2014.
An eventful, challenging and interesting year. Another year in which we’ve seen many of our clients grow and intensify their businesses. Becoming sharper, more efficient and even more professional. And once again we’ve learnt from them. This year especially, I think we’ve learnt about sticking to the basics.
It amazes me how the most devoted and shrewdest pack house and business managers and system champions tend to always go back to basics. Whenever there’s a discussion about installing a new system or extending the current system, these individuals are usually first-class listeners. Generally only speaking to provide guidance and to ask the critical questions: “How will we count that?” “Where do we see the variance?” “How exactly is that number calculated?” “Hang on – what about mixed pallets?” etc. The sort of questions the others around the table would normally just glance over.
Often when I see this it reminds me of one bright Saturday morning when I was a 15-year old lad. My granddad – bless his Cape Flats suburban soul – ushered me into his garage, removed my road bicycle’s 27 inch chrome-coated steel front wheel with one fluent motion, pointed a thick, wrinkled, paint-smeared forefinger complete with dark, greasy fingernail at me, and said: “Ou Freddie, vandag wys ek jou hoe jy ‘n puncture fix. Raait?” I had no option but to reply “Right!”, and to follow the proceedings – to the tee – water bucket, chalk and sand paper included. After all – I knew that whenever he wore his beloved black, paint-splattered Basque-style beret on his head (as he did that morning), one does not argue with him.
Now – granddad had been a keen cyclist during the 1920’s and 30’s. It was only years later after he had passed away, that we – the younger generation – started remembering and appreciating his colourful stories about his glory days on Western Cape roads with the likes of Hennie Binneman and Harry Bairstow.
I had no idea that Saturday morning that I was undergoing what was probably my first life lesson in getting the basics right. Exactly right. I must have been too mesmerized by the rows and rows of paints and nuts and bolts and notes scribbled directly onto the walls and tools and screwdrivers and 1930’s gadgets that filled the dark garage. To this day I can still smell the thick air filled with vapours of thinners, turpentine, grease, rubber and petrol.
Lovely!
Fast forward to 35 years later.
I recently stumbled onto this little video by the great Greg Lemond: (now retired) professional road cyclist for many years and three-time winner of the Tour de France. This guy had his equipment looked after for him by assistants and coaches and had probably long forgotten how to properly fix a puncture. Yet – here he is, going very quickly through the exact same routine and steps my granddad had shown me years ago. Sticking to the basics. Precisely the same steps. (Except perhaps for the last bit in the video!)
I find it remarkable that we often see this same drive amongst our smartest clients to always go back to the basics. Always sniffing out the key issues and caring meticulously about the basic stuff. When things go pear-shaped, they go back to basics. When the pack house runs like clockwork, they monitor, check and re-check the basics.
In our business we cannot but learn from this. We often apply and repeat what we hear from our much loved pack house managers and business owners. Sayings like:
“Een man, een hek, een sleutel.” (For managing packing material storage)
and
“Trust, but verify.” (Probably borrowed from a Russian proverb)
and
“The problem with last season is that this season’s got to be better.”
are often heard within our walls.
So at the end of another year – thank you again for providing opportunities for us to keep learning. Sometimes we forget our basics and don’t listen properly, or don’t meet deadlines, or simply just let things slip. We are human and we live in a complex, real world. But please be assured that our intention is always to put you first. And to fix things when they go wrong. Quickly and properly.
To our new clients who have joined the ViTrax community over the last year or two: thank you for believing in us. We will do our best – and better – to knock your socks off with service and product quality.
And to our long standing clients – an even bigger THANK YOU! It is a most humbling experience to be your service provider season after season. You are at the core of what we do every day. For you – we’ll keep sticking to the basics.
If you’re not a client, but a friend or business associate – many thanks for your time and interest in us.
Here’s to wishing you all of the very best for the approaching festive season. May you have a meaningful Christmas. And a really good 2015! But above all, may you have fun and experience lots of love.
All the best.
Freddie Roux
