GUNTER HAACKE

Www.trysome.co.za Largest complex heavy duty auto-electrical, collision avoidance, fire suppression, air quality and allied products supplier in Southern Africa providing componentry, labour and engineering services to the mining, logistics, forestry and other heavy duty vehicle industry sectors.

• 9 Branches/subsidiaries in South Africa Subsidiaries in Botswana, Zambia and Mozambique Active all over Africa through our export department and distribution partners.
• Group headcount of over 400 Main job functions:

Designation: COO Recruited as designate MD Full responsibility of all operational functions whilst also actively engaged in strategic planning and decision making.

Achievements: Specific activities initiated over the last 5 years.

• Successfully closed out major projects (>R130 million) that had gone over deadlines and avoided litigation -Opened Botswana subsidiary.
• 3 Sales outlets: Gaborone, Jwaneng and Lethlakane -Expanded to Bloemfontein and Port Elizabeth.
• Negotiated Agency agreement with Namibian distribution partner.
• Continuous review of branch sales performance with emphasis on: Turnover; Margin control ; Product mix; Inventory turn rate; Average invoice value increase; Counter Sales improvement; Sales staff training; Sales incentives; Branch Manager operational and strategic guidance and review; Standardisation of branches; Layout; Merchandising.

Complete internal restructure to more accurately reflect the company’s product offering to the market:

• Business Units | Product Category Managers | Sales strategies | Retail Wholesale | Contract/Tender | E-Commerce |

Identification of potential new brands and successful agency negotiations:

TE Connectivity (Deutsch connectors) | Kraftwerk Hand Tools | Sy-Klone | Filtration/Air quality | Steinbauer power booster |

Exploring new marketing channels to expand our customer base:

• Ignition TV | CAR Magazine | Getaway Magazine | Takealot etc |

Introduced and standardized on MillerHeiman Sales Methodology for:

• Large single sales opportunities | Large Customer Management |

Other:

• Ongoing relationship management with top customers and top suppliers.
• Regular Branch visits.
• Regular A-Customer visits.
• Improvement of internal processes for productivity improvements.
• Pushing “Island Solutions” into SAP.
• Established two local empowerment companies which have successfully won mining tenders.
• Navigated through the current Covid situation without taking on debt.
• Reduced inventory by 50% through implementation of proper MRP processes.
• Reduced Debtors outstanding days by 30% through stricter and more efficient credit control mechanisms.
• Quarterly Board Meeting attendance and feedback

www.c-woermann.com

Woermann is a German trading house (est. 1837) with subsidiaries in Ghana, Nigeria and Angola. The company primarily trades in technical equipment and consumables. Several prominent German/European brands ( Stihl, Deutz, BPW, Klingspor etc.) are represented.

Designation: Sales Director

Main Job Functions:

A two pronged sales strategy was devised:

• Non Oil & Gas market to be addressed via distributors;
• Large Oil & Gas multinationals to be targeted directly due to low margins and extremely high service level requirements;
• Cleanup of existing customer base;
• Identification and pursuing of potential Oil & Gas customers;
• Detailed margin analysis on all products;
• Development of a clear multi-tier pricing matrix;
• Identification and introduction of new brands;
• Elimination/phasing-out of slow movers and marginal products.

The collapse in the oil price by over 50% has had a severe negative effect on the Angolan economy. The United States stopped the supply of USD notes to Angola as from December 2015. International bank transfers became impossible due to the Angolan Central Bank not releasing enough currency into the market. I.e. Suppliers can not be paid.

• Companies were forced into hibernation: -Reduce costs -Limit sales to cover cash requirements -Cut all expansion activities As a result of these factors I signed a voluntary separation agreement with the company in February 2016.

Klingspor Abrasives is a fully owned subsidiary of Klingspor Schleifsysteme in Germany. With 36 worldwide subsidiaries they are one of the top 5 manufacturers of abrasives in the world.
The South African subsidiary is both a manufacturing (abrasive belts) and a sales operation.

Main Functions:

• Full strategic and operational control/responsibility of the Sub-Saharan market;
• Spearheaded successful business development initiatives aligned with company's strategy and core competencies;
• Devised a distribution based marketing strategy vs existing direct selling strategy:
• Minimum order values
  -Minimum turnover targets for distributors
  -Strict pricing policy based on turnover
  -Sales incentives to distributors
  -Premium brand positioning (Selling quality not price)
  -Extensive marketing support to distributors
  -Extensive technical support to distributors
  -Loyalty to distributors
  -New market segments/potential identified and pursued
• Results of new marketing strategy as well as internal process/controls re-engineering/re-structuring:

-Personnel reduced by 50%
-Customer base reduced by 90%
-Number of individual transactions reduced by 94%
-Distribution costs reduced by 40%
-Annual turnover in units increase of 30%
-Product spectrum reduced by 20%
-Double digit increase in export turnover into Africa (Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Angola, Botswana, Namibia)
-Doubling of production output with 50% staff reduction
-Doubling of inventory turn rate
-Significant improvement in Debtors days outstanding
-Virtual elimination of bad debts
-Return to profitability

(formerly REGBAUDI ENGINEERING (PTY) LTD)

(www.innomotive.com)
ISE is a major supplier of structural (pressed + welded) steel and suspension components to the automotive industry . A fully owned subsidiary of ISE Innomotive Systems Europe GmbH (Germany). Tier 1 supplier to all local OEMs.

