UNWAVERING COMMITMENT: Tony Sayle, managing director of Jenkins Freshpac Systems. Photo/supplied
Tony Sayle's biggest learning curve has been the crossover from his extensive background in the horticultural sector into the high-tech print labelling industry.
The managing director of Jenkins Freshpac Systems, Mr Sayle has been involved in the fresh-fruit sector since the early 1980s. Jenkins is the market leader in the niche of printing billions of the tiny brand labels that go on fruit exported from New Zealand, and is the long-term Australasian agent for Sinclair International, which manufactures the machinery that applies the labels to fruit in the packhouses.
"It's demanding and competitive and you have to be constantly looking at what new technologies are coming along and understanding where they are going," said Mr Sayle, who is also a director of industry association Print NZ.
The decision to relocate Jenkins Freshpac Systems from Auckland to Tauranga in 2012 was part of a strategic plan to create a hub in the Bay of Plenty for the company's range of print and packaging options for the fresh-fruit industry, said Mr Sayle. "When we put the new building up the outlook was quite gloomy for the kiwifruit sector in terms of where Psa was going.
"We had faith and we were confident in the future of the industry. We kept our infrastructure in place and our service people and now as the recovery has come through, we've been well-placed with the people and the experience."
The relocation to Tauranga was a homecoming for Mr Sayle. Born in the north of England, he emigrated to New Zealand in 1960 when his father secured a job as a harbour pilot in Bluff.
The family spent six years in the deep south, then relocated to Tauranga where his father became first pilot and eventually harbourmaster for Port of Tauranga.
Mr Sayle attended St Paul's Collegiate in Hamilton as a boarder, which he loved, then did pre-med at Otago University.
"I was having too much fun and didn't get into medical school," he said.
Instead, he completed a bachelor of science at Massey University, and got a taste for plant physiology, which set him off on his career track in horticulture.
His first job was as a research assistant involved in quality control and storage development for Bay of Plenty Fruit Packers, which eventually morphed into Satara, now part of EastPack.
Tony's team is a tribute to him, and reflects his business values - they have a passion for innovation and for customers
"I realised quite quickly I liked the look of what the kiwifruit exporters were doing on the commercial side," he said.
Mr Sayle subsequently got a job with the NZ Fruitgrowers Federation (FruitFed), then one of six licensed kiwifruit exporters. He ended up in London as FruitFed's European market operations manager and stayed there until the Kiwifruit Marketing Board was set up in 1989, when he returned to work for the new body in Auckland.
However, while he was in London, he had made a crucial contact in Peter Briggs, the founder of fruit labelling company Sinclair International, which now brands the majority of New Zealand kiwifruit.
Sinclair asked him to return to Britain, but he put them off and initially ran the Southern Hemisphere operations for Jenkins, which had secured the local Sinclair agency. In 1994, he moved back to Britian as international marketing director for Sinclair International, which was growing rapidly.
But with a growing family, the lure of New Zealand took over and, in 1999, Mr Sayle returned as general manager of Jenkins Group. In 2002, Mr Sayle assumed the role of managing director.
Jenkins' expertise lies in working with the individual post-harvest companies to identify the best Sinclair labelling option, installing the machinery and then printing and supplying the customised labels.
It's demanding and competitive and you have to be constantly looking at what new technologies are coming along and understanding where they are going
With the recent formation of Jenkins Freshpac Systems, the company has now expanded beyond labels into a range of packaging solutions and, while it traditionally made self-adhesive labels for the general manufacturing industry, it is now focused on the horticultural sector.
The relocation to the Bay of Plenty had been a success, said Mr Sayle. "Tauranga is at a stage where it is able to support our service needs. We're just putting in a new printing press, we have all the local support we require in terms of specialised engineering, and also to support our business activities. And you can attract and retain the people you want."
Andrew Coker, chief executive Priority One, said Mr Sayles had been a delight to work with on the relocation.
"Tony's team is a tribute to him, and reflects his business values - they have a passion for innovation and for customers," he said.
"The thing that so impressed me about Tony was his unwavering commitment to moving the business to Tauranga during the Psa crisis, when many at that time were questioning whether the kiwifruit industry had any future.
"It would have been so easy for him to pull the pin, but instead Tony was an example of the spirit that has seen the industry recover and grow beyond what it was before Psa."
Tony Sayle
Role - Managing director, Jenkins Freshpac Systems.
Born - Sunderland, England.
Age - 58.
First job - Research assistant.
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Relaxing means it's all shipshape
When Tony Sayle is not working, he likes to get out on his boat and fish. "I also do a bit of mountain biking when I get the chance," he said. "And while I haven't managed to do much this year, I like to ski in the winter. And I'm actually trying to get back into golf. "I'm acutely aware that time will start running out." Mr Sayle and his wife Sandy have three children, a daughter aged 24, and sons aged 22 and 17.