NLT recently added an Australian office to supplement its branches in North and South America, Europe and South Africa. The company has grown at around 20% per annum since 2000. By the end of 2005, NLT and parent company Levitt Safety are forecasting annual revenues in excess of $70 million, including the new market opportunities within Australasia.

According to Haight, the Australian mining industry represents a large growth area and relatively untapped market for the company.

“Australia has always been a leader in embracing new technology that enhances production and safety. I believe many of the existing fibre systems in mines are currently under-utilised. The fact that we can leverage off existing networks to deploy our systems and applications will add to our success,” he said.

NLT plans to offer local manufacturing and service for the Australian market, providing stronger marketing, engineering and project support for existing distributors in Australia and South East Asia.

Over the next six months, Haight plans to set up a local assembly, manufacturing and service facility and to deploy trial systems of NLT’s Northern Light Digital Network. The network is believed robust enough to support any mine communications requirements and handle large volumes of data, Haight said.

NL Technologies’ president and chief operating officer Dan Rose welcomed Haight’s addition to the team.

“Tim is very well known in the Australasian mining community and has a proven track record in building innovative communication and automation networks,” he said.

“Tim’s experience and drive will be a valued asset to our management team who are committed to growing our business and executing our growth strategies.

Haight has extensive experience in control engineering, systems design, and data communications and was director of marketing at i.Power Solutions prior to joining NLT. In his former role he helped the company more than double its turnover, achieve brand recognition within core markets, and helped turn the group into a $55 million per annum business.

He is an Executive Committee Member of the Mining and Equipment Services Council of Australia and is actively involved with the Australian Industry Group.