Main job functions:

• Controlling all financial and administrative functions (2005);
• Formulate and implement growth/expansion strategy based on market opportunities;
• Continuous Customer liaison together with the Sales Manager in respect of existing business and the acquisition of new business and customers (Sales & Marketing).
• Responsibility for effective and profitable management of the company in terms of the mandate set by the shareholder to the Board of Management;

In 2003 the Board was reduced to two members and I also assumed the Logistics portfolio.
April 2005 the Board was again increased to three with the appointment of a dedicated Finance Board Member - Reporting directly to the shareholder.

During this period we (Board of Management) managed to:

• Refinance the company;
• Restructure the company;
• Acquire major new customers (Toyota, GM, VW & Ford);
• Open a new plant in East London (DCSA);
• Open a new plant in Uitenhage (VWSA);

Finance & Administration Manager Sep 2000- to Mar 2001 - Reporting to the (then) Managing Director.

• In control of all financial and administrative matters;
• During March 2001 the company was taken over by Innomotive Systems Europe and I was appointed to the newly formed Board of Management consisting of three members being: Technical, Production, Commercial.

• During this period an in-house training programme was absolved.
• This involved shooling phases in Duisburg followed by practical phases in Witten and Muenchen.
• At the end of this period the “Stammhauspruefung” as well as the IHK Abschlusspruefung were passed.

• Identification of potential new brands and successful agency negotiations.
• TE Connectivity (Deutsch connectors) Kraftwerk Hand Tools Sy-Klone Filtration/Air quality Steinbauer power booster -Exploring new marketing channels to expand our customer base Ignition TV CAR Magazine Getaway Magazine Takealot etc -Introduced and standardized on MillerHeiman Sales Methodology for Large single sales opportunities Large Customer Management -Ongoing relationship management with top customers and top suppliers.
• Regular Branch visits -Regular A-Customer visits -Improvement of internal processes for productivity improvements.
• Pushing “Island Solutions” into SAP -Established two local empowerment companies which have successfully won mining tenders.
• Navigated through the current Covid situation without taking on debt.
• Reduced inventory by 50% through implementation of proper MRP processes.
• Reduced Debtors outstanding days by 30% through stricter and more efficient credit control mechanisms.
• Quarterly Board Meeting attendance and feedback, In control of all financial and administrative matters.
• Reporting to the (then) Managing Director.
• During March 2001 the company was taken over by Innomotive Systems Europe and I was appointed to the newly formed Board of Management consisting of three members being: Technical, Production, Commercial.

• A subsidiary of BPW BERGISCHE ACHSEN KG, ) manufacturing and distributing axle and suspension systems for the trailer industry.

• Controlling and directing all financial, administrative and factory functions ensuring their effective day to day interaction.
• The development of long term corporate “visions”, goal setting and guiding the company towards these.
• Reporting directly to the Shareholder.
• Achievements include the timeous and seamless outsourcing of the company’s machine shop accompanied by an increase in assembly capacity of 10% and a production staff decrease of 50% A global Material Logistics system was developed and implemented.
• This resulted in a shortening of manufacturing lead-time from 10 to 5 working days, a 60% reduction in defects as well as a 30% inventory reduction.
• Active marketing participation was required.
• As a result of this a previous “difficult and unwanted” customer was developed into the company’s prime customer (SA Truck Bodies).
• Since 1999 the transport sector experienced a severe decline and together with the increasing cost of importation the mid term future of the company was doubtful.In June 2000 I was approached by the Managing Director of Regbaudi Engineering and was offered an executive position with development potential.

• In charge of all financial and administrative functions.
• Reporting to the Managing Director.
• During this period a new 21 user fully integrated computer network was conceptualized and implemented replacing an old and inefficient system.
• A disciplinary code was established and implemented resulting in fewer confrontations between management and the workforce.
• Due to the company’s high inventory levels the purchasing function was seconded to me in 1996.
• Elected to the Board of Directors in September 1997.

• The costing and evaluation of new products during their development stages.
• Month on month monitoring of production costs and the reporting and investigation of variances.
• Preparation of cashflow projections, budgets and capital investment evaluations.
• I was seconded to the SAP R/3 implementation team responsible for the costing module.

• Local subsidiary of Siemens Ltd manufacturing and selling Telephone switching units to both the private and the public sector., In-house hands-on training in all the departments of the company.
• This served as preparation for my two year secondmend to Germany.

• FHS is one of the top auditing firms of South Africa with offices in all major centres of the country.
• Main, Perform year end audits and draft annual financial statements.
• Write management reports evaluating the clients' internal systems and controls.
• Assist clients with the development and implementation of internal controls.
• Implement tax effective structuring of remuneration packages.
• The move to Siemens offered me the opportunity to move out of the “passive” world of auditing into commerce.

• Venter & de Jager is a small auditing firm with offices in Brits, Witbank and, As a trainee accountant I was initially trained in basic auditing and bookkeeping technique.
• Due to the relative small size of our clients we had to perform far more duties than pure auditing.
• We were regarded as “Advisors” and assisted in all fields ranging from bookkeeping to taxation planning.
• The two years with this firm gave me a strong accounting and systems basis onto which to build in the future.