General Manager -Zealandia Horticulture Limited

• For 30 years this business revolved around the owner with minimal systems and management structure.
• The owner had recently partnered with a south island based business which had great systems and he wanted someone to integrate this technology into his north island operation.
• The end goal for the owner was to allow him to exit the business by implementing systems and creating a management structure to take over his role.
• Responsibilities included production, plant health, transport logistics, operations and manufacturing, HR, H&S, customer services, back office admin, stock control and production planning, maintenance of mechanised production lines and capital equipment, gross profit responsibility of $9M t/o and 99 employees during peak season. 
• Introduced and documented Health & Safety and HR systems to the business.
• Managed a new fleet of eight DAF trucks delivering north-island wide twice weekly.
• Designed architecture for a SQL Server database to control transport logistics of product north-island wide twice weekly using our own fleet and external cartage contractors when required.
• Customers included Foodstuffs, Progressive, The Warehouse, Mitre 10 group, Kings, Palmers and multiple independents.
• Introduced electric picking carts in place of forklifts and centralised inventory management system using bar code scanners for stock control movements  and order picking.
• Improved productivity and profitability through technology requiring less FTE during peak periods.
• Achieved set goals and handed business back to owner with two operations managers as my replacement
• Significantly reduced balance sheet liability for holiday pay during this period.