MICHAEL PATRICK MURRAY
Wellington
Overview
19
19
years of professional experience
Work History
Plant Manager
KYNOCH FERTILIZER
Cape Town, South Africa
2020.08 - Current
- Full operational responsibility for the Blackheath Granular Fertiliser Facility, covering production, warehousing, stock, logistics, maintenance, SHEQ and site administration.
- Lead day-to-day plant operations, ensuring production, loading, receiving, stock and dispatch activities are effectively planned and executed.
- Manage plant OPEX exceeding R19 million annually, with responsibility for cost control and operational efficiency.
- Manage approximately 80,000 MT of annual inbound and outbound material movements.
- Oversaw stock exposure of approximately R170 million, facilitating effective stock balancing and ensuring product availability.
- Coordinate production planning and operational requirements to support customer demand and supply commitments.
- Maintain product quality, blend accuracy and product integrity in accordance with company and industry requirements.
- Prioritised operational activities during peak periods, ensuring consistent safety, quality, and service levels were maintained.
- Monitor operational costs, identify savings opportunities and ensure expenditure is aligned with business requirements.
- Manage CAPEX requirements, including equipment replacement, plant improvements and infrastructure projects.
- Lead maintenance activities covering production equipment, mobile plant, forklifts, loaders and site infrastructure.
- Oversee maintenance planning, repair requirements, contractor activities and asset sustainability.
- Drive preventative maintenance and breakdown response to improve equipment availability and operational reliability.
- Led management of major capital investments and equipment upgrades, enhancing overall operational capability.
- Acted as the Section 16(2) responsible person for health and safety governance at plant level.
- Overall responsibility for SHEQ compliance, risk management and implementation of legal requirements.
- Drive safety awareness, operational discipline and compliance across the plant.
- Develop and implement task-specific risk assessments and Job Safety Analyses.
- Implement ETG procedures and standards at site level.
- Participated as a member of the ETG Africa EXCO Safety Committee from 2023 to 2024.
- Supported implementation and alignment of DNV/IFA standards across ETG operations in:
- Coordinated operations in Ghana to ensure effective implementation of standards.
- Managed operational integration in Ivory Coast to align with company practices.
- Oversaw operational standards in Nigeria to enhance productivity.
- Led operational initiatives in South Africa to improve efficiency.
- Coordinated operational activities in Zambia to align with company policies.
- Managed operational improvements in Zimbabwe for enhanced performance.
- Oversaw operations in Mozambique to ensure standard adherence.
- 2025–Present: Supporting the onboarding and operational integration of new fertiliser blenders across the Western Cape.
- Provide technical, operational, safety and procedural guidance to support consistent operating standards.
- Lead and develop plant personnel across production, logistics, maintenance and operational functions.
- Promote accountability, productivity, safety awareness and continuous improvement.
- Support employee development through coaching, performance management and practical operational leadership.
- Tanzania
- Madagascar
- Blackheath Granular Fertilizer Facility
Branch Manager
ELZEA SNACKS
2016.01 - 2020.12
- Managed end-to-end branch operations across production, warehousing, logistics, sales and administration.
- Oversaw the overall commercial and operational performance of the Western Cape branch, covering production, warehousing, distribution, sales, stock, finance and administration.
- Managed branch financial performance, including sales targets, gross profit and expense control.
- Cultivated key retail and wholesale customer relationships across the Western Cape to enhance service delivery.
- Coordinated sales, production and distribution requirements to meet customer demand.
- Managed stock control, monthly stocktakes, variance investigations and inventory reporting.
- Monitored and controlled distribution costs to optimise operational efficiency.
- Monitored compliance with health, safety and quality requirements.
- Secured new delivery vehicles to improve logistics efficiency and managed fleet-related requirements.
- Managed fleet operations, maintenance requirements and distribution planning.
- Led permanent and casual employees, including workforce planning and staffing requirements.
- Coordinated production planning, raw material procurement and factory cost control.
- Conducted customer age analysis and credit follow-up to ensure timely collections and maintain cash flow.
