Safety bootmaker wins award

Western Australian safety boot innovator, Footwear Instruments Pty Ltd has beaten a competitive field of the State's top small businesses to become the 2003 Telstra Western Australian Small Business of the Year.

The company who developed the Steel Blue safety footwear range won the Cisco Systems Business Award category for businesses employing between 51 and 100 people, and also the overall prize for Small Business of the Year.

Footwear Industry's investment in research and development has been considerable. Its Trisole Comfort Technology (TCT) soling system has been patented in several countries and is the key to the exceptional comfort of Steel Blue.

In February 2003, the Shoe and Allied Trades Research Association (SATRA) in the UK who is the world's leading footwear research organisation found Steel Blue footwear to be the world's most comfortable safety boot ever tested. SATRA stated that Steel Blue footwear had the comfort levels of a high performance sports shoe. Since then sales have increased by 43%. The Telstra award follows another recent accolade - the 'Most Innovative Business Award' presented to Footwear Industries by the Local Chamber of Commerce and Industry in June.