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 //