Small businesses win joint Australian Export Awards [Video]

A Queensland manufacturer of maritime ventilation systems, and a Victorian business devoted to time-lapse photography, were crowned as the nation’s leading small business exporters at last night’s Austrade Australian Export Awards.

Marine Air Flow International and photoSentinel jointly won the Small Business category at the Parliament House ceremony, where entrepreneurs and lawmakers gathered to celebrate Australian businesses gaining traction overseas.

For nearly 20 years, Marine Air Flow International has tackled an age-old problem: the corrosive power of damp and salty air, which can damage ship engine rooms.

It develops and manufactures fans, moisture-reducing intake grilles, and air dampers, with customers in the commercial and defence markets.

Exports now count for nearly half of its total business, helping it diversify its income and reduce reliance on large domestic contracts.

This year, the business signed a deal to produce air-flow systems for two new ferries, each built in Singapore and destined for …