cable fault locating and high-voltage testing. It was founded in 1958 by C.F. von Herrmann and developed the world’s first, truly one-person, portable, air-insulated 100kV DC test set.
· Medium-sized company established in 1958 with 22 employees
· Doing business overseas for 53 years
· International sales have exceeded growth of domestic sales with export revenue accounting for over 25%
· Biggest success story is business with China and learning how to overcome language barriers and providing timely technical support.
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