- Administered customer pricing adjustments to align with market trends and price lists.
Sales Manager
ELZEA SNACKS
2015.02 - 2016.08
- Oversaw Western Cape sales operations, driving team performance and achieving sales objectives.
- Directed efforts to meet sales targets and foster customer growth.
- Provided leadership and direction to the sales team.
- Monitored sales performance and supported corrective actions to achieve targets.
- Developed and maintained key customer relationships.
- Managed promotional activities and customer requirements.
- Coordinated route planning and optimisation to enhance delivery efficiency.
Sales Representative
ELZEA SNACKS
2010.01 - 2014.12
- Managed customer relationships and sales across Western Cape, driving regional growth.
- Developed new customer relationships while maintaining existing accounts to enhance overall sales.
- Supported achievement of sales and customer service targets.
- Managed customer payments and collections to ensure timely revenue flow.
- Managed customer account age analysis and supported collections.
- Supported route planning to optimise delivery efficiency.
- Conducted stocktaking to ensure accurate inventory levels.
Sales Manager / Telesales
Planet Fitness
2010.01 - 2010.12
- Managed sales pipeline efficiently, ensuring consistent flow of business and meeting of sales objectives.
- Led sales team towards achieving quarterly targets through strategic planning and effective resource allocation.
- Led sales team in developing and implementing targeted customer acquisition strategies.
- Motivated sales staff to continuously improve strategies through competitions and personalised coaching plans.
Floor Manager
Village Engen Paarl
2008.01 - 2009.12
- Oversaw staff and facilitated customer service to enhance customer satisfaction, maintained stock control to ensure product availability, and executed daily operational administration for smooth floor operations.
Education
SPARK Leadership Programme -
ETG
2024-01
Matric -
Bredasdorp High School
Bredasdorp2006-01
Certificate – Sales & Marketing Management -
Damelin
Skills
- Plant Management
- Operations & Manufacturing
- Manufacturing Operations
- Production Planning
- Production coordination
- Logistics management
- Supply chain
- Warehouse Management
- Distribution Planning
- Stock & Inventory Management
- OPEX Management
- CAPEX Management
- Cost Control
- Budget Management
- Maintenance Management
- Asset Management
- Operational Excellence
- Continuous Improvement
- SHEQ Management
- Safety governance
- Risk Assessment
- Section 16(2) Responsibilities
- Team Leadership
- Leadership & SHEQ
- Performance Management
- Coaching & Development
- Section 16(2) Responsibilities
Custom
- Cycling
- Fishing
- Camping
Personal Information
Profile: Senior Operations and Plant Management professional with 15+ years of experience across fertilizer manufacturing, FMCG, sales, logistics, warehousing and distribution. Currently responsible for full operational management of a high-volume fertilizer manufacturing facility, including production, SHEQ, maintenance, stock, logistics, OPEX, CAPEX and people leadership. Experienced in managing approximately 80,000 MT of annual inbound and outbound movements, significant stock exposure and large operational budgets. Combines hands-on operational leadership with commercial awareness, cost control, customer management and continuous improvement. Appointed Section 16(2) for plant-level health and safety responsibilities and previously served on the ETG Africa EXCO Safety Committee, supporting the implementation of DNV/IFA standards across multiple African operations. Career progression from Sales Representative → Sales Manager → Branch Manager → Plant Manager, providing a strong combination of commercial, customer, financial and operational management experience.
Timeline
Plant Manager
KYNOCH FERTILIZER
2020.08 - Current
Branch Manager
ELZEA SNACKS
2016.01 - 2020.12
Sales Manager
ELZEA SNACKS
2015.02 - 2016.08
Sales Representative
ELZEA SNACKS
2010.01 - 2014.12
Sales Manager / Telesales
Planet Fitness
2010.01 - 2010.12
Floor Manager
Village Engen Paarl
2008.01 - 2009.12
SPARK Leadership Programme -
ETG
Matric -
Bredasdorp High School
Certificate – Sales & Marketing Management -
Damelin