Craig Zeelie has been appointed as the new Divisional MD of NOR Paper, the specialist paper merchant in Bytes Document Solutions. Zeelie replaces Ronnie Oeschger, who chose in September to step down and pursue personal interests after more than two decades in the industry.
Zeelie's most recent position was as GM of the materials business at Avery Dennison, a business with many similar characteristics, suppliers and supply chain components to those of NOR Paper.
“Because of my experience in related industries, I expect to hit the ground running in January,” says Zeelie. “I am under no illusions that my new position at NOR Paper is going to present me with some very special challenges, but we will tackle them head on.”
Among these will be a volatile exchange rate, a reality given that much of NOR Paper's stock is imported.
“Then there is also a still sluggish economy, which has the effect in the printing market of slowing down a long-term recovery. Demand is flat, and margins remain under pressure.
“But we will address these challenges as NOR Paper always has, through competitive advantage of product and superior service delivery,” adds Zeelie. “This is what NOR is known for, after all.”
“Craig brings a wealth of management experience from manufacturing and international trade, and his immediate past position at Avery Dennison brought him in close contact with paper merchants, and local as well as international mills,” says Hennie du Plessis, CEO of Bytes Document Solutions, distributor of Xerox to 26 African countries and part of Bytes Technology Group, wholly owned by Altron.
“Craig is well positioned to bring a fresh view to the NOR Paper business, and to keep it at the forefront of the paper market.”
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Bytes Document Solutions
Bytes Document Solutions offers a comprehensive range of products and services to the document management industry serving over 10 000 customers across sub-Saharan Africa. Through its three independent business divisions: Xerox, LaserCom/Papergeni and NOR Paper, the group continues to provide innovative and diverse product and service offerings supported by 80 service centres across the continent.
Bytes Document Solutions is a Level Two contributor and a value-adding supplier, with customers able to claim 156.25% of their spend towards their preferential procurement measurement.
Bytes Documents Solutions is a division of Bytes Technology Group South Africa, wholly owned by JSE-listed Altron. http://www.xerox.co.za
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