Authentix Receives Acclaim in Automechanika South Africa Innovation Awards

The Authentix LFD Diesel Testing Kit received accolades at the Automechanika South Africa Innovation Awards held in Johannesburg on March 9, 2011, where it was awarded a Certificate of Commendation.

The LFD Diesel Testing Kit was introduced to the South African market in November 2010, it allows motorists to determine if commercially purchased diesel fuel has been illegally adulterated with subsidized paraffin. The kit relies on proprietary immuno-assay, binding-pair technology to make the determination. It is self-contained, easy to use and requires only 10 ml of fuel to perform the test. The fuel is marketed in South Africa by FAS Petroleum Services and available by visiting www.dieseltesting.co.za.

“The quality of entries was outstanding,” said Wynter Murdoch, editor of Automobil, official journal of the Retail Motor Industry group, which organized the competition on behalf of Automechanika SA.

“It is an honor to be recognized by this prestigious group,” said Royce Ferguson, Managing Director of Authentix in Africa. “This is one of the first instances offering a method to detect off-spec fuel directly to consumers, and we are excited about its potential in South Africa and around the world.”

The products were assessed by a jury that included international judge Prof Axel Schumacher of the Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften in Hamburg, Germany. He joined South African counterparts Richard Beän of Unido; Twala Boco, John Ellmore and Jeff Osborne of the RMI; David Furlonger of the Financial Mail; Corrie Kotze of Automotive Investment Holdings; Norman Lamprecht of Naamsa; and Roger Pitot of Naacam on the judging panel.

Other companies recognized during the event included Raylite, Bosch, Champion and Goodyear.