BirdDog Australia
BirdDog Australia design and build high-grade cameras and livestream software. They are used in homes, offices, education institutions, stadiums and houses of worship around the world.
Need
As the demand for video capability dramatically increased during COVID-19, BirdDog Australia absorbed the pressure on its supply chain and manufacturing business operations. It needed working capital support to keep up with orders.
Solution
We provided working capital to assist BirdDog Australia increase its manufacturing output, maintain large orders and keep up with growing demand. Our support enabled BirdDog Australia to continue winning business opportunities for international growth.
Self-confessed as young, nimble and innovative within the technology scene, Melbourne-based BirdDog Australia is already a force to be reckoned with in the world of broadcasting. They were the earliest global adopters of the Network Device Interface - NDI® - platform and internet protocol video technology since their inception in 2016.
BirdDog Australia design and build high-grade cameras and livestream software for homes, offices, education institutions, stadiums and houses of worship around the world. In fact, 90 per cent of its products are exported into major markets in North America, the UK, and the EU.
The right recommendation
As the demand for video capability dramatically increased during COVID-19, BirdDog Australia absorbed the pressure on its supply chain and manufacturing business operations.
Having identified the need to fund growth with additional cash flow, BirdDog Australia was recommended the support of Export Finance Australia and had already directly approached us.
Our Victorian Business Development team worked with BirdDog Australia to understand its business and helped it secure the right financial solution.
We provided a working capital facility to assist BirdDog Australia increase its manufacturing output, maintain large orders and keep up with growing demand.
Barry Calnon, BirdDog Australia’s Chief Financial Officer & Finance Director, reveals that our support was key to its current success.
“We ramped up our manufacturing to satisfy the significantly increased demand,” he said. “Our second-tier financier couldn’t get us there, but it’s precisely what Export Finance Australia enabled us to do”.
Without Export Finance Australia, we would have merely grown at a moderate rate, and missed out on export opportunities across the globe, thereby stifling the business and our trajectory. We’re going to keep growing and enjoying the support that Export Finance Australia have given us.
Barry Calnon
Chief Financial Officer & Finance Director, BirdDog Australia
Seizing international opportunities
Our support also meant that BirdDog Australia could win business opportunities for international growth. This is particularly important in the broadcast industry, where opportunities are typically short-lived.
“Some business opportunities are on the table for a brief period, literally a couple of weeks, and it is simply seize the moment or opportunity lost,” Barry said. “For example, if a major global broadcaster acquired some cameras for workshopping and field testing, that could grow to a significant order of our cameras and have us on the preferred camera list for years to come. But if we were unable to scale immediately and fulfil the initial, trial order in the first place, then the real opportunity is lost until the next investment cycle which may be in five or ten years."
“The support we received from Export Finance Australia meant we could seize those opportunities. We’re not stopping. We’re going to continue to grow, and hopefully Export Finance Australia can grow with us”.