Ecu-Line restructures under new MD

GROUPAGE SPECIALIST Ecu-Line has introduced a new business concept into the South African market - no head office! What you need these days is a superior quality computer network and all the branches can work in total unison, says Yvonne Palm who became the South African company's Port Elizabeth-based managing director on July 1.
Her appointment follows the departure from the company of former managing director, Pete Sands. Both he and Cape Town director Lynn Stoffberg sold out their combined 40% shareholding to Ecu-Hold in Belgium prior to leaving Ecu-Line, giving the Antwerp-based headquarters total control of the South African operation.
Ecu-Hold has now injected R2,6 million into the South African operation, says Palm, to help develop the national office network.
"The change-over has not affected any of our staff," says Palm, "except that Jolene van der Westhuizen of our Gauteng administration team has been promoted to branch manager. Our accounts were being outsourced, but this has proved costly. We are now bringing these back in-house to be handled in Gauteng. Additional staff will be employed in this division."
Palm's Port Elizabeth branch office suffered considerable damage when a fire raged through the building in which it was housed in March. But that, she says, sparked off the most hectic few months in Ecu-Line's Eastern Cape activities.
"We recorded our best figures ever in the following month, April."