By Smita Krishnaswamy

TWO home-grown companies have received an annual award that recognises the Asia Pacific region's best companies in terms of industrial technologies.

iWOW Connections, which specialises in wireless communications solutions using a range of cutting edge technologies, was named the industrial wireless emerging company of the year.

Pixelmetrix Corp, which provides digital broadcasters and telecom operators with equipment and systems that monitor broadcast quality, was named the communications test and measurement emerging company of the year.

The awards, conferred by Frost & Sullivan, a business research and consulting firm, were presented to 33 organisations in a variety of industries at the Intercontinental Hotel yesterday.

Mr Sanjay Singh, Frost & Sullivan's vice-president for Industrial Technologies, said the awards aim to recognise organisations that have shown exemplary performance in growth, expansion, innovation and customer acquisition in the current economic climate.

'They are better positioned to capitalise on the upturn when it comes,' he said.

Pixelmetrix's chief executive, Mr Danny Wilson, attributed the company's success to 'thinking big and working hard''. He said the company, which uses Singapore as a base, has customers across the globe, which provided it a buffer during the recession.

iWOW's executive director, Mr Lee Yao Chiang, said that 80 per cent of iWow's business is outside Singapore. The company plans to reach out to more countries that have yet to adopt wireless technology, and expand into more industry segments. Mr Lee also said that winning the award would inspire confidence in the company among iWow's clients.

Two Malaysian companies also received awards this year.

BioNet International, a biotechnology startup, was recognised as the emerging sensor company of the year while Amshore Holdings, a manufacturer and distributor of bottled water, clinched the award for bottled water company of the year.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.