Ray Smuts PREDICTING THE future performance of fruit is no easy task but the ability to think well ahead could only stand South Africa in good stead, asserts Gerrit Laubscher, the newly-appointed terminal manager at Fresh Produce Terminals in Cape Town. Previously m.d. of Estivar, the 100%-owned Capespan stevedoring subsidiary, Laubscher has taken over from Koos Bouwer, handling both the terminal g.m. and Estivar portfolios. Bouwer, who served for three years in his former post, fills the slot of general manager technical, a post created a year ago but never filled. Reflecting on his priorities Laubscher says: “Key for me is to show our fruit clients out there that there is nothing conventional about a conventional terminal. “The reality is that this terminal provides an absolutely specialist function in devoting special attention to export fruit.” Professing to being no marketer he says clear successes in exports to the US and Japan bear testimony to the excellence of the South African product. “South African fruit is still succeeding in obtaining premium prices overseas due to good quality which does not need to stand back to competitive product.” He believes the fruit industry is one where forward thinking and the ability to read and interpret markets is of paramount importance; indeed one of the challenges for the country. Bouwer, who will be responsible for overseeing all matters technical at FPT’s four portside cooling terminals in Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Durban and Maputo, says his priority is to ensure the correct facilities are in place for the required task and that space and equipment be utilised to the optimum through better management. FPT’s Koos Bouwer and Gerrit Laubscher... specialist attention for special export product.
