Export Finance and Insurance Corporation (EFIC) and Westpac are assisting Sydney-based Flovac Vacuum Sewerage Systems Pty Ltd with export contracts in the Middle East for advanced vacuum sewerage systems that are particularly suitable for environmentally sensitive locations.

With a proud claim that it provides ‘the green future of sewerage’, Flovac is experiencing international demand for their technology as a substitute for traditional gravity flow sewerage systems that require a lot of water and elaborate pipeline networks buried up to ten metres below ground.

Flovac’s systems require far less water and use smaller diameter pipes in much shallower trenches – an ideal solution for areas where the water table is high, trees need to be preserved or excavation is difficult.

“We were looking at lines of credit for our projects in the Middle East and knew that EFIC had facilities to assist exporters with working capital finance,” said John Radinoff, Flovac’s managing director. “EFIC Headway proved to be very helpful for us because our projects involve a lot of initial costs.”

EFIC Headway, a financial guarantee from EFIC to a participating bank, enabled Flovac to obtain additional working capital finance from Westpac without the need to provide added security.

Flovac commands about 20 per cent of international business for vacuum sewerage systems and, over the years, has developed a special affinity with the Middle East.

“They know that we have done more than 80 projects in Australia, including in conditions that are familiar to them,” said Mr Radinoff. “We have done projects in deserts in 50-degree Celsius heat and have experience that our competitors don’t have.”

EFIC Headway is distributed by Westpac, NAB, HSBC, Commonwealth Bank, ANZ, BankWest, Bank of Queensland, Bendigo Bank and St.George.