Gallagher Products Take Out Designers Institute Awards

Two leading Gallagher animal management products have scooped medals at the 2010 Plastics Industry Biennial Design Awards held in Auckland on October 8.

The SmartTSi weighscale system won two awards and the SmartFence T4100 portable fence, which won gold at the Designers Institute of NZ Best Design Awards 2010, also received two awards.

Mark Harris, marketing manager for Gallagher Animal Management Systems, says the awards are great recognition for Gallagher’s hard-working Research and Design team.

“Our people are proud as punch, and they deserve to be. The awards recognise that Gallagher is using world-class plastics technology and design to deliver unique, top quality products to our customers.”

He says SmartFence and SmartTSi were constructed using processes and materials that make these products highly functional, reliable and dependable in the field, while also being affordable to customers.

The SmartFence T4100, a four-wire fully-portable all-in-one electric fence system, was launched in New Zealand in June this year and in Europe in January, receiving critical acclaim.

“It has been a great commercial hit both here and overseas, so to win a medal in the export category of the plastics awards tops off a really good year for the product,” Mark says.

Launched in 2008, the SmartTSi is another unique product designed to revolutionise the process of weighing and recording stock in the new era of EID (electronic identification) technology. Its features include a full-colour touchscreen and an all-weather design that makes on-farm collection of data easy and virtually unlimited.

Mark says the plastics award recognises the skill that went into developing an extremely rugged casing to house and protect SmartTSi’s sophisticated electronics from the hazards of everyday farm use.

He says the SmartTSi and the SmartFence both took years to develop. They utilise state-of-the-art plastic materials and advanced construction processes, such as over-moulding, to generate exceptional strength and durability.

The 2010 Plastics Industry Biennial Design Awards attracted 37 entries, reflecting the industry’s reputation as one of New Zealand’s most innovative sectors. Many of this year’s wins were for world-first products developed with leading-edge technology, despite the recent tough economic conditions.

“These awards recognise those members who are transforming the way in which plastics are perceived in the market,” Plastics New Zealand CEO Robin Martin said.

“We congratulate all of the entrants and the winners in the 2010 Design Awards on their superb entries and look to them as drivers of this transformation, through their product and process innovation, design technology and entrepreneurial spirit that is leading the way forward.”