Simcro wins award for vaccine gun that avoids pricks

Simcro’s vaccine gun, which avoids accidental pricks, wins international design award

By Peter Kerr

Dec. 3 (BusinessDesk) – Hamilton-based agritech company Simcro has won the design equivalent of an Olympic gold medal for its animal vaccine safety injector, Sekurus.

The 'self-tenting' design means it is virtually impossible for the operator to accidentally inject themselves while also allowing one-handed operation, and has been awarded an International Forum (IF) 2011 product design from Germany.

The IF Design Awards are held annually and as one of the three leading design awards in the world are "an absolute mark of respect," said Better by Design director, Judith Thompson. "It is highly sought after and is something that companies are proud to put on their products."

Simcro's Sekurus, in Latin securus means safety, was selected from a total of 2,756 entries from 43 countries, and judged by 20 internationally recognised designers and entrepreneurs. This year 993 products gained IF product awards.

The managing director of the animal health pharmaceutical delivery solutions, Will Rouse, said Simcro devotes 10-12% of its annual turnover to research and development. Its 13 person development team has a number of new products in its pipeline, and the company intends expanding into the companion animal sector as well as the human health pharmaceutical space. Rouse said the experience gained in the company's main lines of injectors and drench guns is very applicable beyond farm animals.

Simcro currently exports over 90% of its products to more than 65 countries based mostly on a business to business model by partnering with international companies such as Novartis Animal Health Inc., Pfizer and Ancare.

Rouse said the intellectual property of the Sekurus is "quite defendable." "It's clever, and we've spent a long time developing that mechanism, so we're happy to take out patents."

Rouse, who has a background in merchant banking, along with three partners, bought Simcro three and a half years ago after successfully tendering for it under a sales process.

It has won a number of design awards in the past couple of years.

"Research and development and groundbreaking design are the keys to success," Rouse said. "This latest award shows we are well able to compete in the international market."

(BusinessDesk)

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