KEY POINTS:
Healthcare IT company Orion Health's great year just got better after it was named Auckland exporter of the year.
The Mt Eden-based company's bagged the Air New Zealand Cargo Auckland Export Awards 2008 last night, another victory in a string of successes this year.
In May, it announced consolidated gross revenue of $53 million for the 2007-08 financial year, becoming New Zealand's largest locally-owned software exporter, according to New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.
The following month, it became the only New Zealand-owned company to make the list of top 100 healthcare IT companies in the United States, placing 70th, well above its 2006 debut in 97th place.
The company, which designs software that integrates patient records from a range of practitioners and organisations, has been an exporter for the past 15 years, with 82 per cent of revenue stemming from sales in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia.
Lyall Pacey, Auckland regional president of awards organiser Export New Zealand, said Orion's export growth made it stand out among the record number of entries this year.
Other winners were wire fencing designer-manufacturer Euro Corporation, which was named emerging exporter of the year, professional services company Beca Group which took away the services export award, and customised equipment maker Flotech which clinched the award for deal of the year.
"Despite the global economic downturn, these often niche New Zealand companies are cutting it with the best around the world. They have found what works in a small country like ours, despite skills shortages and small markets here, and they are not only surviving but thriving," said Pacey.
