Contact details

Personal Information

Education

Work Experience

Activities

Introduction

Employed 3 January 1987 by a private South African Forestry Company, Hunt Leuchars and Hepburn Timber Products Pty. Ltd.* (HL&H), producing timber support products for the South African gold mine industry and wood chips for export purposes.

* HL&H Timber Products has been taken over by Mondi Forest Products Pty. Ltd. in 1996.

Resigned from HL&H in 1996 and joined Borneo Pulp & Paper Sdn. Bhd. (BPP) in Bintulu, Malaysia on 14 August 1996 on a three year contract. Joined BCC AB on a full time consulting contract since 2000.

Seconded to the Forest Engineering Department, University of Stellenbosch to do a detailed study on the work environment of both blue and white collar employees of HL&H Timber Products. This information formed the basis of HL&H Timber Products’ Environmental Policy developed in 1993.

Main job function:
To develop a work environment policy and operation standards for the forestry operations of HL&H.

Main responsibilities:
a. The development of an environmental policy;

1. The development of environmental standards and procedures for all forestry operations;
2. The development and implementation of an environmental assessment / auditing system.

Main job function:
To ensure production and supply of adequate quantities rooted cuttings of various Eucalyptus clonal genotypes according to annual planting program of company.

Main responsibilities:         
a. The overall management of company’s production nurseries;

1. Annual production planning and control;
2. Annual and monthly OPEX and CAPEX budgeting and control;
3. Employment of staff and workers, training and industrial relations;
4. Expansion of the company’s nurseries from 8 million to 13 million capacity rooted cuttings per annum;
5. The development of a custom designed transport system to transfer plants from the nurseries (max. lead distance = 1400km);
6. The development of a nursery information management system (NIMS) to efficiently manage and control nursery production and operations.

Main job function:
Planning, design, construction and management of a central nursery for the company to ensure adequate supply (50 million/annum) of high quality plants (mainly Acacia spp.) to meet its eventual planting program of approx. 40,000 ha / annum.

Main responsibilities:

1. Development of a central nursery for BPP including all planning and preparatory work, i.e. site survey and identification, site clearing and earth works;
2. Design and construction of all nursery infrastructure with a production capacity of 50 million plants per annum;
3. Planning and overseeing the construction of all nursery support infrastructure including offices, stores, manager’s, staff and workers’ accommodation, water supply, electricity supply and sewerage systems;
4. Development of a plant transport system including the designing and planning of custom designed delivery trucks;
5. Planning and implementing systems and procedures for the production of cuttings;
6. Overall management of plant production consisting of seedlings and cuttings;
7. Planning manpower requirements, employment of staff and workers, on-the-job training of workers and development of staff;
8. Development of a nursery information management system (NIMS) to efficiently manage and control nursery production and operations;
9. Managing all site servicing, maintenance and fabrication, further site development work and accommodation of staff and workers;
10. Setting up and managing the forestry division’s central workshop, vehicle spare parts store and chainsaw spare parts store. Development and implementation of a Stock Management System (SMS) to ensure proper control of parts;
11. Overall responsibility for the implementation of the ISO14001 Environmental Management System in the Forestry Division of BPP. After handing over the nursery in June 1999, I became fully engaged in the implementation of the System. At the time I completed my contract with BPP in August 1999, the EMS was approximately 75% complete.

Main job function:

1. Consulting to forestry companies internationally as containerized forest nursery specialist
2. Feasibility studies for new and existing nursery projects. Reviewing and analyzing nursery methodologies and operations. Investment and operational cost analysis and budget proposals for new nursery developments, nursery expansions and upgrades.
3. Project design and planning of potential nursery and seed center developments.
4. Bio-technical support to forest nursery projects mainly South East Asia, China, Australia, New Zealand, Africa and South America.

