Altech scoops TT100 award

Johannesburg, 17 Nov 2006

Allied Technology (Altech) won science and technology minister Mosibudi Mangena's award as overall large enterprise at this year's Technology Top 100 (TT100) Awards.

Altech - majority owned by Altron - is a "many times winner of TT100", said a statement. Altech, which "earns accolades every year for consistent performance and achievement", competed this year against subsidiaries UEC, Netstar and Namitech. It won as a result of its "proven turnaround strategy as a holdings company".

Last year, Altech was named joint winner of the Leaders in Portfolio Management Award and this year its tracking subsidiary, Netstar, also took the honours in the commercialisation category.

Altech has "changed its role of overseer of financial results and administration to implementer of mechanisms and platforms from which to derive synergies from its subsidiaries, extract multipliers by integrating knowledge and strategic know-how across the entire organisation, encouraging new revenue streams from the development of new intellectual property while allowing each individual subsidiary to continue innovating in its own right", said a statement issued by the Department of Science and Technology, Eskom, TT100 and Da Vinci.

Other winners

Overall winner in the small and medium enterprise category was incuBeta Intelligent Marketing, which last year was the most promising emerging Technology Top 100 enterprise. The company is a global business and counts among its partners Google, eBay and Amazon.com.

In a statement, TT100 said the black-empowered company is a classic garage-start-up. "Its growth and development in 2006 results from a thorough understanding of how branding creates commercial opportunities and from informing its target market of the business opportunities inherent in using their products and services."

IncuBeta generated over $100 million in earnings for its clients this year and expects to increase that to $250 million in 2007.

The TT100 awards, launched in 1991 by the South African Engineering Association, recognise innovation, technological excellence and sustainability in the country. The Department of Science and Technology endorses the awards.

Category leaders

The TT100 leader in innovation 2006 is Control Instruments Shurlok, which produces electronic equipment, such as alarms and immobilisers, for the motor industry.

The category leader in research and development is Multotec Process Equipment, cited as "the very model of a company that concentrates on finding specific and unique solutions for clients by employing specialised process engineers to solve clients' problems".

Netstar took the honours in the commercialisation category. The joint statement said the company is required to innovate constantly. "Netstar has a clear track record of successfully bringing new innovations to market, turning them into sustained revenue generators."

In empowerment, Khanya Project took kudos. The company provides technology-based learning in the Western Cape, which suffers from a shortage of teachers.

Advanced Technologies & Engineering, which operates in the defence sector, won in the portfolio management category. "They have continued to develop expertise over the years in combining the correct and applicable technology with an acute understanding of their client environment."

The category leader in social innovation is the InnovirInstitute Trust, which applies technology to HIV-positive people and others infected by chronic diseases to improve their quality of life.