Sunshine Coast Company, Ritek Building Solutions has been announced as the winner of the AMP Innovation Award in the 2007 Telstra Business Awards.
The AMP Innovation Award recognises businesses with innovative procedures, products or services.
Telstra Group Managing Director for Telstra Business and Telstra Business Awards Ambassador, Ms Deena Shiff, said Telstra was proud of all of this year’s Queensland winners and finalists.
“These Awards give Australian businesses the recognition they deserve and we are honoured each year to celebrate the achievements of Queensland’s business community. Today more than ever we promote the innovation and potential of Australian business and serve to unlock the full potential of our national economy,” Ms Shiff said.
CEO of Building Solutions, Gayne Emblin said the whole team was excited by the announcement and attributes winning the award to great teamwork and keeping innovation as a priority in every aspect of the business.
“We incorporate innovation across every aspect of the business – our people, our processes and our products. In terms of our people, we have utilised in-house branding to facilitate teamwork, we encourage our employees to lead a balanced life, provide training and career path opportunities and are actively involved in community projects.”
“We regularly review our processes to ensure we are utilising efficient and effective systems and implement new systems when needed. For example, we are currently developing software which will streamline our customer tracking system.”
“We have an on-site testing facility where we can do full scale testing of prototypes and new product applications. This enables us to develop our existing range of innovative building products as well as design and test new concepts,” said Gayne Emblin.
Peter Kelly, HIA GreenSmart Professional and R&D Manager of Ritek, confirms the environmental benefits that the innovative products provide to builders and designers to enable Australians to incorporate passive sustainability into their lifestyle.
“Utilising the Ritek wall and roof products in your home in conjunction with good design can substantially reduce your household energy requirements for heating, cooling and lighting.”
“This is achievable due to the excellent insulating properties of the products and the ability to utilise environmentally smart design techniques which maximise natural light sources, assist with cross ventilation and increase shading from summer sun.”
“The Ritek products utilise less materials and are quicker to install than traditional building methods resulting in major savings on transportation, cranage and clean up,” said Peter Kelly.
Ritek’s products are focussed on providing sustainable materials to the building industry using high-tech, man-made materials that do not rely on natural resources.
Ritek’s products are highly adaptable and can be used in residential homes to large multi-storey developments.
The Ritek products provide innovative solutions for the building and construction industry.
However, they are not simply innovative products - they have innovation incorporated into their design to address issues related to transportation, waste minimisation and being subjected to harsh conditions such as marine environments and cyclone prone areas.
The innovative Ritek Custom Roof Panel can be utilised in straight, curved or multi-curved designs; facilitates the collection of rainwater and dew harvesting with its steel custom orb roof sheeting; is quick and easy to install and eliminates the need for ceiling plastering and soffit installation.
A testament to the product is its recent use in the Currumbin Ecovillage where sustainable living is a part of their charter.
The Ritek Custom Roof Panel uses fewer resources, caters for clean rainwater collection, provides excellent insulation and shading and is installed quickly with minimal wastage making it an environmental and sustainable choice.
Another innovative and sustainable Ritek product is the XL Wall System which is suitable for both single and multi storey structures which are typically reinforced and concrete filled on site.
Essentially the system can be used for all wall applications internally and externally including structural walls, lift shafts, party walls and stairwells.
The innovative composite stud and track system of the Ritek XL Wall System creates strong, lightweight panels that are safer and easier to install than other conventional metal framed walls and are durable and non-corrosive.
Also, extra floor space (gross floor area) can be achieved as the Ritek walls are thinner than traditional methods yet achieve the same structural results.
Ritek XL Wall System has gained a lot of industry support and has been used extensively on the East Coast of Australia with recent projects including Hamilton Island Accommodation Units, Charlotte Towers in Brisbane and Tingeera Luxury Beachfront Apartments in Hervey Bay.
Ritek Building Solutions are also eligible for the National AMP Innovation Award and will compete against other state and territory winners in Sydney on 21 September.
