Agriplas – a modern manufacturing leader, people-centred and empowering

Irrigation technologies and the associated knowledge have also become mission critical for water conservation in landscape and industry, making the sector even more in-demand and dynamic. Given the demands of the industry, it’s not surprising that leaders of irrigation groups are highly skilled business and engineering leaders, like the head of Agriplas, Craig Matthew.

It’s indeed refreshingly informative and interesting to spend time with them around their boardroom tables for a special leadership series. One can see why SABI as an institute has grown from strength to strength with the superb quality of leadership in irrigation in its membership. The resilience and intelligence in the industry yet again saw the leadership and their teams rise to the challenges during 2020 with the start of the pandemic.

Matthew, the executive manager of operations, in fact joined Agriplas in 2020, and has brought with him an impressive extensive experience in operations management, manufacturing and production. Hailing from the economic heartland of Johannesburg, Craig relocated with his family from KwaZulu-Natal to the Western Cape in 2020 to head up Agriplas, a position he is enjoying.

Matthew said his Agriplas teams performed exceptionally well, even with the tough pandemic conditions in 2020 and 2021, and the excellent personnel Agriplas has onboard ensured the business prospered and customers remained happy. “Our personnel went above and beyond during the pandemic to continue delivering excellent service to our customers, showing our agility and resilience. We count our blessings daily that we were able to continue with our business in 2020 as an essential service to agriculture, and into 2021, agriculture has continually flourished. The sector has been fortunate and we are very grateful for favourable conditions such as the dams being full in the Western Cape, with steady prospects for growth here and in other provinces too.”

Fourways, UJ

An engineer, Matthew grew up in Randburg, Gauteng, and attended Fourways High, after which he completed his industrial engineering degree at that famed powerhouse of business leaders, University of Johannesburg, situated in bustling Auckland Park. Matthew’s aim from the outset of his career following his degree was to follow the management route, and from a young age, he aspired to running businesses and production facilities. Clearly highly talented and experienced in management and the running of business and manufacturing, Matthew has managed manufacturing in several arenas, including furniture, plastics, automotive components and mine support systems.

Now he is pleased to be running the Agriplas business. Matthew has managed companies in varied industrial settings and believes that people are at the heart of it all, no matter the enterprise. While irrigation is highly technical, people are always central to success. He said, “We value each person in the Agriplas team. While industries are different, people are the same. Our development and empowerment remain especially important to the success of a company, regardless of the economic climate.”

Dad, my mentor

In managing businesses successfully, Matthew said he considered his dad as his major mentor. “While there are many business leaders and literature I have learned from, such as John C Maxwell, my dad is my mentor.

“My dad’s vital role in my upbringing and his approach to managing businesses was that he believed in working alongside people and supporting them, not situating himself merely as a ‘boss’. This is the management style I emulate. I draw on his experience to support my leadership style to achieve business growth and profitability.” A progressive leader, Matthew is a firm believer in deeply supporting and assisting in developing people in a business, which effectively leads to accelerated performance and more efficient business growth.

He said, “Leadership success derives mostly from the way you relate to people. I believe in developing, supporting and empowering people to stand on their own feet and reach their goals. My role is facilitative, in that I extend my support (‘How can I help you?’) to develop rather than ‘micromanaging’, which ultimately creates a more sustainable environment for growth in all aspects.” Matthew said finding the right people is absolutely key. This is where the groundwork starts in successful enterprises. “I believe in putting a lot of effort into recruitment. This is where it all starts, after all. To find people who have the right attitude, aptitude, skills and ability to work independently and be part of a team, is of prime importance.” Communication and openness are also highly rated by Matthew in the business environment. Irrigation is seeing rapid advances in technology and it is important in this aspect, for instance, to engage with staff members. Agriplas has a personnel complement of 150 people.

“Getting to know and understand team members and how they respond, is part of being able to support and direct people. Our values include open, honest communication – leaving nothing unsaid. It’s all so important to embrace technology. There are various elements to advances in technology and it is vital to engage with and communicate properly with people in a business, as to how they see things and the impact of technology in business and life. At its essence, adopting technology enables enterprises to be better and more efficient, and we all can grow with it.” Agriplas has an amazing high-tech state-of-the-art “Automation Cave” on-site in Cape Town, where training and introduction to new technologies happen.

It’s no wonder the Agriplas team are so multiskilled and attuned to new technologies as they journey around visiting farms and agricultural clients. “Automation is developing constantly and presents many new options for efficiently controlling water usage. New ideas and the digital space are accelerating water savings on-farm, which bode well for exciting water- and cost-saving solutions for our clients,” observed Matthew.

Development and opportunities

How does Craig see the development of irrigation personnel going forward? There are skills shortages in the sector, and many opportunities. He advises learners interested in a career in irrigation to explore what the career involves, and then to consider doing appropriate formal engineering/technician courses at university or technical colleges, and also courses through SABI. With automation growing rapidly, there is also a need for skills such as electricians in the irrigation industry.

Craig would like to see more mentoring in irrigation and engineering in South Africa. “I would like to see people who are in business mentoring youngsters, this would really help support growth in South Africa,” says Craig. Looking ahead to the next 12 months, Craig says Covid-19 will remain a factor but hopefully for not too long and for him protection and appropriate support of personnel during the pandemic remain of utmost importance. “Covid-19 brought with it several challenges and sadly heart breaking moments of loss for so many, this has meant higher anxiety levels, which need to be managed and people in all spheres should be encouraged to reach out for help if they need it.

We really do take care and offer support during this time wherever we can.” Craig comments he is very excited about Agriplas and the agricultural sector as a whole going forward. “We have a fantastic team who are incredibly committed, who have superb focus and drive.

The team is well supported and can only accelerate performance to exceed growth targets. Agriplas has set a very good standard, and I can only anticipate good growth in 2022 here at home in South Africa as well as exports into Sub-Saharan Africa and beyond

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