DADANCO Pty Ltd, a South Australian company that developed revolutionary low-cost air conditioning technology for commercial applications, has received the 1999 Australia Post-Australia Day Council Business Award.

Dadanco Pty Ltd, of Thebarton, (Adelaide) developed innovative technology that lowers air-conditioner background noise by up to 15 dB (NR 28 to NR 35), reduces maintenance and running costs, and lowers environmental impact by reducing energy usage as much as 40% compared with conventional systems.

The technology, which was invented at the University of Adelaide by the company's founders Vladimir Petrovic and Professor Sam Luxton, and commercially developed by DADANCO, is now being exported to all Australian states, New Zealand, Asia and Europe.

The Australia Post-Australia Day Business Award acknowledged DADANCO's business achievements and on-going contribution to South Australia.

From a two-person start up company in 1995, DADANCO now has a current annual growth rate of around 500% with offices in three countries.

In early 1998 DADANCO set up a joint venture company in Singapore to serve the Asian region and towards the end of the year, set up Dadanco Europe in London to manage UK projects and act as a stepping stone to the European market.

Vladimir Petrovic, DADANCO Managing Director said to win the Australia Day Business Award was a welcome acknowledgement of the company's achievements.

"DADANCO's staff consists of a team of dedicated professionals with a wealth of knowledge in the design of air conditioning equipment," he said. "We constantly strive to ensure that the performance of all products is kept ahead of expectations without compromising consistency and quality.

"As part of our commitment to reducing envirnomental impact by lowering air conditioner energy usage through the application of our research and technology, we have recently embarked on a project to develop low 'embodied-energy' products from materials that require less energy in their production than traditional aluminium or steel and can be easily recycled," Mr Petrovic said

The company won two other awards in 1998: an Australia Day Council (SA) Business Certificate and Mr Petrovic won the Telstra/Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.