Kingwill speaks out on future plans

RAY SMUTS IF THERE is one characteristic Ronnie Kingwill, departed MD of Fresh Produce Terminals, does not possess it is airing dirty washing in public – and he is not about to start now. For that reason he has agreed to talk exclusively to FTW without delving into why he decided - fairly hurriedly it must be said - to quit his position after four years. Commenting on why he left so suddenly Kingwill said “it was an amicable arrangement between the chairman, the board and myself. “I have a firm belief in not burning bridges. The fruit industry is just too small and I would like to maintain my contacts. It therefore makes no sense for me to pursue anything further. He does add that he pursued the interest of the customer 100%, at the same time positioning FPT as an independently viable commercial entity. Kingwill confesses to having a certain view of the fruit business; that consolidation and co-operation in the logistics sense have far greater benefits than a more narrowly focused perspective on one’s own role in the chain. “For that reason I have always advocated that the future lies in consolidation and collaboration to improve the efficiency of the chain. The focus must be absolutely on the elimination of unnecessary wastage which is ultimately reflected in the final cost.” He believes FPT has over the past four years been able to bring new efficiencies to the logistics chain but believes if one were to look at the chain in its entirety, there is still a good proportion of costs that can be eliminated throughout the chain starting from the pack-house onwards. For now, Kingwill will give the corporate life a break but reckons his future probably lies in consultancy, preferably in the fruit sector and port related industries A former Portnet general manager for western ports and later general manager for containers, Kingwill, a qualified chartered accountant, also spent 15 years in Eskom including five years as distribution manager in Cape Town.