Since then, Techion Group has gone from a microscope system into a digital solution integrating hardware, software and artificial intelligence to deliver microscopic analysis for complex diseases and environmental problems, enabling analysis of tests without traditional microscopes or laboratory-based technicians.
On Friday, Mr Mirams showed Harinder Sidhu, the Australian High Commissioner to New Zealand, the company’s parasite management technology at its headquarters at Invermay, and she was "intrigued" by what she saw, he said.
Ms Sidhu’s visit came off the back of Techion opening an Australian sales office in Victoria in February after working with a distributor for five years and also a meeting between the pair when Mr Mirams joined the prime minister’s delegation to Brisbane several months ago to celebrate 40 years of Closer Economic Relations.
Mr Mirams also recently dined in Wellington with Prime Minister Chris Hipkins and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and he took the opportunity to tell Mr Hipkins that once-in-a-decade transformational technology was being built in Mosgiel.
"We sit out here at Invermay chipping away. No-one really knows we’re here. We are certainly much more known outside of Dunedin," Mr Mirams said.
Mr Mirams sold the Fecpak business to PGG Wrightson in 2006. He bought it again in 2010 and Techion Group was formed, relocating to Invermay in 2017.
Techion was recently listed as an up-and-coming company in the Sir Paul Callaghan 100 Report from Callaghan Innovation, an acknowledgement that thrilled Mr Mirams.
Techion has worked with Callaghan Innovation’s research and development solutions team, benefited from the Innovation IP programme and received several grants.
It was now a global company branching out into human health and environmental diagnostic testing where there was growing demand for real-time point-of-care diagnostics.
Most recently, a lot of time had been spent adding additional tests and features to Techion’s platform and dealing with a different range of customers around the world.
It was also working on building its retailing network.
The technology — which was getting broader than just agriculture — had got easy and better but it was still challenging as Techion realised a long-term vision, Mr Mirams said.
Staff numbers were probably more than 30 now, including a team of nine in the United Kingdom and it was now starting to "kick into" Australia, he said.
