KIWI FIRM BAGS BIG BUSINESS AWARD

Glidepath, the West Auckland-headquartered company known around the world for its integrated airport baggage handling, postal and cargo systems, has bagged a big award among the ‘Best of the Best’ – Auckland’s supreme business awards. Glidepath moves people and products fast, safely and efficiently with over 900 systems, including baggage handling systems, operating in 68 countries at hundreds of airports from Vancouver to Bali. Its ongoing success won it the Supreme Business Excellence Winner in the Westpac Auckland Business Awards – Best of the Best. Glidepath also won the Excellence in Innovation category at the awards following on from their regional success last year at Westpac Auckland Business Awards – North West. Founder Sir Ken Stevens says the 47-year-old company has long established global markets, including India where it has a manufacturing base. It’s enjoying a new era of growth providing automated, integrated product and software solutions for airport baggage, parcel and cargo handling systems. “Entering this award has helped us measure up against different parameters. It has helped us on our journey, lifted our game in performance, product and adaptability. Tech is now a bigger exporter than meat in New Zealand and a good employer - and we’ll just get better and better,” says Sir Ken, who is also Chair of Export New Zealand. Glidepath has evolved into a leading automation and technology company, able to apply its experience and innovations to solutions for airports struggling to cope with huge growth in passenger volumes and needing to improve experience, efficiency, and security at the best cost. “That’s why we have to live and breathe innovation, because we’re pitching against the big guys around the world - and we often win.” Glidepath’s latest customer-centric product, CHECKITXPRESS, developed in partnership with Vancouver Airport and its innovation unit, sets the standard as the world’s most accessible, efficient and intuitive self-service bag drop. The technology and compact, user-friendly design reduces queuing times, frees up floor space and minimises the need for check-in staff. The company employs a staff of more than 280, half of them based close to customers in Canada, Australia, India, South Africa and Latin America along with a centre of innovation excellence in Auckland. “We are in a fast moving and exciting technological era,” says Sir Ken. “We have the opportunity to create the future. Nothing is impossible.”