Outlook inspires whispers

www.heraldsun.com.au
7 Mar 2012

THE 23m-high wind turbine that stands in front of Geelong firm Austeng's factory isn't the only thing that sets the company apart. As impressive, though less readily visible from the highway, are the engineering company's forward-looking attitude and willingness to innovate and change. "If we serviced only our old customers and produced the same products we'd always produced, we'd be out the back door so fast", says managing director and founder Ross George. "The future for manufacturers like us is about trying to be innovative and producing products that are new and different".

The world's quietest wind turbine, Eco Whisper, and a second product, pre-cast geopolymer graves, fit that bill. "Many of the new products we see being worked on here in Australia are tied up with environmental and energy efficiency and are about being green", Mr George said. "Because so many of our old customers are now sourcing from overseas, we've had to reinvent our customer base to survive and grow". Michael Le Messurier of Renewable Energy Solutions Australia, which owns the Eco Whisper technology, became an Austeng client last year. "Austeng came to us highly regarded and they've been passionate champions of our technology ever since", he said. "They really want to see it work".

As part of its role in the project, Austeng offered to buy and install an Eco Whisper on site. That was not only to test the product, but also to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. Eco Whisper is designed to offset energy requirements at commercial, manufacturing and industrial sites, as well as at shopping centres and schools. Mr George said the wind turbine would supply about one third of the energy Austeng consumes. "Having a carbon management policy and being perceived as carbon neutral is good for our business image--and it's helped our customer out", he said. Austeng will be producing four to six more wind turbines for RESA's Victorian customers over the next six months, as Queensland-based RESA focuses on the Victorian market.