It has been an exciting few months for Eli Innovation whose motivation to expand their market overseas has seen their latest delivery shipped to Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, ready for installation in December 2017.

Hot on the heels of securing a $10,000 State Government grant to expand its operations offshore, Eli has taken out the Manufacturing and Industrial category at the 2014 Gippsland Business Awards.

Eli took the win over strong competition in Gippy Foods, the retail brand of Longwarry Food Park which lists turnover of over $100M and has just launched its new Gippy Milk range.

With Eli already featuring in The Weekly Times earlier in the month for its expansion plans, the win will further raise the business profile in the local community.

In the meantime, Eli is taking full advantage of the government grant to develop an offshore commercialisation model for its milk meters. A unique, add-on product, they attach to existing dairy equipment to record the volume, duration and conductivity of individual cow milking sessions.

New Zealand is the first offshore territory Eli plans to establish a market base in, with a trial farm in the South Island having operated their milk meters successfully for two years now.

The business is currently in the process of selecting key channel partners and hopes to be trading consistently across the Tasman by the end of the year.

For more details on Eli's milk meters, visit www.eli-innovation.com.au/stand-alone-milk-meters

2014 has delivered a number of milestones for Eli Innovation; 10 years of being owned and operated in Warragul, 10,000 units sold and now - being named a finalist in the 2014 Gippsland Business Awards.

Participating in the category of Manufacturing and Industrial, the awards will see Eli go up against fellow Baw Baw Shire dairy business Gippy Foods and Lakes Entrance Glass and Glazing.

The businesses will be judged on various criteria, including innovation, customer focus and use of new technology. As Australia's only manufacturer of Automatic Cup Removers and Stand-Alone Milk Meters, Eli hopes to impress the judges with its use of revolutionary automated technologies to drive efficiency, profitability and growth in the local dairy industry.

The awards are the pinnacle business awards in the region and have been celebrating the achievements of Gippsland enterprises for over 15 years.

Winners will be announced on Friday 29th August at a gala event to be held in Traralgon. For a full list of finalists, visit the official website at www.gba.org.au.