Exporter clinches unique prize

ONE of WA’s largest exporters has become the first foreign company to win a major Japanese supplier award.

Dampier Salt, ranked 17th in the Business News’ List of Largest Exporters in WA won the Osaki Glass Top Supplier Award.

Dampier Salt managing director Douglas Ritchie said Osaki had been presenting the award every year for the past thirty or forty years.

The award recognises service and quality issues in the supply process.

Approximately sixteen per cent of Dampier Salt’s production goes to Osaki Glass.

About 500,000 tonnes goes to Osaki’s Japan-based operation and another 350,000 tonnes to its Indonesian subsidiary.

In fact, Dampier Salt sent the first ever Cape-sized shipment from Australia – a shipment of 100,000 tonnes – to Osaki.

With the award comes a prize of 500,000 yen.

Mr Ritchie said those funds would be donated to the Royal Flying Doctor Service.