REGULARS - PERSONALITY PROFILE
William Combrinck – a passion for wood
We chat to William Combrinck , CEO of Rubio Monocoat to see how he got where he is today and his plans for the company .
WHAT ARE YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES AS CEO OF RUBIO MONOCOAT ?
My responsibilities include : strategic oversight ; innovation and product development ; as well as coordination and support to the Rubio Monocoat ( RMC ) Global headquarters .
WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE IN YOUR TENURE AS CEO ? WHAT HAVE YOU ACHIEVED SO FAR ?
I want to position the RMC product range as the preferred brand of choice in the wood protection and treatment sector .
So far , we have achieved a very strong foundation in South Africa with more than 2 000 customers , including leading architects , designers , shop fitters , furniture makers and so forth . Our products are distributed by some 20 dealers and resellers across the region .
WHAT ARE THE MAJOR CHALLENGES , IN YOUR OPINION , THAT THE TIMBER INDUSTRY IN SOUTH AFRICA NEEDS TO OVERCOME ?
The South African timber industry should be more receptive to new product development . We also need to invest more time in researching quality wood protectors for the South African climate .
EXPLAIN HOW YOU GOT STARTED IN YOUR CAREER AND HOW YOU ENDED UP WHERE YOU ARE TODAY .
I qualified as a pattern maker in London and ended as a master pattern maker which exposed me to carpentry and joinery learning about different timbers and what timbers are best suited for . I have a qualification as a Master Pattern Maker from the London Institute of Pattern Making .
After coming to South Africa , I was employed by an old established company to explore the importation of Hardwoods from SSA , Europe and South America . This was an exciting time of my life which enabled me to understand and research timbers in depth which included sustainability , drying methods and logistics of importing the timbers from those regions .
I then realised there was an opportunity to open my own timber merchant company trading in local pine and hardwoods from around the world . This lead to me starting a leading flooring and joinery organisation , adopting cutting-edge wood protection and treatment products .
William Combrinck , CEO of Rubio Monocoat . Image : RMC
44 APRIL / MAY 2017 //