REDARC is the 2014 Telstra Business of the Year - a program that has celebrated brilliant Australian small and medium businesses since 1992.
The award was presented by Federal Treasurer Joe Hockey. Will Irving, Telstra Business Group Managing Director and Ambassador for the Telstra Australian Business Awards, said, the 2014 national winners were trail-blazers who excelled in their ability to be brilliantly different and change industries by either creating new businesses or thinking about old business models in new ways.
Pictured L to R: Nick Haddow, Bruny Island Cheese (winner 2013); Michele Kittel, REDARC; The Hon Joe Hockey, MP Treasurer Commonwealth of Australia; Anthony Kittel, CEO of REDARC; Will Irving, Group Managing Director of Telstra Business.
"REDARC is a high growth, high quality manufacturer that has focused on innovation, deep customer understanding, targeted marketing and investment in new capability." Mr Irving said.
"They demonstrate that with a very strategic focus on their value proposition, as well as partnerships with Universities and high levels of investment in research and development and production quality, domestic manufacturers can capture value and not just survive, but thrive.”
REDARC is now part of an elite group of Australian businesses whose outstanding business practices have demonstrated great success and achievement.
Anthony Kittel said: "the secrets of the company’s success were "continually investing a minimum of 15 per cent of our sales revenue back into research and having about 25 per cent of our employees working in R&D and innovation."
"As an advanced manufacturer we need a highly skilled and empowered workforce. The commitment of the REDARC employees to learning and embracing training is impressive. Without a highly skilled workforce our product wouldn’t be at the technology level it is."
Photo: Anthony Kittel, CEO of REDARC, giving his acceptance speech.
Mr Kittel and his team were recognised by the Telstra Awards judges for having a huge pipeline of ideas that were turned into a stream of product development that drives REDARC’s growth.
Also the winner of the Medium Business Award at the 2014 Telstra Australian Business Awards ceremony in Melbourne, REDARC has a distribution arm in France, sells its battery management products into countries from Iceland to Spain and has medium term plans to distribute in the US.
The Awards judges described REDARC as a financial success with impressive durability and robustness, high future potential and significant investment in staff training and product development.