Main responsibilities:

1. Design, planning and preparation of proposals for containerized forest nursery and forest seed processing center projects. Other areas of concern include media preparation methods and facilities, mechanization of processes, facilities required for the propagation of seedlings and cuttings, nursery propagation skills and technology.
2. Illustrative layout drawings, designs and operational flow charts for new development projects.
3. Design and development of training materials for forest nurseries and presentation of training courses for nursery operators. This includes all aspects of forestry i.e. collection of seed and basic genetic strategies used in forestry, processing of seed, propagation of seedlings and cuttings, handling and transport of plants to infield sites, and preparation and planting of trees infield.
4. Visiting new and existing projects around the world to consult and assist with planning and design of new facilities, planning the upgrading of existing operations, assistance with expansion projects, training of propagation techniques and skills in new and existing nursery projects.
5. Main customers and countries visited since 2000:
   1. Africa
      1. APSD – Ghana
         1. Design, plan and facilitating the construction of a 10+ million greenfield seedling nursery to grow mainly Eucalyptus spp.
      2. Quantum Global – Angola
         1. Design and planning of new production nursery.
      3. Chikweti Forests – Mozambique
         1. Nursery training.
      4. Green Resources – Tanzania, Mozambique
         1. Facilitating installation of 3000m2 greenhouses.
      5. New Forests – Mozambique
         1. Nursery training.
      6. UPM – Mozambique
         1. Nursery training.
      7. ATFC – Mozambique
         1. Design and planning of a 10million cutting propagation nursery
      8. Mondi – South Africa
         1. Design and planning the modernization of all Mondi’s nurseries
         2. Design of a new growing system for Mondi nurseries

• Design of a flow through handling system for the Kwambonambi nursery

1. TWK – South Africa
   1. Design and planning the modernization of TWK’s nursery
2. SAPPI – South Africa
   1. Facilitating in the implementation of modern production technology in the Ngodwana nursery.
3. Europe
   1. State Forest nurseries – Croatia
   2. State Forest nurseries – Poland
   3. State Forest nurseries – Latvia
   4. State Forest and Private nurseries – Czech Republic
   5. Private Forest nurseries – Sweden
4. North, Central and South America
   1. Woodfuels International – Atlanta, USA
   2. State Forest and Private nurseries – Mexico
   3. Smurfit Kappa, Carton de Colombia – Colombia
   4. Acosa Cotapaxi – Ecuador
   5. ENCE – Uruguay
   6. Aracruz (Fibria) – Brazil
   7. CENIBRA – Brazil
   8. Duratex – Brazil
   9. International Paper – Brazil
   10. Suzano – Brazil
   11. VCP – Brazil
   12. Veracel – Brazil
   13. Plantar – Brazil
   14. Celco S.A. – Chile
   15. Bosques Arauco – Chile
   16. Forestal Valdivia – Chile
   17. Carlos Douglas nursery – Chile
   18. Forestal Agricola – Chile
5. Asia
   1. Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper – Indonesia
   2. Sinarmas Asia Pulp and Paper – Indonesia
   3. Djarum – Indonesia
   4. Grand Perfect – Malaysia
   5. Sabah Forest Industries – Malaysia
   6. Samling – Malaysia
   7. Sabah Softwoods – Malaysia
   8. Acacia Forest Industries – Malaysia
   9. Asia Forestry Company – Malaysia
   10. Birla Lao – Laos PDR
   11. Oji Paper – Laos PDR
   12. Sun Paper – Laos PDR
   13. Mekong Timbers – Lao PDR
   14. Burapha Agro-Forestry Co. Ltd. – Lao PDR
   15. Treetech, Advance Agro – Thailand
   16. StoraEnso Pulp and Paper – China
   17. Guangxi Lee and Man Forest Technology – China
   18. APRIL Asia – China
   19. State Forestry Farms (Nurseries and Seed Centres) of various provinces in China including Changsha (Hunan), Wuyi (Fujian), Bobai and Dongmen (Guangxi), Harbin (Heilongjiang), Xining (Qinghai), Inner Mongolia, etc
   20. State Forest nurseries – Vietnam
   21. Aligned Energy/PNG Biomass – Papua Nieu Guinea
   22. Stettin Bay Lumber Company Ltd – Papua Nieu Guinea

References