smart investor

As SOB mentioned, Neppy gets a mention in the September issue of Smart investor magazine. On the front cover of this months edition is the headline "world class shares- 15 Aussie battlers taking on the globe"

The lead in to the article reads "Tackling overseas markets can be tough, but some Australian companies are poised for big wins internationally. AFR Smart Investor asks leading fund managers to pick the stocks they think have a passport to success".

I'll skip the first part of the article and jump straight to the bit that is relevant.

"We've asked some of of the country's most clued-in fund managers to list the Australian stocks that they think are poised to do big things abroad.

The big surprise is that, apart from Macquarie Bank, Westfield and National Australia Bank, Australia's largest companies are noticeably absent.

As far as fund managers are concerned, it's Australia's small or mid-sized stocks that have the most potential to make an impact on the international stage.

Just as illuminating is the number of companies on the list that have Australian-made technology ready to export overseas- a revelation, no doubt, for those who bemoaned our market's lack of IT opportunities during the tech boom.

Whether it's Cabcharge Australia and it's payment processing system, Iress Market Technology with its stockbroking software, or Neptune Marine Services unique underwater welding technique, success abroad could see Australia shake off its image as a backwater that specialises only in "old economy" resource stocks.

The 15 stocks featured in the article are Amadeus Energy, Cabcharge Australia, Campbell Brothers, Ellex Medical Lasers, Goodman Group, Iress Market Technology, Macquarie Bank, NAB, Neptune Marine Services, Reverse Corp, Sonic Healthcare, Sunland Group, Transfield Services, Westfield Group and Worley Parsons.

On Neppy, it reads:

"Neptune is a marine services company serving the oil, gas and shipping industries. Its key technology, NEPSYS, is a patent-protected underwater dry welding system. The only competition for NEPSYS is costly dry docking and underwater wet welding, which traps moisture and salt and is only a short-term fix. So Neptune has an unbeatable competitive advantage. NEPSYS was invented in Australia but has applications worldwide. Neptune has bought a dive operation in the Gulf of Mexico, where there are 5000 oil rigs- more than half of which need repairs. The North Sea is a logical next step, and South-East Asia is on the radar. We're forecasting Neptune will earn 7.6c per share in 2008, but believe this could be adjusted upwards".